MAD DAWGZ BBQ

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

Power ranking

#1257

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1581

peak 1581 · rated over 21 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-03-15

latest 2016-11-11

Best ToY finish

#482

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 21 contests

Avg finish

top 40%

overall standings

Best overall

694.2288 / 720

Master · Califorina Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

671.57 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 661.04 (+10.53)

Walk rate

76%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Brisket · Califorina Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship

Consistency

±21.19

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 167.11 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.33)

Road miles

2,426

mi across 21 mapped stops · furthest 508 mi

Schedule strength

35%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1547)

Master avg

661.04 / 720

21 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.

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 brisket.

Brisket ×1

They almost always walk

76% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 16 of 21 contests

A top-10 category call in 76% of their 21 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

694.2288 career-best overall

96.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 694.2288 at Califorina Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship — 96.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-06-10

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BUTCHER'S DAUGHTER BBQ has finished one call ahead of MAD DAWGZ BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

17–1 behind in the head-to-head

ZZYZX BAR.B.Q ahead in 94% of their meetings

ZZYZX BAR.B.Q has come out ahead in 17 of their 18 shared contests.

A strong matchup

14–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 82% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of COOL GRILLING in 14 of their 17 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

12 of 18 shared brisket entries lost

ZZYZX BAR.B.Q ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, ZZYZX BAR.B.Q has out-cooked them in 12 of 18 shared brisket entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BIG POPPA SMOKERS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 27% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 27% across 3 contests, versus top 40% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 40% the rest of the year

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.

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

Dirt Bag Barbeque

#1262 of the rated field

1581 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1589

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 26 contests to 21, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 23 contests
last seen 2026-06-13

⚔ Head-to-head

BM Grils & Smokers

#1249 of the rated field

1582 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1582

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 24 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2026-06-05

⚔ Head-to-head

TWIN OAK SMOKIN CREW

#1259 of the rated field

1581 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1583

No shared contest yet.

18 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 28% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2017-04-21

⚔ Head-to-head

What’cha Got BBQ

#1253 of the rated field

1582 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1596

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 7 years after MAD DAWGZ BBQ did, first appearing in 2020.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2025-06-14

⚔ Head-to-head

SWEET DIXIE BBQ

#1248 of the rated field

1582 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1585

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2023-10-06

⚔ Head-to-head

Vallee AC Cold Smoke

#1252 of the rated field

1582 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1582

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 27 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 27 contests
last seen 2025-10-24

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Burnin and Lootin	19	3	16	16%	⚔ compare
THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ	18	8	10	44%	⚔ compare
ZZYZX BAR.B.Q	18	1	17	6%	⚔ compare
COOL GRILLING	17	14	3	82%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	17	5	12	29%	⚔ compare
RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ	17	5	12	29%	⚔ compare
FUNTIME BBQ	16	6	10	38%	⚔ compare
LADY OF Q	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
LEFT COAST Q	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN MO'S BBQ	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
TWISTED BRISKET BBQ	13	9	4	69%	⚔ compare
Rooftop BBQ	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
PORKETEERS	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
Smokin it Up BBQ	12	9	3	75%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	21	6	3	177.7028	149.6456	166.00	top 47%
Pork Ribs	21	6	0	177.7372	146.7768	163.33	top 46%
Pork	21	5	0	173.7028	154.2400	164.61	top 45%
Brisket	21	8	1	180.0000 🔥	149.1316	167.11	top 33%

“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
CA	20	0	top 39%
NV	1	0	top 59%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 42%
Large (40+)	16	0	top 39%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Dana Point State BBQ Championship	3	16	0	top 30%	2016-10-07

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

On the trail 3.7 yrs 2013-03-15 → 2016-11-11

Busiest season 2016 6 contests

Contests a season 5.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CA 20 of 21 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 19 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 21 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 167.11 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.33)

Walk rate 76% a top-10 call in 16 of 21 contests

Overall top-10 rate 14% 3 of 21 contests

Master average 661.04 out of 720 · 21 contests · 0 GCs

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

Opponents faced 452 747–460 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,426 21 mapped stops · furthest 508 mi

Schedule strength 1547 average field rating faced — tougher than 35% of rated contests

Power rating 1581 peak 1581 · #1257 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Mar 15 First tracked contest 2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship
Mar 15 First call 2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship
Mar 15 First overall top-10 2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship
Mar 15 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.8570 2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship
2014
Jul 25 10th tracked contest 6th Annual Vista Q Classic
2016
Jun 10 First perfect 180 (Brisket) Califorina Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship
Jun 10 Career-best overall score694.2288 Califorina Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship
Nov 11 Peak power rating (1581) Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full)
Nov 11 Most recent contest Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.6	Califorina Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship	2016-06-10
+13.3	2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship	2013-03-15
+11.2	Dana Point State BBQ Championship	2013-10-04
+11.2	6th Annual Vista Q Classic	2014-07-25
+10.9	West Coast BBQ Classic	2014-05-09

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.8	3rd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship	2014-03-21
-6.5	Cowboy Up at the PRCA Rodeo & BBQ	2013-10-18
-4.8	5th Annual Vista Smokin' Q Classic	2013-08-02
-1.9	4th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship	2015-03-20
-1.5	Wild West BBQ Shoot Out	2016-08-26

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2016	6	1	83%	top 37%	96.4%	93.5%
2015	4	1	50%	top 41%	95.1%	93.7%
2014	5	0	80%	top 42%	94.4%	91.1%
2013	6	1	83%	top 41%	92.6%	89.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2016-11-11	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full) Indio, CA	19 / 38 (677.6688)	12 (173.7144)	19 (168.0000)	30 (159.3944)	5 (176.5600)
2016-10-07	Dana Point State BBQ Championship Dana Point, CA	28 / 75 (666.7652)	48 (162.8456)	18 (169.1084)	35 (166.8572)	19 (167.9540)
2016-09-16	2nd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA	17 / 61 (664.4572)	2 (174.2972)	48 (147.9200)	10 (170.8228)	8 (171.4172)
2016-08-26	Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV	22 / 37 (654.7312)	23 (163.3712)	34 (154.8344)	7 (173.7028)	24 (162.8228)
2016-06-10	Califorina Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship Fillmore, CA	4 / 27 (694.2288)	2 (177.7028)	20 (163.3944)	6 (173.1316)	2 (180.0000)
2016-05-13	West Coast BBQ Classic Long Beach, CA	15 / 44 (680.5372)	22 (168.5372)	8 (170.8800)	23 (166.2628)	9 (174.8572)
2015-07-24	7th Annual Vista BBQ Classic Vista, CA	29 / 54 (669.5656)	33 (167.4172)	19 (170.8228)	37 (162.8000)	18 (168.5256)
2015-06-12	California Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship Fillmore, CA	8 / 26 (679.3368)	5 (176.0228)	9 (170.8228)	12 (167.9656)	14 (164.5256)
2015-05-29	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival Norco, CA	19 / 75 (684.5600)	52 (162.8572)	4 (177.7372)	22 (170.8228)	23 (173.1428)
2015-03-20	4th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA	56 / 100 (663.9200)	77 (162.8456)	19 (170.8228)	69 (161.1200)	31 (169.1316)
2014-10-02	Dana Point State BBQ Championship Dana Point, CA	35 / 97 (670.1828)	9 (174.8456)	59 (163.4172)	48 (165.6800)	33 (166.2400)
2014-07-25	6th Annual Vista Q Classic Vista, CA	11 / 60 (680.0116)	24 (169.7144)	39 (162.2744)	10 (173.1772)	5 (174.8456)
2014-06-13	California Honey Harvest Festival & BBQ Championship Fillmore, CA	17 / 30 (659.9200)	12 (168.0000)	15 (162.8228)	23 (154.2400)	4 (174.8572)
2014-05-09	West Coast BBQ Classic Long Beach, CA	12 / 59 (662.8572)	38 (160.5600)	10 (168.5944)	31 (162.2972)	6 (171.4056)
2014-03-21	3rd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA	54 / 69 (606.1252)	59 (154.8228)	59 (146.7768)	42 (155.3940)	51 (149.1316)
2013-10-18	Cowboy Up at the PRCA Rodeo & BBQ Lancaster, CA	30 / 41 (620.9832)	37 (149.6456)	29 (152.5604)	14 (165.1200)	30 (153.6572)
2013-10-04	Dana Point State BBQ Championship Dana Point, CA	16 / 99 (666.8344)	7 (173.1544)	42 (162.8456)	23 (167.4172)	34 (163.4172)
2013-08-16	Ribs, Pigs & Watermelons Huntington State Beach, CA	16 / 63 (659.3716)	24 (165.6800)	28 (161.7372)	24 (162.8344)	7 (169.1200)
2013-08-02	5th Annual Vista Smokin' Q Classic Vista, CA	31 / 46 (633.5888)	36 (157.0856)	35 (150.2516)	10 (166.8572)	25 (159.3944)
2013-06-21	2nd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship Temecula, CA	36 / 70 (635.4288)	58 (151.4288)	6 (169.7144)	43 (156.5714)	37 (157.7142)
2013-03-15	2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA	6 / 57 (650.8570)	3 (171.4286)	10 (164.5716)	39 (154.2856)	23 (160.5712)

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
2016 ↗	Master	#611 (637 pts)	#479 (842 pts)	#747 (537 pts)	#614 (657 pts)	#457 (892 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#908 (356 pts)	#956 (356 pts)	#726 (526 pts)	#1074 (311 pts)	#999 (331 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#683 (530 pts)	#737 (510 pts)	#767 (480 pts)	#836 (440 pts)	#504 (745 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#482 (642 pts)	#430 (722 pts)	#529 (627 pts)	#569 (582 pts)	#578 (552 pts)