BLUE RIDGE BBQ

BLUE RIDGE BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2016. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 18 at the Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship (2015), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2411 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,411

of 6,485 rated · rankings

Rating

1523

peak 1523 · rated over 7 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Oct 10, 2014

latest Oct 14, 2016 · 2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#854

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

14% of 7 contests

Avg finish

top 46%

overall standings

Best overall

680.5484 / 720

Master · Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship

Perfect 180s

Current form

656.14 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 655.02 (+1.13)

Walk rate

71%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.6172

Pork Ribs · Route 66 Smoke Out

Consistency

±17.89

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 167.67 · weakest Chicken (160.86)

Road miles

547

across 7 mapped stops · furthest 80 mi

Schedule strength

34%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1545)

Master avg

655.02 / 720

7 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (6 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

2.8460 points from the title

Came within 2.8460 points of the Grand Championship at Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship (Jul 24, 2015).

High-water mark

680.5484 career-best overall

94.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 680.5484 at Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship — 94.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 24, 2015

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BOSS HAWG BBQ has finished one call ahead of BLUE RIDGE BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

One2BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

One2BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.8 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.80 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 14% of the time against 43%.

Chicken avg 160.86
Pork Ribs avg 167.67
1 call in 7 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of MEATSMACK in 3 of their 3 shared 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
2016 ↗	Master	#2053 (99 pts)	#2333 (64 pts)	#1871 (124 pts)	#1648 (169 pts)	#2218 (84 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#854 (393 pts)	#1059 (308 pts)	#969 (358 pts)	#1141 (288 pts)	#836 (433 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1990 (92 pts)	#2686 (62 pts)	#1575 (167 pts)	#1892 (127 pts)	#2142 (77 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BLUE RIDGE BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Mr. Green's Q

#2,403 of the rated field

1523 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1523

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen Aug 22, 2026

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Jumptown BBQ

#2,408 of the rated field

1523 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1523

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

rated over 7 contests
last seen Aug 18, 2018

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Smoke Eatrs BBQ

#2,423 of the rated field

1523 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1528

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen Jul 24, 2015

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BARE KNUCKLE BBQ

#2,419 of the rated field

1523 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1523

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

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Vegan Recovery Camp

#2,416 of the rated field

1523 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1523

They turned up 9 years after BLUE RIDGE BBQ did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Apr 3, 2026

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Bacon Bash Texas

#2,420 of the rated field

1523 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1523

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Aug 9, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN' WET BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
PORK PARADISE	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
SMOKEY'S Q	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
QUAU	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
BOSS HAWG BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
DAD'S SMOKIN' BUTT BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
THE BBQ SHERPAS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
One2BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	7	1	0	0	171.9656	153.6456	160.86	top 63%
Pork Ribs	7	3	0	2	176.6172	163.4056	167.67	top 31%
Pork	7	3	1	1	175.4628	155.9428	164.39	top 44%
Brisket	7	2	0	1	174.8800	146.2172	162.10	top 52%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 11%
Medium (20–39)	2	top 53%
Large (40+)	4	top 51%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Route 66 Smoke Out	2	13	0	top 40%	May 6, 2016
Central Illinois Bragging Rights	2	19	0	top 68%	Oct 9, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 3 contests

Contests a season 2.3 across 3 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IL 7 of 7 contests

Contests visited 5 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 141 finished ahead 135 times, behind 125

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

20164 milestones

May 6 First category win (Pork) Route 66 Smoke Out
May 6 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.6172 Route 66 Smoke Out
Oct 14 Peak power rating (1523) CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ
Oct 14 Most recent contest CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ

20155 milestones

May 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.7768 Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)
Jul 24 First overall top-10 Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship
Jul 24 First overall podium Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship
Jul 24 First Reserve Championship Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship
Jul 24 Career-best overall score680.5484 Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship

20142 milestones

Oct 10 First tracked contest Central Illinois Bragging Rights
Oct 10 First call Central Illinois Bragging Rights

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16	Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship	Jul 24, 2015
+7.7	Route 66 Smoke Out	May 6, 2016
+5.7	CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ	Oct 14, 2016
+1.8	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)	May 1, 2015
+1.4	Central Illinois Bragging Rights	Oct 10, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.1	Central Illinois Bragging Rights	Oct 9, 2015

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)
2016	3	0	1	67%	top 43%	92.6%	91.7%
2015	3	1	0	67%	top 48%	94.5%	90.7%
2014	1	0	0	100%	top 51%	89.7%	89.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 14, 2016	CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ Authur, IL	22 / 55 (663.8632)	19 (167.3944)	18 (169.6800)	40 (161.6572)	27 (165.1316)
Jul 22, 2016	EffingHAM Jam Effingham, IL	16 / 29 (649.6568)	23 (158.2628)	11 (165.7144)	6 (170.2628)	19 (155.4168)
May 6, 2016	Route 66 Smoke Out Dwight, IL	13 / 40 (666.8224)	34 (153.6456)	2 (176.6172)	1 (175.4628)	21 (161.0968)
Oct 9, 2015	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	41 / 48 (619.8172)	40 (154.2400)	23 (163.4172)	41 (155.9428)	47 (146.2172)
Jul 24, 2015	Effing-Ham-Jam State BBQ Championship Effingham, IL	2 / 18 (680.5484)	5 (171.9656)	3 (168.5600)	5 (165.1428)	3 (174.8800)
May 1, 2015	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Dwight, IL	19 / 40 (658.7768)	21 (165.6684)	23 (163.4056)	26 (158.8800)	8 (170.8228)
Oct 10, 2014	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	19 / 37 (645.6228)	30 (154.8572)	7 (166.2744)	12 (163.3828)	22 (161.1084)

BLUE RIDGE 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 (6 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

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

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)