BAM BAMS BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#3922

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1485

peak 1512 · rated over 13 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-01-25

latest 2018-08-31

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 61%

overall standings

Best overall

667.3372 / 720

Master · Best Dam Barbecue

Perfect 180s

Current form

634.20 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 633.65 (+0.55)

Walk rate

62%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

177.7142

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

Consistency

±21.70

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 159.98 · weakest Pork (156.99)

Road miles

14,862

mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 1993 mi

Schedule strength

32%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1543)

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

633.65 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

They almost always walk

62% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 8 of 13 contests

A top-10 category call in 62% of their 13 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

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
2015-05-22

A tough matchup

3–0 behind in the head-to-head

OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE ahead in 100% of their meetings

OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has come out ahead in 3 of their 3 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) (2018-08-31).

last seen 2016-09-23
back 2018-08-31

The long haul

14,862 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 14,862 miles across 13 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,993 miles to 5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship.

13 mapped stops
furthest 1,993 mi

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

Feher Nyul BBQ Team

#3924 of the rated field

1485 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 46%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1521 at their best, 36 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2023-08-12

⚔ Head-to-head

AXE-MEN BBQ

#3904 of the rated field

1485 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2018-10-19

⚔ Head-to-head

Close Butt No Cigar

#3907 of the rated field

1485 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1485

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 8% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2020-10-23

⚔ Head-to-head

D'S SMOKEHOUSE

#3913 of the rated field

1485 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1485

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 4 years before BAM BAMS BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Hair of the Hog

#3915 of the rated field

1485 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1502

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2025-10-10

⚔ Head-to-head

FIRE FAMILY BBQ/NOT SO SMOOTH SMOKE

#3936 of the rated field

1484 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1504

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2023-06-09

⚔ Head-to-head

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	1	1	170.8572	140.5028	158.32	top 62%
Pork Ribs	13	6	1	177.7142	145.0516	159.98	top 56%
Pork	13	2	0	166.8344	137.6684	156.99	top 63%
Brisket	13	3	1	169.7716	147.3716	158.36	top 54%

“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	Avg finish
CT	3	top 86%
VA	3	top 71%
NV	2	top 48%
WV	1	top 68%
PA	1	top 66%
UT	1	top 23%
NM	1	top 61%
AZ	1	top 13%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	4	top 75%
Medium (20–39)	7	top 59%
Large (40+)	2	top 40%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
The Best BBQ Chef Competition	2	14	0	top 88%	2015-08-29

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.6 yrs 2013-01-25 → 2018-08-31

Busiest season 2014 5 contests

Contests a season 2.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CT 3 of 13 contests · 8 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 12 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 13 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 159.98 · weakest Pork (156.99)

Walk rate 62% a top-10 call in 8 of 13 contests

Overall top-10 rate 15% 2 of 13 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 633.65 out of 720 · 13 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 331 201–205 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 14,862 13 mapped stops · furthest 1,993 mi

Schedule strength 1543 average field rating faced — tougher than 32% of rated contests

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.9 yrs 2016-09-23 → 2018-08-31

Power rating 1485 peak 1512 · #3922 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
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
2014
Jul 24 First overall top-10 Days of 47 BBQ Showdown
2015
May 22 Career-best overall score667.3372 Best Dam Barbecue
Aug 29 10th tracked contest The Best BBQ Chef Competition
2018
Aug 31 Most recent contest *West Virginia BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.2	5th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship	2013-01-25
+11	Days of 47 BBQ Showdown	2014-07-24
+7.2	Best Dam Barbecue	2015-05-22
+4	Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival	2014-08-22
+1.2	*West Virginia BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL)	2018-08-31

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.9	The Best BBQ Chef Competition	2014-09-27
-12.1	Hogging Up Virginia Bluegrass BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL)	2013-06-28
-9	Smokin' on the Track BBQ	2013-09-20
-7.1	Bear's Smokehouse New England BBQ Championships	2015-09-05
-6.5	The Best BBQ Chef Competition	2015-08-29

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)

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
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
2018-08-31	*West Virginia BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Ranson, WV	27 / 40 (636.3772)	19 (165.6800)	38 (145.0516)	22 (163.9772)	23 (161.6684)
2016-09-23	Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA	25 / 38 (637.7260)	30 (153.1200)	23 (159.4516)	24 (158.2744)	10 (166.8800)
2015-09-05	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)
2015-08-29	The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT	14 / 17 (614.8000)	12 (158.8572)	9 (162.2628)	17 (137.6684)	12 (156.0116)
2015-05-22	Best Dam Barbecue Boulder City, NV	13 / 38 (667.3372)	11 (170.8572)	8 (169.6800)	20 (166.8344)	22 (159.9656)
2014-09-27	The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT	14 / 15 (602.7544)	11 (151.9772)	13 (151.3828)	14 (147.4172)	11 (151.9772)
2014-08-22	Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival Harrisonburg, VA	7 / 16 (637.6916)	3 (168.0000)	10 (155.4516)	6 (159.9772)	9 (154.2628)
2014-08-22	Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV	19 / 31 (645.0628)	18 (163.4516)	23 (157.0972)	23 (159.3596)	14 (165.1544)
2014-07-24	Days of 47 BBQ Showdown Holladay, UT	7 / 31 (660.5716)	16 (163.9772)	8 (166.8572)	19 (159.9656)	3 (169.7716)
2014-07-04	Pork & Brew BBQ State Championship 🏅 Rio Rancho, NM	23 / 38 (637.1204)	17 (159.9888)	19 (165.1544)	17 (164.5600)	31 (147.4172)
2013-09-20	Smokin' on the Track BBQ Shenandoah, VA	21 / 26 (605.5660)	25 (140.5028)	15 (155.9888)	6 (161.7028)	22 (147.3716)
2013-06-28	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)
2013-01-25	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 (everything the results say about this team, 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

Top-10 streak

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (5 found in this team's record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The comeback

The long haul

Teams like this (closest power rating)

By meat

By state / province

By contest size

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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)

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)