JAYBIRD'S BBQ

JAYBIRD'S BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 32 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 5th of 31 at the Bordertown BBQ Brawl (2020). They are ranked #2531 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,531

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1519

peak 1556 · rated over 27 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Sep 8, 2017

latest May 1, 2026 · 8.6 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#346

Master 2020 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

16% of 32 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 56%

overall standings

Best overall

684.5144 / 720

Master · All American BBQ Throwdown

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

664.69 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 667.57 (-2.88)

Walk rate

50%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition

Consistency

±12.02

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.91 · weakest Pork (165.62)

Road miles

4,372

across 32 mapped stops · furthest 286 mi

Schedule strength

70%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1588)

Purse competed for

$145K

listed at 25 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 24 state-championship entries

Master avg

667.57 / 720

27 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (13 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

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 chicken.

Chicken ×1

High-water mark

684.5144 career-best overall

95.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 684.5144 at All American BBQ Throwdown — 95.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 5, 2022

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

PapaDads BBQ has finished one call ahead of JAYBIRD'S BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2023 their best year

2023 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 42%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10
1 category win
average top 42%

A tough matchup

24–3 behind in the head-to-head

iBQ'n ahead in 89% of their meetings

iBQ'n has come out ahead in 24 of their 27 shared contests.

A strong matchup

8–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Heritage Q in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

22 of 27 shared chicken entries lost

iBQ'n ahead 81% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, iBQ'n has out-cooked them in 22 of 27 shared chicken entries.

Show 6 more storylines

Going the wrong way

-25 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 25 points across 5 contests since May 9, 2025 — from 1545 down to 1519.

5 contests since May 9, 2025
now 1519

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

PapaDads BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 38% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 38% across 4 contests, versus top 56% the rest of the year.

4 July contests
top 56% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,372 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,372 miles across 32 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 286 miles to Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1.

32 mapped stops
furthest 286 mi

The metronome

±1.67% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.67% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.7% of a perfect score
32 contests

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked Bordertown BBQ Brawl every year from 2018 to 2022 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 5th

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	#903 (119 pts)	#967 (119 pts)	#787 (198 pts)	#836 (129 pts)	#737 (184 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#596 (272 pts)	#564 (352 pts)	#356 (732 pts)	#665 (247 pts)	#534 (352 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#832 (141 pts)	#956 (126 pts)	#826 (196 pts)	#834 (166 pts)	#662 (261 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#541 (330 pts)	#434 (515 pts)	#693 (285 pts)	#643 (265 pts)	#610 (285 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#539 (375 pts)	#546 (395 pts)	#511 (480 pts)	#616 (320 pts)	#449 (510 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#441 (415 pts)	#329 (620 pts)	#360 (571 pts)	#552 (325 pts)	#452 (435 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#346 (319 pts)	#548 (189 pts)	#299 (424 pts)	#285 (434 pts)	#750 (114 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#862 (328 pts)	#697 (488 pts)	#1085 (258 pts)	#929 (318 pts)	#885 (343 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1427 (144 pts)	#1355 (179 pts)	#1427 (169 pts)	#1120 (254 pts)	#1246 (214 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to JAYBIRD'S BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Sweet Heat BBQ

#2,521 of the rated field

1520 power rating

Contests: 32
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1539

Careers of much the same size, 32 contests to 32, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 32 contests
last seen Mar 14, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

Smokin' Beaver BBQ

#2,538 of the rated field

1519 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1542

23 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 4% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Oct 9, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKIN' STUFF BBQ

#2,540 of the rated field

1519 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1534

Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before JAYBIRD'S BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 21 contests

⚔ Compare careers

FIRESIDE ALCHEMY

#2,523 of the rated field

1520 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1526

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

rated over 20 contests
last seen Sep 28, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

Slam Dunk BBQ

#2,518 of the rated field

1520 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1527

They turned up 6 years after JAYBIRD'S BBQ did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Sep 4, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

M & K BBQ

#2,527 of the rated field

1519 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1533

Fewer contests behind them than JAYBIRD'S BBQ has cooked, 20 to 32, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Oct 17, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
iBQ'n	27	3	24	11%	⚔ compare
THE REAL SMOKIN ACES	24	4	20	17%	⚔ compare
KEVLAR BBQ	23	2	21	9%	⚔ compare
Mac Attack BBQ	21	6	15	29%	⚔ compare
BooyaQ	21	5	16	24%	⚔ compare
PapaDads BBQ	20	9	11	45%	⚔ compare
Q-JITSU	17	6	11	35%	⚔ compare
BAD HABIT BBQ	17	2	15	12%	⚔ compare
Shiggin aint easy	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare
TIRE SMOKE BBQ	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare
FIREHOUSE SMOKE	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare
BO B Q BBQ	15	6	9	40%	⚔ compare
BAD WOLF BBQ	15	6	9	40%	⚔ compare
BIG GUYS Q	14	9	5	64%	⚔ compare
PB&J's BBQ	14	7	7	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	27	8	1	2	180 🔥	148.5256	168.91	top 49%
Pork Ribs	31	9	0	2	175.4172	149.6572	166.93	top 50%
Pork	27	5	0	1	174.2628	153.7028	165.62	top 59%
Brisket	27	6	0	1	178.8572	157.1316	166.02	top 53%

“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
Medium (20–39)	18	0	top 58%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 52%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MI	23	0	top 54%
IN	4	0	top 68%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Bordertown BBQ Brawl	5	5	top 50%	Jul 15, 2022
All American BBQ Throwdown	3	11	top 41%	Aug 1, 2025
Smoke in the Mitten	2	20	top 83%	May 1, 2026
GLBBQA Spring Fling	2	27	top 51%	Apr 18, 2025
Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition	2	10	top 57%	May 3, 2024
8th Annual Rockin' BBQ (Day 2)	2	19	top 77%	May 14, 2022
Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	2	20	top 60%	Sep 14, 2018

More numbers

Busiest season 2025 6 contests

Contests a season 3.2 across 10 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MI 28 of 32 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 16 7 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 31 entries · 0 wins · 9 calls

Opponents faced 323 finished ahead 442 times, behind 534

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

20261 milestone

May 1 Most recent contest Smoke in the Mitten

20251 milestone

May 9 25th tracked contest Smoke in the Mitten (ONE MEAT RIBS)

20241 milestone

Apr 19 Peak power rating (1556) GLBBQA Spring Fling

20232 milestones

May 5 First category win (Chicken) Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition
May 5 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition

20221 milestone

Aug 5 Career-best overall score684.5144 All American BBQ Throwdown

20211 milestone

Jun 18 10th tracked contest Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1

20191 milestone

Jul 19 First overall top-10 Bordertown BBQ Brawl

20182 milestones

Sep 14 First call Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
Sep 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.6228 Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival

20171 milestone

Sep 8 First tracked contest Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.7	Bordertown BBQ Brawl	Jul 17, 2020
+11.8	All American BBQ Throwdown	Aug 5, 2022
+11	Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com	Sep 25, 2020
+10.7	Bordertown BBQ Brawl	Jul 19, 2019
+7.4	Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition	May 5, 2023

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.5	Bordertown BBQ Brawl	Aug 17, 2018
-8.6	September Fest	Sep 19, 2025
-8.5	Smoke in the Mitten	May 1, 2026
-6.3	8th Annual Rockin' BBQ (Day 1)	May 13, 2022
-5.7	Smoke in the Mitten	May 9, 2025

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	3	0	0	0%	top 81%	93.6%	92.1%
2025	6	0	0	50%	top 70%	94.1%	92.9%
2024	2	0	0	50%	top 58%	94.7%	93.7%
2023	3	1	1	67%	top 42%	94.8%	94.1%
2022	4	0	0	50%	top 56%	95.1%	93.4%
2021	5	1	0	60%	top 52%	94.9%	92.8%
2020	2	2	0	100%	top 24%	93.6%	93.6%
2019	3	1	0	67%	top 42%	93.2%	92.5%
2018	3	0	0	33%	top 69%	91.3%	89.5%
2017	1	0	0	0%	top 79%	89.2%	89.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
May 1, 2026	Smoke in the Mitten 🏅 Westland, MI	30 / 34 (651.9312)	29 (161.6912)	34 (158.8228)	23 (165.1428)	17 (166.2744)
May 1, 2026	Smoke in the Mitten (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI	—	—	19 (165.1200)	—	—
Apr 17, 2026	GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Coldwater, MI	35 / 48 (673.6344)	36 (167.3828)	35 (166.2744)	31 (168.5600)	20 (171.4172)
Sep 19, 2025	September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI	20 / 26 (663.8972)	11 (170.8228)	3 (174.2628)	23 (159.9772)	24 (158.8344)
Aug 1, 2025	All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI	29 / 43 (665.5540)	31 (167.3712)	14 (170.2744)	34 (161.0856)	23 (166.8228)
Aug 1, 2025	All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI	—	—	22 (166.2744)	—	—
May 9, 2025	Smoke in the Mitten 🏅 Westland, MI	20 / 26 (668.4340)	13 (171.4056)	19 (161.1200)	22 (162.7884)	6 (173.1200)
May 9, 2025	Smoke in the Mitten (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI	—	—	9 (170.8572)	—	—
Apr 18, 2025	GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Charlotte, MI	33 / 56 (677.6684)	40 (167.9884)	15 (171.4400)	34 (170.2628)	35 (167.9772)
May 3, 2024	Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition 🏅 Westland, MI	19 / 26 (667.9316)	22 (167.9884)	15 (167.4288)	14 (167.9772)	18 (164.5372)
Apr 19, 2024	GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Charlotte, MI	27 / 62 (681.6568)	37 (168.5256)	18 (171.4400)	40 (167.3940)	6 (174.2972)
Aug 4, 2023	All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI	15 / 44 (674.8348)	10 (174.3200)	22 (167.9888)	23 (165.7032)	20 (166.8228)
May 19, 2023	Rocking BBQ Warsaw 🏅 Warsaw, IN	18 / 35 (675.9200)	16 (170.8344)	20 (166.8456)	17 (169.6800)	15 (168.5600)
May 5, 2023	Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition 🏅 Westland, MI	10 / 25 (682.2284)	1 (180)	10 (170.8572)	16 (165.6912)	17 (165.6800)
Aug 5, 2022	All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI	11 / 50 (684.5144)	9 (174.8572)	17 (169.6916)	39 (161.1084)	3 (178.8572)
Jul 15, 2022	Bordertown BBQ Brawl 🏅 Sault Ste Marie, MI	15 / 30 (677.0744)	11 (173.1200)	8 (172.0116)	22 (165.0972)	16 (166.8456)
May 14, 2022	8th Annual Rockin' BBQ (Day 2) 🏅 Warsaw, IN	19 / 25 (666.2176)	22 (166.2744)	14 (168.5600)	19 (163.9544)	12 (167.4288)
May 13, 2022	8th Annual Rockin' BBQ (Day 1) 🏅 Warsaw, IN	28 / 36 (661.6000)	34 (161.0856)	12 (168.5600)	15 (170.2972)	28 (161.6572)
Sep 24, 2021	Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com 🏅 Grand Haven, MI	14 / 28 (664.9940)	4 (173.7028)	20 (163.3828)	21 (165.6684)	21 (162.2400)
Sep 10, 2021	Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition 🏅 Mears, MI	8 / 25 (683.4056)	4 (176.0228)	9 (167.9772)	10 (169.1200)	4 (170.2856)
Jul 16, 2021	Bordertown BBQ Brawl 🏅 Sault Ste Marie, MI	15 / 27 (663.3484)	10 (171.4056)	4 (172.5716)	22 (155.9312)	15 (163.4400)
Jul 16, 2021	Bordertown BBQ Brawl - One Meat Rib Contest Sault Ste Marie, MI	—	—	15 (163.3828)	—	—
Jun 18, 2021	Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1 🏅 Franklin, IN	35 / 51 (661.5772)	19 (171.4172)	29 (165.6916)	33 (165.6800)	44 (158.7884)
Sep 25, 2020	Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com 🏅 Grand Haven, MI	9 / 28 (674.2400)	22 (166.2972)	2 (175.4172)	4 (172)	25 (160.5256)
Jul 17, 2020	Bordertown BBQ Brawl 🏅 Sault Ste Marie, MI	5 / 31 (674.2284)	12 (169.6684)	6 (170.2628)	3 (174.2628)	24 (160.0344)
Sep 13, 2019	Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival 🏅 Mears, MI	14 / 35 (669.1428)	3 (173.1428)	9 (170.2972)	21 (162.8456)	18 (162.8572)
Aug 2, 2019	Westland Area Jaycees All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI	22 / 40 (658.2400)	22 (165.7028)	29 (161.1200)	21 (164.5600)	13 (166.8572)
Jul 19, 2019	Bordertown BBQ Brawl 🏅 Sault Ste Marie, MI	9 / 28 (670.8116)	5 (172.5600)	25 (157.1200)	7 (172.5600)	10 (168.5716)
Oct 13, 2018	Smoke & Ale Fall Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Chelsea, MI	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 14, 2018	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	20 / 48 (657.6228)	29 (148.5256)	14 (165.7028)	5 (173.1200)	8 (170.2744)
Aug 17, 2018	Bordertown BBQ Brawl Sault Ste Marie, MI	23 / 24 (631.3716)	11 (166.8800)	24 (149.6572)	21 (157.7028)	23 (157.1316)
Sep 8, 2017	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Silver Lake, MI	22 / 28 (642.2284)	19 (161.6800)	14 (164.5484)	24 (153.7028)	18 (162.2972)

JAYBIRD'S BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (13 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Going the wrong way

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

The long haul

The metronome

A standing appointment

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)