BIG AWESOME BBQ

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

Power ranking

#3722

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1489

peak 1507 · rated over 8 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-05-15

latest 2019-07-20

Best ToY finish

#1354

Master 2018

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 8 contests

Avg finish

top 62%

overall standings

Best overall

646.2400 / 720

Master · Salt City BBQ Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

624.16 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 620.59 (+3.57)

Walk rate

50%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

171.9772

Pork · *Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues

Consistency

±16.25

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 160.35 · weakest Brisket (149.26)

Road miles

314

mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 100 mi

Schedule strength

29%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1539)

Purse competed for

$5K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

620.59 / 720

8 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

REED BOYZ BBQ has finished one call ahead of BIG AWESOME BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

GOOD SMOKE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

GOOD SMOKE BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−11.1 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 11.09 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 13% of the time against 38%.

Brisket avg 149.26
Chicken avg 160.35
1 calls in 8 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of THE SMOKING DUTCHMAN in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

7 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

GOOD SMOKE BBQ ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GOOD SMOKE BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±2.26% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.26% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 86.2% of a perfect score
8 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked *Salt City BBQ Festival every year from 2015 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 7th

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.

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

DR. BUTTS BBQ

#3713 of the rated field

1489 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1520

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BIG AWESOME BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BIG AWESOME BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 22 contests
last seen 2024-06-22

⚔ Head-to-head

Y-We-Q

#3716 of the rated field

1489 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1513

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2026-08-14

⚔ Head-to-head

ADAM'S RIB

#3700 of the rated field

1489 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1516

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2017-08-18

⚔ Head-to-head

RING OF FIRE BBQ

#3729 of the rated field

1488 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1488

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2023-01-27
on a 3-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

SUGAR BABY BBQ

#3723 of the rated field

1489 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1489

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2019-06-14

⚔ Head-to-head

PELLETHEADS.COM

#3734 of the rated field

1488 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1515

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2017-05-06

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
GOOD SMOKE BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
KISS MY BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
PULLIN' MY MONEY MUSCLE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
GALLOWAY'S HELLFIRE BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
The Pig's Pajamas	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
MORT'S MEAT MAFIA	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
THREE DOGS BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
Holy Smokes NY	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
BLACK HART BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
Priorville BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
JACK9 BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	8	3	0	168.0000	155.4172	160.35	top 46%
Pork Ribs	8	2	0	169.1544	137.6916	154.85	top 58%
Pork	8	2	1	171.9772	146.2284	156.14	top 56%
Brisket	8	1	0	163.4056	137.6800	149.26	top 68%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	6	0	top 56%
Large (40+)	2	0	top 77%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
*Salt City BBQ Festival	4	7	0	top 55%	2018-05-18
Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues	2	10	0	top 52%	2018-07-21

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

On the trail 4.2 yrs 2015-05-15 → 2019-07-20

Busiest season 2018 2 contests

Contests a season 1.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NY 8 of 8 contests

Contests visited 4 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 8 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 160.35 · weakest Brisket (149.26)

Walk rate 50% a top-10 call in 4 of 8 contests

Overall top-10 rate 25% 2 of 8 contests

Master average 620.59 out of 720 · 8 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 138 93–169 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 314 8 mapped stops · furthest 100 mi

Schedule strength 1539 average field rating faced — tougher than 29% of rated contests

Purse competed for $5,000 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Power rating 1489 peak 1507 · #3722 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
May 15 First tracked contest Salt City BBQ Festival
May 15 First call Salt City BBQ Festival
May 15 First overall top-10 Salt City BBQ Festival
May 15 Career-best overall score646.2400 Salt City BBQ Festival
May 15 Peak power rating (1507) Salt City BBQ Festival
2017
Jul 15 Career-best single call (Pork)171.9772 *Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues
2019
Jul 20 Most recent contest Ribs and Rhythm & Blues

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+7	Salt City BBQ Festival	2015-05-15
+5.6	*Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues	2017-07-15

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.4	Oinktoberfest	2015-09-19
-4.2	Ribs and Rhythm & Blues	2019-07-20
-3.1	Salt City BBQ Festival	2016-05-20
-1.4	Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues	2018-07-21
-1	*Salt City BBQ Festival	2017-05-19

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	0%	top 76%	86.1%	86.1%
2018	2	0	50%	top 62%	87%	86.3%
2017	2	1	50%	top 50%	89%	87.3%
2016	1	0	100%	top 66%	83.9%	83.9%
2015	2	1	50%	top 63%	89.8%	86.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-07-20	Ribs and Rhythm & Blues 🏅 Auburn, NY	26 / 34 (619.9200)	24 (157.6684)	13 (169.1544)	25 (153.1200)	34 (139.9772)
2018-07-21	Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues Auburn, NY	20 / 31 (626.2516)	24 (155.4172)	22 (153.1316)	13 (162.8456)	17 (154.8572)
2018-05-18	*Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY	20 / 34 (617.0628)	4 (168.0000)	30 (147.3944)	26 (146.2284)	22 (155.4400)
2017-07-15	*Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues Auburn, NY	10 / 25 (640.5144)	9 (161.1656)	15 (154.8344)	2 (171.9772)	12 (152.5372)
2017-05-19	*Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY	25 / 41 (617.0628)	15 (163.9656)	19 (156.0116)	26 (153.7028)	33 (143.3828)
2016-05-20	Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY	21 / 32 (604.0232)	13 (157.7144)	9 (160.5944)	24 (148.0344)	28 (137.6800)
2015-09-19	Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY	48 / 52 (593.6460)	31 (157.7028)	52 (137.6916)	37 (151.4400)	42 (146.8116)
2015-05-15	Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY	7 / 21 (646.2400)	8 (161.1428)	7 (159.9544)	8 (161.7372)	6 (163.4056)

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	#2454 (59 pts)	#2040 (64 pts)	#1666 (119 pts)	#2476 (59 pts)	#2466 (59 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1354 (165 pts)	#1073 (270 pts)	#1555 (130 pts)	#1380 (175 pts)	#1405 (170 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1365 (185 pts)	#1269 (245 pts)	#1460 (190 pts)	#1117 (310 pts)	#1538 (175 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2163 (77 pts)	#2010 (117 pts)	#1760 (142 pts)	#2321 (62 pts)	#2892 (57 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1525 (151 pts)	#1665 (141 pts)	#1642 (151 pts)	#1672 (141 pts)	#1553 (161 pts)