They almost always walk
73%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 8 of 11 contests
A top-10 category call in 73% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
THIN BLUE QUE
THIN BLUE QUE is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 9th of 27 at the Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship (2019). They are ranked #2782 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1512
peak 1518 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
Aug 25, 2017
latest May 26, 2023 · 5.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
9% of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 54%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
666.88 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 657.16 (+9.72)
Walk rate
73%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.67
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 166.21 · weakest Brisket (161.80)
Road miles
530
across 11 mapped stops · furthest 97 mi
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)
Purse competed for
$48K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
657.16 / 720
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1119 (94 pts) | #930 (149 pts) | #1343 (84 pts) | #1146 (99 pts) | #916 (149 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1206 (200 pts) | #1152 (240 pts) | #1101 (265 pts) | #1222 (220 pts) | #1330 (180 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2105 (77 pts) | #2920 (52 pts) | #1256 (252 pts) | #2001 (107 pts) | #1998 (107 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to THIN BLUE QUE, each with one reason worth a look.
123 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,770 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 58%
- Peak
- 1521
Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,779 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1512
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,784 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1518
Level with THIN BLUE QUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,783 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1511
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before THIN BLUE QUE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,786 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1519
They were already cooking in 2012, 5 years before THIN BLUE QUE's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#2,767 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1512
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 12 contests, alongside a 17% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Old Town Franklin BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| SON OF SMOKE | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| 7 SINS BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| PIRATES OF THE PIG | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| BONE RUBBIN BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Cynical BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey and the Pirate | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG POPPA SMOKERS | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Saltworks BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 176 | 146.7884 | 165.46 | top 50% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 176.5600 | 155.9084 | 166.21 | top 40% |
| Pork | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5372 | 158.8572 | 163.58 | top 58% |
| Brisket | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 149.0628 | 161.80 | top 51% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 79% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 51% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 52% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 47% | May 3, 2019 |
| Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 54% | Apr 26, 2019 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
3 contests
Contests a season
2.2
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CA
10 of 11 contests
Contests visited
8
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
11 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls
Opponents faced
148
finished ahead 164 times, behind 187
Longest layoff
2.6 yrs
Sep 20, 2019 → Apr 29, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20231 milestone
- Most recent contest Roaring Camp BBQ Cook-Off
20224 milestones
- Career-best overall score675.8972 3rd Annual Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5600 3rd Annual Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1518) Clayton BBQ Cook-off
- 10th tracked contest Holy Smokes (ONE MEAT RIBS)
20193 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score663.8856 Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship
- First category win (Chicken) Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship
- First overall top-10 Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship
20172 milestones
- First tracked contest Grills N Grills
- First call Grills N Grills
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.8 | Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship | May 3, 2019 |
| +7.2 | 5th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship | Sep 20, 2019 |
| +4.8 | Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship | Apr 26, 2019 |
| +3.1 | Clayton BBQ Cook-off | Jul 8, 2022 |
| +1.6 | 3rd Annual Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship | Apr 29, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -6.7 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook-Off | May 26, 2023 |
| -5 | Grills N Grills | Aug 25, 2017 |
| -1.9 | Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship | Apr 20, 2018 |
| -1 | Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship | May 4, 2018 |
| -0.4 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship | Jun 22, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 79% | 91.3% | 91.3% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 45% | 93.9% | 92.6% |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 38% | 93.4% | 92.9% |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 63% | 89.9% | 89.3% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 74% | 89.4% | 89.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2023 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Felton, CA | 15 / 19 (657.6572) | 7 (171.9772) | 17 (155.9772) | 14 (161.1772) | 7 (168.5256) |
| Aug 27, 2022 | Holy Smokes (ONE MEAT RIBS) Walnut Creek, CA | — | — | 7 (165.0856) | — | — |
| Jul 8, 2022 | Clayton BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Clayton, CA | 13 / 27 (658.1140) | 11 (166.8228) | 13 (163.4172) | 17 (163.9428) | 10 (163.9312) |
| Apr 29, 2022 | 3rd Annual Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA | 12 / 29 (675.8972) | 14 (166.2628) | 3 (176.5600) | 14 (168.5372) | 18 (164.5372) |
| Sep 20, 2019 | 5th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship 🏅 | 16 / 44 (672.4344) | 36 (159.9544) | 2 (175.4172) | 30 (161.6456) | 4 (175.4172) |
| May 3, 2019 | Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship 🏅 Elk Grove, CA | 9 / 27 (670.2744) | 1 (176) | 8 (172.5600) | 15 (166.8572) | 22 (154.8572) |
| Apr 26, 2019 | Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA | 21 / 48 (663.8856) | 20 (167.9772) | 36 (155.9084) | 19 (166.8456) | 5 (173.1544) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA | 31 / 49 (647.3828) | 22 (167.4400) | 21 (162.8344) | 30 (162.2512) | 33 (154.8572) |
| May 4, 2018 | Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA | 21 / 35 (643.7940) | 16 (167.3828) | 13 (163.9656) | 17 (163.3828) | 26 (149.0628) |
| Apr 20, 2018 | Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship Lodi, CA | 31 / 48 (638.7544) | 26 (164) | 24 (162.8000) | 35 (158.8572) | 37 (153.0972) |
| Aug 25, 2017 | Grills N Grills penn Valley, CA | 20 / 27 (643.3716) | 27 (146.7884) | 2 (173.7372) | 14 (162.2744) | 14 (160.5716) |