Big Johns BBQ Company

Big Johns BBQ Company is a competition barbecue team with 23 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Best Dam BBQ (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #503 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#503

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1676

peak 1676 · rated over 23 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 28, 2021

latest Sep 18, 2026 · 5.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#57

Master 2026 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve · wins it all 9% of the time

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

65% of 23 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 28%

overall standings

Best overall

706.2972 / 720

Master · Smoke-N-Wings

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

696.86 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 687.95 (+8.91)

Walk rate

91%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Brisket · 22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest

Consistency

±11.93

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 173.13 · weakest Brisket (171.01)

Road miles

4,414

across 23 mapped stops · furthest 665 mi

Schedule strength

76%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1598)

Purse competed for

$236K

listed at 22 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

2 🏅

won from 23 state-championship entries

Master avg

687.95 / 720

23 Master contests · 2 GCs

Storylines (15 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

2.8800 points from the title

Came within 2.8800 points of the Grand Championship at Smoke-N-Wings (Jun 26, 2026).

Among the elite

#503 of 6,476 rated teams

In the top 8% of every rated team in the data

A power rating of 1676 puts them #503 of 6,476 rated teams — the top 8% of the field.

rating 1676
peak 1676
23 rated contests

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 brisket.

Brisket ×1

Against the odds

10-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 90 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at BBQ Jackpot (Nov 21, 2025) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 10-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ.

On the rise

+50 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 50 points across 9 contests since Nov 21, 2025 — from 1626 up to 1676.

9 contests since Nov 21, 2025
now 1676

Giant slayer

90 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 90-team field at BBQ Jackpot.

Nov 21, 2025

They almost always walk

91% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 21 of 23 contests

A top-10 category call in 91% of their 23 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

Show 8 more storylines

High-water mark

706.2972 career-best overall

98.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 706.2972 at Smoke-N-Wings — 98.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 26, 2026

State champions

2 state championships won

They've taken 2 state championships from 23 entries at contests carrying the title.

23 state-championship entries

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

B' Mackin BBQ has finished one call ahead of Big Johns BBQ Company 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 100% of their meetings

GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

A strong matchup

13–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 93% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SoCal Outlaw BBQ in 13 of their 14 shared contests.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The long haul

4,414 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,414 miles across 23 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 665 miles to Smoke-N-Wings.

23 mapped stops
furthest 665 mi

The metronome

±1.66% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.66% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 95.5% of a perfect score
23 contests

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	#57 (1,692 pts)	#141 (1,192 pts)	#88 (1,472 pts)	#162 (1,017 pts)	#81 (1,412 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#412 (503 pts)	#464 (488 pts)	#569 (373 pts)	#595 (298 pts)	#396 (553 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#181 (1,103 pts)	#213 (1,023 pts)	#348 (713 pts)	#244 (908 pts)	#183 (1,093 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)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Big Johns BBQ Company, each with one reason worth a look.

Mac Attack BBQ

#502 of the rated field

1676 power rating

Contests: 138
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1735

They've been 1735 at their best, 59 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 136 contests
last seen Oct 10, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA

#504 of the rated field

1675 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 83%
Peak: 1686

Careers of much the same size, 23 contests to 23, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 23 contests
last seen May 29, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Sweet Cheeks BBQ

#500 of the rated field

1677 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 7
Top-10s: 80%
Peak: 1677

Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Big Johns BBQ Company's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 24 contests

⚔ Compare careers

SWINESTONE COWBOYS

#499 of the rated field

1677 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 4
Top-10s: 70%
Peak: 1677

Their rating is built on 4 Grand Championships in 27 contests, alongside a 70% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 24 contests
last seen Jul 21, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

BARK 'N BONES BBQ

#505 of the rated field

1675 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 40
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 48%
Peak: 1675

They were already cooking in 2014, 7 years before Big Johns BBQ Company's first contest.

rated over 40 contests
last seen Oct 18, 2019

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WINK'S BARBEQUE

#497 of the rated field

1677 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 44
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 41%
Peak: 1731

Level with Big Johns BBQ Company on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 42 contests
last seen Jul 12, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ	20	9	11	45%	⚔ compare
Meat Candy Q	20	7	13	35%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	17	12	5	71%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ	17	9	8	53%	⚔ compare
STEVO'S BBQ TEAM	16	8	8	50%	⚔ compare
Porterhouse BBQ	15	10	5	67%	⚔ compare
SoCal Outlaw BBQ	14	13	1	93%	⚔ compare
LADY OF Q	13	11	2	85%	⚔ compare
GIRLS CAN GRILL	12	9	3	75%	⚔ compare
B' Mackin BBQ	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
All About Smokin Q	11	8	3	73%	⚔ compare
Vegas Grillbillies	11	8	3	73%	⚔ compare
Pork Bombin BBQ	10	8	2	80%	⚔ compare
Bad Bears BBQ	10	7	3	70%	⚔ compare
Burnin and Lootin	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	23	12	0	0	178.8572	163.9656	173.13	top 32%
Pork Ribs	23	12	1	1	178.8572	163.3828	171.88	top 35%
Pork	17	7	0	0	176.5600	163.9884	172.04	top 39%
Brisket	23	13	2	3	180 🔥	154.8116	171.01	top 36%

“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)	16	1	top 30%
Large (40+)	7	1	top 24%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
CA	9	0	top 24%
NV	8	2	top 32%
AZ	5	0	top 34%
ID	1	0	top 6%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Best Dam Barbeque	3	4	0	top 34%	May 24, 2024
BBQ Jackpot	2	1	1	top 29%	Nov 21, 2025
The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2)	2	4	0	top 22%	Jan 25, 2025

More numbers

Busiest season 2026 8 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 3.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in CA 9 of 23 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 19 3 of them more than once

First title Nov 21, 2025 BBQ Jackpot

Opponents faced 306 finished ahead 664 times, behind 224

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

20265 milestones

Jun 26 First Reserve Championship Smoke-N-Wings
Jun 26 Career-best overall score706.2972 Smoke-N-Wings
Sep 18 First perfect 180 (Brisket) 22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest
Sep 18 Peak power rating (1676) 22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest
Sep 18 Most recent contest 22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest

20254 milestones

Nov 21 First overall podium BBQ Jackpot
Nov 21 First Grand Championship BBQ Jackpot
Nov 21 First state championship BBQ Jackpot
Nov 21 Biggest field won (90 teams) BBQ Jackpot

20242 milestones

Mar 1 First category win (Brisket) The Golden State Battle VI
Jun 14 10th tracked contest Ignite your Passion

20221 milestone

May 27 First overall top-10 Best Dam Barbeque

20213 milestones

May 28 First tracked contest The Best Dam Barbeque
May 28 First call The Best Dam Barbeque
May 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.2568 The Best Dam Barbeque

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.7	The Golden State Battle VI	Mar 1, 2024
+15	BBQ Jackpot	Nov 21, 2025
+14.8	Golden State Battle of Indio	Nov 17, 2023
+13.9	Best Dam Barbeque	May 24, 2024
+13.3	The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2)	Jan 25, 2025

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.1	BBQ & Brew Festival	Feb 27, 2026
-1	BBQ Jackpot	Dec 6, 2024

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	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	8	1	6	2	100%	top 26%	98.1%	96.4%
2025	4	1	3	0	75%	top 20%	98.1%	95.9%
2024	7	0	4	1	86%	top 29%	96.7%	95.3%
2023	2	0	1	0	100%	top 36%	96.8%	95.4%
2022	1	0	1	0	100%	top 38%	93.8%	93.8%
2021	1	0	0	0	100%	top 46%	91.6%	91.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 18, 2026	22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest 🏅 Riverside, CA	5 / 31 (696.5028)	18 (167.9772)	8 (174.2628)	—	1 (180)
Jun 26, 2026	Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID	2 / 31 (706.2972)	7 (177.7028)	9 (176.5600)	9 (176.5600)	5 (175.4744)
May 23, 2026	Best Dam BBQ 🏅 Boulder City, NV	1 / 33 (700.4912)	9 (175.4056)	1 (178.8572)	15 (173.1084)	9 (173.1200)
Apr 17, 2026	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)
Mar 27, 2026	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)
Feb 27, 2026	BBQ & Brew Festival 🏅 Yuma, AZ	19 / 25 (674.1140)	18 (167.3828)	14 (169.6800)	10 (173.1084)	21 (163.9428)
Jan 30, 2026	The Golden State Battle VIII 🏅 Riverside, CA	10 / 41 (694.7540)	5 (177.7028)	7 (174.2628)	—	16 (170.8228)
Jan 16, 2026	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)
Nov 21, 2025	BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV	1 / 90 (706.2856)	19 (175.4056)	6 (176.6172)	13 (176.5600)	4 (177.7028)
Jan 25, 2025	The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) 🏅 Hollister, CA	4 / 27 (699.3828)	4 (177.1428)	15 (173.1200)	—	3 (176.5600)
Jan 24, 2025	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)
Jan 17, 2025	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)
Dec 6, 2024	BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV	42 / 74 (677.0168)	31 (170.8112)	26 (171.4172)	33 (170.2628)	59 (164.5256)
Jun 14, 2024	Ignite your Passion 🏅 Winchester, CA	12 / 22 (680.4572)	7 (176)	13 (171.9656)	16 (168.5372)	20 (163.9544)
May 31, 2024	Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA	9 / 39 (678.1828)	7 (172.5600)	21 (163.9428)	19 (168.5256)	7 (173.1544)
May 24, 2024	Best Dam Barbeque 🏅 Boulder City, NV	4 / 33 (691.9544)	17 (169.1428)	10 (174.2628)	8 (174.2860)	4 (174.2628)
Apr 12, 2024	BBQ Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA	7 / 39 (696.5144)	19 (169.6800)	9 (174.2628)	5 (175.4172)	7 (177.1544)
Mar 1, 2024	The Golden State Battle VI 🏅 Hollister, CA	4 / 33 (691.9544)	5 (176)	23 (163.3828)	7 (173.7144)	1 (178.8572)
Jan 12, 2024	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)
Nov 17, 2023	Golden State Battle of Indio 🏅 Indio, CA	8 / 40 (697.0512)	4 (178.8572)	13 (174.2628)	—	13 (173.1084)
May 26, 2023	Best Dam Barbeque 🏅 Boulder City, NV	14 / 27 (676.4340)	6 (175.4056)	9 (170.8228)	—	22 (159.3828)
May 27, 2022	Best Dam Barbeque 🏅 Boulder City, NV	10 / 26 (675.3024)	16 (163.9656)	10 (167.4056)	4 (174.2628)	7 (169.6684)
May 28, 2021	The Best Dam Barbeque 🏅 Boulder City, NV	12 / 26 (659.2568)	10 (169.1084)	7 (166.2284)	—	20 (154.8116)

Big Johns BBQ Company

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 (15 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Among the elite

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

On the rise

Giant slayer

They almost always walk

High-water mark

State champions

The one to beat

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Looking over their shoulder

The long haul

The metronome

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)