The heartbreaker
Came within 1.1200 points of the Grand Championship at Viking Grillfestivalen (2019-11-01).
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Came within 1.1200 points of the Grand Championship at Viking Grillfestivalen (2019-11-01).
In the top 2% of every rated team in the data
A power rating of 1788 puts them #127 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 2% of the field.
Their power rating has climbed 48 points across 16 contests since 2019-02-15 — from 1740 up to 1788.
Took the Grand Championship over a 61-team field at Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off.
Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
A call in 49 of 58 contests
A top-10 category call in 84% of their 58 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
97.5% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 701.7372 at Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off — 97.5% of a perfect 720.
They've taken 1 state championship from 19 entries at contests carrying the title.
Rio Valley Meat BBQ has finished one call ahead of Texas-car-b-que 4 times — their closest competition in the data.
BUTCHER BBQ ahead in 71% of their meetings
BUTCHER BBQ has come out ahead in 25 of their 35 shared contests.
Their last Grand Championship came at Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off on 2019-04-05 — 13 contests and 7.4 years ago.
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of POPS' SMOKIN' BBQ in 27 of their 27 shared contests.
Runner-up for the whole thing 6 times against 1 Grand Championship — close enough to touch it, over and over.
SMOKIN DAN has landed one call behind them 3 times.
Something about April: average finish in the top 13% across 6 contests, versus top 24% the rest of the year.
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 14,477 miles across 58 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 684 miles to National Western BBQ Throwdown.
Their overall lands within ±1.83% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
They've cooked Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown every year from 2016 to 2020 — the contest they never miss.
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.
They've been 1830 at their best, 42 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-headA longer road to the same neighbourhood — 105 contests to 58.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir rating is built on 9 Grand Championships in 118 contests, alongside a 67% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-headOne contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Texas-car-b-que has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-headLevel with Texas-car-b-que on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Texas-car-b-que has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Hog Night Smokers | 35 | 18 | 17 | 51% | ⚔ compare |
| BUTCHER BBQ | 35 | 10 | 25 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| FAT BOYS BBQ - TEMPLE, TX | 33 | 14 | 19 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| BUFFALO'S BBQ | 31 | 10 | 21 | 32% | ⚔ compare |
| LA PASADITA | 29 | 17 | 12 | 59% | ⚔ compare |
| BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX | 28 | 14 | 14 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| BOOMERANG BBQ | 28 | 11 | 17 | 39% | ⚔ compare |
| POPS' SMOKIN' BBQ | 27 | 27 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| CLARK CREW BBQ | 26 | 9 | 17 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 LEGS UP BBQ | 26 | 9 | 17 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG BUTTS NEED RUBBIN TOO | 24 | 16 | 8 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | 24 | 9 | 15 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| DIVINE SWINE | 23 | 17 | 6 | 74% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN DAN | 21 | 21 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Rio Valley Meat BBQ | 21 | 4 | 17 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 57 | 27 | 5 | 10 | 178.8572 | 153.0972 | 171.07 | top 29% |
| Pork Ribs | 57 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 177.1544 | 153.1088 | 168.72 | top 34% |
| Pork | 57 | 26 | 2 | 10 | 179.4400 | 154.2168 | 170.37 | top 32% |
| Brisket | 57 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 177.7144 | 157.0972 | 168.30 | top 34% |
“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.
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 24 | 1 | top 21% |
| OK | 23 | 0 | top 30% |
| KS | 4 | 0 | top 12% |
| CO | 3 | 0 | top 17% |
| MS | 1 | 0 | top 8% |
| AR | 1 | 0 | top 52% |
| NM | 1 | 0 | top 58% |
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 13% |
| Medium (20–39) | 23 | 0 | top 32% |
| Large (40+) | 33 | 1 | top 20% |
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown | 5 | 5 | 0 | top 33% | 2020-02-14 |
| Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 15% | 2019-08-30 |
| Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 7% | 2019-04-05 |
| Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 2) | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 23% | 2019-05-11 |
| Humble Rodeo and BBQ | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 6% | 2019-02-01 |
| 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 18% | 2018-09-15 |
| *Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 13% | 2018-08-24 |
| *Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival(JUDGES FULL) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 15% | 2017-05-05 |
| Firelake BBQ Cook Off(Day 2) | 2 | 13 | 0 | top 25% | 2017-03-25 |
| City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 26% | 2016-09-03 |
| Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 23% | 2016-03-11 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.4 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2016-03-11 |
| +13 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | 2016-09-03 |
| +12.1 | 13th Annual Hanor Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ | 2018-04-20 |
| +11.8 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off(Day 2) | 2017-03-25 |
| +11.6 | * Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown(JUDGES FULL) | 2017-02-16 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.5 | Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown | 2020-02-14 |
| -8.4 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) | 2016-09-23 |
| -5.6 | *The Wind Rider Music & BBQ Festival(WFC QUALIFIER) | 2017-05-26 |
| -1.2 | CASA's Grab, Root and Growl BBQ | 2016-08-12 |
| -1 | Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) | 2019-05-10 |
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 57% | 92.6% | 92.6% |
| 2019 | 18 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 89% | top 16% | 97.5% | 95.3% |
| 2018 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 85% | top 18% | 97.1% | 95% |
| 2017 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 75% | top 28% | 96.6% | 93.8% |
| 2016 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 83% | top 36% | 95.4% | 93% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 42% | 90.8% | 90.4% |
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-02-14 | Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown 🏅 Huntsville, TX | 24 / 42 (666.7084) | 9 (173.1200) | 15 (169.1200) | 28 (162.7884) | 27 (161.6800) |
| 2019-11-01 | Viking Grillfestivalen 🏅 Waco, TX | 2 / 15 (698.2400) | 2 (175.4172) | 1 (177.1544) | 7 (171.9656) | 4 (173.7028) |
| 2019-09-12 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- INVITATIONAL CONTEST 🏅 unrated Kansas City, KS | 7 / 135 (698.2744) | 72 (171.4056) | 10 (176.5716) | 12 (176.5600) | 36 (173.7372) |
| 2019-09-12 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 38 / 468 (686.7996) | 107 (170.8456) | 153 (168.0000) | 3 (179.4400) | 156 (168.5140) |
| 2019-08-30 | Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival 🏅 Bedford, TX | 8 / 58 (690.8228) | 27 (169.7028) | 11 (171.9772) | 12 (172.0000) | 2 (177.1428) |
| 2019-08-23 | Raider Red Meat BBQ & Ribeye Championship 🏅 Lubbock, TX | 17 / 62 (669.0744) | 6 (173.7028) | 34 (161.1316) | 5 (174.2744) | 32 (159.9656) |
| 2019-08-02 | San Luis Valley Beat the Heat BBQ 🏅 Alamosa, CO | 10 / 54 (682.7772) | 5 (176.0000) | 15 (170.2744) | 25 (167.3828) | 14 (169.1200) |
| 2019-06-22 | Festival of the Pig - Oklahoma BBQ Championship 🏅 Oklahoma City, OK | 5 / 27 (686.8800) | 10 (170.8456) | 6 (171.4744) | 3 (174.8572) | 11 (169.7028) |
| 2019-06-07 | Buskers, Brews & BBQ 🏅 Aurora, CO | 9 / 38 (681.0284) | 6 (172.5600) | 13 (171.9772) | 8 (170.8228) | 11 (165.6684) |
| 2019-05-24 | Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival 🏅 Brookhaven, MS | 2 / 26 (678.9488) | 2 (172.0000) | 10 (165.6800) | 8 (169.8172) | 5 (171.4516) |
| 2019-05-11 | Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 2) 🏅 Plainview, TX | 6 / 21 (687.9656) | 6 (173.7028) | 11 (170.8572) | 3 (174.8800) | 10 (168.5256) |
| 2019-05-10 | Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) 🏅 Plainview, TX | 7 / 38 (675.3484) | 7 (172.5828) | 24 (158.8344) | 2 (177.7028) | 14 (166.2284) |
| 2019-04-26 | 14th Annual HANOR Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ 🏅 Enid, OK | 2 / 39 (689.6456) | 15 (170.2628) | 1 (177.1544) | 16 (170.2628) | 9 (171.9656) |
| 2019-04-05 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Cedar Park, TX | 1 / 61 (701.7372) | 1 (178.8572) | 3 (173.7600) | 8 (174.2628) | 3 (174.8572) |
| 2019-03-23 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off Day 2 🏅 Shawnee, OK | 15 / 62 (687.4060) | 17 (174.2628) | 11 (173.1888) | 30 (169.1200) | 24 (170.8344) |
| 2019-03-22 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off Day 1 🏅 Shawnee, OK | 17 / 74 (682.1716) | 16 (171.9772) | 28 (168.5488) | 22 (170.8344) | 25 (170.8112) |
| 2019-02-15 | Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown 🏅 Huntsville, TX | 10 / 33 (688.5024) | 14 (170.8456) | 10 (173.1200) | 6 (174.2856) | 13 (170.2512) |
| 2019-02-01 | Humble Rodeo and BBQ 🏅 Humble, TX | 13 / 126 (674.2740) | 11 (169.1428) | 21 (168.5828) | 5 (177.7028) | 57 (158.8456) |
| 2019-01-11 | National Western BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Denver, CO | 3 / 38 (685.6112) | 24 (166.2284) | 9 (171.4172) | 2 (176.5600) | 7 (171.4056) |
| 2018-10-26 | *10th Annual Smokin the Fort BBQ & Music Festival Fort Gibson, OK | 5 / 27 (684.4684) | 11 (166.8228) | 6 (170.8344) | 3 (173.1084) | 2 (173.7028) |
| 2018-10-13 | *Bedouin Brew & Bar-B-Que Muskogee, OK | 11 / 26 (670.7888) | 17 (163.9772) | 8 (166.8688) | 18 (164.5372) | 3 (175.4056) |
| 2018-09-15 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 104 / 467 (677.1312) | 39 (175.4056) | 29 (175.4628) | 289 (161.7256) | 219 (164.5372) |
| 2018-09-14 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) unrated Kansas City, KS | 21 / 164 (693.0856) | 40 (174.2628) | 41 (173.1544) | 15 (176.5600) | 97 (169.1084) |
| 2018-08-31 | *Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 19 / 74 (672.4684) | 12 (173.7372) | 39 (164.5372) | 7 (173.7028) | 50 (160.4912) |
| 2018-08-24 | *Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship Lubbock, TX | 7 / 54 (680.5028) | 7 (174.2856) | 10 (172.0116) | 13 (170.2628) | 26 (163.9428) |
| 2018-05-25 | Burnt Ends Oklahoma Barbeque Championship Oklahoma City, OK | 8 / 24 (685.1660) | 8 (171.4400) | 5 (172.5716) | 9 (169.1544) | 8 (172.0000) |
| 2018-04-20 | 13th Annual Hanor Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK | 2 / 49 (699.3828) | 1 (177.7028) | 28 (166.8344) | 4 (177.7028) | 6 (177.1428) |
| 2018-04-06 | *Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off Cedar Park, TX | 9 / 69 (674.8572) | 16 (169.7372) | 4 (174.2972) | 38 (162.2628) | 13 (168.5600) |
| 2018-03-24 | Fire Lake BBQ Cook-off Day 2 Shawnee, OK | 13 / 79 (690.8228) | 2 (178.2972) | 41 (168.5944) | 34 (171.9656) | 27 (171.9656) |
| 2018-03-23 | Fire Lake BBQ Cook-off Day 1 Shawnee, OK | 16 / 84 (685.6916) | 3 (178.2972) | 49 (165.7144) | 45 (168.5600) | 17 (173.1200) |
| 2018-02-16 | *Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown Huntsville, TX | 5 / 38 (686.8116) | 8 (172.5944) | 2 (176.0116) | 5 (174.2628) | 16 (163.9428) |
| 2018-02-02 | *Humble Rodeo and BBQ Humble, TX | 3 / 145 (687.3716) | 16 (170.2628) | 22 (169.1316) | 3 (176.5600) | 13 (171.4172) |
| 2017-10-13 | *Smokin' Blues & BBQ Festival Duncanville, TX | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017-09-02 | *Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Bedford, TX | 2 / 46 (683.3716) | 1 (178.2972) | 20 (164.5256) | 4 (173.7144) | 14 (166.8344) |
| 2017-08-11 | *Q'ing to Cure Childhood Cancer BBQ Cookoff Conroe, TX | 4 / 26 (672.5260) | 16 (158.2628) | 6 (167.9888) | 1 (178.8572) | 4 (167.4172) |
| 2017-07-07 | *16th Annual Bordertown Bash Fort Smith, AR | 16 / 31 (671.3144) | 19 (168.5256) | 7 (171.4172) | 11 (170.2744) | 23 (161.0972) |
| 2017-06-09 | *Mocklahoma Ribs & Roll BBQ Championship-Day 1 Okmulgee, OK | 12 / 29 (671.8628) | 1 (178.2972) | 19 (162.2516) | 5 (173.1084) | 23 (158.2056) |
| 2017-05-26 | *The Wind Rider Music & BBQ Festival(WFC QUALIFIER) Ruidoso, NM | 21 / 36 (653.0288) | 11 (169.7488) | 21 (163.3944) | 26 (160.5144) | 25 (159.3712) |
| 2017-05-05 | *Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival(JUDGES FULL) Bixby, OK | 8 / 68 (684.5144) | 4 (176.5716) | 30 (162.8228) | 6 (175.4172) | 14 (169.7028) |
| 2017-04-07 | Chillin n Grillin BBQ Festival Sands Springs, OK | 9 / 33 (682.1940) | 24 (167.4056) | 12 (167.9772) | 11 (170.8112) | 4 (176.0000) |
| 2017-03-25 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off(Day 2) Shawnee, OK | 13 / 77 (690.2172) | 55 (166.8228) | 14 (174.8572) | 31 (170.8228) | 2 (177.7144) |
| 2017-03-24 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) Shawnee, OK | 28 / 87 (679.9544) | 8 (176.0000) | 74 (158.8344) | 10 (174.8572) | 33 (170.2628) |
| 2017-02-16 | * Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown(JUDGES FULL) Huntsville, TX | 5 / 41 (695.4284) | 18 (167.4056) | 8 (173.1428) | 2 (178.2972) | 5 (176.5828) |
| 2017-02-03 | *Humble Rodeo & BBQ ( WFC Qualifier) Humble, TX | 44 / 136 (648.4916) | 65 (158.8000) | 103 (153.1088) | 22 (170.2628) | 37 (166.3200) |
| 2016-10-21 | Smokin' The Fort-BBQ & Bluegrass Festival FortGibson, OK | 9 / 28 (675.9088) | 14 (167.9772) | 14 (165.1088) | 1 (178.8800) | 15 (163.9428) |
| 2016-09-23 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Midwest City, OK | 29 / 30 (666.2060) | 22 (166.8228) | 21 (169.1660) | 26 (165.6800) | 23 (164.5372) |
| 2016-09-16 | Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off Ponca City, OK | 10 / 43 (677.1088) | 14 (170.2856) | 5 (173.1544) | 29 (160.5144) | 3 (173.1544) |
| 2016-09-03 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 4 / 58 (686.7884) | 5 (173.7028) | 17 (169.1428) | 24 (168.5256) | 2 (175.4172) |
| 2016-08-26 | Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship Lubbock, TX | 9 / 72 (674.8456) | 24 (165.1656) | 6 (174.2972) | 4 (176.5600) | 43 (158.8228) |
| 2016-08-12 | CASA's Grab, Root and Growl BBQ Woodward, OK | 17 / 29 (640.3768) | 25 (153.0972) | 15 (162.2284) | 24 (155.9428) | 10 (169.1084) |
| 2016-07-02 | *Hot Pursuit BBQ Shawnee, OK | 16 / 27 (657.6228) | 4 (173.7028) | 19 (160.5600) | 17 (163.9428) | 16 (159.4172) |
| 2016-05-06 | *Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival Bixby, OK | 15 / 83 (677.6460) | 13 (171.9772) | 32 (163.9544) | 13 (170.8572) | 9 (170.8572) |
| 2016-04-01 | Stillwater Elks Lodge Blazathon Stillwater, OK | 11 / 44 (673.6796) | 2 (174.8456) | 11 (169.1428) | 35 (155.9884) | 4 (173.7028) |
| 2016-03-25 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off Shawnee, OK | 25 / 66 (676.4456) | 54 (161.6572) | 28 (168.5600) | 19 (173.1084) | 12 (173.1200) |
| 2016-03-11 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Fort Worth, TX | 2 / 29 (672.5260) | 1 (176.0116) | 3 (173.7028) | 18 (161.7144) | 16 (161.0972) |
| 2016-02-25 | Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown Huntsville, TX | 22 / 42 (657.0284) | 9 (171.4056) | 21 (160.5600) | 15 (167.9656) | 30 (157.0972) |
| 2015-09-04 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 31 / 70 (653.6576) | 5 (172.5716) | 11 (169.7028) | 61 (154.2400) | 50 (157.1432) |
| 2015-03-13 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Fort Worth, TX | 12 / 30 (648.3876) | 9 (165.1084) | 15 (162.8112) | 25 (154.2168) | 7 (166.2512) |
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #361 (305 pts) | #325 (385 pts) | #334 (375 pts) | #521 (205 pts) | #469 (250 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #63 (2084 pts) | #64 (1894 pts) | #91 (1751 pts) | #46 (2056 pts) | #109 (1662 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #145 (1657 pts) | #117 (1701 pts) | #197 (1347 pts) | #143 (1532 pts) | #210 (1362 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #219 (1424 pts) | #186 (1459 pts) | #331 (1089 pts) | #143 (1624 pts) | #246 (1334 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #234 (1388 pts) | #165 (1549 pts) | #271 (1268 pts) | #301 (1174 pts) | #204 (1468 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1372 (180 pts) | #1020 (325 pts) | #1286 (235 pts) | #1923 (115 pts) | #1296 (220 pts) |