High-water mark
682.1828
career-best overall
94.7% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 682.1828 at Hoosier BBQ Classic — 94.7% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2025-06-06
Thin Blue BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1421
peak 1421 · rated over 20 contests ⓘ
Contests
23
in the data
First seen
2013-06-28
latest 2026-07-31
Best ToY finish
#507
Master 2025
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 23 contests
Avg finish
top 77%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
652.69 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 651.03 (+1.66)
Walk rate
48%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.76
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 165.25 · weakest Brisket (158.94)
Road miles
2,264
mi across 23 mapped stops · furthest 226 mi
Schedule strength
65%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1582)
Purse competed for
$101K
listed at 18 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 16 state-championship entries
Master avg
651.03 / 720
20 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (12 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.
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Avon Purple Cobra's has finished one call ahead of Thin Blue BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
A tough matchup
14–0
behind in the head-to-head
BooyaQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
BooyaQ has come out ahead in 14 of their 14 shared contests.
The weak link
−6.3
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.31 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 5% of the time against 26%.
- Brisket avg 158.94
- Pork Ribs avg 165.25
- 1 calls in 20 entries
A strong matchup
6–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 86% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Drum Smoke BBQ in 6 of their 7 shared contests.
The comeback
7.9 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 7.9 years, then back at Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition (2023-05-05).
- last seen 2015-06-26
- back 2023-05-05
Pork Ribs nemesis
13 of 15
shared pork ribs entries lost
Bleacher Bums BBQ ahead 87% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Bleacher Bums BBQ has out-cooked them in 13 of 15 shared pork ribs entries.
Going the wrong way
-26
rating points in a year
The rating has slipped 26 points across 6 contests since 2025-08-01 — from 1447 down to 1421.
- 6 contests since 2025-08-01
- now 1421
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
PapaDads BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.
A June team
Top 57%
average finish in June
Something about June: average finish in the top 57% across 4 contests, versus top 77% the rest of the year.
- 4 June contests
- top 77% the rest of the year
The metronome
±1.77%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.77% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 90.4% of a perfect score
- 23 contests
A standing appointment
4
years running at one contest
They've cooked All American BBQ Throwdown every year from 2023 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.
- 4 visits in all
- best finish 31st
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.
32 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#6156 of the rated field
- Contests
- 31
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 16%
- Peak
- 1421
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Thin Blue BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Thin Blue BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#6152 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1421
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#6155 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1421
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 18 contests to 23, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#6149 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1421
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Thin Blue BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#6150 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
No shared contest yet.
30 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Head-to-head#6157 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1421
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 6 years after Thin Blue BBQ did, first appearing in 2019.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BooyaQ | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Q-JITSU | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Shiggin aint easy | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Bleacher Bums BBQ | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| Sailor Nicks BBQ | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| DAT'S BBQ | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| KEVLAR BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BO B Q BBQ | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| iBQ'n | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| TIRE SMOKE BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| B&R SMOKE | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Maestros | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| WE WILL ROCK QUE | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PB&J's BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 154.8112 | 164.66 | top 69% |
| Pork Ribs | 23 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 177.7028 | 149.6460 | 165.25 | top 56% |
| Pork | 20 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 173.7144 | 147.9200 | 161.89 | top 71% |
| Brisket | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 145.6000 | 158.94 | top 78% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI | 11 | 0 | top 87% |
| IN | 5 | 0 | top 57% |
| OH | 3 | 0 | top 74% |
| PA | 1 | 0 | top 83% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 83% |
| Medium (20–39) | 12 | 0 | top 75% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 81% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All American BBQ Throwdown | 4 | 31 | 0 | top 85% | 2026-07-31 |
| Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness | 3 | 18 | 0 | top 63% | 2015-06-26 |
| Buckeye BBQ Classic | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 78% | 2026-07-17 |
| Smoke in the Mitten | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 85% | 2026-05-01 |
| September Fest | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 88% | 2025-09-19 |
| Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 90% | 2024-05-03 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
13.1 yrs
2013-06-28 → 2026-07-31
Busiest season
2025
6 contests
Contests a season
3.3
across 7 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
MI
14 of 23 contests · 4 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
11
6 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
23 entries · 1 win · 6 calls
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
averages 165.25 · weakest Brisket (158.94)
Walk rate
48%
a top-10 call in 11 of 23 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 23 contests
Master average
651.03
out of 720 · 20 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
300
158–529 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
2,264
23 mapped stops · furthest 226 mi
Schedule strength
1582
average field rating faced — tougher than 65% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$100,735
listed at 18 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 16 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
7.9 yrs
2015-06-26 → 2023-05-05
Power rating
1421
peak 1421 · #6153 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness
- First call Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!
- 2014
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.6112 Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness
- 2015
- Peak power rating (1491) Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness
- 2023
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition
- 2024
- 10th tracked contest The Buckeye BBQ Classic
- 2025
- Career-best overall score682.1828 Hoosier BBQ Classic
- 2026
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.7028 Buckeye BBQ Classic
- Most recent contest All American BBQ Throwdown
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +7.8 | Hoosier BBQ Classic | 2025-06-06 |
| +1 | Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness | 2014-06-27 |
| +0.4 | Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness | 2015-06-26 |
| +0.2 | The Buckeye BBQ Classic | 2024-07-19 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.2 | Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest | 2024-05-24 |
| -9.2 | Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness | 2013-06-28 |
| -8.9 | Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition | 2024-05-03 |
| -8.9 | September Fest | 2025-09-19 |
| -7.4 | All American BBQ Throwdown | 2023-08-04 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 85% | 92.8% | 90.9% |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 76% | 94.7% | 91.4% |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 81% | 91.7% | 90% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33% | top 85% | 91.4% | 90.3% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 59% | 89.2% | 89.2% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 91.9% | 91.9% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 67% | 88.8% | 87.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 43 / 45 (637.4968) | 40 (162.2284) | 23 (171.4284) | 41 (158.2400) | 45 (145.6000) |
| 2026-07-17 | Buckeye BBQ Classic 🏅 Hillsboro, OH | 22 / 30 (667.8856) | 21 (167.4056) | 2 (177.7028) | 27 (158.2172) | 24 (164.5600) |
| 2026-05-01 | Smoke in the Mitten 🏅 Westland, MI | 29 / 34 (654.2628) | 31 (161.1316) | 31 (161.1084) | 2 (173.1656) | 33 (158.8572) |
| 2026-04-17 | GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 41 / 48 (659.3600) | 30 (171.4056) | 41 (164.0232) | 44 (161.1084) | 40 (162.8228) |
| 2025-09-19 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 24 / 26 (644.4456) | 25 (154.8112) | 9 (171.4056) | 21 (162.2744) | 26 (155.9544) |
| 2025-08-01 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 35 / 43 (653.6460) | 33 (165.7488) | 13 (171.4172) | 33 (161.1200) | 41 (155.3600) |
| 2025-07-18 | Buckeye BBQ Classic 🏅 Hillsboro, OH | 33 / 40 (656.4340) | 30 (165.7028) | 18 (170.8228) | 39 (155.3484) | 31 (164.5600) |
| 2025-06-06 | Hoosier BBQ Classic 🏅 Franklin, IN | 12 / 30 (682.1828) | 25 (163.9428) | 9 (170.2628) | 10 (173.7144) | 8 (174.2628) |
| 2025-05-09 | Smoke in the Mitten 🏅 Westland, MI | 22 / 26 (655.3144) | 23 (159.9772) | 20 (159.3828) | 19 (166.2628) | 13 (169.6916) |
| 2025-05-09 | Smoke in the Mitten (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 7 (171.4172) | — | — |
| 2024-09-13 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 15 / 18 (652.4344) | 18 (155.9544) | 6 (170.2744) | 16 (159.3600) | 11 (166.8456) |
| 2024-08-02 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 31 / 40 (653.6000) | 10 (173.1316) | 19 (166.8456) | 35 (159.3828) | 38 (154.2400) |
| 2024-08-02 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 25 (159.9772) | — | — |
| 2024-07-19 | The Buckeye BBQ Classic 🏅 Hillsboro, OH | 22 / 33 (660.4688) | 28 (159.3600) | 15 (165.7144) | 10 (172.5600) | 22 (162.8344) |
| 2024-05-24 | Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 19 / 23 (637.5544) | 4 (175.4172) | 16 (165.1200) | 22 (147.9200) | 22 (149.0972) |
| 2024-05-03 | Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition 🏅 Westland, MI | 25 / 26 (637.5088) | 26 (161.0972) | 25 (159.3600) | 21 (162.2516) | 23 (154.8000) |
| 2023-08-04 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 38 / 44 (642.7544) | 43 (155.3944) | 29 (166.2744) | 39 (155.9428) | 22 (165.1428) |
| 2023-08-04 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 34 (158.2516) | — | — |
| 2023-05-05 | Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition 🏅 Westland, MI | 21 / 25 (658.2060) | 22 (166.8344) | 1 (175.4172) | 18 (164.0116) | 25 (151.9428) |
| 2015-06-26 | Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN | 20 / 34 (642.1836) | 12 (167.9772) | 21 (155.9660) | 21 (162.8344) | 27 (155.4060) |
| 2014-06-27 | Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN | 18 / 34 (661.6112) | 19 (167.3940) | 14 (166.8344) | 17 (166.8572) | 25 (160.5256) |
| 2013-07-19 | Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN | 32 / 57 (639.3260) | 7 (172.0000) | 45 (149.6460) | 32 (161.1428) | 36 (156.5372) |
| 2013-06-28 | Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN | 25 / 32 (623.9994) | 13 (166.2856) | 24 (152.0000) | 25 (155.9998) | 27 (149.7140) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #609 (190 pts) | #670 (195 pts) | #472 (385 pts) | #666 (175 pts) | #657 (180 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #507 (362 pts) | #630 (287 pts) | #362 (718 pts) | #493 (402 pts) | #474 (432 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #521 (355 pts) | #424 (520 pts) | #437 (551 pts) | #488 (415 pts) | #536 (370 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #908 (130 pts) | #998 (125 pts) | #560 (395 pts) | #903 (145 pts) | #970 (125 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #2625 (57 pts) | #1818 (117 pts) | #2567 (62 pts) | #2638 (57 pts) | #2644 (57 pts) |