Happy hunting ground
Top 17%
average finish here
*Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off is their spot: an average finish in the top 17% across 2 visits.
- 2 visits
- best finish 3rd
- average top 17%
JOE'S COOKSHACK
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1532
peak 1562 · rated over 14 contests ⓘ
Contests
18
in the data
First seen
2013-03-01
latest 2025-01-09
Best ToY finish
#986
Master 2022
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
2
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 18 contests
Avg finish
top 44%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
646.29 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 654.87 (-8.58)
Walk rate
39%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±23.06
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 164.45 · weakest Brisket (162.59)
Road miles
5,746
mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 948 mi
Schedule strength
34%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1545)
Purse competed for
$7K
listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
654.87 / 720
17 Master contests · 0 GCs
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
690.2284
career-best overall
95.9% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 690.2284 at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST — 95.9% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2022-09-29
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
JERRY KING MIDLAND TX has finished one call ahead of JOE'S COOKSHACK 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
A tough matchup
8–1
behind in the head-to-head
BUFFALO'S BBQ ahead in 89% of their meetings
BUFFALO'S BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 9 shared contests.
A strong matchup
8–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 89% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of HONKY-TONK SMOKERS in 8 of their 9 shared contests.
The comeback
4.1 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 4.1 years, then back at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST (2022-09-29).
- last seen 2018-08-31
- back 2022-09-29
Pork Ribs nemesis
7 of 10
shared pork ribs entries lost
BUTCHER BBQ ahead 70% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, BUTCHER BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 10 shared pork ribs entries.
An April team
Top 21%
average finish in April
Something about April: average finish in the top 21% across 4 contests, versus top 44% the rest of the year.
- 4 April contests
- top 44% the rest of the year
The long haul
5,746
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,746 miles across 18 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 948 miles to 8th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam & Car Show.
- 18 mapped stops
- furthest 948 mi
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.
75 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2179 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1531
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to JOE'S COOKSHACK)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team JOE'S COOKSHACK has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2165 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1536
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to JOE'S COOKSHACK)
Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2162 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1538
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to JOE'S COOKSHACK)
Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 11 years before JOE'S COOKSHACK's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#2166 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1532
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to JOE'S COOKSHACK)
Level with JOE'S COOKSHACK on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#2181 of the rated field
- Contests
- 64
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1632
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to JOE'S COOKSHACK)
They've been 1632 at their best, 101 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#2180 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1540
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 15 contests, alongside a 33% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA PASADITA | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| BUTCHER BBQ | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| HONKY-TONK SMOKERS | 9 | 8 | 1 | 89% | ⚔ compare |
| BUFFALO'S BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| FAT BOYS BBQ - TEMPLE, TX | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 LEGS UP BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| CLARK CREW BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| CAVEMAN CUISINE | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' SAUCED | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| THE SMOKING HILLS | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| GOOD SMOKE BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Lucky Dawgs' BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 177.7028 | 139.3600 | 164.01 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 151.4056 | 164.45 | top 48% |
| Pork | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 177.7028 | 146.8228 | 163.81 | top 47% |
| Brisket | 17 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 179.4400 | 145.6688 | 162.59 | top 50% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 7 | 0 | top 36% |
| MO | 4 | 0 | top 42% |
| FL | 2 | 0 | top 95% |
| KS | 2 | 0 | top 36% |
| AL | 1 | 0 | top 42% |
| LA | 1 | 0 | top 32% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 63% |
| Large (40+) | 15 | 0 | top 42% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 17% | 2018-04-06 |
| Cedar Fest BBQ | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 25% | 2016-04-01 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
11.9 yrs
2013-03-01 → 2025-01-09
Busiest season
2015
4 contests
Contests a season
2
across 9 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
TX
7 of 18 contests · 6 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
15
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
17 entries · 1 win · 2 calls
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
averages 164.45 · weakest Brisket (162.59)
Walk rate
39%
a top-10 call in 7 of 18 contests
Overall top-10 rate
17%
3 of 18 contests
Master average
654.87
out of 720 · 17 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
1,688
1,759–1,158 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
5,746
18 mapped stops · furthest 948 mi
Schedule strength
1545
average field rating faced — tougher than 34% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$7,200
listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 3 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
4.1 yrs
2018-08-31 → 2022-09-29
Power rating
1532
peak 1562 · #2171 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First overall top-10 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.1426 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- 2016
- First category win (Brisket) Cedar Fest BBQ
- Career-best single call (Brisket)179.4400 Cedar Fest BBQ
- 10th tracked contest City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
- 2018
- First overall podium *Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off
- 2022
- Career-best overall score690.2284 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST
- Peak power rating (1562) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST
- 2025
- Most recent contest 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.7 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open | 2013-10-03 |
| +13.6 | *Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off | 2018-04-06 |
| +13.4 | Cedar Fest BBQ | 2016-04-01 |
| +6.8 | World Barbecue Championship | 2017-11-08 |
| +6.5 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2013-03-01 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -16.1 | 8th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam & Car Show | 2024-01-04 |
| -14.1 | 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam | 2025-01-09 |
| -7 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | 2016-09-03 |
| -0.4 | Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown | 2015-02-26 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 82.5% | 82.5% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 86% | 86% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 36% | 95.9% | 94.2% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 25% | 94.7% | 93.2% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 42% | 93.4% | 93.4% |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 40% | 91% | 90% |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 46% | 93% | 90.9% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 30% | 89.6% | 89.6% |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 36% | 93.3% | 92.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-09 | 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam 🏅 Elkton, FL | 36 / 38 (594.0684) | 38 (139.3600) | 35 (159.9772) | 38 (146.8228) | 36 (147.9084) |
| 2024-01-04 | 8th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam & Car Show 🏅 Elkton, FL | 41 / 43 (619.2908) | 37 (161.6684) | 43 (151.4056) | 41 (150.8340) | 40 (155.3828) |
| 2022-10-01 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022-09-29 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST unrated Kansas City, KS | 52 / 249 (690.2284) | 28 (176.5828) | 139 (170.2744) | 25 (177.7028) | 189 (165.6684) |
| 2022-09-29 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 255 / 505 (666.7772) | 298 (165.7028) | 234 (167.4288) | 86 (174.2628) | 372 (159.3828) |
| 2018-08-31 | *Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 34 / 74 (661.0740) | 11 (174.3200) | 25 (167.4172) | 51 (161.6684) | 53 (157.6684) |
| 2018-04-06 | *Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off Cedar Park, TX | 3 / 69 (681.6568) | 1 (177.7028) | 16 (169.7028) | 17 (168.5600) | 19 (165.6912) |
| 2017-11-08 | World Barbecue Championship Orange Beach, AL | 39 / 93 (672.4572) | 58 (167.3828) | 75 (162.2400) | 35 (168.5600) | 8 (174.2744) |
| 2016-09-03 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 41 / 58 (640.9940) | 30 (164.5372) | 7 (172.5600) | 47 (155.9312) | 53 (147.9656) |
| 2016-04-01 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cedar Park, TX | 6 / 67 (655.3712) | 26 (159.3828) | 18 (163.9884) | 43 (152.5600) | 1 (179.4400) |
| 2015-10-03 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO | 146 / 606 (669.6572) | 360 (162.2400) | 129 (169.7144) | 245 (165.7028) | 73 (172.0000) |
| 2015-10-02 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational unrated Kansas City, MO | 126 / 187 (668.4684) | 157 (163.4056) | 77 (169.6684) | 143 (164.5372) | 71 (170.8572) |
| 2015-04-10 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cedar Park, TX | 22 / 53 (634.6972) | 31 (158.8228) | 14 (166.2512) | 10 (163.9544) | 42 (145.6688) |
| 2015-02-26 | Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown Huntsville, TX | 32 / 61 (644.4800) | 41 (158.2744) | 29 (163.9772) | 36 (161.1084) | 29 (161.1200) |
| 2014-04-04 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off (Teams Full) Cedar Park, TX | 15 / 50 (645.0856) | 8 (165.1428) | 37 (152.5600) | 16 (163.4172) | 18 (163.9656) |
| 2013-10-03 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 34 / 535 (671.9660) | 58 (170.8572) | 171 (164.0344) | 42 (171.9772) | 133 (165.0972) |
| 2013-10-03 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational unrated Kansas City, MO | 119 / 174 (651.3484) | 152 (159.4056) | 61 (167.3828) | 83 (165.1544) | 123 (159.4056) |
| 2013-03-01 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Baton Rouge, LA | 9 / 28 (665.1426) | 15 (163.4286) | 19 (157.1428) | 6 (171.9998) | 3 (172.5714) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #986 (120 pts) | #1051 (120 pts) | #1107 (120 pts) | #1046 (120 pts) | #1021 (120 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2212 (60 pts) | #2286 (60 pts) | #2304 (60 pts) | #2260 (60 pts) | #1623 (155 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1676 (120 pts) | #1778 (120 pts) | #1776 (120 pts) | #1790 (120 pts) | #1763 (120 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #1228 (213 pts) | #1425 (178 pts) | #1539 (158 pts) | #1190 (243 pts) | #990 (303 pts) |