BALLS OUT BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#1458

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1567

peak 1574 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2017-07-28

latest 2020-10-16

Best ToY finish

#1499

Master 2017

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 7 contests

Avg finish

top 32%

overall standings

Best overall

695.9428 / 720

Master · Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

676.93 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 681.22 (-4.29)

Walk rate

100%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Chicken · Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show

Consistency

±12.70

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 173.05 · weakest Brisket (164.21)

Road miles

1,537

mi across 7 mapped stops · furthest 385 mi

Schedule strength

88%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1622)

Purse competed for

$7K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

681.22 / 720

7 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (11 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180s

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.

Chicken ×1

Against the odds

9-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 91 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) (2017-07-28) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 9-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ.

Signature meat

29% chicken entries won

2 wins from 7 entries

When chicken is on the table, watch out — they've won it in 29% of their entries (2 of 7).

best 180.0000
average 171.16
5 calls

High-water mark

695.9428 career-best overall

96.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 695.9428 at Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) — 96.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
2017-07-28

Their season

2017 1 Grand Championship

2017 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 17%.

5 contests
4 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 17%

A tough matchup

3–0 behind in the head-to-head

YES, DEAR BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

YES, DEAR BBQ has come out ahead in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.84 points below their pork, and turns into a call 29% of the time against 86%.

Brisket avg 164.21
Pork avg 173.05
2 calls in 7 entries

The comeback

2.3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.3 years, then back at Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show (2020-03-13).

last seen 2017-12-01
back 2020-03-13

Announced themselves early

1st at their very first contest

Finished 1 of 25 at their very first tracked contest, Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) (2017-07-28).

2017-07-28
25-team field

They cook the hard rooms

1622 average field rating faced

A tougher draw than 88% of rated fields

The fields they enter average a 1622 power rating — a tougher draw than 88% of every rated contest in the data.

7 rated contests

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

PIG ON FIRE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

44 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

Big Horn Cookers

#1452 of the rated field

1568 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1568

No shared contest yet.

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 10 contests to 7.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

PATTERSONS TRU BLU BBQ

#1460 of the rated field

1567 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 57%
Peak: 1567

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 3 years before BALLS OUT BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 7 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

SLOGIES BBQ

#1453 of the rated field

1568 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1568

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2016-05-28

⚔ Head-to-head

Ramblin Fork BBQ Co

#1451 of the rated field

1568 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1568

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 10 contests, alongside a 50% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2025-01-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Lip S-Macn BBQ

#1462 of the rated field

1567 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1567

No shared contest yet.

Level with BALLS OUT BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2019-05-03

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKE N' ASH BBQ

#1461 of the rated field

1567 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1567

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 5 years after BALLS OUT BBQ did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2026-07-09

⚔ Head-to-head

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	7	5	2	2	180.0000 🔥	157.0744	171.16	top 32%
Pork Ribs	7	5	0	2	178.2972	166.8228	172.81	top 29%
Pork	7	6	1	2	176.5600	169.6800	173.05	top 16%
Brisket	7	2	0	0	171.9772	153.6456	164.21	top 61%

“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.

By state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
SC	4	1	top 38%
GA	2	0	top 19%
TN	1	0	top 33%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	6	1	top 32%
Large (40+)	1	0	top 33%

The story so far (21 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3.2 yrs 2017-07-28 → 2020-10-16

Busiest season 2017 5 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 3.5 across 2 seasons in the data

Cooks most in SC 4 of 7 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 0 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 7 entries · 2 wins · 5 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 173.05 · weakest Brisket (164.21)

Walk rate 100% a top-10 call in 7 of 7 contests

Overall top-10 rate 57% 4 of 7 contests

Wins it all 14% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2017-07-28 Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 681.22 out of 720 · 7 contests · 1 GC

Perfect 180s 1 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 212 176–74 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,537 7 mapped stops · furthest 385 mi

Schedule strength 1622 average field rating faced — tougher than 88% of rated contests

Purse competed for $7,200 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 2.3 yrs 2017-12-01 → 2020-03-13

Power rating 1567 peak 1574 · #1458 of 6,413 rated

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

2017
Jul 28 First tracked contest Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Jul 28 First call Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Jul 28 First category win (Pork) Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Jul 28 First overall top-10 Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Jul 28 First overall podium Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Jul 28 First Grand Championship Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Jul 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score695.9428 Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Jul 28 Career-best overall score695.9428 Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
2020
Mar 13 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show
Mar 13 Peak power rating (1574) Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show
Oct 16 Most recent contest Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+20.7	Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)	2017-07-28
+14.7	The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2017-10-13
+12.3	Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown(PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)	2017-11-10
+12.1	Smokin up the Campground (GBC Qualifier)	2017-12-01
+10.7	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)	2017-10-27

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-6.7	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club	2020-10-16

Category scores over time

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

Season	Contests	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2020	2	0	0	1	100%	top 68%	93.5%	92.2%
2017	5	1	4	2	100%	top 17%	96.7%	95.6%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2020-10-16	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club Summerville, SC	21 / 24 (654.1144)	23 (157.0744)	13 (168.5372)	7 (169.6800)	22 (158.8228)
2020-03-13	Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off & Car Show 🏅 Darlington, SC	14 / 29 (673.0284)	1 (180.0000)	21 (166.8228)	2 (172.5600)	25 (153.6456)
2017-12-01	Smokin up the Campground (GBC Qualifier) Calhoun, GA	6 / 30 (685.6572)	7 (171.4172)	5 (172.0000)	5 (172.5600)	14 (169.6800)
2017-11-10	Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown(PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Mt. Pleasant, SC	3 / 25 (685.0628)	6 (168.5256)	3 (176.5716)	4 (173.1200)	7 (166.8456)
2017-10-27	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN	31 / 95 (686.7772)	49 (170.2744)	6 (178.2972)	12 (176.5600)	77 (161.6456)
2017-10-13	The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier) Lyons, GA	5 / 29 (687.9428)	1 (177.7028)	8 (172.0116)	7 (171.4056)	17 (166.8228)
2017-07-28	Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Summerville, SC	1 / 25 (695.9428)	5 (173.1084)	3 (175.4056)	1 (175.4516)	8 (171.9772)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017 ↗	Master	#1499 (170 pts)	#1617 (160 pts)	#1506 (180 pts)	#1489 (180 pts)	#1982 (110 pts)