ZZ-QUE

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

Power ranking

#1076

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1596

peak 1621 · rated over 26 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-17

latest 2017-09-15

Best ToY finish

#267

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

8 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 26 contests

Avg finish

top 35%

overall standings

Best overall

684.5716 / 720

Master · 8th Annual Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff

Perfect 180s

Current form

661.14 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 671.42 (-10.27)

Walk rate

88%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.8572

Chicken · Bands & BBQ at the Point

Consistency

±10.41

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 168.53 · weakest Pork (166.39)

Road miles

2,407

mi across 26 mapped stops · furthest 189 mi

Schedule strength

38%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1550)

Master avg

671.42 / 720

26 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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.

They almost always walk

88% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 23 of 26 contests

A top-10 category call in 88% of their 26 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

684.5716 career-best overall

95.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 684.5716 at 8th Annual Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff — 95.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-07-11

The one to beat

4× one call ahead of them

SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE has finished one call ahead of ZZ-QUE 4 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 20%.

6 contests
5 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 20%

A tough matchup

16–3 behind in the head-to-head

BLUE CHIP BBQ ahead in 84% of their meetings

BLUE CHIP BBQ has come out ahead in 16 of their 19 shared contests.

A strong matchup

12–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 92% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ACME BBQ in 12 of their 13 shared contests.

Going the wrong way

-25 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 25 points across 5 contests since 2017-04-07 — from 1621 down to 1596.

5 contests since 2017-04-07
now 1596

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

WeQ4U has landed one call behind them 3 times.

The metronome

±1.45% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.45% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.3% of a perfect score
26 contests

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.

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

2 WORTHLESS NUTS, NATURAL BORN GRILLERS

#1073 of the rated field

1596 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 73%
Peak: 1596

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to ZZ-QUE)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team ZZ-QUE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2015-09-11

⚔ Head-to-head

Backroads BBQ

#1082 of the rated field

1596 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1596

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 26 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2024-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

SLOW PORKIN

#1081 of the rated field

1596 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1596

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 26, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2026-08-22

⚔ Head-to-head

BALDICUE

#1072 of the rated field

1596 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 79%
Peak: 1596

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 24 contests, alongside a 79% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2019-10-05

⚔ Head-to-head

1 Bite BBQ

#1074 of the rated field

1596 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 34%
Peak: 1596

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 9 years after ZZ-QUE did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 29 contests
last seen 2026-08-28

⚔ Head-to-head

R&R BBQ

#1069 of the rated field

1597 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 61%
Peak: 1631

No shared contest yet.

Level with ZZ-QUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 23 contests
last seen 2026-07-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BLUE CHIP BBQ	19	3	16	16%	⚔ compare
WeQ4U	18	11	7	61%	⚔ compare
Extra Mile BBQ	16	10	6	63%	⚔ compare
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ	15	5	10	33%	⚔ compare
ACME BBQ	13	12	1	92%	⚔ compare
LITTLE BOB'S BBQ	13	12	1	92%	⚔ compare
HISTORIC BBQ	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
YELLOW RIVER BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
HUG HOGS	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
Pappy Q	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
FRIENDS OF OBR	9	8	1	89%	⚔ compare
SMOKE-N-PEPPERS	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
THUNDER HOG BBQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	26	9	0	1	178.8572	159.9772	168.03	top 44%
Pork Ribs	26	9	0	4	177.7144	158.2172	168.47	top 36%
Pork	26	6	1	1	176.5600	149.0512	166.39	top 47%
Brisket	26	14	1	2	178.3200	155.9084	168.53	top 36%

“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	Avg finish
IN	11	top 32%
KY	9	top 44%
OH	6	top 27%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 56%
Medium (20–39)	15	top 39%
Large (40+)	10	top 28%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness	3	6	top 25%	2016-06-24
Bands & BBQ at the Point	2	8	top 48%	2017-09-15
Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival	2	16	top 31%	2015-08-21
Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	2	6	top 30%	2015-07-17
Bourbon City BBQ Festival Cookoff	2	5	top 23%	2014-06-06

The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.3 yrs 2013-05-17 → 2017-09-15

Busiest season 2013 7 contests

Contests a season 5.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IN 11 of 26 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 20 5 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 26 entries · 0 wins · 9 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 168.53 · weakest Pork (166.39)

Walk rate 88% a top-10 call in 23 of 26 contests

Overall top-10 rate 54% 14 of 26 contests

Best top-10 run 6 straight contests

Master average 671.42 out of 720 · 26 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 390 657–299 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,407 26 mapped stops · furthest 189 mi

Schedule strength 1550 average field rating faced — tougher than 38% of rated contests

Power rating 1596 peak 1621 · #1076 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 17 First tracked contest Buckeye State BBQ Championship
May 17 First call Buckeye State BBQ Championship
May 17 First overall top-10 Buckeye State BBQ Championship
May 17 First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.1420 Buckeye State BBQ Championship
Sep 6 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8572 Bands & BBQ at the Point
2014
Jul 11 First category win (Pork) 8th Annual Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 11 First overall podium 8th Annual Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 11 10th tracked contest 8th Annual Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 11 Career-best overall score684.5716 8th Annual Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
2017
Apr 7 Peak power rating (1621) First Annual Operation Stand Down KY BBQ Smoke Off(TEAMS FULL)
Jul 21 25th tracked contest Smoke on the Square
Sep 15 Most recent contest Bands & BBQ at the Point

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.6	8th Annual Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff	2014-07-11
+11.7	Bourbon City BBQ Festival Cookoff	2013-06-07
+11.2	Ohio Veterans Barbeque Cook-off	2013-07-12
+11	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	2014-07-18
+10.1	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness	2013-06-28

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.1	Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival	2015-06-19
-10	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2017-05-12
-8.7	Bands & BBQ at the Point	2017-09-15
-5.2	*Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off	2017-07-07
-3.7	Homecoming 2015 BBQ Cookoff	2015-09-04

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)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	5	0	0	60%	top 62%	94.3%	91.8%
2016	2	1	0	100%	top 35%	95.1%	94.6%
2015	6	2	0	83%	top 45%	94.5%	93.4%
2014	6	5	2	100%	top 20%	95.1%	94.4%
2013	7	6	0	100%	top 21%	94.4%	92.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-09-15	Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY	24 / 33 (646.1024)	26 (162.2628)	12 (167.9772)	26 (159.9540)	25 (155.9084)
2017-07-21	Smoke on the Square Vernon, IN	14 / 25 (673.0628)	8 (173.7028)	7 (170.2744)	17 (166.8456)	20 (162.2400)
2017-07-07	*Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off Kettering, OH	23 / 41 (653.0512)	22 (165.1428)	26 (160.5600)	16 (165.6912)	25 (161.6572)
2017-05-12	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Bowling Green, KY	26 / 29 (654.7084)	26 (159.9772)	5 (176.0000)	29 (149.0512)	17 (169.6800)
2017-04-07	First Annual Operation Stand Down KY BBQ Smoke Off(TEAMS FULL) Bowling Green, KY	15 / 40 (678.7888)	27 (163.4172)	19 (169.1316)	20 (170.8228)	6 (175.4172)
2016-07-08	Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off Kettering, OH	13 / 34 (677.6116)	9 (171.9772)	2 (177.7144)	29 (159.9428)	17 (167.9772)
2016-06-24	Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	10 / 31 (684.4916)	15 (169.1200)	13 (170.8344)	7 (173.1200)	11 (171.4172)
2015-09-04	Homecoming 2015 BBQ Cookoff Vernon, IN	10 / 18 (669.6228)	15 (161.6912)	9 (170.8344)	12 (164.5256)	5 (172.5716)
2015-08-21	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	22 / 64 (668.4684)	35 (165.1428)	4 (174.2628)	31 (166.8228)	37 (162.2400)
2015-07-17	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	21 / 44 (675.8744)	38 (163.9428)	4 (176.5716)	7 (175.4172)	35 (159.9428)
2015-07-10	9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff Kettering, OH	8 / 39 (680.4916)	34 (161.6800)	2 (176.0116)	21 (168.5256)	5 (174.2744)
2015-06-19	Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival Barbourville, KY	20 / 25 (659.8284)	11 (172.5944)	22 (162.8000)	21 (160.4912)	17 (163.9428)
2015-06-05	Bourbon City BBQ Festival Bardstown, KY	11 / 34 (680.0572)	6 (174.3200)	17 (166.8800)	23 (168.0000)	12 (170.8572)
2014-09-12	St. Leon BBQ Smoke Fest and Chili Cook Off St. Leon, IN	6 / 29 (683.9772)	12 (167.3828)	17 (165.1316)	5 (173.1428)	1 (178.3200)
2014-08-15	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	16 / 60 (671.2800)	13 (170.8228)	43 (158.2172)	18 (167.3828)	3 (174.8572)
2014-07-18	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	6 / 51 (681.6684)	32 (162.8228)	3 (175.4172)	6 (173.7256)	10 (169.7028)
2014-07-11	8th Annual Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff Kettering, OH	3 / 42 (684.5716)	8 (170.8800)	13 (167.3944)	1 (176.5600)	6 (169.7372)
2014-06-27	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	8 / 34 (674.8232)	15 (169.7028)	11 (169.1544)	4 (175.4172)	24 (160.5488)
2014-06-06	Bourbon City BBQ Festival Cookoff Bardstown, KY	10 / 34 (681.0744)	14 (171.9772)	19 (163.4172)	15 (170.8228)	5 (174.8572)
2013-09-27	Grillin and Chillin BBQ Owensboro, KY	7 / 45 (679.8856)	6 (175.4056)	16 (167.9772)	30 (161.0856)	4 (175.4172)
2013-09-06	Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY	8 / 34 (677.5884)	2 (178.8572)	2 (175.4056)	12 (166.2284)	22 (157.0972)
2013-08-16	Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues Madison, IN	18 / 60 (660.4568)	25 (163.9656)	14 (166.8456)	39 (157.6456)	7 (172.0000)
2013-07-12	Ohio Veterans Barbeque Cook-off Kettering, OH	6 / 41 (666.8000)	14 (165.6800)	11 (163.4172)	14 (166.8456)	9 (170.8572)
2013-06-28	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	6 / 32 (668.0000)	8 (170.2858)	15 (162.2858)	14 (167.4284)	6 (168.0000)
2013-06-07	Bourbon City BBQ Festival Cookoff Bardstown, KY	5 / 30 (663.4278)	5 (168.5714)	12 (163.4282)	14 (158.2854)	4 (173.1428)
2013-05-17	Buckeye State BBQ Championship West Chester, OH	9 / 35 (661.1420)	6 (167.4284)	17 (162.2854)	13 (162.2854)	6 (169.1428)

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	#883 (402 pts)	#973 (392 pts)	#673 (607 pts)	#949 (392 pts)	#832 (462 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1186 (250 pts)	#1274 (250 pts)	#975 (375 pts)	#1414 (220 pts)	#1354 (225 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#583 (632 pts)	#675 (567 pts)	#380 (972 pts)	#689 (552 pts)	#546 (687 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#366 (1009 pts)	#547 (714 pts)	#516 (764 pts)	#325 (1089 pts)	#318 (1109 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#267 (1117 pts)	#242 (1147 pts)	#313 (967 pts)	#443 (732 pts)	#244 (1177 pts)