They almost always walk
88%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 7 of 8 contests
A top-10 category call in 88% of their 8 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
BIG SLAB BBQ
BIG SLAB BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 12th of 15 at the Smokin' on the White (2019). They are ranked #3489 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1493
peak 1503 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Jan 25, 2013
latest Sep 27, 2019 · 6.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 59%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
654.16 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 642.85 (+11.31)
Walk rate
88%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±19.89
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 161.77 · weakest Brisket (159.39)
Road miles
3,758
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 1,329 mi
Schedule strength
19%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1527)
Purse competed for
$20K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
642.85 / 720
8 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 | #1139 (210 pts) | #909 (325 pts) | #1383 (160 pts) | #1130 (235 pts) | #1227 (195 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1524 (120 pts) | #1742 (115 pts) | #1614 (120 pts) | #1431 (165 pts) | #1852 (90 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1712 (123 pts) | #2104 (88 pts) | #2114 (93 pts) | #1386 (208 pts) | #1936 (118 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to BIG SLAB BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
133 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,476 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BIG SLAB BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BIG SLAB BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,469 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1494
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,494 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1493
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,496 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 4 years before BIG SLAB BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,484 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1506
They turned up 5 years after BIG SLAB BBQ did, first appearing in 2018.
⚔ Compare careers#3,488 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1517
Level with BIG SLAB BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 174.2628 | 150.2858 | 161.77 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.1430 | 146.2516 | 161.12 | top 57% |
| Pork | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 171.4172 | 145.1426 | 160.56 | top 53% |
| Brisket | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 169.7028 | 148.5028 | 159.39 | 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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 81% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 64% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 44% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
2 contests
Contests a season
1.6
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AR
4 of 8 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
8
a different one every time
Opponents faced
239
finished ahead 153 times, behind 151
Longest layoff
3.3 yrs
Jun 21, 2014 → Sep 29, 2017
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20192 milestones
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.2628 Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival
- Most recent contest Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival
20181 milestone
- Career-best overall score663.2796 Jonesboro Downtown BBQ Festival
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship
- First call 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.7146 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1503) 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.2 | Jonesboro Downtown BBQ Festival | Sep 28, 2018 |
| +7 | Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival | Sep 29, 2017 |
| +6.2 | Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival | Sep 27, 2019 |
| +3.2 | 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship | Jan 25, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.2 | Smoke on the Water NEVADA BBQ Championship | May 2, 2013 |
| -8.2 | Smokin' @ the Ball Park BBQ Festival | Jun 21, 2014 |
| -5.8 | Smokin' on the White | Sep 6, 2019 |
| -5 | Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ, Beer Fest | May 31, 2014 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 59% | 91.7% | 91.2% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 29% | 92.1% | 92.1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 36% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 77% | 88.9% | 87.5% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 66% | 90.2% | 87% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2019 | Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival 🏅 Jonesboro, AR | 16 / 43 (660.4344) | 4 (174.2628) | 28 (161.0972) | 10 (171.4172) | 27 (153.6572) |
| Sep 6, 2019 | Smokin' on the White 🏅 Batesville, AR | 12 / 15 (652.3884) | 10 (164.5372) | 13 (161.6684) | 13 (156.5028) | 8 (169.6800) |
| Sep 28, 2018 | Jonesboro Downtown BBQ Festival Jonesboro, AR | 13 / 45 (663.2796) | 14 (167.4056) | 13 (167.4056) | 7 (169.1084) | 19 (159.3600) |
| Sep 29, 2017 | Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival Jonesboro, AR | 12 / 33 (654.7656) | 19 (160.5144) | 18 (161.1428) | 4 (169.7144) | 13 (163.3940) |
| Jun 21, 2014 | Smokin' @ the Ball Park BBQ Festival Old Orchard Beach, ME | 14 / 17 (639.9200) | 2 (172) | 11 (164) | 14 (155.4172) | 16 (148.5028) |
| May 31, 2014 | Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ, Beer Fest Swanzey, NH | 34 / 48 (619.4056) | 39 (151.4284) | 44 (146.2516) | 37 (152.0228) | 2 (169.7028) |
| May 2, 2013 | Smoke on the Water NEVADA BBQ Championship Laughlin, NV | 23 / 25 (602.8568) | 19 (150.2858) | 14 (158.2858) | 22 (145.1426) | 19 (149.1426) |
| Jan 25, 2013 | 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship Lake Havasu City, AZ | 35 / 86 (649.7146) | 66 (153.7144) | 8 (169.1430) | 32 (165.1428) | 37 (161.7144) |