LEM'S MEAT VARNISH VA
Rating
1672
peak 1698
Contests
70
in the data
First seen
2019-06-07
latest 2023-04-28
Best ToY finish
#1067
Master 2023
Grand champs
2
8 reserve
Category wins
11
33 podiums
Overall top-10s
49
of 70 contests
Avg finish
top 31%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
469.63 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 402.49 (+67.14)
Walk rate
87%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
9
best run (overall)
Consistency
±92.14
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 167.24 · weakest Brisket (152.90)
Road miles
19960
mi across 70 mapped stops · furthest 1014 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
D’Qued Barbeque has finished one call ahead of LEM'S MEAT VARNISH 4 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
POOR BOYS BBQ has landed one call behind them 4 times.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ in 20 of their 25 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Smoke in the Grove is their spot: an average finish in the top 14% across 2 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 0.5828 points of the Grand Championship at Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (2022-06-17).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 50-team field at Best of the Midwest BBQ.
📅 A March team
Something about March: average finish in the top 21% across 7 contests, versus top 31% the rest of the year.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 3 of 31 at their very first tracked contest, Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (2019-06-07).
Teams like this (closest power rating, VA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 66 | 43 | 4 | 14 | 178.8572 | 102.6636 | 167.24 | top 33% |
| Pork Ribs | 70 | 49 | 7 | 17 | 178.8800 | 146.8116 | 167.13 | top 36% |
| Pork | 27 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 173.7028 | 146.7656 | 164.71 | top 35% |
| Brisket | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.6684 | 143.9316 | 152.90 | top 75% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 19 | 1 | top 39% |
| WV | 13 | 0 | top 33% |
| AL | 8 | 0 | top 41% |
| MD | 6 | 0 | top 33% |
| PA | 3 | 0 | top 12% |
| NC | 2 | 0 | top 17% |
| IN | 2 | 0 | top 14% |
| MS | 2 | 0 | top 15% |
| SC | 2 | 0 | top 54% |
| OK | 1 | 0 | top 6% |
| NJ | 1 | 0 | top 10% |
| GA | 1 | 0 | top 15% |
| KS | 1 | 0 | top 4% |
| WI | 1 | 1 | top 2% |
| FL | 1 | 0 | top 50% |
| MO | 1 | 0 | top 6% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 21 | 1 | top 39% |
| Medium (20–39) | 29 | 0 | top 33% |
| Large (40+) | 14 | 1 | top 16% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2021 (33 contests)
- Cooks mostly in VA (21 of 70 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (70 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Best of the Midwest BBQ (2020-10-16)
- Wins it all in 3% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 402.49
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 681.0628 | 681.06 |
| 2022 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 509.6344 | 402.06 |
| 2021 | 33 | 1 | 7 | 519.9428 | 394.86 |
| 2020 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 647.8172 | 393.18 |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 549.8868 | 455.43 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-28 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 1) Williamsburg, VA | 12 / 20 (681.0628) | 6 (176.5944) | 16 (162.8000) | 8 (172.0000) | 7 (169.6684) |
| 2022-10-29 | Shelby BBQ Extravaganza (Day 2) Shelby, NC | 5 / 34 (326.1944) | 7 (163.9428) | 3 (162.2516) | — | — |
| 2022-10-28 | Shelby BBQ Extravaganza (Day 1) Shelby, NC | 7 / 35 (329.6344) | 6 (168.5256) | 8 (161.1088) | — | — |
| 2022-09-24 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 11 / 18 (509.6344) | 14 (166.8344) | 8 (171.9772) | 7 (170.8228) | — |
| 2022-09-23 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 17 / 20 (501.6000) | 16 (165.6800) | 17 (165.0972) | 13 (170.8228) | — |
| 2022-09-23 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (One Meat Ribs) Ashland, VA | — | — | 11 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2022-08-19 | Pig Out in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Frostburg, MD | 7 / 12 (328.5144) | 7 (166.2628) | 4 (162.2516) | — | — |
| 2022-07-21 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022 Galax, VA | 8 / 25 (335.8968) | 12 (163.9312) | 4 (171.9656) | — | — |
| 2022-06-17 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Roanoke, WV | 2 / 20 (342.8000) | 2 (174.2628) | 2 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2022-06-10 | WV Coalfields Cookoff Welch, WV | 5 / 15 (505.6228) | 5 (167.9656) | 5 (168.5372) | 5 (169.1200) | — |
| 2022-05-21 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 Mannington, WV | 9 / 13 (335.9428) | 5 (171.9884) | 11 (163.9544) | — | — |
| 2022-05-20 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 Mannington, WV | 2 / 14 (349.6916) | 3 (177.7144) | 5 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2022-05-05 | Poosa Q Montgomery, AL | 21 / 72 (334.7656) | 24 (167.3828) | 23 (167.3828) | — | — |
| 2022-04-22 | Downtown BBQ Throwdown Ripley, WV | 2 / 17 (508.5484) | 5 (168.5828) | 1 (173.1428) | 6 (166.8228) | — |
| 2022-04-08 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 7 / 34 (342.8116) | 4 (175.4172) | 22 (167.3944) | — | — |
| 2022-03-26 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 16 / 50 (486.1488) | 14 (168.5372) | 4 (170.8460) | 19 (146.7656) | — |
| 2022-03-25 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 11 / 53 (493.0516) | 10 (170.2628) | 10 (165.1316) | 17 (157.6572) | — |
| 2022-03-25 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) (One Meat Chicken) Urbanna, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-11-12 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Backyard Shawnee, OK | 2 / 33 (346.2400) | 5 (175.4056) | 2 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2021-11-11 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Ancillary Shawnee, OK | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-10-29 | Almost Heaven's Spooktacular Backyard BBQ Buckhannon, WV | 7 / 12 (341.6456) | 7 (170.8228) | 7 (170.8228) | — | — |
| 2021-10-22 | Smokin' For Garrett Boonville, IN | 3 / 27 (510.2856) | 12 (161.7256) | 1 (178.8800) | 7 (169.6800) | — |
| 2021-10-16 | Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague Galax, VA | 4 / 15 (342.8344) | 6 (170.8344) | 4 (172.0000) | — | — |
| 2021-10-15 | Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague Galax, VA | 15 / 15 (326.7888) | 4 (172.5600) | 18 (154.2288) | — | — |
| 2021-09-25 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown at Americamps - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 1 / 18 (519.9428) | 5 (173.7028) | 1 (176.5716) | 5 (169.6684) | — |
| 2021-09-24 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown at Americamps - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 3 / 19 (504.4912) | 5 (172.5828) | 13 (162.2284) | 4 (169.6800) | — |
| 2021-08-28 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 2 Boonsboro, MD | 5 / 20 (331.9888) | 11 (163.4400) | 1 (168.5488) | — | — |
| 2021-08-27 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 1 Boonsboro, MD | 7 / 24 (339.3712) | 11 (167.3940) | 6 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2021-08-20 | Pig Out in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Frostburg, MD | 9 / 18 (330.7656) | 6 (169.1084) | 12 (161.6572) | — | — |
| 2021-08-06 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 10 / 31 (502.7772) | 29 (152.5140) | 8 (166.8112) | 24 (161.0972) | — |
| 2021-07-30 | Smoke in the Grove Spring Grove, PA | 11 / 54 (333.6456) | 7 (169.6800) | 14 (163.9656) | 23 (154.8456) | — |
| 2021-07-23 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship Galax, VA | 4 / 17 (341.6456) | 1 (173.1084) | 8 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2021-07-17 | Country Roads BBQ Clash Day 2 Morgantown, WV | 13 / 15 (313.1088) | 5 (166.2972) | 13 (146.8116) | — | — |
| 2021-07-16 | Country Roads BBQ Clash Day 1 Morgantown, WV | 2 / 18 (344.5256) | 5 (171.4172) | 3 (173.1084) | — | — |
| 2021-06-18 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Roanoke, WV | 8 / 28 (331.3372) | 5 (168.5372) | 9 (162.8000) | — | — |
| 2021-06-11 | City of Welch Coalfields Cook-off Welch, WV | 2 / 15 (345.6800) | 1 (178.8572) | 10 (166.8228) | 3 (173.7028) | — |
| 2021-05-21 | Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) Meridian, MS | 4 / 22 (346.2284) | 11 (168.5256) | 2 (177.7028) | — | — |
| 2021-05-15 | Smokin' on the Buffalo BBQ Brawl - Day 2 Mannington, WV | 10 / 15 (494.7428) | 11 (166.2400) | 9 (167.3828) | 9 (161.1200) | — |
| 2021-05-14 | Smokin' on the Buffalo BBQ Brawl - Day 1 Mannington, WV | 2 / 18 (511.4172) | 10 (165.1200) | 1 (177.1772) | 6 (169.1200) | — |
| 2021-05-01 | Almost Heaven Rib Fest - One Meat Rib Contest B Buckhannon, WV | — | — | 9 (161.6456) | — | — |
| 2021-05-01 | Almost Heaven Rib Fest - One Meat Rib Contest A Buckhannon, WV | — | — | 8 (165.6800) | — | — |
| 2021-04-23 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Blairstown, NJ | 4 / 40 (337.1428) | 3 (169.7028) | 5 (167.4400) | — | — |
| 2021-04-23 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - One Meat Rib Contest Jackson, NJ | — | — | 2 (172.5828) | — | — |
| 2021-04-17 | Interstate BBQ Festival - Day 2 Hagerstown, MD | 6 / 34 (339.9772) | 4 (173.1428) | 9 (166.8344) | — | — |
| 2021-04-16 | Interstate BBQ Festival - Day 1 Hagerstown, MD | 9 / 47 (334.7884) | 2 (175.4172) | 18 (159.3712) | — | — |
| 2021-04-09 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 13 / 38 (339.3828) | 1 (176.0000) | 28 (163.3828) | — | — |
| 2021-03-27 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) Urbanna, VA | 8 / 40 (500.4916) | 12 (164.5600) | 13 (163.9544) | 4 (171.9772) | — |
| 2021-03-26 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) Urbanna, VA | 12 / 46 (495.9088) | 15 (163.3944) | 4 (170.8344) | 16 (161.6800) | — |
| 2021-03-19 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club Summerville, SC | 5 / 26 (333.0856) | 3 (166.2628) | 7 (166.8228) | — | — |
| 2021-03-12 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Foley, AL | 4 / 28 (504.4684) | 2 (174.2628) | 10 (164.5256) | 11 (165.6800) | — |
| 2021-03-05 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | 12 / 81 (506.1828) | 11 (170.8228) | 14 (169.1200) | 16 (166.2400) | — |
| 2020-11-13 | Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition Mayetta, KS | 4 / 94 (346.2400) | 15 (169.6800) | 3 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2020-10-30 | Zom-B-Q Wytheville, VA | 6 / 33 (502.1944) | 3 (171.4172) | 5 (169.1200) | 11 (161.6572) | — |
| 2020-10-29 | The Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q Wytheville, VA | 8 / 33 (493.0172) | 7 (167.9772) | 11 (162.8116) | 6 (162.2284) | — |
| 2020-10-23 | Smokin For Garrett Boonville, IN | 7 / 41 (485.0740) | 9 (161.6800) | 6 (166.2400) | 14 (157.1540) | — |
| 2020-10-16 | Best of the Midwest BBQ Union Grove, WI | 1 / 50 (336.5144) | 1 (170.8344) | 4 (165.6800) | — | — |
| 2020-10-09 | Roast-N-Boast Columbus, MS | 4 / 36 (503.4284) | 11 (161.6912) | 10 (168.5600) | 2 (173.1772) | — |
| 2020-10-02 | Bonifay All American Smoker Competition Bonifay, FL | 9 / 18 (341.1312) | 3 (175.4056) | 15 (165.7256) | — | — |
| 2020-09-25 | Southern Sounds BBQ & Bluefest Backyard Contest Semmes, AL | 21 / 23 (316.4456) | 23 (155.9428) | 16 (160.5028) | — | — |
| 2020-09-18 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 7 / 28 (338.2400) | 15 (169.1200) | 8 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2020-09-05 | Mozingo Lake BBQ Maryville, MO | 2 / 34 (319.3140) | 6 (151.9312) | 1 (167.3828) | — | — |
| 2020-08-14 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Aiken Aiken, SC | 30 / 34 (647.8172) | 20 (168.5372) | 29 (162.8000) | 6 (172.5484) | 34 (143.9316) |
| 2020-08-08 | BBQ WYTHE US DAY 2 WYTHE, VA | 7 / 17 (340.5028) | 3 (173.1200) | 9 (167.3828) | — | — |
| 2020-08-07 | BBQ WYTHE US DAY 1 WYTHE, VA | 3 / 19 (334.7656) | 9 (163.9428) | 3 (170.8228) | — | — |
| 2020-07-24 | Smoke in the Grove Spring Grove, PA | 5 / 59 (331.9888) | 19 (158.2628) | 1 (173.7260) | 10 (165.7144) | — |
| 2020-06-26 | York County BBQ Festival Delta, PA | 3 / 53 (336.0344) | 3 (171.4400) | 7 (164.5944) | — | — |
| 2020-06-05 | Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD ONLY) Butler, AL | 19 / 23 (318.1600) | 19 (156.5028) | 17 (161.6572) | — | — |
| 2019-10-25 | Zom-B-Q(BBQ Wythe US) Wytheville, VA | 7 / 20 (484.4456) | 8 (156.5028) | 2 (170.8572) | 7 (157.0856) | — |
| 2019-06-21 | 8th Annual Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA | 31 / 32 (549.8868) | 32 (102.6636) | 27 (153.0628) | 29 (149.0632) | 29 (145.0972) |
| 2019-06-07 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Roanoke, WV | 3 / 31 (331.9428) | 5 (163.3828) | 2 (168.5600) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1067 (110 pts) | #895 (160 pts) | #1320 (90 pts) | #916 (140 pts) | #915 (150 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #28 (1005 pts) | #19 (1154 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #3 (1324 pts) | #3 (1314 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | — | — | #412 (504 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #3 (1134 pts) | #4 (1114 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #1079 (59 pts) | #846 (84 pts) | #1103 (59 pts) | #587 (174 pts) | #1083 (59 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #2495 (57 pts) | #2509 (57 pts) | #2509 (57 pts) | #2505 (57 pts) | #2496 (57 pts) |