BUTTS, BELLIES & BUDDIES

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

Power ranking

#3225

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1499

peak 1512 · rated over 18 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-03-08

latest 2018-09-14

Best ToY finish

#432

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 18 contests

Avg finish

top 56%

overall standings

Best overall

678.2852 / 720

Master · The Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

663.76 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 660.25 (+3.50)

Walk rate

50%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Brisket · The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ

Consistency

±11.57

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 165.85 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.37)

Road miles

1,623

mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 247 mi

Schedule strength

34%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1545)

Master avg

660.25 / 720

18 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.

High-water mark

678.2852 career-best overall

94.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 678.2852 at The Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ — 94.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
2013-05-03

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

HOUSE OF Q has finished one call ahead of BUTTS, BELLIES & BUDDIES 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

16–1 behind in the head-to-head

Organizer Portal ahead in 94% of their meetings

Organizer Portal has come out ahead in 16 of their 17 shared contests.

A strong matchup

7–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 78% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKE-N-ASHES in 7 of their 9 shared contests.

The comeback

2.7 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.7 years, then back at High on the Hog Festival (2018-04-20).

last seen 2015-08-14
back 2018-04-20

Brisket nemesis

15 of 17 shared brisket entries lost

Organizer Portal ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Organizer Portal has out-cooked them in 15 of 17 shared brisket entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SMOKIN CHUCKS WAGON has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 46% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 46% across 5 contests, versus top 56% the rest of the year.

5 May contests
top 56% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.61% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.61% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.7% of a perfect score
18 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.

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

CRESCENT MOON BBQ

#3219 of the rated field

1500 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2021-06-18

⚔ Head-to-head

Dr. Smoke

#3220 of the rated field

1499 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1524

No shared contest yet.

22 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 5% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2026-08-14

⚔ Head-to-head

No Butts About It

#3228 of the rated field

1499 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2025-09-26

⚔ Head-to-head

SOUTH BRIXIA

#3240 of the rated field

1499 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1507

No shared contest yet.

3 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2026-08-08

⚔ Head-to-head

ON THE SAUCE

#3210 of the rated field

1500 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1501

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2022-06-03

⚔ Head-to-head

FLATLANDER BARBECUE

#3223 of the rated field

1499 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1503

No shared contest yet.

Level with BUTTS, BELLIES & BUDDIES on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2019-09-28

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
JIGGY PIGGY	17	2	15	12%	⚔ compare
Organizer Portal	17	1	16	6%	⚔ compare
BEAN BANDITS	15	3	12	20%	⚔ compare
SWIGGIN PIG	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
South Pork	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
BIG BLUE QUE	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
HOUSE OF Q	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
The Specialists	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
SMOKE OF THE SHOALS	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
SMOKE-N-ASHES	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
Chokin "N" tha Smoke	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
HIGH ON THE HAWG	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
WILD BUNCH BUTT BURNERS	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN BUTT CREW	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
E.M. AZING BBQ	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	18	4	176.5600	153.6684	165.60	top 59%
Pork Ribs	18	1	175.4172	153.6456	163.37	top 60%
Pork	18	2	173.1200	157.1426	165.43	top 55%
Brisket	18	4	176.5600	153.7140	165.85	top 49%

“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
AL	11	top 57%
TN	4	top 56%
MS	3	top 57%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	7	0	top 64%
Large (40+)	11	0	top 52%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Stand By Your Grill	3	22	0	top 57%	2015-08-14
High on the Hog Festival	2	25	0	top 61%	2018-04-20

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

On the trail 5.5 yrs 2013-03-08 → 2018-09-14

Busiest season 2013 8 contests

Contests a season 4.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in AL 11 of 18 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 15 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 18 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 165.85 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.37)

Walk rate 50% a top-10 call in 9 of 18 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 18 contests

Master average 660.25 out of 720 · 18 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 477 425–508 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,623 18 mapped stops · furthest 247 mi

Schedule strength 1545 average field rating faced — tougher than 34% of rated contests

Longest layoff 2.7 yrs 2015-08-14 → 2018-04-20

Power rating 1499 peak 1512 · #3225 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Mar 8 First tracked contest BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival
Mar 8 First call BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival
Mar 8 First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.9992 BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival
May 3 Career-best overall score678.2852 The Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
2014
Apr 18 10th tracked contest High on the Hog Festival
Apr 18 Peak power rating (1512) High on the Hog Festival
2018
May 4 Career-best single call (Brisket)176.5600 The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Sep 14 Most recent contest *Riverfest BBQ and Music Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.4	The Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ	2013-05-03
+7.5	Stand By Your Grill	2015-08-14
+6.7	Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cook-off	2013-05-24
+6.2	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ	2018-05-04
+5.5	Decatur Jaycees 19th Annual Riverfest	2013-09-13

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.3	Stand By Your Grill	2014-08-15
-7.6	Smoke on the Falls	2013-04-12
-7	Smoke on the Falls	2015-04-10
-4.7	Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash	2013-07-26
-4.6	20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest	2014-09-19

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	3	67%	top 59%	93.5%	92.2%
2015	2	50%	top 62%	94.1%	92.1%
2014	5	60%	top 65%	93.8%	91.1%
2013	8	38%	top 49%	94.2%	91.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-09-14	*Riverfest BBQ and Music Festival Decatur, AL	17 / 32 (667.8400)	8 (171.9772)	19 (163.3828)	27 (162.8000)	10 (169.6800)
2018-05-04	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL	26 / 61 (673.0284)	34 (168.5600)	36 (165.6800)	51 (162.2284)	6 (176.5600)
2018-04-20	High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN	34 / 42 (651.2684)	28 (168.0000)	30 (165.0856)	36 (157.6456)	36 (160.5372)
2015-08-14	Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS	22 / 57 (677.6116)	5 (176.5600)	14 (170.8344)	42 (162.7884)	30 (167.4288)
2015-04-10	Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL	29 / 34 (649.0284)	29 (164.0000)	33 (153.6572)	16 (168.0000)	26 (163.3712)
2014-09-19	20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest Decatur, AL	44 / 75 (651.7940)	66 (158.2172)	44 (162.2284)	43 (163.9772)	31 (167.3712)
2014-08-15	Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS	59 / 65 (639.2796)	63 (153.6684)	57 (159.3828)	48 (162.8228)	39 (163.4056)
2014-05-16	Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cookoff Hartselle, AL	17 / 26 (654.6968)	7 (171.4056)	20 (161.1084)	20 (160.5256)	15 (161.6572)
2014-04-18	High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN	25 / 62 (675.3140)	40 (166.2400)	6 (175.4172)	11 (170.8456)	45 (162.8112)
2014-04-11	Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest Gadsden, AL	23 / 34 (658.2284)	29 (162.8800)	19 (164.5600)	6 (173.1200)	26 (157.6684)
2013-09-13	Decatur Jaycees 19th Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL	28 / 80 (658.7084)	34 (166.8228)	63 (153.6456)	23 (167.9772)	13 (170.2628)
2013-08-16	Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS	26 / 62 (670.1940)	36 (166.2400)	27 (167.4400)	20 (168.5256)	25 (167.9884)
2013-07-26	Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash Cleveland, TN	37 / 54 (655.2572)	42 (161.6800)	42 (159.9544)	20 (169.6800)	32 (163.9428)
2013-05-24	Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cook-off Lewisburg, TN	12 / 36 (667.4282)	9 (170.2856)	25 (157.7142)	21 (165.1426)	7 (174.2858)
2013-05-17	Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cook-Off Hartselle, AL	18 / 27 (659.9996)	24 (157.1426)	14 (165.1428)	19 (165.7142)	7 (172.0000)
2013-05-03	The Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL	13 / 62 (678.2852)	15 (170.8570)	19 (168.5712)	21 (167.9998)	13 (170.8572)
2013-04-12	Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL	26 / 34 (640.5704)	20 (167.9998)	24 (161.7140)	32 (157.1426)	27 (153.7140)
2013-03-08	BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival Mobile, AL	28 / 56 (655.9992)	45 (158.2856)	30 (165.1426)	10 (170.8570)	28 (161.7140)

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
2015 ↗	Master	#1605 (134 pts)	#1242 (244 pts)	#1525 (174 pts)	#1586 (164 pts)	#1876 (119 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#867 (385 pts)	#825 (440 pts)	#734 (505 pts)	#697 (545 pts)	#887 (385 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#432 (707 pts)	#443 (712 pts)	#521 (637 pts)	#427 (752 pts)	#352 (877 pts)