The comeback
3.4 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 3.4 years, then back at 10th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam (Jan 9, 2026).
- last seen Aug 27, 2022
- back Jan 9, 2026
JW's BBQ
JW's BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 8th of 31 at the Clayton BBQ Cook-off (2019).
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1503
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 4
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Jul 25, 2014
latest Jan 9, 2026 · 11.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
2
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
13% of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 50%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±2.21
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 171.13 · weakest Chicken (156.56)
Road miles
3,618
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 2,379 mi
Schedule strength
29%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1540)
Purse competed for
$22K
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
661.06 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
317.87 / 360
3 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to JW's BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
JW's BBQ has 4 rated contests, short of the five a power ranking needs, so its rating is still close to the 1500 every team starts on and 114 rated teams sit within a point of it.
#3,107 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1503
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,098 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1514
Level with JW's BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,087 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1521
They turned up 10 years after JW's BBQ did, first appearing in 2024.
⚔ Compare careers#3,105 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1511
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before JW's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,116 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1506
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before JW's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,100 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1507
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before JW's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.9772 | 146.3088 | 156.56 | top 59% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 173.7028 | 154.8000 | 163.41 | top 37% |
| Pork | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 177.7144 | 164.5484 | 171.13 | top 33% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2744 | 159.3716 | 162.82 | top 50% |
“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
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
2 contests
Contests a season
1.1
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CA
6 of 8 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
4
a different one every time
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
5 entries · 1 win · 3 calls
Opponents faced
162
finished ahead 81 times, behind 81
Longest layoff
3.4 yrs
Aug 27, 2022 → Jan 9, 2026
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork)177.7144 10th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam
- Most recent contest 10th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam
20221 milestone
- First category win (Pork Ribs) CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD)
20193 milestones
- First call Clayton BBQ Cook-off
- First overall top-10 Clayton BBQ Cook-off
- Peak power rating (1509) Clayton BBQ Cook-off
20143 milestones
- First tracked contest Dodge City Days Barbeque Cook-Off
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.0628 Dodge City Days Barbeque Cook-Off
- Career-best overall score661.0628 Dodge City Days Barbeque Cook-Off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +8 | Clayton BBQ Cook-off | Jul 12, 2019 |
| +0.8 | Dodge City Days Barbeque Cook-Off | Jul 25, 2014 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -4.7 | CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD) | Jul 10, 2022 |
| -0.9 | 10th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam | Jan 9, 2026 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 55% | 88.5% | 88.5% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 65% | 88.9% | 88.9% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 26% | 87.5% | 87.5% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 91.8% | 91.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2026 | 10th Annual Jimmy Jam BBQ Slam 🏅 St. Augustine, FL | 21 / 38 (318.7772) | 15 (163.9772) | 24 (154.8000) | 1 (177.7144) | 18 (159.3716) |
| Aug 27, 2022 | Holy Smokes (ONE MEAT RIBS) Walnut Creek, CA | — | — | 8 (159.4060) | — | — |
| Jul 10, 2022 | CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD) Clayton, CA | 13 / 20 (320.0116) | 18 (146.3088) | 1 (173.7028) | — | — |
| Jul 12, 2019 | Clayton BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Clayton, CA | 8 / 31 (314.8344) | 14 (154.2744) | 6 (160.5600) | — | — |
| Jul 13, 2018 | 2018 Clayton BBQ Cook-off Clayton, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 15, 2017 | 2017 Clayton BBQ Cook-off a KCBS (Competitor Series) event Sponsored by the CBCA Clayton, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 31, 2015 | Oaktown Throwdown Oakland, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2014 | Dodge City Days Barbeque Cook-Off Dodge City, KS | 16 / 30 (661.0628) | 18 (161.6800) | 13 (168.5600) | 19 (164.5484) | 16 (166.2744) |