Thin Blue BBQ

Thin Blue BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 24 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 12th of 30 at the Hoosier BBQ Classic (2025). They are ranked #6291 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#6,291

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1412

peak 1412 · rated over 21 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 28, 2013

latest Sep 11, 2026 · 13.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#507

Master 2025 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 24 contests

Avg finish

top 78%

overall standings

Best overall

682.1828 / 720

Master · Hoosier BBQ Classic

Perfect 180s

Current form

656.23 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 651.56 (+4.67)

Walk rate

50%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7028

Pork Ribs · Buckeye BBQ Classic

Consistency

±12.67

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 165.57 · weakest Brisket (159.07)

Road miles

2,349

across 24 mapped stops · furthest 222 mi

Schedule strength

63%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1580)

Purse competed for

$104K

listed at 19 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 17 state-championship entries

Master avg

651.56 / 720

21 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (12 found in their record)

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

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
Jun 6, 2025

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

−6.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.51 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 5% of the time against 29%.

Brisket avg 159.07
Pork Ribs avg 165.57
1 call in 21 entries

A strong matchup

6–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Drum Smoke BBQ in 6 of their 8 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 (May 5, 2023).

last seen Jun 26, 2015
back May 5, 2023

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.

Show 5 more storylines

Going the wrong way

-26 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 26 points across 6 contests since Sep 19, 2025 — from 1439 down to 1412.

6 contests since Sep 19, 2025
now 1412

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 78% the rest of the year.

4 June contests
top 78% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.76% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.76% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.5% of a perfect score
24 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

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	#562 (286 pts)	#610 (281 pts)	#431 (541 pts)	#563 (311 pts)	#585 (276 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)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Thin Blue BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

Kickin Ash

#6,290 of the rated field

1412 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1412

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% 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.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Aug 15, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

THE OUTLAW BBQ NY

#6,294 of the rated field

1412 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1412

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Aug 16, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

SMF

#6,288 of the rated field

1413 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1413

Fewer contests behind them than Thin Blue BBQ has cooked, 13 to 24, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Sochie's BBQ

#6,293 of the rated field

1412 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

BonePileBBQ

#6,292 of the rated field

1412 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1412

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

rated over 12 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

PORK U

#6,289 of the rated field

1413 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1413

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Thin Blue BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar 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	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
Shiggin aint easy	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
DAT'S BBQ	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
Bleacher Bums BBQ	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
Sailor Nicks BBQ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
KEVLAR BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
B&R SMOKE	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
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	21	3	0	0	175.4172	154.8112	164.22	top 71%
Pork Ribs	24	7	1	2	177.7028	149.6460	165.57	top 55%
Pork	21	4	0	1	173.7144	147.9200	162.37	top 70%
Brisket	21	1	0	0	174.2628	145.6000	159.07	top 79%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 85%
Medium (20–39)	12	top 75%
Large (40+)	7	top 81%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MI	12	top 87%
IN	5	top 57%
OH	3	top 74%
PA	1	top 83%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
All American BBQ Throwdown	4	31	top 85%	Jul 31, 2026
September Fest	3	14	top 88%	Sep 11, 2026
Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness	3	18	top 63%	Jun 26, 2015
Buckeye BBQ Classic	2	22	top 78%	Jul 17, 2026
Smoke in the Mitten	2	22	top 85%	May 1, 2026
Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition	2	21	top 90%	May 3, 2024

More numbers

Busiest season 2025 6 contests

Contests a season 3.4 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MI 15 of 24 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 11 6 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 24 entries · 1 win · 7 calls

Opponents faced 309 finished ahead 160 times, behind 555

Longest layoff 7.9 yrs Jun 26, 2015 → May 5, 2023

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

20262 milestones

Jul 17 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.7028 Buckeye BBQ Classic
Sep 11 Most recent contest September Fest

20251 milestone

Jun 6 Career-best overall score682.1828 Hoosier BBQ Classic

20241 milestone

Jul 19 10th tracked contest The Buckeye BBQ Classic

20231 milestone

May 5 First category win (Pork Ribs) Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition

20151 milestone

Jun 26 Peak power rating (1491) Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness

20141 milestone

Jun 27 First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.6112 Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness

20132 milestones

Jun 28 First tracked contest Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness
Jul 19 First call Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+7.8	Hoosier BBQ Classic	Jun 6, 2025
+1	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness	Jun 27, 2014
+0.5	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness	Jun 26, 2015
+0.2	The Buckeye BBQ Classic	Jul 19, 2024

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.2	Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest	May 24, 2024
-9.2	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness	Jun 28, 2013
-8.9	September Fest	Sep 11, 2026
-8.9	Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition	May 3, 2024
-8.9	September Fest	Sep 19, 2025

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	5	0	60%	top 85%	92.8%	91.1%
2025	6	0	50%	top 76%	94.7%	91.4%
2024	6	0	67%	top 81%	91.7%	90%
2023	3	1	33%	top 85%	91.4%	90.3%
2015	1	0	0%	top 59%	89.2%	89.2%
2014	1	0	0%	top 53%	91.9%	91.9%
2013	2	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
Sep 11, 2026	September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI	14 / 16 (662.1488)	16 (155.3828)	6 (173.1316)	8 (171.9772)	14 (161.6572)
Jul 31, 2026	All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI	43 / 45 (637.4968)	40 (162.2284)	23 (171.4284)	41 (158.2400)	45 (145.6000)
Jul 17, 2026	Buckeye BBQ Classic 🏅 Hillsboro, OH	22 / 30 (667.8856)	21 (167.4056)	2 (177.7028)	27 (158.2172)	24 (164.5600)
May 1, 2026	Smoke in the Mitten 🏅 Westland, MI	29 / 34 (654.2628)	31 (161.1316)	31 (161.1084)	2 (173.1656)	33 (158.8572)
Apr 17, 2026	GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Coldwater, MI	41 / 48 (659.3600)	30 (171.4056)	41 (164.0232)	44 (161.1084)	40 (162.8228)
Sep 19, 2025	September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI	24 / 26 (644.4456)	25 (154.8112)	9 (171.4056)	21 (162.2744)	26 (155.9544)
Aug 1, 2025	All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI	35 / 43 (653.6460)	33 (165.7488)	13 (171.4172)	33 (161.1200)	41 (155.3600)
Jul 18, 2025	Buckeye BBQ Classic 🏅 Hillsboro, OH	33 / 40 (656.4340)	30 (165.7028)	18 (170.8228)	39 (155.3484)	31 (164.5600)
Jun 6, 2025	Hoosier BBQ Classic 🏅 Franklin, IN	12 / 30 (682.1828)	25 (163.9428)	9 (170.2628)	10 (173.7144)	8 (174.2628)
May 9, 2025	Smoke in the Mitten 🏅 Westland, MI	22 / 26 (655.3144)	23 (159.9772)	20 (159.3828)	19 (166.2628)	13 (169.6916)
May 9, 2025	Smoke in the Mitten (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI	—	—	7 (171.4172)	—	—
Sep 13, 2024	September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI	15 / 18 (652.4344)	18 (155.9544)	6 (170.2744)	16 (159.3600)	11 (166.8456)
Aug 2, 2024	All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI	31 / 40 (653.6000)	10 (173.1316)	19 (166.8456)	35 (159.3828)	38 (154.2400)
Aug 2, 2024	All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI	—	—	25 (159.9772)	—	—
Jul 19, 2024	The Buckeye BBQ Classic 🏅 Hillsboro, OH	22 / 33 (660.4688)	28 (159.3600)	15 (165.7144)	10 (172.5600)	22 (162.8344)
May 24, 2024	Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA	19 / 23 (637.5544)	4 (175.4172)	16 (165.1200)	22 (147.9200)	22 (149.0972)
May 3, 2024	Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition 🏅 Westland, MI	25 / 26 (637.5088)	26 (161.0972)	25 (159.3600)	21 (162.2516)	23 (154.8000)
Aug 4, 2023	All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI	38 / 44 (642.7544)	43 (155.3944)	29 (166.2744)	39 (155.9428)	22 (165.1428)
Aug 4, 2023	All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI	—	—	34 (158.2516)	—	—
May 5, 2023	Smoke in the Mitten BBQ Competition 🏅 Westland, MI	21 / 25 (658.2060)	22 (166.8344)	1 (175.4172)	18 (164.0116)	25 (151.9428)
Jun 26, 2015	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)
Jun 27, 2014	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)
Jul 19, 2013	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	32 / 57 (639.3260)	7 (172)	45 (149.6460)	32 (161.1428)	36 (156.5372)
Jun 28, 2013	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	25 / 32 (623.9994)	13 (166.2856)	24 (152)	25 (155.9998)	27 (149.7140)

Thin Blue BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

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 (12 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

Going the wrong way

Looking over their shoulder

A June team

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 — 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)