The heartbreaker
Came within 0.5484 points of the Grand Championship at BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay (2024-05-25).
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Came within 0.5484 points of the Grand Championship at BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay (2024-05-25).
In the top 5% of every rated team in the data
A power rating of 1712 puts them #346 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 5% of the field.
4 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 89 times in 100
Their Grand Championship at Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship (2024-04-26) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 11-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, BIG POPPA SMOKERS.
Took the Grand Championship over a 37-team field at 2024 Icebox Cookoff.
2024 Icebox Cookoff is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
A call in 41 of 52 contests
A top-10 category call in 79% of their 52 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
98.2% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 706.8800 at The Sutherlin Throwdown — 98.2% of a perfect 720.
They've taken 3 state championships from 41 entries at contests carrying the title.
Bad Bears BBQ has finished one call ahead of Small Axe BBQ 4 times — their closest competition in the data.
2024 was the year it came together: 11 contests, 2 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 28%.
GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 100% of their meetings
GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.20 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 55% of the time against 48%.
Their last Grand Championship came at 2024 Icebox Cookoff on 2024-07-06 — 28 contests and 2.2 years ago.
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Old Dirty Basters in 15 of their 15 shared contests.
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ ahead 82% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 17 shared chicken entries.
Field size changes the story: they average a top 34% finish in small fields against top 48% in large ones.
Chompa Q has landed one call behind them 4 times.
Something about July: average finish in the top 19% across 6 contests, versus top 32% the rest of the year.
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 40,098 miles across 52 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 2,526 miles to Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" (ONE MEAT RIBS).
They've cooked BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay every year from 2022 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.
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.
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Small Axe BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Small Axe BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headCareers of much the same size, 68 contests to 52, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-headThey've been 1757 at their best, 45 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-headTheir rating is built on 7 Grand Championships in 53 contests, alongside a 68% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-headThey were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Small Axe BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RJs Smokehouse | 23 | 14 | 9 | 61% | ⚔ compare |
| J&C BBQ | 19 | 14 | 5 | 74% | ⚔ compare |
| CROOKED PIGS | 19 | 8 | 11 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | 17 | 8 | 9 | 47% | ⚔ compare |
| BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | 16 | 11 | 5 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN TIMBERS NORTHWEST | 16 | 11 | 5 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| Bad Bears BBQ | 16 | 6 | 10 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Old Dirty Basters | 15 | 15 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| BONE RUBBIN BBQ | 15 | 10 | 5 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Meat Candy Q | 15 | 6 | 9 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Cat BBQ | 14 | 11 | 3 | 79% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Bliss BBQ | 13 | 9 | 4 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| Chompa Q | 13 | 9 | 4 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Rob's Smokin and Grillin BBQ | 12 | 9 | 3 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 46 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 180.0000 🔥 | 158.2284 | 172.38 | top 39% |
| Pork Ribs | 51 | 25 | 5 | 11 | 179.4400 | 158.2400 | 171.91 | top 35% |
| Pork | 47 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 177.7028 | 153.0968 | 170.86 | top 42% |
| Brisket | 47 | 26 | 4 | 12 | 180.0000 🔥 | 20.0000 | 168.18 | 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.
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| OR | 15 | 2 | top 25% |
| WA | 6 | 0 | top 32% |
| CA | 6 | 1 | top 24% |
| AZ | 6 | 0 | top 32% |
| TN | 6 | 0 | top 63% |
| NV | 2 | 0 | top 4% |
| ID | 2 | 0 | top 26% |
| KS | 2 | 0 | top 46% |
| HI | 1 | 0 | top 17% |
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 34% |
| Medium (20–39) | 30 | 3 | top 25% |
| Large (40+) | 12 | 0 | top 48% |
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay | 5 | 2 | 0 | top 13% | 2026-05-23 |
| Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) | 4 | 47 | 0 | top 73% | 2025-10-10 |
| Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 20% | 2026-04-24 |
| 2024 Icebox Cookoff | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 18% | 2024-07-06 |
| Sutherlin Throwdown | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 31% | 2026-07-18 |
| Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 24% | 2026-03-20 |
| BBQ Jackpot | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 4% | 2025-11-21 |
| The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2) | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 58% | 2025-05-31 |
| Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 2 | 36 | 0 | top 42% | 2024-03-15 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.8 | Sweet Home Icebox Cookoff 2022 | 2022-07-02 |
| +14.7 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship | 2024-04-26 |
| +14.3 | 5th Annual Hudson's Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cookoff | 2022-08-20 |
| +13.5 | BBQ Jackpot | 2024-12-06 |
| +12.8 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay | 2022-05-28 |
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -15.3 | The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1) | 2025-05-30 |
| -12.7 | 11th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge | 2026-01-16 |
| -6.3 | Outdoor Cooking BBQ Championship | 2022-02-05 |
| -5.5 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship | 2026-04-24 |
| -4.3 | Sutherlin Throwdown | 2026-07-18 |
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 75% | top 34% | 97.6% | 95.5% |
| 2025 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 86% | top 30% | 97.6% | 95.8% |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 64% | top 28% | 98.2% | 94.1% |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 78% | top 32% | 95.8% | 94.9% |
| 2022 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 90% | top 38% | 97.9% | 94.1% |
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-22 | 9th Annual DuPont BBQ Competition 🏅 DuPont, WA | 8 / 27 (685.6684) | 6 (172.5600) | 6 (172.5600) | 11 (171.4056) | 13 (169.1428) |
| 2026-07-18 | Sutherlin Throwdown 🏅 Sutherlin, OR | 14 / 29 (690.1940) | 12 (172.5484) | 21 (166.2400) | 9 (173.7028) | 3 (177.7028) |
| 2026-05-23 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR | 3 / 33 (697.6456) | 2 (178.8572) | 17 (170.2628) | 4 (177.7028) | 15 (170.8228) |
| 2026-04-24 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA | 14 / 29 (678.1716) | 16 (169.6800) | 14 (170.2744) | 11 (171.9772) | 18 (166.2400) |
| 2026-03-27 | Q's & Brews Bighorn BBQ Competition 🏅 Lake Havasu City, AZ | 2 / 33 (702.8116) | 11 (174.2628) | 5 (176.5716) | 15 (171.9772) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2026-03-20 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 10 / 27 (686.2400) | 5 (177.1428) | 21 (163.9888) | 18 (168.5484) | 2 (176.5600) |
| 2026-02-27 | BBQ & Brew Festival 🏅 Yuma, AZ | 5 / 25 (690.1712) | 7 (173.1084) | 6 (173.1200) | 8 (173.1200) | 10 (170.8228) |
| 2026-01-16 | 11th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 39 / 53 (667.8628) | 20 (172.5716) | 47 (158.2400) | 17 (173.1084) | 37 (163.9428) |
| 2025-11-21 | BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV | 4 / 90 (698.8460) | 6 (177.7144) | 13 (174.8572) | 17 (174.8572) | 35 (171.4172) |
| 2025-10-10 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 54 / 90 (682.7884) | 48 (171.9656) | 48 (171.9772) | 71 (166.8572) | 35 (171.9884) |
| 2025-08-29 | Meat & Tater BBQ Fest 🏅 Meridian, ID | 13 / 39 (690.2056) | 13 (174.2628) | 20 (172.5600) | 30 (166.2284) | 4 (177.1544) |
| 2025-08-16 | 8th Annual DuPont BBQ Competition 🏅 DuPont, WA | 9 / 30 (690.7768) | 14 (173.1084) | 3 (177.1428) | 16 (169.6684) | 13 (170.8572) |
| 2025-07-19 | Sutherlin Throwdown 🏅 Sutherlin, OR | 5 / 35 (702.8228) | 1 (180.0000) | 4 (176.5944) | 8 (174.2628) | 8 (171.9656) |
| 2025-05-31 | The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2) 🏅 Sweet Home, OR | 9 / 28 (693.6572) | 15 (172.5600) | 7 (174.2744) | 8 (174.2628) | 10 (172.5600) |
| 2025-05-30 | The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1) 🏅 Sweet Home, OR | 25 / 30 (665.0628) | 22 (166.8228) | 21 (166.2744) | 17 (167.4056) | 22 (164.5600) |
| 2025-05-24 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR | 4 / 26 (689.0628) | 2 (176.5600) | 5 (174.2972) | 14 (168.5256) | 13 (169.6800) |
| 2025-05-16 | Gold Country Casino Resort BrewFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Oroville, CA | 6 / 19 (690.1940) | 4 (177.1428) | 2 (172.5600) | 8 (169.6684) | 6 (170.8228) |
| 2025-04-25 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA | 3 / 31 (697.6800) | 10 (174.2744) | 7 (174.8456) | 2 (176.0000) | 5 (172.5600) |
| 2025-03-28 | Q's & Brews 🏅 Lake Havasu, AZ | 6 / 26 (686.7768) | 19 (168.5256) | 12 (167.4056) | 6 (175.4056) | 3 (175.4400) |
| 2025-03-14 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 3 / 26 (695.9544) | 6 (174.2744) | 1 (178.2972) | 16 (167.3828) | 3 (176.0000) |
| 2025-02-21 | Best in the Southwest 🏅 Yuma, AZ | 14 / 29 (679.8740) | 10 (174.2628) | 20 (165.0856) | 19 (168.5600) | 10 (171.9656) |
| 2025-01-17 | 10th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 11 / 48 (681.6116) | 31 (166.2400) | 28 (166.2400) | 18 (170.2744) | 1 (178.8572) |
| 2024-12-06 | BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV | 3 / 74 (697.6916) | 25 (173.1428) | 2 (176.0116) | 4 (177.7028) | 26 (170.8344) |
| 2024-10-30 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 128 / 169 (676.4684) | 132 (167.9656) | 63 (173.1200) | 137 (167.3828) | 117 (168.0000) |
| 2024-10-30 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 70 / 444 (691.3252) | 192 (170.8112) | 39 (176.5600) | 50 (176.0000) | 210 (167.9540) |
| 2024-10-11 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 86 / 87 (519.8852) | 53 (168.5256) | 36 (172.5484) | 79 (158.8112) | 87 (20.0000) |
| 2024-08-24 | 7th Annual DuPont BBQ Competition 🏅 DuPont, WA | 8 / 27 (686.1712) | 1 (180.0000) | 9 (170.8344) | 17 (167.9540) | 13 (167.3828) |
| 2024-07-20 | The Sutherlin Throwdown 🏅 Sutherlin, OR | 3 / 30 (706.8800) | 5 (177.7028) | 6 (177.7144) | 7 (175.4400) | 4 (176.0228) |
| 2024-07-06 | 2024 Icebox Cookoff 🏅 Sweet Home, OR | 1 / 37 (699.9656) | 3 (178.2972) | 14 (173.1200) | 26 (169.1084) | 1 (179.4400) |
| 2024-06-28 | Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID | 5 / 28 (693.6572) | 13 (170.8228) | 9 (173.1316) | 4 (177.7028) | 7 (172.0000) |
| 2024-05-25 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR | 2 / 27 (696.0116) | 3 (176.5600) | 3 (175.4516) | 14 (169.7256) | 6 (174.2744) |
| 2024-04-26 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA | 1 / 34 (700.5028) | 6 (176.5600) | 4 (177.7144) | 14 (173.1084) | 11 (173.1200) |
| 2024-03-15 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 37 / 93 (683.8856) | 24 (174.2744) | 23 (172.5600) | 61 (167.3828) | 44 (169.6684) |
| 2023-11-11 | Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" (ONE MEAT BRISKET) Honolulu, HI | — | — | — | 5 (153.0968) | 1 (172.5600) |
| 2023-11-10 | Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" 🏅 Honolulu, HI | 3 / 18 (689.0744) | 5 (173.1200) | 6 (170.8228) | 2 (177.7028) | 6 (167.4288) |
| 2023-11-10 | Warrior BBQ's "The Great Hawaiian Smokeout" (ONE MEAT RIBS) Honolulu, HI | — | — | 6 (172.5716) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series)(JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 47 / 81 (677.6684) | 76 (158.8344) | 38 (172.0000) | 42 (169.6912) | 6 (177.1428) |
| 2023-08-19 | DuPont-Hudson's Bay BBQ Competition 🏅 DuPont, WA | 7 / 30 (681.6916) | 6 (176.5600) | 20 (163.4172) | 10 (172.5600) | 7 (169.1544) |
| 2023-07-01 | Icebox Cookoff 🏅 Sweet Home, OR | 13 / 38 (682.7544) | 19 (170.8228) | 17 (168.5256) | 15 (170.2744) | 7 (173.1316) |
| 2023-05-27 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR | 4 / 25 (689.6800) | 9 (170.8344) | 2 (178.2972) | 18 (166.8456) | 3 (173.7028) |
| 2023-03-17 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 36 / 80 (678.7084) | 51 (169.6684) | 51 (165.0972) | 34 (169.6800) | 14 (174.2628) |
| 2023-03-17 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 29 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2022-11-12 | Warrior BBQ Ribs Championship - Ribs 2 (One Meat Ribs ) Honolulu, HI | — | — | 1 (176.0116) | — | — |
| 2022-11-12 | Warrior BBQ Ribs Championship - Ribs 3 (One Meat Ribs) Honolulu, HI | — | — | 1 (177.1428) | — | — |
| 2022-11-11 | Warrior BBQ Ribs Championship - Ribs 1 (One Meat Ribs) Honolulu, HI | — | — | 2 (174.2972) | — | — |
| 2022-10-14 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series)(JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 62 / 83 (666.2168) | 72 (162.2972) | 48 (169.7028) | 69 (163.4056) | 31 (170.8112) |
| 2022-10-07 | Hermiston Fall Fest, BBQ, Brews, & More 🏅 Hermiston, OR | 7 / 19 (673.0856) | 9 (169.7028) | 4 (173.1200) | 7 (170.2856) | 13 (159.9772) |
| 2022-08-20 | 5th Annual Hudson's Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cookoff 🏅 DuPont, WA | 2 / 29 (701.6684) | 2 (180.0000) | 16 (170.8228) | 10 (173.7028) | 3 (177.1428) |
| 2022-07-02 | Sweet Home Icebox Cookoff 2022 🏅 Sweet Home, OR | 1 / 34 (704.5712) | 14 (171.9884) | 1 (179.4400) | 5 (177.1428) | 2 (176.0000) |
| 2022-05-28 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR | 5 / 27 (682.2512) | 23 (162.2284) | 18 (164.5828) | 1 (176.5828) | 2 (178.8572) |
| 2022-02-05 | Outdoor Cooking BBQ Championship 🏅 Puyallup, WA | 16 / 22 (654.7540) | 19 (158.2284) | 1 (178.2972) | 4 (170.2856) | 21 (147.9428) |
| 2022-01-08 | Willamette Sportsman Show Cookoff 2022 🏅 Albany, OR | 8 / 16 (659.2916) | 3 (171.9772) | 11 (162.8228) | 7 (167.9772) | 12 (156.5144) |
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #67 (1428 pts) | #80 (1363 pts) | #148 (1048 pts) | #100 (1133 pts) | #68 (1318 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #72 (1811 pts) | #98 (1570 pts) | #57 (1916 pts) | #111 (1471 pts) | #58 (1814 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #64 (1774 pts) | #85 (1559 pts) | #111 (1438 pts) | #163 (1159 pts) | #71 (1596 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #374 (540 pts) | #476 (455 pts) | #153 (1306 pts) | #519 (385 pts) | #328 (665 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #187 (1092 pts) | #277 (852 pts) | #228 (1047 pts) | #190 (1082 pts) | #218 (1017 pts) |