Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork ribs.
- Pork Ribs ×1
YOU NEED A BBQ
YOU NEED A BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 48 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 36 at the Barbeque on the Bow (2022), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #845 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1623
peak 1654 · rated over 45 contests
Contests
48
in the data
First seen
Jun 18, 2016
latest Sep 11, 2026 · 10.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
2 reserve
Category wins
5
23 podiums
Overall top-10s
26
54% of 48 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 34%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
679.71 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 661.30 (+18.41)
Walk rate
81%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±22.17
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 167.20 · weakest Chicken (163.62)
Road miles
15,483
across 48 mapped stops · furthest 1,287 mi
Schedule strength
24%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1533)
Purse competed for
$189K
listed at 11 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
661.30 / 720
45 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #259 (771 pts) | #340 (654 pts) | #286 (829 pts) | #273 (781 pts) | #177 (1,046 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #385 (544 pts) | #452 (509 pts) | #404 (614 pts) | #456 (444 pts) | #353 (654 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #456 (429 pts) | #537 (369 pts) | #557 (399 pts) | #433 (489 pts) | #362 (624 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #229 (919 pts) | #402 (564 pts) | #295 (839 pts) | #294 (734 pts) | #216 (969 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #330 (696 pts) | #466 (481 pts) | #364 (701 pts) | #346 (696 pts) | #481 (471 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1029 (110 pts) | #1087 (110 pts) | #1144 (105 pts) | #1113 (100 pts) | #934 (125 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #435 (746 pts) | #446 (761 pts) | #466 (741 pts) | #692 (481 pts) | #316 (1,001 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #339 (995 pts) | #460 (790 pts) | #246 (1,205 pts) | #384 (920 pts) | #467 (785 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #491 (765 pts) | #846 (465 pts) | #610 (660 pts) | #606 (665 pts) | #337 (1,110 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to YOU NEED A BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#846 of the rated field
- Contests
- 114
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1689
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to YOU NEED A BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team YOU NEED A BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#844 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1632
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before YOU NEED A BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#847 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1629
Fewer contests behind them than YOU NEED A BBQ has cooked, 19 to 48, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#843 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 56%
- Peak
- 1628
Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 18 contests, alongside a 56% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#851 of the rated field
- Contests
- 71
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1678
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to YOU NEED A BBQ)
They've been 1678 at their best, 56 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#849 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 63%
- Peak
- 1624
9–5 in 14 shared contests (64% to YOU NEED A BBQ)
Level with YOU NEED A BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMELLAQUE | 36 | 5 | 31 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Kreiser Barbecue | 27 | 15 | 11 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| MOTLEY QUE | 26 | 20 | 6 | 77% | ⚔ compare |
| Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | 23 | 14 | 9 | 61% | ⚔ compare |
| ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ | 23 | 5 | 18 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59% | ⚔ compare |
| Rack Addicts BBQ Team | 19 | 18 | 1 | 95% | ⚔ compare |
| Fire BBQ | 19 | 15 | 4 | 79% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ TEAM NAIT | 19 | 9 | 10 | 47% | ⚔ compare |
| GRIZZLY PAW SMOKERS | 16 | 14 | 2 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| PRAIRIE SMOKE & SPICE BBQ | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKAPALOOZA | 15 | 14 | 1 | 93% | ⚔ compare |
| THE DEVIL MADE ME Q IT | 15 | 12 | 3 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| ROKER Q | 14 | 12 | 2 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| FROZEN TOQUE BBQ | 14 | 9 | 5 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 46 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 176.5944 | 134.2400 | 163.62 | top 52% |
| Pork Ribs | 46 | 25 | 3 | 6 | 180 🔥 | 151.3712 | 165.87 | top 41% |
| Pork | 44 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 178.8572 | 141.0740 | 164.75 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 45 | 31 | 2 | 11 | 177.1428 | 150.7884 | 167.20 | top 28% |
“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) | 8 | 0 | top 34% |
| Medium (20–39) | 28 | 0 | top 37% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 26% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana Pitmaster Classic | 7 | 4 | 0 | top 33% | Aug 28, 2026 |
| Porkapalooza BBQ Festival | 4 | 4 | 0 | top 21% | Jun 15, 2019 |
| Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 44% | May 23, 2026 |
| The Didsbury Double (Didsbury Lions BBQ) (Day 2) | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 36% | Jul 25, 2026 |
| Barbeque on the Bow Festival | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 18% | Aug 30, 2025 |
| Didsbury Lions BBQ | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 48% | Jul 26, 2025 |
| Porkapalooza BBQ Festival | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 35% | May 28, 2022 |
| Battle River BBQ Showdown | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 30% | Aug 10, 2019 |
| BBQ on the Bow | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 21% | Sep 1, 2018 |
| Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 29% | Aug 12, 2017 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
7 contests
Contests a season
4.4
across 11 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AB
24 of 48 contests · 7 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
27
10 of them more than once
Opponents faced
875
finished ahead 1,263 times, behind 526
Longest layoff
1.1 yrs
Aug 31, 2019 → Sep 26, 2020
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival
20251 milestone
- Career-best overall score695.3368 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
20232 milestones
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Montana Pitmaster Classic
- Peak power rating (1654) Barbeque on the Bow Festival
20221 milestone
- 25th tracked contest Barbeque on the Bow
20182 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Porkapalooza BBQ Festival
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Montana Pitmaster Classic
20172 milestones
- First overall podium Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown
- First Reserve Championship Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown
20164 milestones
- First tracked contest Porkapalooza BBQ Festival
- First call Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown
- First overall top-10 Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.4284 BBQ on the Bow
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.1 | Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown | Aug 12, 2017 |
| +12.1 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival | Jun 16, 2018 |
| +11.6 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Nov 5, 2025 |
| +10.6 | Barbeque on the Bow | Sep 3, 2022 |
| +10.5 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival | Jun 10, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.7 | Smoke in the Spring | Apr 5, 2024 |
| -12.3 | Didsbury Lions BBQ | Jul 26, 2025 |
| -11.5 | Heritage Heat Western Smokin BBQ | May 25, 2019 |
| -10.3 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | May 24, 2025 |
| -5.2 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival) | Sep 16, 2023 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 86% | top 33% | 96% | 94.4% |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43% | top 46% | 96.6% | 93% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 75% | top 57% | 94.7% | 93.2% |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 100% | top 22% | 95.8% | 95.2% |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 75% | top 23% | 94.4% | 93.6% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 52% | 87.6% | 87.6% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | top 43% | 87.2% | 87.2% |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 100% | top 33% | 93.4% | 90.1% |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 100% | top 25% | 94.2% | 91.3% |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 30% | 90.2% | 88.5% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 67% | top 39% | 91% | 88.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival Leduc, AB | 3 / 17 (690.8460) | 15 (169.7144) | 5 (171.4288) | 4 (174.8572) | 2 (174.8456) |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 16 / 39 (689.6572) | 27 (165.6800) | 28 (168.5600) | 3 (178.8572) | 7 (176.5600) |
| Jul 25, 2026 | The Didsbury Double (Didsbury Lions BBQ) (Day 2) Didsbury, AB | 5 / 18 (673.0172) | 16 (161.6572) | 2 (174.8572) | 12 (162.7884) | 1 (173.7144) |
| Jul 24, 2026 | The Didsbury Double (Didsbury Lions BBQ) (Day 1) Didsbury, AB | 8 / 18 (665.0740) | 15 (166.2628) | 11 (163.3828) | 7 (165.7256) | 7 (169.7028) |
| May 23, 2026 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 8 / 23 (679.9316) | 6 (170.8344) | 8 (169.1200) | 15 (162.8344) | 3 (177.1428) |
| May 23, 2026 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Calmar, AB | — | 6 (170.2744) | — | — | — |
| May 23, 2026 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Calmar, AB | — | — | 13 (165.1200) | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 47 / 401 (695.3368) | 91 (174.2628) | 145 (171.9656) | 102 (174.2628) | 61 (174.8456) |
| Sep 27, 2025 | Smoke in the Valley Edmonton, AB | 14 / 23 (661.0516) | 23 (158.7884) | 6 (170.8572) | 12 (166.2516) | 13 (165.1544) |
| Aug 30, 2025 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 11 / 38 (674.8572) | 27 (165.7028) | 6 (172) | 19 (168.5600) | 9 (168.5944) |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 14 / 38 (687.9772) | 7 (176.5944) | 26 (166.8456) | 27 (168.5372) | 9 (176) |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 25 / 32 (651.8396) | 20 (166.2628) | 28 (161.0968) | 25 (161.6572) | 18 (162.8228) |
| May 24, 2025 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 21 / 34 (646.6744) | 20 (161.6800) | 17 (161.6572) | 24 (158.8116) | 16 (164.5256) |
| Aug 23, 2024 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 18 / 39 (681.6456) | 17 (169.7028) | 30 (163.4172) | 8 (174.2628) | 8 (174.2628) |
| Jun 1, 2024 | Columbia Valley Smoke Show Invermere, BC | 5 / 9 (681.0972) | 6 (163.9772) | 4 (171.4172) | 5 (169.7028) | 2 (176) |
| May 25, 2024 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 14 / 39 (675.9200) | 26 (164.5372) | 18 (165.1428) | 14 (170.8344) | 6 (175.4056) |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 89 / 97 (644.9712) | 90 (157.1084) | 84 (162.2628) | 85 (162.8000) | 78 (162.8000) |
| Sep 16, 2023 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (formerly Porkapalooza BBQ Festival) Sherwood Park, Edmonton, AB | 15 / 29 (673.6916) | 10 (170.2856) | 19 (163.9888) | 16 (164.5372) | 5 (174.8800) |
| Sep 2, 2023 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 3 / 40 (689.0968) | 22 (166.8112) | 5 (174.8572) | 12 (172.5828) | 4 (174.8456) |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 7 / 44 (689.6576) | 32 (163.9660) | 1 (180) | 6 (173.7144) | 7 (171.9772) |
| Aug 5, 2023 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 3 / 17 (683.3368) | 4 (172.5484) | 5 (170.2744) | 8 (165.1084) | 2 (175.4056) |
| Jun 3, 2023 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 4 / 23 (689.6804) | 13 (169.1316) | 11 (169.1316) | 4 (176) | 5 (175.4172) |
| Sep 3, 2022 | Barbeque on the Bow Calgary, AB | 2 / 36 (679.3368) | 5 (172.5484) | 6 (170.2628) | 13 (167.9884) | 6 (168.5372) |
| Aug 26, 2022 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 19 / 37 (671.2680) | 12 (171.9772) | 27 (163.3596) | 20 (167.4056) | 17 (168.5256) |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano Alberta Bassano, AB | 5 / 31 (674.9144) | 26 (155.3828) | 1 (177.1544) | 3 (176.0572) | 12 (166.3200) |
| May 28, 2022 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Sherwood Park, AB | 7 / 39 (670.7772) | 14 (165.0972) | 5 (169.7028) | 2 (177.7028) | 22 (158.2744) |
| Aug 14, 2021 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Sherwood Park, AB | 13 / 25 (630.8228) | 13 (157.7144) | 14 (157.7028) | 15 (157.1200) | 10 (158.2856) |
| Sep 26, 2020 | BBQ on the Bow Didsbury, AB | 9 / 21 (627.9084) | 12 (155.4056) | 11 (155.4516) | 12 (161.1084) | 11 (155.9428) |
| Aug 31, 2019 | BBQ on the Bow Calgary | 4 / 37 (166.2972) | 15 (160.5600) | 10 (162.8456) | 19 (158.8456) | 1 (171.4056) |
| Aug 23, 2019 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 7 / 29 (666.7316) | 14 (163.9544) | 6 (168.5372) | 10 (159.9428) | 2 (174.2972) |
| Aug 10, 2019 | Battle River BBQ Showdown Camrose, AB | 8 / 20 (631.3028) | 4 (162.2628) | 8 (162.8228) | 18 (141.0744) | 3 (165.1428) |
| Jun 15, 2019 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton | 5 / 44 (672.6400) | 2 (172.0572) | 9 (168) | — | 9 (168.6172) |
| May 25, 2019 | Heritage Heat Western Smokin BBQ Mountain View, AB | 17 / 22 (608.9708) | 17 (153.7256) | 7 (163.3828) | 21 (141.0740) | 15 (150.7884) |
| Sep 1, 2018 | BBQ on the Bow Calgary | 7 / 43 (649.7600) | 16 (162.8800) | 4 (165.7028) | 14 (158.8572) | 10 (162.3200) |
| Aug 24, 2018 | Montana Pitmaster Classic Bozeman, MT | 4 / 26 (678.2744) | 6 (166.8228) | 1 (178.8572) | 5 (170.2744) | 11 (162.3200) |
| Aug 18, 2018 | Battle River BBQ Showdown Camrose, AB | 5 / 25 (647.9428) | 12 (161.1428) | 5 (162.2856) | 3 (169.1316) | 10 (155.3828) |
| Jul 13, 2018 | The Great Northwest Barbecue & Beer Festival Coeur d' Alene, ID | 10 / 19 (667.9196) | 13 (162.2168) | 2 (176.5944) | 13 (161.7028) | 11 (167.4056) |
| Jun 16, 2018 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton | 4 / 51 (656.6052) | 3 (168.6628) | 3 (168.5828) | 18 (157.6912) | 11 (161.6684) |
| May 12, 2018 | Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch Aldersyde | 11 / 30 (644.4568) | 23 (156) | 23 (154.7884) | 4 (169.7028) | 7 (163.9656) |
| Sep 2, 2017 | BBQ on the Bow Calgary | 11 / 42 (635.3828) | 30 (151.4400) | 8 (163.4288) | 27 (153.6568) | 2 (166.8572) |
| Aug 12, 2017 | Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown North Battleford, SK | 2 / 18 (649.6684) | 4 (166.2856) | 6 (162.2628) | 7 (162.2744) | 4 (158.8456) |
| Jul 7, 2017 | BBQ on the Elbow at the Calgary Stampede Calgary | 14 / 23 (618.2628) | 23 (134.2400) | 11 (160) | 5 (164) | 6 (160.0228) |
| Jun 10, 2017 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton | 7 / 39 (647.9312) | 18 (158.2400) | 9 (162.8340) | 8 (161.1544) | 3 (165.7028) |
| May 13, 2017 | Smokin Q at Lynnwood Ranch Okotoks, AB | 12 / 34 (634.8000) | 27 (150.8572) | 20 (156) | 11 (161.6684) | 2 (166.2744) |
| Sep 3, 2016 | BBQ on the Bow Calgary, Alberta, CA | 8 / 35 (655.4284) | 7 (166.8572) | 19 (157.1656) | 15 (162.2628) | 6 (169.1428) |
| Aug 6, 2016 | Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown North Battleford, Saskatchewan, CA | 8 / 17 (635.4632) | 7 (162.2744) | 17 (153.7488) | 12 (158.8572) | 5 (160.5828) |
| Jun 18, 2016 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton, CA | 20 / 42 (622.7652) | 15 (162.2628) | 32 (151.3712) | 19 (156.5940) | 20 (152.5372) |