BAM BAMS BBQ

BAM BAMS BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 21 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 7th of 16 at the Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival (2014). They are ranked #5138 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Bam Bam's BBQ” and “Bam Bam,sBBQ”.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,138

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1460

peak 1512 · rated over 20 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jan 25, 2013

latest Oct 4, 2024 · 11.7 years on the trail

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

10% of 21 contests

Avg finish

top 66%

overall standings

Best overall

667.3372 / 720

Master · Best Dam Barbecue

Perfect 180s

Current form

643.83 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 636.74 (+7.09)

Walk rate

43%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7142

Pork Ribs · 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship

Consistency

±19.27

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 160.35 · weakest Chicken (158.46)

Road miles

12,754

across 21 mapped stops · furthest 1,992 mi

Schedule strength

46%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1560)

Purse competed for

$46K

listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 7 state-championship entries

Master avg

636.74 / 720

20 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (7 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

667.3372 career-best overall

92.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 667.3372 at Best Dam Barbecue — 92.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 22, 2015

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 56%.

5 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 56%

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE ahead in 100% of their meetings

OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The comeback

1.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.9 years, then back at West Virginia BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) (Aug 31, 2018).

last seen Sep 23, 2016
back Aug 31, 2018

Pork Ribs nemesis

6 of 8 shared pork ribs entries lost

OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has out-cooked them in 6 of 8 shared pork ribs entries.

Built for the big stage

Top 62% average finish in large fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 62% finish in large fields against top 72% in small ones.

Large (40+): top 62% (4)
Small (<20 teams): top 72% (5)

The long haul

12,754 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 12,754 miles across 21 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,992 miles to 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship.

21 mapped stops
furthest 1,992 mi

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BAM BAMS BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

130 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

YARD LOBSTER BBQ

#5,154 of the rated field

1459 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1502

They've been 1502 at their best, 43 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Feb 21, 2020

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Wild Hog BBQ

#5,112 of the rated field

1460 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1460

Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 21, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

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GRILLSTAR.DE BBQ TEAM

#5,127 of the rated field

1460 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1460

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Feb 24, 2024

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J Adams Rib

#5,111 of the rated field

1460 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1460

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

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KIND OF A BIG DEAL BBQ

#5,131 of the rated field

1460 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1460

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

rated over 14 contests
last seen Nov 18, 2022

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2 FAT BOYS & A GRILL

#5,148 of the rated field

1460 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1502

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 8 years before BAM BAMS BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 13 contests

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
REDNECK SMOKE CLUB	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
3 EYZ BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	20	1	1	170.8572	140.5028	158.46	top 69%
Pork Ribs	20	6	1	177.7142	145.0516	160.35	top 62%
Pork	20	3	1	174.8572	137.6684	158.94	top 62%
Brisket	20	4	1	169.7716	146.8000	158.98	top 57%

“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)	5	top 72%
Medium (20–39)	11	top 64%
Large (40+)	4	top 62%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
VA	7	top 74%
PA	3	top 70%
CT	3	top 86%
NV	2	top 48%
NJ	1	top 73%
WV	1	top 68%
UT	1	top 23%
NM	1	top 61%
AZ	1	top 13%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	2	16	0	top 73%	Oct 4, 2024
The Best BBQ Chef Competition	2	14	0	top 88%	Aug 29, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2014 5 contests

Contests a season 2.1 across 10 seasons in the data

Most contests held in VA 8 of 21 contests · 9 states in all

Contests visited 18 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 509 finished ahead 263 times, behind 448

Longest layoff 1.9 yrs Sep 23, 2016 → Aug 31, 2018

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

20241 milestone

Oct 4 Most recent contest Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship

20152 milestones

May 22 Career-best overall score667.3372 Best Dam Barbecue
Aug 29 10th tracked contest The Best BBQ Chef Competition

20141 milestone

Jul 24 First overall top-10 Days of 47 BBQ Showdown

20135 milestones

Jan 25 First tracked contest 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship
Jan 25 First call 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship
Jan 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.8570 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship
Jan 25 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.7142 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship
Jan 25 Peak power rating (1512) 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.2	5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship	Jan 25, 2013
+11	Days of 47 BBQ Showdown	Jul 24, 2014
+7.2	Best Dam Barbecue	May 22, 2015
+4	Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival	Aug 22, 2014
+1.6	Que & Cruz	Oct 4, 2019

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.8	The Best BBQ Chef Competition	Sep 27, 2014
-12.1	Hogging Up Virginia Bluegrass BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL)	Jun 28, 2013
-10.3	BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)	Mar 24, 2023
-9	Smokin' on the Track BBQ	Sep 20, 2013
-8.7	Zom-B-Q	Oct 30, 2020

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	1	0	0%	top 84%	88.6%	88.6%
2023	2	0	0%	top 96%	87.3%	87.3%
2022	1	0	0%	top 62%	89.5%	89.5%
2020	2	0	50%	top 74%	92.3%	90.9%
2019	2	0	0%	top 65%	90.2%	88.8%
2018	1	0	0%	top 68%	88.4%	88.4%
2016	1	0	100%	top 66%	88.6%	88.6%
2015	3	0	100%	top 66%	92.7%	87.8%
2014	5	2	40%	top 56%	91.7%	88.4%
2013	3	0	67%	top 61%	92.6%	87.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 4, 2024	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	21 / 25 (638.0572)	24 (152.5144)	18 (161.0972)	19 (163.9544)	19 (160.4912)
Mar 24, 2023	BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	51 / 53 (628.3544)	46 (163.9428)	31 (170.2744)	53 (147.3372)	52 (146.8000)
Mar 24, 2023	BBQ Gives Back (One Meat Chicken) Urbanna, VA	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 7, 2022	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	16 / 26 (644.4460)	11 (167.9772)	21 (157.6916)	13 (166.2628)	23 (152.5144)
Oct 30, 2020	Zom-B-Q 🏅 Wytheville, VA	30 / 33 (643.8172)	33 (155.9316)	31 (157.1316)	13 (169.1084)	23 (161.6456)
Aug 7, 2020	BBQ WYTHE US DAY 1 🏅 Wythe, VA	11 / 19 (664.4688)	18 (161.0972)	18 (160.5372)	3 (174.8572)	8 (167.9772)
Oct 4, 2019	Que & Cruz 🏅 Louisa, VA	16 / 28 (649.6000)	17 (165.0856)	19 (159.3828)	18 (162.2972)	12 (162.8344)
Mar 8, 2019	Mid Atlantic BBQ Expo Atlantic City, NJ	48 / 66 (628.5256)	59 (144.5484)	33 (161.1772)	49 (154.2400)	13 (168.5600)
Aug 31, 2018	West Virginia BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Ranson, WV	27 / 40 (636.3772)	19 (165.6800)	38 (145.0516)	22 (163.9772)	23 (161.6684)
Sep 23, 2016	Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA	25 / 38 (637.7260)	30 (153.1200)	23 (159.4516)	24 (158.2744)	10 (166.8800)
Sep 5, 2015	Bear's Smokehouse New England BBQ Championships Hartford, CT	14 / 17 (614.7656)	11 (156.5828)	10 (161.1316)	16 (143.3712)	11 (153.6800)
Aug 29, 2015	The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT	14 / 17 (614.8000)	12 (158.8572)	9 (162.2628)	17 (137.6684)	12 (156.0116)
May 22, 2015	Best Dam Barbecue Boulder City, NV	13 / 38 (667.3372)	11 (170.8572)	8 (169.6800)	20 (166.8344)	22 (159.9656)
Sep 27, 2014	The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT	14 / 15 (602.7544)	11 (151.9772)	13 (151.3828)	14 (147.4172)	11 (151.9772)
Aug 22, 2014	Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV	19 / 31 (645.0628)	18 (163.4516)	23 (157.0972)	23 (159.3596)	14 (165.1544)
Aug 22, 2014	Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival Harrisonburg, VA	7 / 16 (637.6916)	3 (168)	10 (155.4516)	6 (159.9772)	9 (154.2628)
Jul 24, 2014	Days of 47 BBQ Showdown Holladay, UT	7 / 31 (660.5716)	16 (163.9772)	8 (166.8572)	19 (159.9656)	3 (169.7716)
Jul 4, 2014	Pork & Brew BBQ State Championship 🏅 Rio Rancho, NM	23 / 38 (637.1204)	17 (159.9888)	19 (165.1544)	17 (164.5600)	31 (147.4172)
Sep 20, 2013	Smokin' on the Track BBQ Shenandoah, VA	21 / 26 (605.5660)	25 (140.5028)	15 (155.9888)	6 (161.7028)	22 (147.3716)
Jun 28, 2013	Hogging Up Virginia Bluegrass BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Winchester, VA	23 / 26 (610.8568)	25 (149.7140)	21 (152.5716)	22 (152.5714)	15 (155.9998)
Jan 25, 2013	5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship Lake Havasu City, AZ	11 / 86 (666.8570)	61 (155.4288)	2 (177.7142)	35 (165.1426)	14 (168.5714)

BAM BAMS BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

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 (7 found in their record)

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

Built for the big stage

The long haul

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)