SLOWER LOWER BBQ

SLOWER LOWER BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 37 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 65 at the New Jersey State Barbecue Championship (2015), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1552 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,552

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1561

peak 1607 · rated over 37 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 19, 2013

latest Oct 18, 2019 · 6.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#523

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

19% of 37 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 44%

overall standings

Best overall

677.6344 / 720

Master · New Holland Summer Fest

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

626.91 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 641.25 (-14.34)

Walk rate

43%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Keystone Classic Barbeque

Consistency

±18.45

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 164.16 · weakest Brisket (156.28)

Road miles

2,853

across 37 mapped stops · furthest 119 mi

Schedule strength

34%

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

Purse competed for

$26K

listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 5 state-championship entries

Master avg

641.25 / 720

37 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (13 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

The heartbreaker

2.2740 points from the title

Came within 2.2740 points of the Grand Championship at New Jersey State Barbecue Championship (Jul 10, 2015).

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.

Chicken ×1

High-water mark

677.6344 career-best overall

94.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 677.6344 at New Holland Summer Fest — 94.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 26, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

SHADY CREW has finished one call ahead of SLOWER LOWER BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 27%.

6 contests
3 overall top-10s
1 category win
average top 27%

A tough matchup

22–8 behind in the head-to-head

PIGHEADED BBQ ahead in 73% of their meetings

PIGHEADED BBQ has come out ahead in 22 of their 30 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.9 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.88 points below their pork, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 27%.

Brisket avg 156.28
Pork avg 164.16
4 calls in 37 entries

Show 6 more storylines

A strong matchup

15–5 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HOG STREET BULLIES in 15 of their 20 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

13 of 17 shared pork entries lost

SAUCE THIS BBQ ahead 76% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SAUCE THIS BBQ has out-cooked them in 13 of 17 shared pork entries.

Going the wrong way

-26 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 26 points across 4 contests since Oct 19, 2018 — from 1588 down to 1561.

4 contests since Oct 19, 2018
now 1561

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 31% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 31% across 6 contests, versus top 44% the rest of the year.

6 July contests
top 44% the rest of the year

A standing appointment

7 years running at one contest

They've cooked New Holland Summer Fest every year from 2013 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

7 visits in all
best finish 3rd

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1226 (180 pts)	#1295 (180 pts)	#1111 (245 pts)	#1167 (225 pts)	#1277 (180 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#734 (455 pts)	#669 (545 pts)	#745 (485 pts)	#732 (490 pts)	#842 (400 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#523 (735 pts)	#732 (550 pts)	#654 (620 pts)	#507 (775 pts)	#652 (605 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#682 (560 pts)	#568 (710 pts)	#975 (375 pts)	#506 (800 pts)	#751 (515 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#680 (532 pts)	#730 (507 pts)	#841 (427 pts)	#457 (852 pts)	#790 (462 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#798 (425 pts)	#526 (735 pts)	#902 (405 pts)	#666 (570 pts)	#620 (595 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#813 (375 pts)	#693 (475 pts)	#831 (390 pts)	#747 (445 pts)	#1015 (295 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SLOWER LOWER BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

EVIL MONKEY BBQ

#1,557 of the rated field

1561 power rating

Contests: 34
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1591

They've been 1591 at their best, 30 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 34 contests
last seen May 7, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

TEXAS WARPIG BBQ

#1,560 of the rated field

1561 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1580

Careers of much the same size, 38 contests to 37, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 33 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

MILLER'S BARNYARD BARBEQUE

#1,550 of the rated field

1561 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1563

31 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 16% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 31 contests
last seen Jul 5, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

Hill Billy BBQ

#1,551 of the rated field

1561 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1600

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

rated over 29 contests
last seen May 16, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ

#1,544 of the rated field

1562 power rating

Contests: 56
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1581

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

rated over 52 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Smoke Busters

#1,559 of the rated field

1561 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1584

Careers of much the same size, 28 contests to 37, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 26 contests
last seen May 29, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
PIGHEADED BBQ	30	8	22	27%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	25	6	19	24%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	23	8	15	35%	⚔ compare
FINN'S FINEST BBQ	23	4	19	17%	⚔ compare
HOG STREET BULLIES	20	15	5	75%	⚔ compare
WEEKEND SMOKERS	20	14	6	70%	⚔ compare
THE BBQ GURU	20	5	15	25%	⚔ compare
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	20	1	19	5%	⚔ compare
PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ	19	10	9	53%	⚔ compare
HAWG NATION BBQ	19	7	12	37%	⚔ compare
SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ	18	9	9	50%	⚔ compare
SAUCE THIS BBQ	17	4	13	24%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	17	3	14	18%	⚔ compare
APORKALYPSE NOW	17	2	15	12%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' TEX BBQ	16	7	9	44%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	37	6	1	1	180 🔥	142.2288	162.82	top 42%
Pork Ribs	37	4	0	0	174.2744	135.9544	158.00	top 52%
Pork	37	10	2	4	178.8572	150.8572	164.16	top 32%
Brisket	37	4	0	1	170.2744	138.8688	156.28	top 53%

“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
Medium (20–39)	6	0	top 57%
Large (40+)	31	0	top 41%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
DE	13	top 47%
PA	13	top 39%
NJ	6	top 31%
MD	5	top 60%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
New Holland Summer Fest	7	3	top 34%	Aug 23, 2019
New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	6	2	top 31%	Jul 14, 2018
Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	3	20	top 68%	Oct 4, 2019
Boo-B-Que	3	26	top 61%	Oct 19, 2018
Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition	2	19	top 48%	Jun 8, 2018
Keystone Classic Barbeque	2	10	top 26%	Oct 2, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2018 6 contests

Contests a season 5.3 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in DE 13 of 37 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 20 6 of them more than once

Opponents faced 659 finished ahead 1,301 times, behind 913

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

20191 milestone

Oct 18 Most recent contest Boo-B-Que

20181 milestone

Aug 24 Peak power rating (1607) New Holland Summer Fest (JUDGES FULL)

20171 milestone

Jul 7 25th tracked contest New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

20161 milestone

Aug 26 Career-best overall score677.6344 New Holland Summer Fest

20153 milestones

Jul 10 First overall top-10 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
Jul 10 First overall podium New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
Jul 10 First Reserve Championship New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

20144 milestones

Oct 3 First category win (Chicken) Keystone Classic Barbeque
Oct 3 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Keystone Classic Barbeque
Oct 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.7428 Keystone Classic Barbeque
Oct 3 10th tracked contest Keystone Classic Barbeque

20132 milestones

Apr 19 First tracked contest Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival
May 17 First call Middletown BBQ Cook Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	Jul 10, 2015
+13.7	New Holland Summer Fest	Aug 26, 2016
+13.2	New Holland Summer Fest	Aug 28, 2015
+12.3	New Holland Summer Fest	Aug 25, 2017
+11.2	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	Jul 7, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.7	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	Oct 4, 2019
-12.1	Boo-B-Que	Oct 19, 2018
-9	Boss Frogs BBQ	Apr 7, 2017
-7.7	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	Oct 5, 2018
-6.9	Boo-B-Que	Oct 18, 2019

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	3	0	0	0%	top 71%	88.7%	87.7%
2018	6	0	0	17%	top 55%	91.2%	88.6%
2017	6	3	0	50%	top 36%	93.1%	90.9%
2016	6	1	1	50%	top 41%	94.1%	89.6%
2015	6	3	1	67%	top 27%	93.3%	91.1%
2014	5	0	1	80%	top 45%	90.4%	87.6%
2013	5	0	0	20%	top 45%	88.6%	86.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 18, 2019	Boo-B-Que 🏅 Rehoboth Beach, DE	36 / 63 (638.6628)	44 (156.5144)	33 (159.9544)	25 (164.5484)	38 (157.6456)
Oct 4, 2019	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	32 / 36 (618.6860)	36 (142.2288)	12 (165.7144)	25 (159.3828)	32 (151.3600)
Aug 23, 2019	New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA	43 / 65 (637.5200)	29 (165.1088)	44 (161.1084)	16 (166.8228)	60 (144.4800)
Oct 19, 2018	Boo-B-Que Rehoboth Beach, DE	62 / 73 (604.2280)	69 (147.3600)	69 (143.3140)	35 (162.2400)	59 (151.3140)
Oct 5, 2018	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	30 / 42 (635.4400)	25 (160)	21 (161.7028)	21 (159.9772)	37 (153.7600)
Aug 24, 2018	New Holland Summer Fest (JUDGES FULL) New Holland, PA	14 / 71 (653.6112)	15 (167.9656)	7 (170.2744)	36 (157.6684)	32 (157.7028)
Jul 14, 2018	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	29 / 64 (632.4340)	14 (165.1200)	41 (153.6456)	22 (163.4056)	38 (150.2628)
Jun 8, 2018	Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition New Castle, DE	23 / 42 (646.7660)	18 (163.4172)	28 (156.0004)	18 (164.5256)	21 (162.8228)
May 5, 2018	Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest Crownsville, MD	19 / 37 (656.4684)	16 (168.5600)	28 (157.1200)	13 (167.9656)	21 (162.8228)
Oct 20, 2017	Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE	40 / 69 (643.2340)	51 (162.2284)	24 (166.8228)	14 (169.6800)	59 (144.5028)
Oct 6, 2017	Keystone Classic BBQ Harrisburg, PA	7 / 39 (670.1256)	12 (167.3944)	8 (166.2284)	6 (171.9656)	16 (164.5372)
Aug 25, 2017	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	5 / 69 (668.4800)	41 (160.5256)	4 (174.2744)	13 (165.6800)	12 (168)
Jul 7, 2017	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	6 / 67 (660.4800)	18 (165.1428)	23 (156.5372)	4 (168.5256)	8 (170.2744)
Jun 9, 2017	Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition New Castle, DE	19 / 46 (656.4916)	16 (166.8344)	26 (158.8344)	21 (163.3828)	17 (167.4400)
Apr 7, 2017	Boss Frogs BBQ Hurlock, MD	37 / 45 (628.9828)	16 (166.8344)	39 (150.8228)	22 (162.2628)	40 (149.0628)
Oct 21, 2016	Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE	26 / 67 (644.4796)	4 (172.5600)	52 (149.7028)	4 (170.8456)	46 (151.3712)
Oct 7, 2016	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	20 / 47 (654.7428)	8 (170.8572)	36 (157.1200)	31 (160.5256)	12 (166.2400)
Aug 26, 2016	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	3 / 66 (677.6344)	16 (167.3828)	27 (163.9772)	1 (178.8572)	12 (167.4172)
Jul 8, 2016	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	32 / 65 (618.1716)	20 (161.1200)	22 (160.5372)	26 (157.6456)	50 (138.8688)
Jun 10, 2016	The Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition at Battery Park New Castle, DE	26 / 39 (633.5884)	18 (162.8228)	32 (152.5144)	12 (165.6912)	26 (152.5600)
Apr 8, 2016	Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval Harrington, DE	33 / 75 (641.5196)	38 (160.5484)	42 (158.2400)	44 (156.4912)	20 (166.2400)
Oct 30, 2015	Boo B Que By the Sea Rehobeth Beach, DE	24 / 59 (639.3260)	11 (166.2628)	40 (154.8344)	2 (169.1544)	48 (149.0744)
Oct 2, 2015	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	10 / 57 (667.8972)	8 (169.6916)	10 (167.9772)	28 (162.2628)	10 (167.9656)
Aug 28, 2015	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	6 / 70 (671.4288)	20 (166.8456)	19 (165.7144)	1 (174.2972)	18 (164.5716)
Jul 10, 2015	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	2 / 65 (665.6460)	12 (166.2628)	32 (158.2860)	3 (171.4172)	6 (169.6800)
May 29, 2015	Pig & A Jig BBQ Festival Snow Hill, MD	17 / 32 (646.1256)	21 (161.0972)	20 (160.5256)	13 (165.1200)	14 (159.3828)
Apr 10, 2015	Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival Harrington, DE	38 / 99 (643.2916)	26 (166.8344)	39 (161.6800)	11 (166.8572)	77 (147.9200)
Oct 3, 2014	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	18 / 53 (650.7428)	1 (180)	34 (155.3828)	8 (170.8228)	46 (144.5372)
Aug 22, 2014	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	44 / 70 (618.8572)	28 (162.8456)	18 (163.4516)	44 (152.5828)	63 (139.9772)
Jul 11, 2014	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	27 / 65 (616.5256)	26 (157.7600)	62 (135.9544)	25 (156.5256)	3 (166.2856)
May 30, 2014	Pig and A Jig BBQ Festival Snow Hill, MD	19 / 30 (627.8168)	24 (151.9084)	22 (150.2516)	8 (163.9540)	12 (161.7028)
Apr 11, 2014	Delaware's Triple Threat BBQ Festival at the Fair Harrington, DE	24 / 109 (639.9656)	4 (173.7028)	86 (144.5600)	20 (165.7028)	42 (156)
Sep 20, 2013	Hogs & Hops Dover Dover, DE	23 / 45 (632.3768)	19 (162.2628)	18 (159.9312)	20 (162.2284)	28 (147.9544)
Aug 23, 2013	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	49 / 71 (613.5768)	58 (150.2628)	35 (157.1200)	32 (157.6912)	51 (148.5028)
Jul 12, 2013	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	24 / 65 (613.6116)	43 (147.9200)	13 (160.5716)	32 (150.8572)	22 (154.2628)
May 17, 2013	Middletown BBQ Cook Off Middletown, DE	11 / 56 (637.7142)	4 (166.8572)	13 (158.2858)	5 (164.5714)	41 (147.9998)
Apr 19, 2013	Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival Salisbury, MD	53 / 106 (619.4282)	76 (153.1428)	81 (146.8572)	25 (161.7140)	37 (157.7142)

SLOWER LOWER BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (13 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Perfect scores on the board

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

Going the wrong way

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

A standing appointment

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)