BIG ROCK BBQ

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

Power ranking

#1783

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1548

peak 1548 · rated over 16 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-07-13

latest 2019-06-01

Best ToY finish

#818

Master 2016

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 18 contests

Avg finish

top 49%

overall standings

Best overall

670.8000 / 720

Master · New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton

Perfect 180s

Current form

658.81 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 638.50 (+20.31)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.9372

Pork · The Best BBQ Chef Competition

Consistency

±54.12

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 163.25 · weakest Chicken (160.69)

Road miles

941

mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 179 mi

Schedule strength

45%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1558)

Purse competed for

$27K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

638.50 / 720

16 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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

67% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 12 of 18 contests

A top-10 category call in 67% of their 18 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

670.8000 career-best overall

93.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 670.8000 at New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton — 93.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
2017-08-12

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

FOUR SMOKING GUYS has finished one call ahead of BIG ROCK BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 29%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 29%

A tough matchup

12–1 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA ahead in 92% of their meetings

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has come out ahead in 12 of their 13 shared contests.

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BACKYARD SMOKERS in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

10 of 12 shared pork entries lost

Rogue Hog BBQ ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Rogue Hog BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 12 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

ACK-QUE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±7.52% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±7.52% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 88.7% of a perfect score
best 93.2%

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked Sun BBQ Fest every year from 2014 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 14th

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.

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

HOGS GONE WILD BBQ

#1786 of the rated field

1547 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1579

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1579 at their best, 32 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2022-01-28

⚔ Head-to-head

MOO COW

#1790 of the rated field

1547 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1566

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2018-06-01

⚔ Head-to-head

LIL' SUMPIN BBQ

#1785 of the rated field

1547 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1547

No shared contest yet.

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 7% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2019-08-23

⚔ Head-to-head

St. Louis Pit - Que

#1778 of the rated field

1548 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1551

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 4 years before BIG ROCK BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 18 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

OnlyCans Competition BBQ

#1781 of the rated field

1548 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1566

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 11 years after BIG ROCK BBQ did, first appearing in 2024.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-08-15

⚔ Head-to-head

Bastian's Barbecue Co.

#1792 of the rated field

1547 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1550

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
FOUR SMOKING GUYS	15	6	9	40%	⚔ compare
ACK-QUE	14	6	8	43%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
JOHN'S TWISTED Q	12	7	5	58%	⚔ compare
THAT'S OUR QUE	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
Rogue Hog BBQ	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
Q HAVEN BBQ	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
FIRE DOWN BELOW	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
INSANE SWINE BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
Smokin Aces	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
THE BASIC BBQ TEAM	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
PADDY MCQ'S	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
BEVERAGE BROTHERS	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
TWO LITTLE PIGS BBQ EAST	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	3	0	0	170.8800	143.3712	160.69	top 55%
Pork Ribs	17	7	0	2	171.4400	144.5600	161.45	top 46%
Pork	16	5	1	1	174.9372	146.2856	163.25	top 46%
Brisket	15	6	0	2	174.2972	144.5256	162.79	top 40%

“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
CT	14	0	top 49%
RI	2	0	top 47%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 39%
Medium (20–39)	7	top 57%
Large (40+)	6	top 44%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Sun BBQ Fest	5	14	top 44%	2018-06-02
The Best BBQ Chef Competition	3	2	top 53%	2015-08-29
Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival	2	13	top 39%	2018-05-05
New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton	2	4	top 42%	2017-08-12

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.9 yrs 2013-07-13 → 2019-06-01

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 2.6 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CT 15 of 18 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 8 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 17 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 163.25 · weakest Chicken (160.69)

Walk rate 67% a top-10 call in 12 of 18 contests

Overall top-10 rate 17% 3 of 18 contests

Master average 638.50 out of 720 · 16 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 217 325–273 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 941 18 mapped stops · furthest 179 mi

Schedule strength 1558 average field rating faced — tougher than 45% of rated contests

Purse competed for $27,100 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Power rating 1548 peak 1548 · #1783 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Jul 13 First tracked contest Pork In The Park BBQ
Sep 28 First call The Best BBQ Chef Competition
2014
Jun 20 First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.0000 Sun BBQ Fest
Sep 27 First category win (Pork) The Best BBQ Chef Competition
Sep 27 First overall top-10 The Best BBQ Chef Competition
Sep 27 First overall podium The Best BBQ Chef Competition
Sep 27 First Reserve Championship The Best BBQ Chef Competition
Sep 27 Career-best single call (Pork)174.9372 The Best BBQ Chef Competition
2016
Jun 11 10th tracked contest Sun BBQ Fest
2017
Aug 12 Career-best overall score670.8000 New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton
2019
Jun 1 Peak power rating (1548) Sun BBQFest
Jun 1 Most recent contest Sun BBQFest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.5	The Best BBQ Chef Competition	2014-09-27
+12.2	Rotary Club of Wakefield Rhode Island	2016-07-22
+9.4	New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton	2017-08-12
+9	Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival	2016-04-30
+8.7	Sun BBQ Fest	2015-06-13

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15.6	Pork In The Park BBQ	2013-07-13
-4.8	The Best BBQ Chef Competition	2015-08-29
-4.5	The Best BBQ Chef Competition	2013-09-28
-3.2	Wakefield Rotary Campus Cook Off	2015-07-17

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	0	0%	top 44%	91.3%	91.3%
2018	2	0	0	50%	top 50%	90.6%	90.5%
2017	3	1	0	67%	top 31%	93.2%	92.6%
2016	4	1	0	75%	top 42%	91.5%	90.6%
2015	3	0	0	67%	top 60%	92.3%	90.2%
2014	3	1	1	100%	top 29%	92.5%	91.2%
2013	2	0	0	50%	top 85%	85.9%	73.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-06-01	Sun BBQFest 🏅 Uncasville, CT	27 / 61 (657.1316)	12 (170.8800)	39 (157.7260)	25 (167.4172)	37 (161.1084)
2018-06-02	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	32 / 59 (652.4688)	50 (154.8116)	6 (170.8916)	34 (161.6456)	17 (165.1200)
2018-05-05	Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival Ridgefield, CT	18 / 40 (650.7888)	18 (163.4172)	18 (161.7144)	27 (160.5600)	11 (165.0972)
2017-09-09	Green Mountain BBQ Championship Randolph, VT	—	—	—	—	—
2017-08-12	New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton New London, CT	4 / 14 (670.8000)	6 (167.3828)	9 (159.4172)	4 (169.7028)	2 (174.2972)
2017-06-03	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	25 / 73 (662.8576)	18 (168.5716)	42 (160.0116)	10 (173.1772)	39 (161.0972)
2016-08-13	New London's Best BBQ Chef Competiton New London, CT	14 / 25 (652.6400)	16 (162.2628)	5 (170.8800)	14 (164.0572)	16 (155.4400)
2016-07-22	Rotary Club of Wakefield Rhode Island Kingston, RI	8 / 34 (658.8804)	23 (162.8344)	4 (171.4400)	17 (161.7144)	13 (162.8916)
2016-06-11	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	37 / 69 (648.0688)	18 (168.0344)	55 (154.2516)	31 (162.2972)	29 (163.4856)
2016-04-30	Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival Ridgefield, CT	13 / 39 (648.6972)	13 (164.5828)	26 (153.7144)	7 (166.8800)	8 (163.5200)
2015-08-29	The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT	13 / 17 (636.4800)	13 (153.6800)	14 (154.8456)	4 (166.2400)	9 (161.7144)
2015-07-17	Wakefield Rotary Campus Cook Off Kingston, RI	26 / 37 (646.3316)	36 (151.3944)	14 (167.4744)	22 (160.0228)	13 (167.4400)
2015-06-13	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	17 / 52 (664.6284)	26 (165.1200)	37 (158.8800)	14 (168.0112)	4 (172.6172)
2014-09-27	The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT	2 / 15 (665.7948)	4 (168.0228)	3 (168.5716)	1 (174.9372)	9 (154.2632)
2014-08-29	Blues, Views and BBQ (Competitor's Series) Westport, CT	—	6 (158.2284)	5 (156.0116)	—	—
2014-06-20	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	14 / 32 (648.0000)	21 (162.2856)	11 (164.0116)	27 (152.5256)	3 (169.1772)
2013-09-28	The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT	18 / 26 (618.2400)	22 (146.8688)	3 (170.3200)	17 (156.5256)	22 (144.5256)
2013-07-13	Pork In The Park BBQ Stamford, CT	21 / 21 (434.2168)	20 (143.3712)	17 (144.5600)	20 (146.2856)	—

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1955 (60 pts)	#1558 (125 pts)	#2026 (60 pts)	#2029 (60 pts)	#2010 (60 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1382 (155 pts)	#1452 (155 pts)	#1091 (270 pts)	#1610 (120 pts)	#1195 (230 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1181 (249 pts)	#1260 (249 pts)	#1494 (184 pts)	#1086 (324 pts)	#1110 (299 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#818 (439 pts)	#957 (379 pts)	#791 (504 pts)	#903 (429 pts)	#860 (429 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1110 (262 pts)	#1320 (222 pts)	#1165 (272 pts)	#939 (382 pts)	#802 (457 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#918 (352 pts)	#1201 (267 pts)	#1002 (342 pts)	#1046 (322 pts)	#937 (357 pts)