Among the elite
#556
of 6,476 rated teams
In the top 9% of every rated team in the data
A power rating of 1667 puts them #556 of 6,476 rated teams — the top 9% of the field.
- rating 1667
- peak 1667
- 26 rated contests
Tillman's BBQ
Tillman's BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 31 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2026. They have won 3 Grand Championships, most recently at the Torry Island BBQ Showdown (2026). They are ranked #556 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings and hold 1 all-time KCBS record.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1667
peak 1667 · rated over 26 contests3 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
31
in the data
First seen
Feb 17, 2017
latest Jul 9, 2026 · 9.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
3
0 reserve · wins it all 10% of the time
Category wins
10
20 podiums
Overall top-10s
17
55% of 31 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 27%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
8 🔥
Current form
696.85 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 691.86 (+4.99)
Walk rate
71%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.03
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 174.13 · weakest Brisket (171.80)
Road miles
7,979
across 31 mapped stops · furthest 1,049 mi
Schedule strength
49%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)
Purse competed for
$546K
listed at 26 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
3 🏅
won from 25 state-championship entries
Master avg
691.86 / 720
29 Master contests · 3 GCs
Holds 1 KCBS record (on 2 all-time boards)
Where this team sits in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record they hold outright; the rest are boards they are on.
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 | #60 (1,657 pts) | #126 (1,272 pts) | #154 (1,178 pts) | #76 (1,422 pts) | #48 (1,657 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #247 (896 pts) | #397 (581 pts) | #333 (786 pts) | #242 (916 pts) | #357 (636 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #180 (1,113 pts) | #257 (908 pts) | #171 (1,178 pts) | #136 (1,258 pts) | #239 (918 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #380 (527 pts) | #362 (622 pts) | #413 (592 pts) | #557 (342 pts) | #462 (432 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Tillman's BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#555 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 81%
- Peak
- 1667
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Tillman's BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Tillman's BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#557 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1676
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Tillman's BBQ)
Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 31, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#554 of the rated field
- Contests
- 41
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1668
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 40 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#553 of the rated field
- Contests
- 58
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1697
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Tillman's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#560 of the rated field
- Contests
- 48
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1675
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Tillman's BBQ)
Their rating is built on 4 Grand Championships in 48 contests, alongside a 38% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#551 of the rated field
- Contests
- 61
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1737
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Tillman's BBQ)
Level with Tillman's 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KEEPIN IT SMOKIN BBQ | 20 | 14 | 6 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| K & E's Little Smokers | 18 | 18 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Going Yard BBQ | 18 | 12 | 6 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Kings BBQ Team | 18 | 10 | 8 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Dog BBQ | 17 | 13 | 4 | 76% | ⚔ compare |
| Cold Beer BBQ | 16 | 15 | 1 | 94% | ⚔ compare |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 16 | 11 | 5 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Ain't EZ | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Accutech BBQ | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | 14 | 4 | 10 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE N' ASH BBQ | 13 | 10 | 3 | 77% | ⚔ compare |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 13 | 9 | 4 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | 13 | 8 | 5 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q | 12 | 10 | 2 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| Slapulator BBQ | 12 | 10 | 2 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 29 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 180 🔥 | 163.3828 | 174.13 | top 33% |
| Pork Ribs | 30 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 180 🔥 | 158.2172 | 172.74 | top 33% |
| Pork | 29 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 180 🔥 | 161.6572 | 173.24 | top 34% |
| Brisket | 29 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 180 🔥 | 157.0856 | 171.80 | top 34% |
“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) | 2 | 1 | top 13% |
| Medium (20–39) | 14 | 2 | top 23% |
| Large (40+) | 13 | 0 | top 33% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant City Pig Jam | 4 | 1 | 1 | top 21% | Nov 21, 2025 |
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 3 | 10 | 0 | top 45% | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Torry Island BBQ Showdown | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 13% | Mar 20, 2026 |
| South Carolina Festival of Discovery | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 19% | Jul 9, 2026 |
| The Downtown BBQ Showdown | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 32% | Apr 17, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
9 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
5.2
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
FL
22 of 31 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
21
5 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
30 entries · 2 wins · 14 calls
First title
Mar 14, 2025
Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds
Opponents faced
1,219
finished ahead 1,885 times, behind 770
Longest layoff
5.8 yrs
Feb 17, 2017 → Nov 18, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20265 milestones
- 25th tracked contest Ribs on the Ridge
- 10th category win Torry Island BBQ Showdown
- Biggest field won (34 teams) Torry Island BBQ Showdown
- Peak power rating (1667) South Carolina Festival of Discovery
- Most recent contest South Carolina Festival of Discovery
20255 milestones
- First Grand Championship Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds
- First state championship Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds
- First multi-meat day Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds
- 5th perfect 180 Plant City Pig Jam
- Career-best overall score713.1316 Plant City Pig Jam
20241 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
20231 milestone
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Plant City Pig Jam
20176 milestones
- First tracked contest Downtown BBQ Throwdown
- First call Downtown BBQ Throwdown
- First category win (Chicken) Downtown BBQ Throwdown
- First overall top-10 Downtown BBQ Throwdown
- First overall podium Downtown BBQ Throwdown
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score685.0284 Downtown BBQ Throwdown
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.1 | Downtown BBQ Throwdown | Feb 17, 2017 |
| +13.8 | Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds | Mar 14, 2025 |
| +13.7 | 8th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam & Car Show | Jan 4, 2024 |
| +13.1 | Plant City Pig Jam | Nov 21, 2025 |
| +12.7 | 10th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam | Jan 9, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.5 | Ribs on the Ridge | Feb 20, 2026 |
| -2.8 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 27, 2023 |
| -1.7 | Poosa Q | Oct 4, 2024 |
| -0.9 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 26, 2024 |
| -0.4 | The Downtown BBQ Showdown | Apr 17, 2026 |
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 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 78% | top 23% | 98% | 96.6% |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 80% | top 14% | 99% | 97.2% |
| 2024 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 67% | top 36% | 98.1% | 95.8% |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 50% | top 28% | 97.1% | 95.3% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 52% | 93.9% | 93.9% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 12% | 95.1% | 95.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2026 | South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC | 14 / 75 (693.0740) | 23 (174.2628) | 17 (173.1428) | 34 (170.8228) | 17 (174.8456) |
| Apr 25, 2026 | Pitmasters in Paradise 🏅 Auburndale, FL | 4 / 35 (703.9428) | 17 (173.1200) | 4 (177.7028) | 13 (174.2628) | 3 (178.8572) |
| Apr 17, 2026 | The Downtown BBQ Showdown 🏅 Lake City, FL | 17 / 41 (690.2288) | 24 (173.1200) | 24 (170.2744) | 4 (177.1544) | 22 (169.6800) |
| Apr 17, 2026 | The Downtown BBQ Showdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lake City, FL | — | — | 8 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Torry Island BBQ Showdown 🏅 Belle Glade, FL | 1 / 34 (705.6800) | 1 (180) | 25 (165.6800) | 2 (180) | 1 (180) |
| Mar 13, 2026 | Jeepin 4 Justice 🏅 Shady Hills, FL | 3 / 15 (691.3140) | 11 (170.8228) | 6 (170.8228) | 4 (174.2628) | 1 (175.4056) |
| Feb 20, 2026 | Ribs on the Ridge 🏅 Haines City, FL | 20 / 32 (679.8396) | 12 (173.1084) | 13 (173.1200) | 13 (171.9656) | 26 (161.6456) |
| Jan 22, 2026 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 10 / 63 (699.3484) | 12 (176.5600) | 24 (173.1200) | 27 (171.9656) | 5 (177.7028) |
| Jan 9, 2026 | 10th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam 🏅 St. Augustine, FL | 3 / 38 (702.8116) | 7 (177.7144) | 18 (173.1200) | 12 (175.4172) | 6 (176.5600) |
| Nov 21, 2025 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 1 / 31 (713.1316) | 3 (178.8572) | 6 (174.2744) | 1 (180) | 1 (180) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 129 / 401 (685.6116) | 43 (176.5600) | 215 (168.5372) | 223 (168.5372) | 106 (171.9772) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 3 / 158 (705.1088) | 12 (177.7144) | 10 (177.7144) | 4 (180) | 91 (169.6800) |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Back Porch Jam at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds 🏅 Dover, FL | 1 / 15 (703.9544) | 10 (171.9772) | 1 (177.7028) | 1 (178.8572) | 3 (175.4172) |
| Jan 9, 2025 | 9th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam 🏅 Elkton, FL | 10 / 38 (691.9316) | 21 (171.4172) | 17 (170.8344) | 3 (175.4056) | 7 (174.2744) |
| Nov 22, 2024 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 4 / 26 (697.0744) | 4 (175.4172) | 3 (174.2744) | 8 (175.4172) | 9 (171.9656) |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 67 / 87 (665.5424) | 38 (170.8228) | 45 (171.4056) | 65 (166.2284) | 78 (157.0856) |
| Oct 4, 2024 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 34 / 59 (679.2912) | 47 (165.0972) | 7 (175.4056) | 29 (170.2628) | 35 (168.5256) |
| Jul 11, 2024 | South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC | 15 / 76 (694.7656) | 42 (170.8344) | 18 (174.2628) | 18 (174.2628) | 15 (175.4056) |
| Mar 1, 2024 | Torry Island BBQ Showdown 🏅 Belle Glade, FL | 5 / 21 (697.0972) | 8 (173.1200) | 3 (177.7144) | 2 (179.4400) | 12 (166.8228) |
| Feb 16, 2024 | Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ 🏅 Haines City, FL | 10 / 29 (690.8000) | 16 (171.4056) | 25 (165.6800) | 1 (178.8572) | 8 (174.8572) |
| Feb 9, 2024 | Grills Gone Wild 🏅 Davenport, FL | 11 / 28 (690.1940) | 5 (176.5600) | 18 (170.8456) | 15 (171.9656) | 13 (170.8228) |
| Jan 26, 2024 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 32 / 61 (686.1828) | 17 (176) | 12 (176.5600) | 40 (168.5256) | 44 (165.0972) |
| Jan 4, 2024 | 8th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam & Car Show 🏅 Elkton, FL | 3 / 43 (706.2516) | 6 (177.7144) | 8 (176.5716) | 2 (180) | 14 (171.9656) |
| Nov 17, 2023 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 3 / 25 (687.3256) | 16 (163.3828) | 1 (180) | 7 (171.9772) | 4 (171.9656) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 10 / 211 (698.8344) | 36 (176.5600) | 45 (174.2972) | 86 (172.5600) | 25 (175.4172) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 161 / 487 (681.0740) | 162 (171.4172) | 179 (170.8572) | 327 (163.9540) | 51 (174.8456) |
| Apr 14, 2023 | The Downtown BBQ Showdown 🏅 Lake City, FL | 7 / 32 (690.7656) | 5 (175.4172) | 7 (173.1200) | 22 (167.9656) | 8 (174.2628) |
| Jan 27, 2023 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 34 / 51 (671.2916) | 9 (176.5600) | 46 (158.2172) | 19 (171.9772) | 34 (164.5372) |
| Nov 18, 2022 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 13 / 25 (676.4344) | 5 (175.4056) | 2 (173.1316) | 23 (161.6572) | 15 (166.2400) |
| Feb 17, 2017 | Downtown BBQ Throwdown Boca Raton, FL | 3 / 26 (685.0284) | 1 (178.8572) | 5 (169.6800) | 6 (170.2628) | 8 (166.2284) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.