On the rise
+33
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 33 points across 7 contests since 2017-03-03 — from 1501 up to 1534.
- 7 contests since 2017-03-03
- now 1534
BUBBA JOE'S SMOKETOWN BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1534
peak 1541 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
2017-03-03
latest 2017-09-22
Best ToY finish
#610
Master 2017
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 44%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
652.73 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 651.51 (+1.22)
Walk rate
86%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.09
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 170.76 · weakest Brisket (157.38)
Road miles
395
mi across 7 mapped stops · furthest 91 mi
Schedule strength
66%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1583)
Master avg
651.51 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (4 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.
A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
The weak link
−13.4
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 13.38 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 71%.
- Brisket avg 157.38
- Chicken avg 170.76
- 0 calls in 7 entries
A strong matchup
4–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 80% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM in 4 of their 5 shared contests.
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.
70 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2095 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1547
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2101 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 71%
- Peak
- 1534
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 9 years after BUBBA JOE'S SMOKETOWN BBQ did, first appearing in 2026.
⚔ Head-to-head#2098 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1534
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 9 contests, alongside a 44% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#2102 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1537
No shared contest yet.
Level with BUBBA JOE'S SMOKETOWN BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#2100 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1536
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#2097 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1539
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 EYZ BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| 4:20 Q | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKETASTIC BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 177.1428 | 163.3828 | 170.76 | top 22% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 175.4172 | 153.1200 | 161.43 | top 50% |
| Pork | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.7372 | 153.0628 | 161.93 | top 53% |
| Brisket | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165.6800 | 145.7256 | 157.38 | top 62% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA | 3 | 0 | top 47% |
| MD | 3 | 0 | top 44% |
| VA | 1 | 0 | top 35% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 34% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 46% |
The story so far (13 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
0.6 yrs
2017-03-03 → 2017-09-22
Busiest season
2017
7 contests
Cooks most in
PA
3 of 7 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
7
0 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
7 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 170.76 · weakest Brisket (157.38)
Walk rate
86%
a top-10 call in 6 of 7 contests
Overall top-10 rate
14%
1 of 7 contests
Master average
651.51
out of 720 · 7 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
206
187–138 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
395
7 mapped stops · furthest 91 mi
Schedule strength
1583
average field rating faced — tougher than 66% of rated contests
Power rating
1534
peak 1541 · #2094 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2017
- First tracked contest The Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown
- First call The Ironman
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.3140 The Ironman
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.1428 Boss Frogs BBQ
- First overall top-10 Beltway BBQ Showdown
- Career-best overall score662.2284 Beltway BBQ Showdown
- Peak power rating (1541) *Smoke in the Grove(JUDGES FULL)
- Most recent contest Smoke in the Park
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +8.8 | The Ironman | 2017-03-31 |
| +8.5 | *BBQ Jamboree-Day 1(JUDGES FULL) | 2017-05-12 |
| +8.4 | Boss Frogs BBQ | 2017-04-07 |
| +7.8 | *Smoke in the Grove(JUDGES FULL) | 2017-07-28 |
| +6.7 | Beltway BBQ Showdown | 2017-06-09 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -6.7 | Smoke in the Park | 2017-09-22 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 86% | top 44% | 92% | 90.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-09-22 | Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA | 35 / 44 (626.1484) | 3 (173.1200) | 35 (154.2400) | 36 (153.0628) | 40 (145.7256) |
| 2017-07-28 | *Smoke in the Grove(JUDGES FULL) Spring Grove, PA | 16 / 51 (659.3600) | 25 (164.5600) | 20 (163.9544) | 9 (169.7028) | 27 (161.1428) |
| 2017-06-09 | Beltway BBQ Showdown Upper Marlboro, MD | 10 / 29 (662.2284) | 4 (171.4400) | 8 (166.2628) | 22 (158.8456) | 11 (165.6800) |
| 2017-05-12 | *BBQ Jamboree-Day 1(JUDGES FULL) Fredericksburg, VA | 19 / 54 (659.9316) | 10 (170.8572) | 3 (175.4172) | 35 (159.9656) | 41 (153.6916) |
| 2017-04-07 | Boss Frogs BBQ Hurlock, MD | 17 / 45 (655.9656) | 3 (177.1428) | 33 (157.0972) | 16 (166.8456) | 35 (154.8800) |
| 2017-03-31 | The Ironman Greencastle, PA | 18 / 59 (655.3140) | 2 (174.8456) | 32 (159.9428) | 39 (155.3712) | 20 (165.1544) |
| 2017-03-03 | The Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown Brunswick, MD | 30 / 50 (641.6344) | 28 (163.3828) | 34 (153.1200) | 14 (169.7372) | 34 (155.3944) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #610 (639 pts) | #278 (1189 pts) | #566 (709 pts) | #675 (614 pts) | #767 (509 pts) |