High-water mark
667.8740
career-best overall
92.8% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 667.8740 at Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down — 92.8% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Oct 11, 2019
GRILLBUSTERS BBQ
GRILLBUSTERS BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2020. Their best overall finish is 12th of 109 at the Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League (2020). They are ranked #3828 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1486
peak 1486 · rated over 6 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Sep 9, 2016
latest Apr 6, 2020 · 3.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 61%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
644.88
last 5 Master vs avg 645.01 (-0.13)
Walk rate
38%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.41
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 163.97 · weakest Brisket (158.15)
Road miles
1,445
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 716 mi
Schedule strength
63%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1579)
Purse competed for
$20K
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
645.01 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1463 (122 pts) | #1913 (82 pts) | #1412 (152 pts) | #1754 (107 pts) | #1403 (152 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1954 (60 pts) | #2012 (60 pts) | #1996 (60 pts) | #1901 (85 pts) | #1806 (100 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1338 (190 pts) | #1110 (310 pts) | #1100 (315 pts) | #1376 (210 pts) | #1359 (215 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #2274 (60 pts) | #2353 (60 pts) | #2212 (85 pts) | #2298 (65 pts) | #2345 (60 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to GRILLBUSTERS BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
139 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,826 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1486
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,821 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1515
Level with GRILLBUSTERS BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,848 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1517
They've been 1517 at their best, 31 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#3,849 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1486
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2016.
⚔ Compare careers#3,842 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,838 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1501
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.9656 | 155.9312 | 163.97 | top 61% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171.4172 | 151.9428 | 161.78 | top 53% |
| Pork | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.5256 | 153.1200 | 161.12 | top 65% |
| Brisket | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.1200 | 143.8972 | 158.15 | top 63% |
“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) | 4 | 0 | top 70% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 48% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 53% | Oct 11, 2019 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
3 contests
Contests a season
1.6
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NC
7 of 8 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
250
finished ahead 168 times, behind 161
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20201 milestone
- Most recent contest Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League
20191 milestone
- Career-best overall score667.8740 Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down
20174 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.8400 21st Annual Fire House BBQ Cook-Off
- Career-best single call (Chicken)171.9656 21st Annual Fire House BBQ Cook-Off
- Peak power rating (1497) 21st Annual Fire House BBQ Cook-Off
- First call Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off
20161 milestone
- First tracked contest Beak Week BBQ Challenge
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +8.2 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down | Oct 11, 2019 |
| +1 | 21st Annual Fire House BBQ Cook-Off | Apr 14, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.3 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off | Apr 28, 2017 |
| -6.5 | Currituck Heritage Festival | Sep 15, 2017 |
| -4.4 | Beak Week BBQ Challenge | Sep 9, 2016 |
| -2.6 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down | Oct 12, 2018 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 11% | 96.5% | 96.5% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 38% | 92.8% | 92.8% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 69% | 87.8% | 87.8% |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 77% | 91.1% | 89.1% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 89.7% | 89.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2020 | Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League unrated washington, MO | 12 / 109 (173.7372) | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 11, 2019 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down 🏅 Rocky Mount, NC | 12 / 32 (667.8740) | 20 (164.5256) | 8 (169.7028) | 15 (164.5256) | 8 (169.1200) |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down Rocky Mount, NC | 27 / 39 (632.3996) | 31 (155.9312) | 31 (153.6684) | 20 (161.1200) | 17 (161.6800) |
| Mar 10, 2018 | White Street Barbeque Experience (BACKYARD ONLY) Wake Forest, NC | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Currituck Heritage Festival Powells Point, NC | 21 / 25 (638.7312) | 9 (169.6800) | 21 (151.9428) | 17 (162.2628) | 20 (154.8456) |
| Apr 28, 2017 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC | 34 / 38 (629.5316) | 32 (161.0972) | 5 (171.4172) | 37 (153.1200) | 37 (143.8972) |
| Apr 14, 2017 | 21st Annual Fire House BBQ Cook-Off Kings Mountain, NC | 28 / 49 (655.8400) | 14 (171.9656) | 35 (155.9316) | 35 (162.2628) | 21 (165.6800) |
| Sep 9, 2016 | Beak Week BBQ Challenge Goldsboro, NC | 34 / 44 (645.6804) | 34 (160.6172) | 20 (167.9888) | 24 (163.4172) | 38 (153.6572) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.