Riding a hot streak
4
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 4-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 8
Q Cartel
Q Cartel is a competition barbecue team with 27 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. They have won 4 Grand Championships, most recently at the Small Town Smoke Down (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #566 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1664
peak 1664 · rated over 24 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
27
in the data
First seen
Sep 23, 2023
latest Sep 4, 2026 · 2.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
4
2 reserve · wins it all 15% of the time
Category wins
9
30 podiums
Overall top-10s
18
67% of 27 contests
Best top-10 run
8
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 24%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Current form
686.79 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 686.01 (+0.78)
Walk rate
89%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.11
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 173.04 · weakest Chicken (170.44)
Road miles
10,510
across 27 mapped stops · furthest 1,274 mi
Schedule strength
44%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1558)
Purse competed for
$158K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
686.01 / 720
25 Master contests · 4 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #267 (726 pts) | #199 (984 pts) | #252 (869 pts) | #206 (896 pts) | #300 (676 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #130 (1,413 pts) | #181 (1,223 pts) | #279 (918 pts) | #173 (1,188 pts) | #117 (1,468 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #109 (1,404 pts) | #286 (804 pts) | #134 (1,339 pts) | #174 (1,124 pts) | #146 (1,239 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1164 (81 pts) | #1253 (76 pts) | #933 (176 pts) | #1582 (56 pts) | #1145 (101 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Q Cartel, each with one reason worth a look.
#569 of the rated field
- Contests
- 37
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 49%
- Peak
- 1670
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Q Cartel)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Q Cartel has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#568 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1667
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 30 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#565 of the rated field
- Contests
- 39
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1664
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Q Cartel's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#567 of the rated field
- Contests
- 39
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1675
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 39 contests to 27.
⚔ Compare careers#574 of the rated field
- Contests
- 36
- GCs
- 6
- Top-10s
- 58%
- Peak
- 1663
8–6 in 15 shared contests (53% to Q Cartel)
Their rating is built on 6 Grand Championships in 36 contests, alongside a 58% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#572 of the rated field
- Contests
- 33
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 73%
- Peak
- 1663
Level with Q Cartel on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slam Dunk BBQ | 16 | 14 | 2 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| ROKER Q | 15 | 14 | 1 | 93% | ⚔ compare |
| Kreiser Barbecue | 15 | 10 | 5 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Brisket Butts | 15 | 8 | 6 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| SMELLAQUE | 15 | 5 | 10 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' OUTLAWS | 14 | 7 | 7 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| MOTLEY QUE | 13 | 12 | 1 | 92% | ⚔ compare |
| Homestead Smoke Shack | 13 | 9 | 4 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| BIGG SMOAK BBQ | 13 | 5 | 8 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Bottle Hill BBQ | 12 | 10 | 2 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | 12 | 7 | 5 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| Mc Que It | 11 | 11 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Panther BBQ | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Mark's Meats and Treats | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | 10 | 9 | 1 | 90% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 26 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 177.7028 | 163.4056 | 170.44 | top 42% |
| Pork Ribs | 26 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 180 🔥 | 158.2172 | 171.18 | top 33% |
| Pork | 25 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 178.8572 | 155.4400 | 171.76 | top 30% |
| Brisket | 25 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 180 🔥 | 161.6800 | 173.04 | top 24% |
“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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 20% |
| Medium (20–39) | 19 | 4 | top 20% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 39% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Town Smoke Down | 3 | 1 | 2 | top 20% | May 30, 2026 |
| Barbeque on the Bow Festival | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 14% | Sep 4, 2026 |
| Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 15% | May 23, 2026 |
| Smokey Skies BBQ Competition | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 26% | Jun 19, 2026 |
| Didsbury Lions BBQ | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 14% | Jul 26, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
11 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
6.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AB
16 of 27 contests · 7 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
17
5 of them more than once
First title
Aug 23, 2024
Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ
Opponents faced
664
finished ahead 1,003 times, behind 314
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- 25th tracked contest Small Town Smoke Down
- Career-best overall score706.2856 Small Town Smoke Down
- Peak power rating (1664) Barbeque on the Bow Festival
- Most recent contest Barbeque on the Bow Festival
20251 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship
20247 milestones
- First overall top-10 Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship
- First overall podium Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship
- First Reserve Championship Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship
- First category win (Pork) Didsbury Lions BBQ
- First Grand Championship Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ
- First state championship Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Smoke 'N the Valley
20233 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke 'N the Valley
- First call Smoke 'N the Valley
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.1316 Smoke 'N the Valley
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +21 | Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ | Aug 23, 2024 |
| +16.7 | Prairie Dog on the Bow | Aug 31, 2024 |
| +16.5 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | May 25, 2024 |
| +14.2 | Small Town Smoke Down | May 31, 2025 |
| +12.4 | Didsbury Lions BBQ | Jul 27, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.4 | Minnesota in May | May 8, 2026 |
| -9.8 | Small Town Smoke Down | Jun 8, 2024 |
| -4.7 | Smoke 'N the Valley | Sep 23, 2023 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 88% | top 33% | 98.1% | 95.2% |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 82% | top 16% | 97.9% | 95.8% |
| 2024 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 100% | top 20% | 96.9% | 95.1% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 73% | 91.3% | 91.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4, 2026 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 6 / 33 (692.4912) | 9 (170.8456) | 4 (174.2628) | 17 (168.5256) | 2 (178.8572) |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Smokey Skies BBQ Competition Kipling, SK | 9 / 24 (673.0740) | 2 (174.8572) | 18 (162.8112) | 8 (167.9656) | 9 (167.4400) |
| May 30, 2026 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 1 / 24 (706.2856) | 1 (176.5600) | 5 (174.8456) | 2 (178.8572) | 2 (176.0228) |
| May 23, 2026 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 4 / 23 (690.2056) | 10 (169.1200) | 2 (174.8572) | 11 (171.9656) | 5 (174.2628) |
| May 23, 2026 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Calmar, AB | — | 3 (173.1200) | — | — | — |
| May 23, 2026 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Calmar, AB | — | — | 2 (178.8572) | — | — |
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 61 / 77 (671.8972) | 75 (165.6800) | 54 (166.2400) | 2 (178.2972) | 68 (161.6800) |
| May 1, 2026 | ND BBQ Championship 🏅 Fargo, ND | 29 / 71 (678.2516) | 42 (167.4400) | 39 (166.8344) | 12 (174.8572) | 25 (169.1200) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 51 / 401 (694.8000) | 157 (171.9772) | 188 (169.7028) | 44 (176.5600) | 34 (176.5600) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 18 / 158 (697.0972) | 93 (171.4056) | 42 (174.8572) | 80 (170.8344) | 2 (180) |
| Sep 27, 2025 | Smoke in the Valley Edmonton, AB | 3 / 23 (687.4056) | 13 (169.1084) | 13 (166.2972) | 1 (174.8456) | 2 (177.1544) |
| Sep 6, 2025 | Big Smoke Bonnyville Bonnyville, AB | 3 / 15 (691.9888) | 12 (169.1316) | 3 (174.8572) | 1 (174.2628) | 4 (173.7372) |
| Aug 30, 2025 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 2 / 38 (696.5372) | 2 (176.5600) | 15 (168.0116) | 4 (174.2628) | 1 (177.7028) |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 3 / 32 (688.5144) | 6 (172.5600) | 16 (167.3944) | 3 (174.8572) | 4 (173.7028) |
| Jun 30, 2025 | Blue Bombers BBQ Pit Master Showdown Winnipeg, MB | 3 / 24 (686.8228) | 3 (174.2856) | 1 (177.7144) | 15 (166.8228) | 9 (168) |
| Jun 21, 2025 | Smokey Skies BBQ Competition Kipling, SK | 4 / 27 (695.4172) | 7 (172.5484) | 14 (169.1316) | 8 (173.7372) | 1 (180) |
| May 31, 2025 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 1 / 25 (704.5600) | 2 (177.7028) | 4 (174.8572) | 3 (175.4400) | 3 (176.5600) |
| May 24, 2025 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 8 / 34 (673.5888) | 7 (171.4172) | 25 (158.2172) | 7 (169.6916) | 5 (174.2628) |
| Feb 21, 2025 | Fire on Ice BBQ Championship 🏅 Onamia, MN | 22 / 42 (670.2404) | 35 (165.7260) | 25 (165.1088) | 23 (168.5600) | 14 (170.8456) |
| Sep 21, 2024 | Smoke 'N the Valley Fort Qu'Appelle, SK | 8 / 21 (678.1940) | 13 (165.6800) | 1 (180) | 15 (163.3940) | 8 (169.1200) |
| Aug 31, 2024 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 7 / 35 (687.4288) | 31 (164.5600) | 6 (173.7260) | 6 (173.7028) | 6 (175.4400) |
| Aug 31, 2024 | Prairie Dog on the Bow Calgary, AB | 1 / 24 (690.2400) | 3 (174.8456) | 6 (173.7144) | 12 (167.9772) | 5 (173.7028) |
| Aug 23, 2024 | Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ 🏅 Hill City, SD | 1 / 29 (689.0512) | 15 (170.2628) | 3 (175.4172) | 11 (167.9656) | 1 (175.4056) |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 5 / 28 (687.9088) | 9 (170.8228) | 8 (170.8460) | 1 (175.4056) | 8 (170.8344) |
| Jun 8, 2024 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 14 / 27 (663.3484) | 13 (167.3712) | 17 (161.1316) | 10 (171.4400) | 18 (163.4056) |
| May 25, 2024 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 2 / 39 (697.7144) | 25 (164.5600) | 2 (176) | 4 (178.2972) | 3 (178.8572) |
| Sep 23, 2023 | Smoke 'N the Valley Lumsden, SK | 19 / 26 (657.1316) | 20 (163.4056) | 5 (174.8688) | 24 (155.4400) | 15 (163.4172) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.