Blue Line BBQ MD
Rating
1465
peak 1465 · rated over 16 contests
Contests
18
in the data
First seen
2019-06-14
latest 2026-02-27
Best ToY finish
#986
Master 2022
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 18 contests
Avg finish
top 66%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
651.87 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 648.55 (+3.32)
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±17.43
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 163.97 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.71)
Road miles
15332
mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 2170 mi
Schedule strength
30%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1525)
Purse competed for
$174K
listed at 15 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 16 state-championship entries
Master avg
648.55 / 720
10 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
321.21 / 360
4 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
12 BAR BLUES CUE has finished one call ahead of Blue Line BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Make BBQ Great Again has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
OWENS BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Bone Suckin' Good BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
😤 Chicken nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, SPITFIRE has out-cooked them in 4 of 4 shared chicken entries.
📅 A October team
Something about October: average finish in the top 57% across 4 contests, versus top 66% the rest of the year.
🔁 The comeback
Off the trail for 1.9 years, then back at Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cook-Off (2025-09-19).
Teams like this (closest power rating, MD first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWENS BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Bone Suckin' Good BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Make BBQ Great Again | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Pig Kahunas | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HARCO LOCO BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Team Meat Coma | 5 | 1 | 3 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 152.5712 | 163.97 | top 55% |
| Pork Ribs | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 135.3716 | 156.71 | top 75% |
| Pork | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 177.1428 | 143.9200 | 163.33 | top 57% |
| Brisket | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.8228 | 154.7772 | 160.95 | top 61% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD | 5 | 0 | top 62% |
| MN | 3 | 0 | top 68% |
| MT | 3 | 0 | top 55% |
| SD | 2 | 0 | top 66% |
| AZ | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
| MO | 1 | 0 | top 84% |
| WY | 1 | 0 | top 64% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 11 | 0 | top 65% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 67% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland State BBQ Bash | 4 | 13 | 0 | top 68% | 2023-10-13 |
| Original SD BBQ Championship | 2 | 31 | 0 | top 66% | 2022-06-03 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2019 (5 contests)
- Cooks mostly in MD (5 of 18 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (16 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 648.55 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 321.21 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2019-06-14 — First tracked contest · Miles City Cowtown Cook Off
- 📣 2019-06-22 — First call · Montana BBQ Cook-Off
- 📈 2019-06-22 — Peak power rating (1495) · Montana BBQ Cook-Off
- ⭐ 2023-05-12 — Career-best overall score (673.0288) · Minnesota in May
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +8.8 | MD State BBQ Bash | 2025-10-10 |
| +5.1 | Montana BBQ Cook-Off | 2019-06-22 |
| +4.5 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | 2023-10-13 |
| +2.8 | Montana Pitmaster Classic | 2019-08-23 |
| +1.9 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | 2021-10-15 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11 | BBQ & Brew Festival | 2026-02-27 |
| -9.8 | Miles City Cowtown Cook Off | 2019-06-14 |
| -9.8 | Smokin in Steele | 2023-06-02 |
| -9.6 | Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League | 2020-04-06 |
| -5.6 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | 2019-08-09 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 85.1% | 85.1% |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 38% | 91.4% | 91.4% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 67% | top 62% | 93.5% | 91.4% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 70% | 91.7% | 90% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 65% | 91.3% | 90% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | — | — |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40% | top 62% | 92% | 89.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-27 | BBQ & Brew Festival 🏅 Yuma, AZ | 25 / 25 (612.4224) | 24 (158.2628) | 25 (145.6684) | 25 (152.5256) | 24 (155.9656) |
| 2025-10-10 | MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 11 / 29 (329.0744) | 26 (157.0972) | 5 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-09-19 | Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cook-Off 🏅 Ponca City, OK | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 13 / 23 (322.8344) | 12 (162.8228) | 17 (160.0116) | — | — |
| 2023-06-02 | Smokin in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 24 / 29 (656.4460) | 16 (166.8460) | 26 (157.6800) | 1 (177.1428) | 25 (154.7772) |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 28 / 59 (673.0288) | 4 (176.5600) | 46 (162.8116) | 31 (167.4172) | 32 (166.2400) |
| 2022-10-14 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD | 21 / 30 (313.6000) | 24 (157.0972) | 21 (156.5028) | — | — |
| 2022-06-03 | Original SD BBQ Championship 🏅 Huron, SD | 31 / 46 (659.8968) | 34 (164.0000) | 32 (162.2284) | 22 (167.4056) | 27 (166.2628) |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (Masters) 🏅 Cambridge, MN | 43 / 59 (657.5656) | 47 (161.7028) | 45 (161.6572) | 34 (167.3828) | 25 (166.8228) |
| 2021-10-15 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD | 16 / 25 (319.3372) | 9 (168.5372) | 23 (150.8000) | — | — |
| 2021-06-04 | Original SD BBQ Championship 🏅 Huron, SD | 32 / 49 (657.0172) | 18 (168.5372) | 29 (163.9772) | 30 (165.6800) | 37 (158.8228) |
| 2021-06-04 | The Original SD BBQ Championships - One Meat Standalone Ribs Contest Huron, SD | — | — | 27 (151.9772) | — | — |
| 2020-04-06 | Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League washington, MO | 92 / 109 (155.4056) | — | — | — | 92 (155.4056) |
| 2019-09-13 | Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY | 18 / 28 (638.1600) | 11 (167.3944) | 24 (148.5372) | 17 (161.0972) | 12 (161.1312) |
| 2019-08-23 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 13 / 29 (639.8628) | 12 (166.2744) | 10 (163.9884) | 25 (143.9200) | 8 (165.6800) |
| 2019-08-09 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD | 24 / 30 (293.0172) | 11 (157.6456) | 35 (135.3716) | — | — |
| 2019-06-22 | Montana BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Absarokee, MT | 11 / 29 (662.6972) | 4 (174.2628) | 20 (159.3600) | 6 (172.5600) | 17 (156.5144) |
| 2019-06-14 | Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 🏅 Miles City, MT | 23 / 28 (628.3996) | 26 (152.5712) | 24 (154.8228) | 22 (158.2056) | 14 (162.8000) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #255 (125 pts) | #305 (100 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1014 (119 pts) | #607 (309 pts) | #1204 (114 pts) | #563 (339 pts) | #1079 (114 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #986 (120 pts) | #1051 (120 pts) | #1107 (120 pts) | #996 (135 pts) | #1021 (120 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1236 (60 pts) | #1149 (95 pts) | #1092 (115 pts) | #1262 (60 pts) | #1245 (60 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #2274 (60 pts) | #2353 (60 pts) | #2349 (60 pts) | #2326 (60 pts) | #2345 (60 pts) |