BIGBRAD'S BBQ

BIGBRAD'S BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 15 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 9th of 28 at the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (2013). They are ranked #4024 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Big Brads BBQ”.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,024

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1483

peak 1529 · rated over 15 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 31, 2013

latest Jul 21, 2017 · 4.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1215

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

13% of 15 contests

Avg finish

top 61%

overall standings

Best overall

672.5600 / 720

Master · Bend of the River CookOut

Perfect 180s

Current form

644.05 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 650.32 (-6.26)

Walk rate

60%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8800

Pork · Smokin in Steele

Consistency

±13.42

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 168.18 · weakest Brisket (159.82)

Road miles

2,095

across 15 mapped stops · furthest 801 mi

Schedule strength

52%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1567)

Master avg

650.32 / 720

15 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

60% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 9 of 15 contests

A top-10 category call in 60% of their 15 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

672.5600 career-best overall

93.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 672.5600 at Bend of the River CookOut — 93.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 12, 2015

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 43%.

4 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 43%

A tough matchup

11–0 behind in the head-to-head

LUCKY'S Q ahead in 100% of their meetings

LUCKY'S Q has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.36 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 47%.

Brisket avg 159.82
Pork avg 168.18
0 calls in 15 entries

A strong matchup

9–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 90% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of LUCKY BRISKET in 9 of their 10 shared contests.

A May team

Top 44% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 44% across 3 contests, versus top 61% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 61% the rest of the year

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±1.86% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.86% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.3% of a perfect score
15 contests

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
2017 ↗	Master	#1455 (178 pts)	#1538 (178 pts)	#1548 (178 pts)	#1078 (328 pts)	#1368 (213 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1215 (240 pts)	#1327 (235 pts)	#1330 (235 pts)	#806 (485 pts)	#1173 (275 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1321 (195 pts)	#1312 (225 pts)	#1776 (120 pts)	#697 (545 pts)	#1677 (135 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1454 (180 pts)	#1666 (150 pts)	#1653 (150 pts)	#725 (525 pts)	#1466 (190 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BIGBRAD'S BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

HERDER HERDER BBQ

#4,029 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Oct 12, 2019

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SadieQ

#4,032 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 39%
Peak: 1521

They've been 1521 at their best, 39 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Oct 10, 2026

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Disco Balls BBQ

#4,027 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1505

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 8% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Jun 22, 2019

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BULLETS AND BUTTS

#4,025 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1500

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

rated over 12 contests
last seen Oct 13, 2017

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Team BS BBQ

#4,018 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1483

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

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SMOKIN DOPES BBQ

#4,012 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1483

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Feb 2, 2018

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Hogline	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
CITY SLICKERS BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
LUCKY BRISKET	10	9	1	90%	⚔ compare
PIG APPROVED BBQ	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
CASE OF RIBS	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
The Q Crew	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
QUETOPIA	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
3 THIRDS BBQ	8	8	0	100%	⚔ compare
MYASSIS SMOKIN	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	15	2	0	0	171.4628	147.4056	162.24	top 66%
Pork Ribs	15	1	0	0	168.5716	152.5714	160.07	top 68%
Pork	15	7	2	3	178.8800	146.8456	168.18	top 36%
Brisket	15	0	0	0	168.5828	153.0856	159.82	top 64%

“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 74%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 53%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MN	11	top 61%
IA	3	top 70%
TX	1	top 43%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin in Steele	3	14	top 46%	Jun 3, 2016
Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	2	39	top 88%	Jul 21, 2017
Bend of the River CookOut	2	10	top 31%	Jun 12, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 3 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MN 11 of 15 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 11 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 314 finished ahead 289 times, behind 394

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

20171 milestone

Jul 21 Most recent contest Up in Smoke BBQ Bash

20161 milestone

Jun 10 10th tracked contest Mankato Cookout Day 1

20152 milestones

Jun 12 Career-best overall score672.5600 Bend of the River CookOut
Jun 12 Peak power rating (1529) Bend of the River CookOut

20142 milestones

May 30 First category win (Pork) Smokin in Steele
May 30 Career-best single call (Pork)178.8800 Smokin in Steele

20134 milestones

May 31 First tracked contest Smokin' in Steele
May 31 First call Smokin' in Steele
May 31 First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.4286 Smokin' in Steele
Jul 19 First overall top-10 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.4	Bend of the River CookOut	Jun 12, 2015
+8	Smokin' in Steele	May 31, 2013
+7.5	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jul 19, 2013
+5.1	Bend of the River CookOut	Jun 27, 2014
+2.8	Smokin in Steele	May 30, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.9	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	Jul 21, 2017
-8.8	Mankato Cookout Day 1	Jun 10, 2016
-7.5	Mankato Cookout Day 1 and (BACKYARD)	Jun 9, 2017
-7.3	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	Jul 22, 2016
-5.9	Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off	Jun 28, 2013

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	3	0	0	33%	top 90%	90.6%	88.4%
2016	4	0	0	25%	top 78%	91.8%	90.1%
2015	2	1	1	100%	top 41%	93.4%	91.7%
2014	2	0	1	100%	top 42%	92.2%	92.2%
2013	4	1	0	75%	top 43%	92.1%	90.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 21, 2017	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	46 / 49 (620.4112)	49 (147.4056)	41 (155.3944)	32 (164.5256)	41 (153.0856)
Jun 10, 2017	Mankato Cookout Day 2 Mankato, MN	28 / 33 (652.4916)	32 (155.4288)	31 (155.3944)	4 (174.2856)	19 (167.3828)
Jun 9, 2017	Mankato Cookout Day 1 and (BACKYARD) Mankato, MN	32 / 35 (637.1088)	34 (153.6800)	28 (158.8460)	29 (161.1656)	24 (163.4172)
Jul 22, 2016	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	39 / 47 (649.1656)	34 (164.6056)	26 (166.8800)	37 (162.2744)	41 (155.4056)
Jun 11, 2016	Mankato Cookout Day 2 and ( Back Yard) Mankato, MN	24 / 32 (661.0856)	28 (163.3828)	28 (160)	4 (173.7028)	17 (164)
Jun 10, 2016	Mankato Cookout Day 1 Mankato, MN	29 / 33 (638.8004)	32 (159.9772)	29 (157.7032)	18 (166.2628)	29 (154.8572)
Jun 3, 2016	Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN	34 / 53 (645.0628)	34 (161.7028)	40 (156)	12 (169.7028)	38 (157.6572)
Jun 12, 2015	Bend of the River CookOut Mankato, MN	10 / 42 (672.5600)	7 (171.4628)	31 (162.2744)	2 (173.1200)	22 (165.7028)
May 29, 2015	Smokin' in Steel Owatonna, MN	35 / 60 (647.9084)	44 (159.4172)	41 (157.1544)	1 (176.5600)	44 (154.7768)
Jun 27, 2014	Bend of the River CookOut Mankato, MN	19 / 50 (663.9428)	30 (165.1200)	40 (156.5372)	4 (173.7028)	17 (168.5828)
May 30, 2014	Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN	31 / 67 (663.9428)	39 (166.2628)	41 (164)	1 (178.8800)	50 (154.8000)
Aug 31, 2013	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX	38 / 89 (636.4912)	13 (168.0344)	12 (166.2628)	74 (146.8456)	48 (155.3484)
Jul 19, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Des Moines, IA	9 / 28 (662.9032)	19 (164.0116)	16 (163.4172)	8 (170.2972)	11 (165.1772)
Jun 28, 2013	Bend of the River BBQ Smoke Off Mankato, MN	21 / 30 (643.4282)	6 (171.4284)	26 (152.5714)	19 (162.8572)	23 (156.5712)
May 31, 2013	Smokin' in Steele Owatonna, MN	14 / 51 (659.4286)	31 (161.7144)	9 (168.5716)	12 (168.5714)	24 (160.5712)

BIGBRAD'S BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

A May team

The metronome

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 — 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)