BLUE SKY BBQ

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

Power ranking

#2308

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1526

peak 1538 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-17

latest 2016-08-05

Best ToY finish

#582

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 46%

overall standings

Best overall

679.3828 / 720

Master · The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier)

Perfect 180s

Current form

660.91 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 664.42 (-3.51)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.2856

Pork Ribs · Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)

Consistency

±9.92

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.55 · weakest Brisket (162.14)

Road miles

677

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 98 mi

Schedule strength

29%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1539)

Master avg

664.42 / 720

11 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

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 8 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

679.3828 career-best overall

94.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 679.3828 at The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier) — 94.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
2013-11-15

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 36%.

6 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 36%

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

WICKED QUE ahead in 100% of their meetings

WICKED QUE has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.41 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 27% of the time against 27%.

Brisket avg 162.14
Chicken avg 168.55
3 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

5–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HAWGPOUND SMOKERS in 5 of their 6 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

6 of 7 shared chicken entries lost

WAYLON'S WICKEDLY GOOD Q ahead 86% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, WAYLON'S WICKEDLY GOOD Q has out-cooked them in 6 of 7 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±1.38% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.38% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.3% of a perfect score
11 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier) every year from 2013 to 2016 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 33rd

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.

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

Charface

#2310 of the rated field

1526 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1537

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2025-09-26

⚔ Head-to-head

TWO BUTTS AND A HAM

#2306 of the rated field

1526 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2019-09-12

⚔ Head-to-head

COACH'S DECISION BBQ

#2309 of the rated field

1526 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1540

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2022-06-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Bucking Knockout

#2301 of the rated field

1526 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1542

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 11 years after BLUE SKY BBQ did, first appearing in 2024.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2025-06-13

⚔ Head-to-head

Big shot BBQ

#2299 of the rated field

1526 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2024-05-24

⚔ Head-to-head

DELTA SMOKE

#2307 of the rated field

1526 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2014-06-20

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
TENACIOUS Q	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
WICKED QUE	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
SUE E PIGG	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
WAYLON'S WICKEDLY GOOD Q	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
OLD PLANTATION BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
HAWGPOUND SMOKERS	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
CHOO CHOO TRAIN BBQ	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
CHATTAHOOCHEE QUE	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
KUDZU Q	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
BAREKNUCKLES BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
SMOKE THIS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
FOGGY BOTTOM BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Pot's BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	3	0	174.2628	159.9656	168.55	top 46%
Pork Ribs	11	4	0	174.2856	155.3484	165.79	top 45%
Pork	11	4	0	173.1316	157.7028	167.93	top 38%
Brisket	11	3	1	170.8572	154.2056	162.14	top 57%

“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
GA	8	0	top 51%
SC	3	0	top 34%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	4	0	top 31%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 55%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)	4	33	0	top 69%	2016-08-05
Squealin' on the Square	2	5	0	top 29%	2014-10-03

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

On the trail 3.2 yrs 2013-05-17 → 2016-08-05

Busiest season 2013 6 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in GA 8 of 11 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 11 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 168.55 · weakest Brisket (162.14)

Walk rate 73% a top-10 call in 8 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 27% 3 of 11 contests

Master average 664.42 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 272 271–249 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 677 11 mapped stops · furthest 98 mi

Schedule strength 1539 average field rating faced — tougher than 29% of rated contests

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2015-07-31 → 2016-08-05

Power rating 1526 peak 1538 · #2308 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 17 First tracked contest Hawgin' on Lanier (GBC Qualifier)
May 17 First call Hawgin' on Lanier (GBC Qualifier)
May 17 First overall top-10 Hawgin' on Lanier (GBC Qualifier)
May 17 First overall past 90% of a perfect score673.1426 Hawgin' on Lanier (GBC Qualifier)
Nov 15 Career-best overall score679.3828 The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier)
2014
Aug 1 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.2856 Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)
Oct 3 Peak power rating (1538) Squealin' on the Square
2015
Jul 31 10th tracked contest Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)
2016
Aug 5 Most recent contest Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.1	Squealin' on the Square	2013-10-04
+9.2	Hawgin' on Lanier (GBC Qualifier)	2013-05-17
+7.6	The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier)	2013-11-15
+6.2	Jug Tavern Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2013-09-13
+3.5	Squealin' on the Square	2014-10-03

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.1	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2016-08-05
-4.4	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2013-08-02
-1.5	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2014-08-01
-1.3	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2015-07-31

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	1	0	0%	top 89%	89.3%	89.3%
2015	1	0	0%	top 60%	92.9%	92.9%
2014	3	1	100%	top 47%	92.6%	92.3%
2013	6	2	83%	top 36%	94.4%	92.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2016-08-05	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier) Dillard, GA	50 / 56 (642.6512)	50 (159.9656)	49 (159.3600)	27 (168.5600)	52 (154.7656)
2015-07-31	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier) Dillard, GA	33 / 55 (669.0744)	31 (169.7028)	29 (167.9772)	21 (169.6800)	36 (161.7144)
2014-10-03	Squealin' on the Square Laurens, SC	10 / 25 (666.7884)	14 (164.0000)	8 (169.1200)	9 (166.2628)	9 (167.4056)
2014-08-22	Sooie't Relief BBQ Benefit Greer, SC	16 / 37 (663.8968)	23 (165.1428)	9 (170.2744)	13 (169.1084)	26 (159.3712)
2014-08-01	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier) Dillard, GA	33 / 56 (662.1368)	26 (170.2628)	5 (174.2856)	39 (163.3828)	49 (154.2056)
2013-11-15	The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier) Cumming, GA	25 / 79 (679.3828)	35 (170.8456)	20 (171.4056)	17 (171.4400)	41 (165.6916)
2013-10-04	Squealin' on the Square Laurens, SC	5 / 28 (671.9772)	7 (169.1200)	13 (162.8344)	4 (170.8456)	2 (169.1772)
2013-09-13	Jug Tavern Festival (GBC Qualifier) Winder, GA	14 / 43 (669.6228)	21 (169.1200)	5 (170.8456)	22 (164.5600)	18 (165.0972)
2013-08-23	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA	24 / 54 (652.4344)	5 (174.2628)	19 (165.1088)	37 (157.7028)	38 (155.3600)
2013-08-02	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier) Dillard, GA	41 / 61 (657.5312)	29 (169.1084)	53 (155.3484)	10 (173.1316)	44 (159.9428)
2013-05-17	Hawgin' on Lanier (GBC Qualifier) Gainesville, GA	9 / 37 (673.1426)	9 (172.5712)	30 (157.1430)	7 (172.5712)	10 (170.8572)

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
2014 ↗	Master	#1011 (307 pts)	#1248 (252 pts)	#750 (492 pts)	#1024 (332 pts)	#1156 (272 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#582 (531 pts)	#546 (596 pts)	#569 (586 pts)	#529 (626 pts)	#551 (581 pts)