High-water mark
680.5712
career-best overall
94.5% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 680.5712 at Minnesota in May — 94.5% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2013-05-17
BLACK DOG BBQ IA
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1538
peak 1572 · rated over 48 contests ⓘ
Contests
48
in the data
First seen
2013-05-17
latest 2018-09-28
Best ToY finish
#339
Master 2013
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
3
7 podiums
Overall top-10s
6
of 48 contests
Avg finish
top 52%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
644.22 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 657.67 (-13.45)
Walk rate
52%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±11.78
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 167.60 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.08)
Road miles
6,268
mi across 48 mapped stops · furthest 387 mi
Schedule strength
48%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1562)
Master avg
657.67 / 720
48 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (12 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.
The one to beat
3×
one call ahead of them
MYASSIS SMOKIN has finished one call ahead of BLACK DOG BBQ IA 3 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2013
their best year
2013 was the year it came together: 8 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 35%.
- 8 contests
- 3 overall top-10s
- 2 category wins
- average top 35%
A tough matchup
30–3
behind in the head-to-head
LUCKY'S Q ahead in 91% of their meetings
LUCKY'S Q has come out ahead in 30 of their 33 shared contests.
The weak link
−4.5
points behind their best meat
Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.52 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 19% of the time against 33%.
- Pork Ribs avg 163.08
- Chicken avg 167.60
- 9 calls in 48 entries
A strong matchup
12–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of 3 THIRDS BBQ in 12 of their 12 shared contests.
Chicken nemesis
21 of 33
shared chicken entries lost
LUCKY'S Q ahead 64% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, LUCKY'S Q has out-cooked them in 21 of 33 shared chicken entries.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
The Q Crew has landed one call behind them 2 times.
A May team
Top 39%
average finish in May
Something about May: average finish in the top 39% across 9 contests, versus top 52% the rest of the year.
- 9 May contests
- top 52% the rest of the year
The long haul
6,268
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,268 miles across 48 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 387 miles to Smokin' At The Run Shootout.
- 48 mapped stops
- furthest 387 mi
The metronome
±1.64%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.64% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 91.3% of a perfect score
- 48 contests
A standing appointment
6
years running at one contest
They've cooked *Up in Smoke BBQ Bash every year from 2013 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.
- 6 visits in all
- best finish 9th
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.
80 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1993 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 5%
- Peak
- 1539
3–4 in 7 shared contests (43% to BLACK DOG BBQ IA)
These two have cooked 7 of the same contests — NAGAN FOR MORE BBQ ahead 4–3 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#1990 of the rated field
- Contests
- 33
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 15%
- Peak
- 1577
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1577 at their best, 39 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#1988 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 12%
- Peak
- 1552
No shared contest yet.
Fewer contests behind them than BLACK DOG BBQ IA has cooked, 17 to 48, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#1984 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1539
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 18 contests, alongside a 22% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#1981 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1540
No shared contest yet.
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Head-to-head#1986 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1540
No shared contest yet.
Level with BLACK DOG BBQ IA on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRUE SMOKE BBQ | 33 | 4 | 29 | 12% | ⚔ compare |
| LUCKY'S Q | 33 | 3 | 30 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| Pig Skin BBQ | 26 | 1 | 25 | 4% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG T'Z Q CRU | 25 | 0 | 25 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| DRY 2 DA BONE | 24 | 3 | 21 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Hogline | 23 | 6 | 17 | 26% | ⚔ compare |
| WOODWARD BARBEQUE | 23 | 4 | 19 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ | 21 | 4 | 17 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 21 | 1 | 20 | 5% | ⚔ compare |
| GRUMPY OLD MEN BBQ | 20 | 13 | 7 | 65% | ⚔ compare |
| MYASSIS SMOKIN | 20 | 7 | 13 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| SPITFIRE | 20 | 3 | 17 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG | 20 | 2 | 18 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. | 18 | 5 | 13 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 48 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 176.5714 | 156.5256 | 167.60 | top 42% |
| Pork Ribs | 48 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 176.5714 | 145.0516 | 163.08 | top 54% |
| Pork | 48 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 177.7372 | 146.2856 | 163.28 | top 55% |
| Brisket | 48 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 176.0344 | 149.0628 | 163.71 | top 48% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA | 24 | 0 | top 54% |
| MN | 18 | 0 | top 44% |
| OK | 4 | 0 | top 70% |
| MO | 1 | 0 | top 51% |
| WI | 1 | 0 | top 44% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 18 | 0 | top 55% |
| Large (40+) | 30 | 0 | top 50% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Up in Smoke BBQ Bash | 6 | 9 | 0 | top 50% | 2018-09-28 |
| BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! | 6 | 10 | 0 | top 43% | 2018-07-20 |
| Smokin in Steele | 3 | 7 | 0 | top 40% | 2016-06-03 |
| State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship | 3 | 9 | 0 | top 43% | 2015-06-19 |
| Minnesota in May | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 39% | 2018-05-11 |
| Minnesota in May | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 31% | 2016-05-13 |
| Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full) | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 85% | 2016-04-23 |
| Central Iowa Expo BBQ, Cruise & Brew | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 70% | 2014-04-26 |
The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
5.4 yrs
2013-05-17 → 2018-09-28
Busiest season
2014
13 contests
Contests a season
8
across 6 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
IA
24 of 48 contests · 5 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
30
8 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
48 entries · 1 win · 16 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 167.60 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.08)
Walk rate
52%
a top-10 call in 25 of 48 contests
Overall top-10 rate
13%
6 of 48 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight contests
Master average
657.67
out of 720 · 48 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
751
1,121–1,103 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
6,268
48 mapped stops · furthest 387 mi
Schedule strength
1562
average field rating faced — tougher than 48% of rated contests
Power rating
1538
peak 1572 · #1995 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Minnesota in May
- First call Minnesota in May
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Minnesota in May
- First overall top-10 Minnesota in May
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score680.5712 Minnesota in May
- Career-best overall score680.5712 Minnesota in May
- 2014
- Career-best single call (Pork)177.7372 Smokin' At The Run Shootout
- 10th tracked contest Smokin' At The Run
- 2015
- 25th tracked contest Smokin' in Steel
- 2017
- Peak power rating (1572) *Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
- 2018
- Most recent contest *Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.1 | Smokin in Steele | 2016-06-03 |
| +13.1 | Minnesota in May | 2013-05-17 |
| +12.3 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash | 2013-07-26 |
| +11.4 | Med City BBQ & Musicfest | 2013-08-09 |
| +10.4 | Minnesota in May | 2017-05-12 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13 | Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full) | 2016-04-22 |
| -11.6 | Big Muddy Brew N Que | 2017-09-02 |
| -9.6 | Bend of the River CookOut | 2014-06-27 |
| -8.7 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2017-07-28 |
| -7.8 | Central Iowa Expo BBQ, Cruise & Brew | 2014-04-26 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 65% | 90.7% | 89.4% |
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43% | top 53% | 93.5% | 91.2% |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 63% | top 51% | 93.8% | 91.5% |
| 2015 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 49% | 93.1% | 92% |
| 2014 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 46% | top 59% | 93.4% | 90.9% |
| 2013 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 63% | top 35% | 94.5% | 92.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-09-28 | *Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 18 / 29 (629.5772) | 7 (163.4056) | 6 (162.8000) | 26 (149.6800) | 26 (153.6916) |
| 2018-08-24 | 11th Annual Big Island BBQ Alberta Lea, MN | 37 / 49 (639.8400) | 23 (168.5372) | 35 (161.1200) | 40 (153.6572) | 34 (156.5256) |
| 2018-07-20 | BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA | 26 / 42 (652.5372) | 31 (164.0000) | 22 (165.1200) | 40 (151.4172) | 10 (172.0000) |
| 2018-05-11 | Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN | 43 / 70 (653.0052) | 13 (171.4056) | 34 (163.9312) | 61 (156.5256) | 41 (161.1428) |
| 2017-09-02 | Big Muddy Brew N Que Winona, MN | 18 / 21 (646.1484) | 19 (161.0856) | 15 (162.2744) | 15 (161.1428) | 13 (161.6456) |
| 2017-08-25 | 10th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN | 28 / 56 (656.4568) | 16 (171.4056) | 34 (162.2284) | 41 (158.8112) | 27 (164.0116) |
| 2017-07-28 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Ankeny, IA | 25 / 30 (654.1712) | 17 (167.4284) | 28 (157.6456) | 17 (165.6800) | 19 (163.4172) |
| 2017-07-21 | *Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 21 / 49 (659.2912) | 19 (166.8456) | 5 (172.5600) | 44 (156.5028) | 25 (163.3828) |
| 2017-07-14 | *BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA | 14 / 33 (655.8856) | 4 (173.7028) | 19 (159.3828) | 15 (164.5372) | 20 (158.2628) |
| 2017-05-12 | Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN | 12 / 71 (673.0512) | 9 (171.4056) | 19 (167.4056) | 9 (171.9772) | 33 (162.2628) |
| 2017-03-31 | Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief(TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Pleasant Hill, MO | 30 / 59 (653.0056) | 19 (169.6800) | 41 (159.9772) | 44 (158.2284) | 19 (165.1200) |
| 2016-08-26 | 9th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN | 19 / 48 (665.5884) | 18 (169.7028) | 40 (156.5028) | 7 (173.7028) | 20 (165.6800) |
| 2016-07-29 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Des Moines, IA | 20 / 28 (654.7768) | 2 (173.7256) | 25 (155.4172) | 17 (164.5256) | 18 (161.1084) |
| 2016-07-22 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 30 / 47 (661.0856) | 35 (163.9884) | 39 (159.9544) | 20 (168.5600) | 17 (168.5828) |
| 2016-07-15 | BBQ'Loo & Blues Too Waterloo, IA | 10 / 32 (669.7028) | 6 (172.0228) | 10 (167.9772) | 10 (168.5600) | 18 (161.1428) |
| 2016-06-03 | Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN | 7 / 53 (675.4404) | 10 (171.9656) | 3 (175.4516) | 34 (161.0972) | 17 (166.9260) |
| 2016-05-13 | Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN | 15 / 71 (669.0516) | 34 (163.9660) | 9 (170.8456) | 20 (167.9772) | 28 (166.2628) |
| 2016-04-23 | Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full) Boone, IA | 26 / 36 (656.5716) | 28 (164.5944) | 26 (162.8916) | 21 (166.2400) | 25 (162.8456) |
| 2016-04-22 | Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full) Boone, IA | 41 / 42 (620.4116) | 14 (169.1772) | 41 (145.0516) | 41 (154.2628) | 42 (151.9200) |
| 2015-08-28 | 8th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN | 22 / 55 (662.8232) | 37 (161.6916) | 26 (165.7144) | 13 (170.2972) | 23 (165.1200) |
| 2015-07-24 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 26 / 54 (662.7884) | 27 (167.4172) | 28 (164.5828) | 21 (167.3828) | 26 (163.4056) |
| 2015-07-17 | BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA | 11 / 39 (666.7884) | 27 (161.6456) | 2 (174.2628) | 17 (164.5828) | 13 (166.2972) |
| 2015-06-19 | State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship State Center, IA | 9 / 27 (664.4688) | 10 (166.2400) | 17 (164.5372) | 12 (166.8344) | 10 (166.8572) |
| 2015-05-29 | Smokin' in Steel Owatonna, MN | 26 / 60 (658.1484) | 42 (161.0972) | 11 (168.5256) | 36 (161.1200) | 20 (167.4056) |
| 2015-05-08 | BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA | 16 / 33 (649.6916) | 5 (170.8228) | 11 (166.2860) | 30 (146.2856) | 9 (166.2972) |
| 2015-03-21 | 2nd Annual Smokin At The Run Shootout Miami, OK | 66 / 82 (670.2052) | 66 (167.9540) | 73 (161.1200) | 54 (168.0228) | 19 (173.1084) |
| 2015-03-20 | 3rd Annual Smokin At The Run Miami, OK | 61 / 87 (662.7660) | 9 (176.5600) | 63 (163.3944) | 42 (167.9772) | 77 (154.8344) |
| 2014-10-11 | WinnaVegas Rib Master Classic Sloan, IA | 21 / 34 (648.5480) | 26 (156.5256) | 19 (163.9884) | 24 (160.0112) | 14 (168.0228) |
| 2014-08-29 | 4th Annual Smokin In the Bogs Warrens, WI | 15 / 34 (657.7720) | 9 (169.7144) | 7 (173.1772) | 31 (149.1660) | 15 (165.7144) |
| 2014-08-22 | Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN | 30 / 54 (657.6800) | 43 (158.8228) | 28 (166.2628) | 28 (164.5600) | 22 (168.0344) |
| 2014-07-25 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 36 / 52 (651.3260) | 15 (172.0000) | 38 (160.5372) | 41 (161.0972) | 39 (157.6916) |
| 2014-07-18 | BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA | 17 / 37 (653.5772) | 4 (173.1084) | 18 (160.5372) | 26 (151.9544) | 10 (167.9772) |
| 2014-06-27 | Bend of the River CookOut Mankato, MN | 40 / 50 (645.5656) | 41 (161.6684) | 29 (163.9772) | 41 (159.9772) | 31 (159.9428) |
| 2014-06-20 | State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship State Center, IA | 12 / 25 (653.0056) | 18 (160.5028) | 5 (169.7028) | 14 (161.0972) | 13 (161.7028) |
| 2014-05-30 | Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN | 32 / 67 (663.3600) | 5 (175.4056) | 55 (154.8116) | 23 (169.1428) | 30 (164.0000) |
| 2014-05-16 | Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN | 24 / 58 (654.2632) | 34 (160.5600) | 14 (165.1432) | 44 (156.5944) | 6 (171.9656) |
| 2014-04-26 | Central Iowa Expo BBQ, Cruise & Brew Boone, IA | 32 / 39 (638.7772) | 31 (162.8228) | 34 (153.0972) | 26 (162.2856) | 26 (160.5716) |
| 2014-04-25 | Central Iowa Expo BBQ, Cruise & Brew Boone, IA | 26 / 45 (660.5600) | 24 (166.8572) | 22 (163.4172) | 21 (166.8456) | 24 (163.4400) |
| 2014-03-15 | Smokin' At The Run Miami, OK | 45 / 72 (672.4912) | 30 (172.5484) | 60 (162.2972) | 56 (165.6684) | 20 (171.9772) |
| 2014-03-14 | Smokin' At The Run Shootout Miami, OK | 27 / 41 (653.6000) | 16 (169.1200) | 35 (157.6800) | 1 (177.7372) | 36 (149.0628) |
| 2013-09-20 | Kings of BBQ 2013 Des Moines, IA | 16 / 35 (665.0860) | 14 (166.8228) | 15 (163.9888) | 11 (167.4400) | 13 (166.8344) |
| 2013-08-23 | 6th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN | 19 / 50 (666.2632) | 23 (166.8572) | 20 (166.2400) | 11 (172.0000) | 22 (161.1660) |
| 2013-08-09 | Med City BBQ & Musicfest Rochester, MN | 8 / 50 (678.2628) | 7 (172.0000) | 13 (166.2400) | 25 (163.9884) | 5 (176.0344) |
| 2013-07-26 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 9 / 66 (675.3828) | 17 (169.1428) | 48 (158.8344) | 7 (171.9884) | 2 (175.4172) |
| 2013-07-19 | BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA | 17 / 35 (647.8744) | 19 (161.1200) | 15 (165.1200) | 18 (162.2400) | 16 (159.3944) |
| 2013-06-14 | State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship State Center, IA | 13 / 28 (656.0002) | 8 (169.1430) | 23 (152.5714) | 8 (169.7142) | 10 (164.5716) |
| 2013-05-31 | Smokin' in Steele Owatonna, MN | 30 / 51 (645.1428) | 1 (176.5714) | 45 (146.8572) | 7 (172.0000) | 42 (149.7142) |
| 2013-05-17 | Minnesota in May Faribault, MN | 6 / 49 (680.5712) | 7 (172.0000) | 1 (176.5714) | 24 (166.2856) | 21 (165.7142) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1027 (269 pts) | #831 (409 pts) | #912 (364 pts) | #1194 (234 pts) | #980 (309 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #671 (574 pts) | #479 (809 pts) | #638 (634 pts) | #659 (624 pts) | #726 (544 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #523 (755 pts) | #406 (950 pts) | #515 (805 pts) | #540 (760 pts) | #622 (645 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #550 (685 pts) | #513 (755 pts) | #448 (850 pts) | #593 (655 pts) | #496 (755 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #448 (860 pts) | #284 (1177 pts) | #347 (1040 pts) | #369 (1010 pts) | #335 (1075 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #339 (912 pts) | #258 (1097 pts) | #358 (857 pts) | #334 (902 pts) | #314 (967 pts) |