On the rise
+32
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 32 points across 7 contests since Mar 1, 2019 — from 1456 up to 1487.
- 7 contests since Mar 1, 2019
- now 1487
First Start/ Big B's BBQ
First Start/ Big B's BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 25 at the Piggin in the Park (2019), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #3795 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1487
peak 1487 · rated over 14 contests
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
Aug 23, 2013
latest Aug 23, 2019 · 6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
0
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
14% of 14 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 61%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
673.70 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 652.87 (+20.83)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±22.46
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 164.78 · weakest Brisket (160.59)
Road miles
2,855
across 14 mapped stops · furthest 739 mi
Schedule strength
50%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1565)
Purse competed for
$63K
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
652.87 / 720
14 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to First Start/ Big B's BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
119 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,794 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1512
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,811 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 15%
- Peak
- 1507
Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 4 years before First Start/ Big B's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,798 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#3,793 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1487
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,802 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1504
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careers#3,787 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
Level with First Start/ Big B's BBQ 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| RUNWAY SMOKE | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| SWINE AND SHINE BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| ATLANTA BBQ STORE | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| ROCKIN' PIG BBQ | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| FYC BARBEQUE | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE ON THIS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| COOL HAND QUE | 6 | 1 | 4 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Angry Jack BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| TUFF DAWG GRILLERS | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Wiggle Butts BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Quenut BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| BALDY'S BUTTS | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 176.0116 | 153.0512 | 164.59 | top 62% |
| Pork Ribs | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 176.5600 | 152.5256 | 164.78 | top 54% |
| Pork | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 146.8340 | 162.91 | top 54% |
| Brisket | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 175.4056 | 146.2744 | 160.59 | top 59% |
“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) | 9 | 0 | top 56% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 71% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flint Hills Beef Fest BBQ | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 77% | Aug 21, 2015 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
7 contests
Contests a season
3.5
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
GA
11 of 14 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
13
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
382
finished ahead 224 times, behind 432
Longest layoff
3.5 yrs
Aug 21, 2015 → Mar 1, 2019
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20198 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score668.4340 Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
- 10th tracked contest Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival
- First overall top-10 Smokin' Bike Fest
- First overall podium Piggin in the Park
- First Reserve Championship Piggin in the Park
- Career-best overall score689.6568 Piggin in the Park
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5600 Piggin in the Park
- Most recent contest Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival
20133 milestones
- First tracked contest Flinthills Beef Fest BBQ
- First call Flinthills Beef Fest BBQ
- Peak power rating (1497) Flinthills Beef Fest BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.9 | Piggin in the Park | Jul 19, 2019 |
| +14.2 | Smokin' Bike Fest | May 31, 2019 |
| +7.7 | BBQ Boogie & Blues | Apr 26, 2019 |
| +0.2 | Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival | May 24, 2019 |
| +0.1 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival | Mar 1, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.1 | Rock'n Ribville | Oct 10, 2014 |
| -8.1 | The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA) | Nov 21, 2014 |
| -7.3 | Flint Hills Beef Fest BBQ | Aug 21, 2015 |
| -7.2 | Jug Tavern Festival (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) | Sep 12, 2014 |
| -6.4 | Hillbilly Hog BBQ Throwdown & Fall Festival (SBBQA) | Oct 24, 2014 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 57% | top 42% | 95.8% | 93.4% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 94% | 85.2% | 85.2% |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40% | top 80% | 90% | 88.2% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 65% | 89.8% | 89.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2019 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 17 / 32 (667.2912) | 15 (169.1200) | 13 (169.6800) | 11 (167.9656) | 20 (160.5256) |
| Aug 2, 2019 | Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Gainesville, GA | 29 / 45 (668.9944) | 40 (163.3944) | 21 (168.5372) | 11 (171.9656) | 29 (165.0972) |
| Jul 19, 2019 | Piggin in the Park 🏅 Jasper, GA | 2 / 25 (689.6568) | 5 (172.5484) | 2 (176.5600) | 14 (165.1428) | 3 (175.4056) |
| May 31, 2019 | Smokin' Bike Fest 🏅 Peachtree City, GA | 4 / 31 (679.8856) | 21 (163.3944) | 9 (171.4056) | 4 (174.2628) | 4 (170.8228) |
| May 24, 2019 | Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival 🏅 Evans, GA | 51 / 72 (662.6856) | 58 (162.8000) | 36 (167.9772) | 58 (161.0856) | 23 (170.8228) |
| Apr 26, 2019 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 11 / 33 (669.6116) | 3 (176.0116) | 11 (170.8228) | 7 (169.1200) | 27 (153.6572) |
| Mar 1, 2019 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 30 / 62 (668.4340) | 26 (169.6800) | 48 (161.0972) | 5 (171.9656) | 34 (165.6912) |
| Aug 21, 2015 | Flint Hills Beef Fest BBQ Emporia, KS | 34 / 36 (613.6684) | 31 (161.1544) | 33 (152.5256) | 35 (146.8340) | 33 (153.1544) |
| Nov 21, 2014 | The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA) Cumming, GA | 78 / 86 (630.0684) | 31 (171.4172) | 78 (157.0628) | 82 (153.6228) | 84 (147.9656) |
| Oct 24, 2014 | Hillbilly Hog BBQ Throwdown & Fall Festival (SBBQA) Cleveland, GA | 29 / 35 (641.5084) | 21 (165.0856) | 11 (168.5256) | 35 (149.6344) | 29 (158.2628) |
| Oct 10, 2014 | Rock'n Ribville Lawrenceville, GA | 18 / 20 (614.6512) | 18 (153.0512) | 8 (165.6800) | 19 (148.5144) | 18 (147.4056) |
| Sep 12, 2014 | Jug Tavern Festival (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) Winder, GA | 33 / 42 (647.9428) | 40 (158.8228) | 31 (162.2628) | 39 (157.6800) | 12 (169.1772) |
| Aug 22, 2014 | Flint Hills Beef Fest BBQ Emporia, KS | 15 / 25 (639.4628) | 14 (162.3200) | 14 (161.7028) | 5 (169.1656) | 19 (146.2744) |
| Aug 23, 2013 | Flinthills Beef Fest BBQ Emporia, KS | 17 / 26 (646.3312) | 23 (155.4284) | 24 (153.1200) | 4 (173.7600) | 11 (164.0228) |