Bowmans Butt & BBQ VA
Rating
1681
peak 1715
Contests
66
in the data
First seen
2019-04-27
latest 2026-04-24
Best ToY finish
#112
Master 2023
Grand champs
6
6 reserve
Category wins
20
51 podiums
Overall top-10s
49
of 66 contests
Avg finish
top 33%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
681.48 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 564.73 (+116.75)
Walk rate
89%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
14
best run (overall)
Consistency
±151.61
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.78 · weakest Pork (169.69)
Road miles
12356
mi across 66 mapped stops · furthest 986 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ has finished one call ahead of Bowmans Butt & BBQ 7 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
LEM'S MEAT VARNISH has landed one call behind them 4 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN has come out ahead in 15 of their 19 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of smokey anderson bbq in 19 of their 19 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Smoke in the Grove is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 0.0576 points of the Grand Championship at Zom-B-Q(BBQ Wythe US) (2019-10-25).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 94-team field at Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition.
📅 A July team
Something about July: average finish in the top 21% across 9 contests, versus top 33% the rest of the year.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 (2024-05-03) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 26-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN.
Teams like this (closest power rating, VA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 64 | 48 | 5 | 17 | 178.8572 | 158.2284 | 171.78 | top 31% |
| Pork Ribs | 64 | 45 | 8 | 18 | 178.8572 | 145.6800 | 170.08 | top 35% |
| Pork | 51 | 27 | 4 | 10 | 180.0000 🔥 | 147.8972 | 169.69 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 37 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 180.0000 🔥 | 161.0856 | 170.26 | top 47% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 33 | 2 | top 34% |
| WV | 11 | 1 | top 34% |
| NC | 8 | 1 | top 38% |
| MD | 4 | 0 | top 20% |
| KS | 3 | 1 | top 33% |
| PA | 2 | 1 | top 6% |
| OK | 1 | 0 | top 12% |
| SC | 1 | 0 | top 12% |
| NJ | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 23 | 2 | top 38% |
| Medium (20–39) | 30 | 0 | top 31% |
| Large (40+) | 11 | 4 | top 26% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2021 (19 contests)
- Cooks mostly in VA (33 of 66 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (64 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition (2020-11-13)
- Wins it all in 9% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 564.73
- 2 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
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 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 682.1484 | 680.43 |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 695.9316 | 686.64 |
| 2024 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 708.5372 | 693.08 |
| 2023 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 693.6456 | 685.74 |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 691.9312 | 683.54 |
| 2021 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 521.0972 | 398.27 |
| 2020 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 476.9484 | 383.90 |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 505.0512 | 424.09 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-24 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl Williamsburg, VA | 10 / 20 (680.4340) | 3 (176.5600) | 12 (168.5372) | 13 (167.9656) | 14 (167.3712) |
| 2026-03-28 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) Urbanna, VA | 22 / 36 (682.1484) | 12 (176.5600) | 31 (166.2400) | 18 (171.9656) | 29 (167.3828) |
| 2026-03-27 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) Urbanna, VA | 23 / 40 (678.7200) | 17 (173.1084) | 35 (162.8116) | 2 (177.7028) | 27 (165.0972) |
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest Kansas City, KS | 101 / 158 (681.6228) | 110 (169.6916) | 62 (173.7144) | 135 (165.1084) | 48 (173.1084) |
| 2025-11-05 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 139 / 401 (684.4800) | 41 (176.5600) | 234 (167.9656) | 167 (171.4172) | 185 (168.5372) |
| 2025-09-26 | Fire in the Foothills King, NC | 5 / 25 (688.4916) | 5 (174.2744) | 10 (171.9772) | 10 (170.2744) | 6 (171.9656) |
| 2025-09-19 | Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge Rutherford College, NC | 15 / 36 (681.6000) | 6 (173.1200) | 12 (170.8344) | 21 (168.5372) | 18 (169.1084) |
| 2025-07-25 | Smoke on the Mountain Galax, VA | 2 / 37 (693.0740) | 9 (173.7028) | 8 (173.7028) | 12 (170.8228) | 9 (174.8456) |
| 2025-06-07 | Devils Backbone BBQ Championship (Day 2) Roseland, VA | 4 / 18 (695.9316) | 7 (174.2628) | 1 (177.7144) | 12 (169.6800) | 3 (174.2744) |
| 2025-06-06 | Devils Backbone BBQ Championship (Day 1) Roseland, VA | 9 / 15 (686.7772) | 2 (176.5600) | 12 (167.3828) | 6 (173.1544) | 11 (169.6800) |
| 2025-04-25 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) Williamsburg, VA | 4 / 20 (684.4456) | 3 (176.5600) | 1 (177.7028) | 13 (167.3828) | 18 (162.8000) |
| 2025-02-28 | Mission Farms - King of the Farm Iron Station, NC | 9 / 26 (683.3028) | 2 (175.4056) | 24 (163.9428) | 10 (173.1200) | 11 (170.8344) |
| 2024-10-26 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) Roseland, VA | 7 / 11 (688.4800) | 3 (176.5600) | 6 (170.8228) | 11 (164.5372) | 2 (176.5600) |
| 2024-10-25 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) Roseland, VA | 4 / 13 (693.0512) | 9 (171.9656) | 5 (172.5600) | 2 (173.1200) | 4 (175.4056) |
| 2024-08-30 | Fire in the Foothills BBQ Festival King, NC | 14 / 28 (678.7888) | 10 (173.7144) | 7 (171.9772) | 18 (166.8456) | 18 (166.2516) |
| 2024-07-26 | Smoke on the Mountain Galax, VA | 2 / 32 (705.0972) | 4 (178.8572) | 4 (176.5600) | 15 (173.1200) | 4 (176.5600) |
| 2024-06-14 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Buckhannon, WV | 7 / 30 (683.3372) | 1 (175.4172) | 9 (172.5600) | 13 (169.1200) | 20 (166.2400) |
| 2024-05-03 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 Kannapolis, NC | 1 / 45 (708.5372) | 10 (175.4056) | 1 (177.7144) | 11 (175.4172) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2024-04-19 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) Williamsburg, VA | 3 / 25 (694.2516) | 4 (174.8456) | 10 (171.9772) | 2 (178.2972) | 15 (169.1316) |
| 2023-10-28 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) Galax, VA | 9 / 17 (692.5028) | 15 (170.2512) | 3 (176.0116) | 9 (170.8344) | 7 (175.4056) |
| 2023-10-27 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) Galax, VA | 11 / 19 (683.3368) | 15 (165.1428) | 2 (178.8572) | 15 (168.5256) | 8 (170.8112) |
| 2023-09-09 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) Mannington, WV | 7 / 11 (689.6344) | 10 (169.6684) | 5 (172.5716) | 10 (168.5372) | 2 (178.8572) |
| 2023-09-08 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) Mannington, WV | 5 / 12 (687.3712) | 9 (168.5484) | 5 (172.5600) | 9 (167.4056) | 1 (178.8572) |
| 2023-07-21 | Smoke on the Mountain Galax, VA | 5 / 38 (693.6456) | 8 (176.5600) | 24 (165.1200) | 4 (178.8572) | 12 (173.1084) |
| 2023-07-14 | Chillin & Grillin in the Glades Wise, VA | 20 / 36 (678.1828) | 11 (173.1200) | 14 (170.2744) | 9 (173.7028) | 32 (161.0856) |
| 2023-06-02 | Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA | 3 / 27 (693.0628) | 20 (163.3828) | 6 (170.8228) | 1 (180.0000) | 1 (178.8572) |
| 2023-04-29 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 2) Williamsburg, VA | 8 / 19 (683.3600) | 8 (172.5600) | 6 (175.4400) | 16 (165.6800) | 7 (169.6800) |
| 2023-04-28 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 1) Williamsburg, VA | 7 / 20 (685.6228) | 7 (176.0000) | 4 (174.2744) | 9 (171.4056) | 15 (163.9428) |
| 2023-02-24 | Mission Farm's King of the Farm Iron Station, NC | 22 / 33 (670.6856) | 7 (174.2628) | 28 (163.9428) | 24 (166.2400) | 25 (166.2400) |
| 2022-09-30 | Vista BBQ Competition Altavista, VA | 8 / 17 (684.4568) | 1 (177.7028) | 11 (167.9656) | 8 (171.9656) | 9 (166.8228) |
| 2022-09-23 | Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge Connelly Springs, NC | 21 / 32 (673.6000) | 3 (176.5600) | 23 (163.4060) | 28 (161.6568) | 9 (171.9772) |
| 2022-07-21 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022 Galax, VA | 7 / 25 (691.3484) | 4 (175.4056) | 2 (176.5600) | 3 (177.7028) | 16 (161.6800) |
| 2022-07-15 | Chillin & Grillin in the Glades Wise, VA | 17 / 31 (684.4800) | 5 (177.7028) | 4 (175.4172) | 22 (167.3828) | 27 (163.9772) |
| 2022-06-17 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Roanoke, WV | 5 / 20 (691.9312) | 4 (173.7028) | 4 (176.5600) | 11 (169.1200) | 7 (172.5484) |
| 2022-05-21 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 Mannington, WV | 9 / 13 (680.4456) | 11 (166.2284) | 7 (174.2744) | 11 (168.5256) | 8 (171.4172) |
| 2022-05-20 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 Mannington, WV | 4 / 14 (686.2176) | 4 (174.2744) | 2 (172.5716) | 5 (171.9772) | 8 (167.3944) |
| 2022-04-22 | Downtown BBQ Throwdown Ripley, WV | 8 / 17 (675.8628) | 3 (175.4056) | 12 (165.0972) | 3 (173.7028) | 11 (161.6572) |
| 2021-12-11 | River Bar Smoke Out Goldsboro, NC | 4 / 17 (334.2172) | 3 (167.9772) | 7 (166.2400) | — | — |
| 2021-11-12 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Backyard Shawnee, OK | 4 / 33 (343.9544) | 4 (175.4172) | 11 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2021-11-11 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Ancillary Shawnee, OK | — | — | — | 23 (167.3828) | — |
| 2021-10-16 | Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague Galax, VA | 7 / 15 (341.6572) | 2 (175.4172) | 14 (166.2400) | — | — |
| 2021-10-15 | Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague Galax, VA | 1 / 15 (345.7028) | 8 (170.2628) | 2 (175.4400) | 1 (178.8572) | — |
| 2021-09-25 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown at Americamps - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 11 / 18 (504.4916) | 11 (168.5488) | 8 (170.2744) | 9 (165.6684) | — |
| 2021-09-24 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown at Americamps - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 2 / 19 (506.7656) | 11 (167.9656) | 2 (170.8228) | 6 (167.9772) | — |
| 2021-08-28 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 2 Boonsboro, MD | 9 / 20 (328.5372) | 9 (163.9772) | 9 (164.5600) | — | — |
| 2021-08-27 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 1 Boonsboro, MD | 4 / 24 (347.4284) | 3 (176.5600) | 8 (170.8684) | — | — |
| 2021-07-30 | Smoke in the Grove Spring Grove, PA | 1 / 54 (343.9428) | 9 (169.6800) | 1 (174.2628) | 7 (166.8460) | — |
| 2021-07-23 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship Galax, VA | 3 / 17 (343.3712) | 2 (172.5484) | 3 (170.8228) | — | — |
| 2021-06-18 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Roanoke, WV | 6 / 28 (337.6572) | 4 (169.1200) | 5 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2021-05-15 | Smokin' on the Buffalo BBQ Brawl - Day 2 Mannington, WV | 2 / 15 (519.3712) | 4 (171.9884) | 7 (168.5256) | 2 (178.8572) | — |
| 2021-05-14 | Smokin' on the Buffalo BBQ Brawl - Day 1 Mannington, WV | 1 / 18 (521.0972) | 1 (175.4056) | 2 (170.2744) | 1 (175.4172) | — |
| 2021-04-17 | Interstate BBQ Festival - Day 2 Hagerstown, MD | 4 / 34 (340.5256) | 9 (169.6684) | 4 (170.8572) | — | — |
| 2021-04-16 | Interstate BBQ Festival - Day 1 Hagerstown, MD | 3 / 47 (342.8228) | 10 (169.6684) | 2 (173.1544) | — | — |
| 2021-03-27 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) Urbanna, VA | 1 / 40 (519.4172) | 2 (172.0000) | 1 (177.7372) | 7 (169.6800) | — |
| 2021-03-26 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) Urbanna, VA | 2 / 46 (509.6456) | 1 (176.5600) | 12 (165.7028) | 8 (167.3828) | — |
| 2021-03-19 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club Summerville, SC | 3 / 26 (338.2284) | 4 (165.1200) | 3 (173.1084) | — | — |
| 2020-11-13 | Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition Mayetta, KS | 1 / 94 (356.0000) | 1 (178.8572) | 1 (177.1428) | — | — |
| 2020-10-30 | Zom-B-Q Wytheville, VA | 18 / 33 (467.8172) | 14 (162.2400) | 17 (153.6344) | 17 (151.9428) | — |
| 2020-10-29 | The Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q Wytheville, VA | 13 / 33 (476.9484) | 11 (165.6684) | 10 (163.3828) | 18 (147.8972) | — |
| 2020-08-08 | BBQ WYTHE US DAY 2 WYTHE, VA | 4 / 17 (342.8000) | 11 (165.0972) | 1 (177.7028) | — | — |
| 2020-08-07 | BBQ WYTHE US DAY 1 WYTHE, VA | 8 / 19 (327.8856) | 6 (166.2400) | 8 (161.6456) | — | — |
| 2020-07-24 | Smoke in the Grove Spring Grove, PA | 6 / 59 (331.9312) | 13 (163.3828) | 5 (168.5484) | 1 (176.5828) | — |
| 2019-10-25 | Zom-B-Q(BBQ Wythe US) Wytheville, VA | 2 / 20 (505.0512) | 5 (167.4056) | 1 (176.0000) | 4 (161.6456) | — |
| 2019-06-07 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Roanoke, WV | 10 / 31 (303.9084) | 6 (158.2284) | 10 (145.6800) | — | — |
| 2019-04-27 | New Jersey KnoQ-out CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Blairstown, NJ | 43 / 43 (463.3140) | 28 (159.4284) | 41 (146.8000) | 27 (157.0856) | — |
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 | #392 (265 pts) | #275 (445 pts) | #528 (230 pts) | #249 (460 pts) | #467 (220 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #300 (736 pts) | #237 (941 pts) | #373 (696 pts) | #397 (556 pts) | #380 (581 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #119 (1364 pts) | #136 (1284 pts) | #158 (1229 pts) | #198 (1034 pts) | #159 (1184 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #112 (1403 pts) | #143 (1233 pts) | #86 (1543 pts) | #115 (1368 pts) | #85 (1548 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #106 (418 pts) | #142 (268 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #189 (1084 pts) | #76 (1589 pts) | #141 (1319 pts) | #185 (1094 pts) | #243 (949 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #6 (1274 pts) | #4 (1298 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #19 (595 pts) | #10 (785 pts) | — | — |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1957 (60 pts) | #2049 (60 pts) | #2028 (60 pts) | #2032 (60 pts) | — |