J & J BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#4995

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1462

peak 1462 · rated over 12 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2016-06-18

latest 2024-05-31

Best ToY finish

#822

Master 2024

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 14 contests

Avg finish

top 66%

overall standings

Best overall

654.8804 / 720

Master · Kenai River BBQ Competition

Perfect 180s

Current form

628.84 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 623.27 (+5.57)

Walk rate

50%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

and counting

Best single call

172.5716

Pork Ribs · Woodward County Free Fair BBQ Rib Cookoff (ONE MEAT RIBS)

Consistency

±17.82

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 160.77 · weakest Brisket (150.97)

Road miles

15,169

mi across 14 mapped stops · furthest 3683 mi

Schedule strength

20%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1528)

Purse competed for

$33K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

623.27 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

630.66 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs

Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 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.

Their season

2018 their best year

2018 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 55%.

4 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 55%

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

SMELLAQUE ahead in 100% of their meetings

SMELLAQUE has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.80 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 17% of the time against 46%.

Brisket avg 150.97
Pork Ribs avg 160.77
2 calls in 12 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of GRILLBILLIES SMOKEHOUSE BBQ in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

3.2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.2 years, then back at Plant City Pig Jam (2021-11-19).

last seen 2018-09-01
back 2021-11-19

Pork Ribs nemesis

7 of 8 shared pork ribs entries lost

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared pork ribs entries.

Boom or bust

±24.61% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±24.61% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 94.0% of a perfect score
best 175.2%

The long haul

15,169 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 15,169 miles across 14 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 3,683 miles to Kenai River BBQ Competition.

14 mapped stops
furthest 3,683 mi

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.

124 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

PETE'S PIG PIT POSSE

#4980 of the rated field

1463 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1463

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2019-08-16

⚔ Head-to-head

Casey's BBQ & Smokehouse

#5009 of the rated field

1462 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1462

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 6 years before J & J BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 11 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Two Drummer's Q-Crew

#5000 of the rated field

1462 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1462

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2023-01-13

⚔ Head-to-head

BRUSHFIRE BBQ

#5016 of the rated field

1462 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1523

No shared contest yet.

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2026-08-14

⚔ Head-to-head

LET YOUR MEAT SHINE THROUGH BAR-B-QUE

#4979 of the rated field

1463 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1463

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2016.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2022-09-02

⚔ Head-to-head

CAN'T STOP THE SMOKE

#4977 of the rated field

1463 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1505

No shared contest yet.

Level with J & J BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2016-10-29

⚔ Head-to-head

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMELLAQUE	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
YOU NEED A BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
ARROWHEAD NORTH BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
THE DEVIL MADE ME Q IT	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
BBQ TEAM NAIT	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
FIREWEED BARBECUE	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
MOTLEY QUE	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' SOWBELLIES	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SMOKAPALOOZA	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
FROZEN TOQUE BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	4	0	0	163.5200	148.5372	155.90	top 68%
Pork Ribs	13	6	1	1	172.5716	149.6228	160.77	top 48%
Pork	12	4	0	0	166.2512	147.3944	157.22	top 63%
Brisket	12	2	0	0	166.2628	136.5716	150.97	top 70%

“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	Avg finish
AK	2	top 82%
CA	2	top 83%
OK	1	top 85%
FL	1	top 41%
AB	1	top 72%
SK	1	top 78%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	4	top 85%
Medium (20–39)	5	top 56%
Large (40+)	3	top 59%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Porkapalooza BBQ Festival	3	16	top 56%	2018-06-16
Kenai River BBQ Competition	2	6	top 82%	2024-05-31
Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown	2	14	top 89%	2017-08-12

The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 8 yrs 2016-06-18 → 2024-05-31

Busiest season 2018 4 contests

Contests a season 2 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in AK 2 of 14 contests · 6 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 8 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 13 entries · 1 win · 6 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 160.77 · weakest Brisket (150.97)

Walk rate 50% a top-10 call in 7 of 14 contests

Overall top-10 rate 14% 2 of 14 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests — and still running

Master average 623.27 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 630.66 out of 360 · 1 contest · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 207 142–209 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 15,169 14 mapped stops · furthest 3,683 mi

Schedule strength 1528 average field rating faced — tougher than 20% of rated contests

Purse competed for $32,650 listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 3.2 yrs 2018-09-01 → 2021-11-19

Power rating 1462 peak 1462 · #4995 of 6,413 rated

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

2016
Mar 18 First tracked contest Smokin In The Square
Jun 18 Peak power rating (1495) Porkapalooza BBQ Festival
Aug 6 First call Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown
2021
Nov 19 First overall past 90% of a perfect score630.6628 Plant City Pig Jam
Nov 19 10th tracked contest Plant City Pig Jam
2023
Jun 30 First overall top-10 Kenai River BBQ Competition
Jun 30 Career-best overall score654.8804 Kenai River BBQ Competition
Aug 25 First category win (Pork Ribs) Woodward County Free Fair BBQ Rib Cookoff (ONE MEAT RIBS)
Aug 25 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)172.5716 Woodward County Free Fair BBQ Rib Cookoff (ONE MEAT RIBS)
2024
May 31 Most recent contest Kenai River BBQ Competition

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+6	Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch	2018-05-12
+4.8	Porkapalooza BBQ Festival	2017-06-10
+3	BBQ on the Bow	2018-09-01
+1.4	Plant City Pig Jam	2021-11-19

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.7	Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown	2016-08-06
-9.1	Kenai River BBQ Competition	2024-05-31
-6.5	Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown	2017-08-12
-6	Kenai River BBQ Competition	2023-06-30
-5.6	17th Annual HANOR Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ	2022-04-22

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)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	1	1	0	100%	top 86%	90.5%	90.5%
2023	2	1	1	100%	top 78%	91%	91%
2022	1	0	0	0%	top 85%	86.5%	86.5%
2021	1	0	0	0%	top 41%	175.2%	175.2%
2018	4	0	0	25%	top 55%	89.2%	85.7%
2017	2	0	0	100%	top 59%	87.1%	86.1%
2016	3	0	0	33%	top 83%	84.8%	84.6%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2024-05-31	Kenai River BBQ Competition Soldotna, AK	6 / 7 (651.9312)	6 (162.2972)	6 (157.1200)	6 (166.2512)	6 (166.2628)
2023-08-25	Woodward County Free Fair BBQ Rib Cookoff (ONE MEAT RIBS) Woodward, OK	—	—	1 (172.5716)	—	—
2023-06-30	Kenai River BBQ Competition Soldotna, AK	7 / 9 (654.8804)	9 (162.2972)	6 (165.1544)	7 (164.0000)	5 (163.4288)
2022-04-22	17th Annual HANOR Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	22 / 26 (622.6740)	22 (154.2744)	17 (164.5256)	22 (158.7884)	24 (145.0856)
2021-11-19	Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL	15 / 37 (630.6628)	18 (152.5256)	14 (159.3944)	11 (161.0972)	13 (157.6456)
2018-09-01	BBQ on the Bow Calgary, T2W3J6	21 / 43 (615.3600)	35 (148.5372)	26 (149.6228)	17 (158.3084)	18 (158.8916)
2018-08-18	*Battle River BBQ Showdown Camrose, AB	18 / 25 (599.3488)	23 (149.1200)	12 (154.8116)	18 (151.4172)	18 (144.0000)
2018-06-16	Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton, T6E 5K1	31 / 51 (610.6744)	26 (156.5372)	16 (159.9772)	41 (147.3944)	41 (146.7656)
2018-05-12	Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch Aldersyde, T1A5H8	12 / 30 (642.2172)	18 (157.7144)	7 (166.8456)	7 (165.1200)	22 (152.5372)
2017-08-12	Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown North Battleford, SK	14 / 18 (613.1660)	9 (159.4400)	10 (158.2744)	10 (158.8800)	17 (136.5716)
2017-06-10	Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton, T6E 5K1	16 / 39 (627.3372)	24 (154.8116)	7 (166.2628)	26 (150.8800)	15 (155.3828)
2016-08-06	Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown North Battleford, Saskatchewan, CA	17 / 17 (607.5316)	5 (163.5200)	16 (153.7604)	15 (149.6912)	16 (140.5600)
2016-06-18	Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton, CA	28 / 42 (610.8452)	32 (149.7372)	12 (161.7484)	24 (154.8340)	31 (144.5256)
2016-03-18	Smokin In The Square Pensacola, FL	—	—	—	—	—

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
2024 ↗	Master	#822 (147 pts)	#900 (147 pts)	#928 (147 pts)	#868 (147 pts)	#857 (147 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#880 (139 pts)	#1074 (119 pts)	#1015 (149 pts)	#923 (139 pts)	#890 (159 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#884 (345 pts)	#1073 (270 pts)	#807 (440 pts)	#842 (405 pts)	#976 (310 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1298 (203 pts)	#1452 (193 pts)	#1178 (283 pts)	#1525 (178 pts)	#1436 (193 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1663 (142 pts)	#1359 (227 pts)	#1412 (212 pts)	#1716 (157 pts)	#1704 (147 pts)