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%
J & J BBQ
J & J BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 6th of 7 at the Kenai River BBQ Competition (2024). They are ranked #5026 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “J&J BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1462
peak 1462 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
Jun 18, 2016
latest May 31, 2024 · 8 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
2
14% of 14 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 66%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
628.84 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 623.27 (+5.57)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±17.82
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 160.77 · weakest Brisket (150.97)
Road miles
15,169
across 14 mapped stops · furthest 3,683 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 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
623.27 / 720
11 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
630.66 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to J & J BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
127 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,013 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1463
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,009 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1463
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 5 years before J & J BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,007 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1463
Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,030 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1462
Level with J & J BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,032 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1462
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,034 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1504
16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar 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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 85% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 56% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 59% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porkapalooza BBQ Festival | 3 | 16 | 0 | top 56% | Jun 16, 2018 |
| Kenai River BBQ Competition | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 82% | May 31, 2024 |
| Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 89% | Aug 12, 2017 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2018
4 contests
Contests a season
2
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AK
2 of 14 contests · 6 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
8
3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
13 entries · 1 win · 6 calls
Opponents faced
207
finished ahead 142 times, behind 209
Longest layoff
3.2 yrs
Sep 1, 2018 → Nov 19, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20241 milestone
- Most recent contest Kenai River BBQ Competition
20235 milestones
- First overall top-10 Kenai River BBQ Competition
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.8804 Kenai River BBQ Competition
- Career-best overall score654.8804 Kenai River BBQ Competition
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Woodward County Free Fair BBQ Rib Cookoff (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)172.5716 Woodward County Free Fair BBQ Rib Cookoff (ONE MEAT RIBS)
20211 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Plant City Pig Jam
20163 milestones
- First tracked contest Smokin In The Square
- Peak power rating (1495) Porkapalooza BBQ Festival
- First call Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +6 | Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch | May 12, 2018 |
| +4.8 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival | Jun 10, 2017 |
| +3 | BBQ on the Bow | Sep 1, 2018 |
| +1.4 | Plant City Pig Jam | Nov 19, 2021 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.7 | Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown | Aug 6, 2016 |
| -9.1 | Kenai River BBQ Competition | May 31, 2024 |
| -6.5 | Those Were The Days BBQ Showdown | Aug 12, 2017 |
| -6 | Kenai River BBQ Competition | Jun 30, 2023 |
| -5.6 | 17th Annual HANOR Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ | Apr 22, 2022 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 86% | 90.5% | 90.5% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 78% | 91% | 91% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 85% | 86.5% | 86.5% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 41% | 87.6% | 87.6% |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 55% | 89.2% | 85.7% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 59% | 87.1% | 86.1% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2024 | Kenai River BBQ Competition Soldotna, AK | 6 / 7 (651.9312) | 6 (162.2972) | 6 (157.1200) | 6 (166.2512) | 6 (166.2628) |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Woodward County Free Fair BBQ Rib Cookoff (ONE MEAT RIBS) Woodward, OK | — | — | 1 (172.5716) | — | — |
| Jun 30, 2023 | Kenai River BBQ Competition Soldotna, AK | 7 / 9 (654.8804) | 9 (162.2972) | 6 (165.1544) | 7 (164) | 5 (163.4288) |
| Apr 22, 2022 | 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) |
| Nov 19, 2021 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 15 / 37 (630.6628) | 18 (152.5256) | 14 (159.3944) | 11 (161.0972) | 13 (157.6456) |
| Sep 1, 2018 | BBQ on the Bow Calgary | 21 / 43 (615.3600) | 35 (148.5372) | 26 (149.6228) | 17 (158.3084) | 18 (158.8916) |
| Aug 18, 2018 | Battle River BBQ Showdown Camrose, AB | 18 / 25 (599.3488) | 23 (149.1200) | 12 (154.8116) | 18 (151.4172) | 18 (144) |
| Jun 16, 2018 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton | 31 / 51 (610.6744) | 26 (156.5372) | 16 (159.9772) | 41 (147.3944) | 41 (146.7656) |
| May 12, 2018 | Smokin Q at Lynwood Ranch Aldersyde | 12 / 30 (642.2172) | 18 (157.7144) | 7 (166.8456) | 7 (165.1200) | 22 (152.5372) |
| Aug 12, 2017 | 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) |
| Jun 10, 2017 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton | 16 / 39 (627.3372) | 24 (154.8116) | 7 (166.2628) | 26 (150.8800) | 15 (155.3828) |
| Aug 6, 2016 | 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) |
| Jun 18, 2016 | Porkapalooza BBQ Festival Edmonton, CA | 28 / 42 (610.8452) | 32 (149.7372) | 12 (161.7484) | 24 (154.8340) | 31 (144.5256) |
| Mar 18, 2016 | Smokin In The Square Pensacola, FL | — | — | — | — | — |