Big Johns BBQ Company CA
Rating
1651
peak 1651
Contests
22
in the data
First seen
2021-05-28
latest 2026-06-26
Best ToY finish
#27
Master 2026
Grand champs
2
1 reserve
Category wins
2
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
14
of 22 contests
Avg finish
top 29%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
692.38 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 687.56 (+4.82)
Walk rate
91%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
5
best run (overall)
Consistency
±12.05
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 173.36 · weakest Brisket (170.60)
Road miles
3716
mi across 22 mapped stops · furthest 517 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
West Coast BBQ Shop has finished one call ahead of Big Johns BBQ Company 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of SoCal Outlaw BBQ in 13 of their 14 shared contests.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 2.8800 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke-N-Wings (2026-06-26).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 90-team field at BBQ Jackpot.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at BBQ Jackpot (2025-11-21) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 20-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ.
Teams like this (closest power rating, CA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 22 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 178.8572 | 163.9656 | 173.36 | top 31% |
| Pork Ribs | 22 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 178.8572 | 163.3828 | 171.77 | top 36% |
| Pork | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 163.9884 | 171.82 | top 42% |
| Brisket | 22 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 178.8572 | 154.8116 | 170.60 | top 37% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NV | 8 | 2 | top 32% |
| CA | 8 | 0 | top 24% |
| AZ | 5 | 0 | top 34% |
| ID | 1 | 0 | top 6% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 15 | 1 | top 31% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 1 | top 24% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (7 contests)
- Cooks mostly in NV (8 of 22 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (22 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: BBQ Jackpot (2025-11-21)
- Wins it all in 9% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 687.56
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 706.2972 | 693.47 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 706.2856 | 690.26 |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 696.5144 | 686.13 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 697.0512 | 686.74 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 675.3024 | 675.30 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 659.2568 | 659.26 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | Smoke-N-Wings Blackfoot, ID | 2 / 31 (706.2972) | 7 (177.7028) | 9 (176.5600) | 9 (176.5600) | 5 (175.4744) |
| 2026-05-23 | Best Dam BBQ Boulder City, NV | 1 / 33 (700.4912) | 9 (175.4056) | 1 (178.8572) | 15 (173.1084) | 9 (173.1200) |
| 2026-04-17 | The Downtown Grand Master BBQ Showdown Las Vegas, NV | 14 / 29 (683.3484) | 9 (173.1428) | 4 (175.4400) | 25 (165.0856) | 15 (169.6800) |
| 2026-03-27 | Q's & Brews Bighorn BBQ Competition Lake Havasu City, AZ | 8 / 33 (697.6572) | 6 (177.1544) | 14 (173.1200) | 11 (173.1200) | 8 (174.2628) |
| 2026-02-27 | BBQ & Brew Festival Yuma, AZ | 19 / 25 (674.1140) | 18 (167.3828) | 14 (169.6800) | 10 (173.1084) | 21 (163.9428) |
| 2026-01-30 | The Golden State Battle VIII Riverside, CA | 10 / 41 (694.7540) | 5 (177.7028) | 7 (174.2628) | 21 (171.9656) | 16 (170.8228) |
| 2026-01-16 | 11th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 4 / 53 (697.6456) | 12 (174.2628) | 10 (174.8572) | 15 (173.1200) | 7 (175.4056) |
| 2025-11-21 | BBQ Jackpot Las Vegas, NV | 1 / 90 (706.2856) | 19 (175.4056) | 6 (176.6172) | 13 (176.5600) | 4 (177.7028) |
| 2025-01-25 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) Hollister, CA | 4 / 27 (699.3828) | 4 (177.1428) | 15 (173.1200) | 12 (172.5600) | 3 (176.5600) |
| 2025-01-24 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 1) Hollister, CA | 9 / 31 (678.8800) | 17 (169.7144) | 13 (172.5600) | 25 (163.9884) | 4 (172.6172) |
| 2025-01-17 | 10th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 17 / 48 (676.4916) | 11 (173.1200) | 18 (169.6916) | 24 (168.5372) | 28 (165.1428) |
| 2024-12-06 | BBQ Jackpot Las Vegas, NV | 42 / 74 (677.0168) | 31 (170.8112) | 26 (171.4172) | 33 (170.2628) | 59 (164.5256) |
| 2024-06-14 | Ignite your Passion Winchester, CA | 12 / 22 (680.4572) | 7 (176.0000) | 13 (171.9656) | 16 (168.5372) | 20 (163.9544) |
| 2024-05-31 | Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival Norco, CA | 9 / 39 (678.1828) | 7 (172.5600) | 21 (163.9428) | 19 (168.5256) | 7 (173.1544) |
| 2024-05-24 | Best Dam Barbeque Boulder City, NV | 4 / 33 (691.9544) | 17 (169.1428) | 10 (174.2628) | 8 (174.2860) | 4 (174.2628) |
| 2024-04-12 | BBQ Boots & Brew Perris, CA | 7 / 39 (696.5144) | 19 (169.6800) | 9 (174.2628) | 5 (175.4172) | 7 (177.1544) |
| 2024-03-01 | The Golden State Battle VI Hollister, CA | 4 / 33 (691.9544) | 5 (176.0000) | 23 (163.3828) | 7 (173.7144) | 1 (178.8572) |
| 2024-01-12 | 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 15 / 58 (686.8000) | 12 (174.2972) | 38 (166.2628) | 7 (176.5600) | 21 (169.6800) |
| 2023-11-17 | Golden State Battle of Indio Indio, CA | 8 / 40 (697.0512) | 4 (178.8572) | 13 (174.2628) | 26 (170.8228) | 13 (173.1084) |
| 2023-05-26 | Best Dam Barbeque Boulder City, NV | 14 / 27 (676.4340) | 6 (175.4056) | 9 (170.8228) | 13 (170.8228) | 22 (159.3828) |
| 2022-05-27 | Best Dam Barbeque Boulder City, NV | 10 / 26 (675.3024) | 16 (163.9656) | 10 (167.4056) | 4 (174.2628) | 7 (169.6684) |
| 2021-05-28 | The Best Dam Barbeque Boulder City, NV | 12 / 26 (659.2568) | 10 (169.1084) | 7 (166.2284) | 13 (169.1084) | 20 (154.8116) |
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 | #27 (1511 pts) | #68 (1101 pts) | #47 (1321 pts) | #95 (866 pts) | #52 (1131 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #412 (503 pts) | #464 (488 pts) | #569 (373 pts) | #595 (298 pts) | #396 (553 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #181 (1103 pts) | #213 (1023 pts) | #348 (713 pts) | #244 (908 pts) | #183 (1093 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1082 (107 pts) | #876 (167 pts) | #1059 (137 pts) | #1100 (112 pts) | #1267 (67 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #965 (126 pts) | #1210 (96 pts) | #1088 (126 pts) | #810 (201 pts) | #910 (156 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #995 (116 pts) | #954 (126 pts) | #901 (156 pts) | #1061 (111 pts) | #1190 (76 pts) |