The comeback
6.8 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 6.8 years, then back at Pitmasters in Paradise (Apr 25, 2026).
- last seen Jun 21, 2019
- back Apr 25, 2026
.Herb's BBQ
.Herb's BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 20th at the Silicon Valley BBQ Championship (2019). They finished #1065 in the 2026 Master Series Team of the Year standings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Herb's BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1488
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 11 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
Jun 21, 2019
latest Apr 25, 2026 · 6.8 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 97%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 171.43 · weakest Chicken (146.83)
Road miles
2,402
across 7 mapped stops · furthest 2,400 mi
Purse competed for
$39K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #1065 (60 pts) | #1141 (60 pts) | #1145 (80 pts) | #1111 (60 pts) | #1102 (60 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to .Herb's BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
.Herb's BBQ has 1 rated contest, short of the five a power ranking needs, so its rating is still close to the 1500 every team starts on and 123 rated teams sit within a point of it.
#3,791 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1509
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,760 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1504
They turned up 5 years after .Herb's BBQ did, first appearing in 2024.
⚔ Compare careers#3,778 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1503
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before .Herb's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,785 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1502
Level with .Herb's BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,775 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1505
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before .Herb's BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,783 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1488
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before .Herb'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 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.8232 | 130.8456 | 146.83 | top 94% |
| Pork Ribs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171.4288 | 171.4288 | 171.43 | top 60% |
| Pork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 157.0744 | 157.0744 | 157.07 | top 97% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 151.9432 | 151.9432 | 151.94 | top 100% |
“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
Contests a season
1
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CA
6 of 7 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
2
a different one every time
Most-entered meat
Chicken
2 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Opponents faced
99
finished ahead 27 times, behind 71
Longest layoff
6.8 yrs
Jun 21, 2019 → Apr 25, 2026
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- Career-best overall score643.2696 Pitmasters in Paradise
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)171.4288 Pitmasters in Paradise
- Most recent contest Pitmasters in Paradise
20141 milestone
- First tracked contest Silicon Valley BBQ Championships
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 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 89.3% | 89.3% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | 76.8% | 76.8% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2026 | Pitmasters in Paradise 🏅 Auburndale, FL | 34 / 35 (643.2696) | 33 (162.8232) | 21 (171.4288) | 34 (157.0744) | 35 (151.9432) |
| Jun 21, 2019 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship 🏅 unrated Santa Clara, CA | 20 (276.5140) | 20 (130.8456) | — | — | — |
| Jun 22, 2018 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 23, 2017 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 24, 2016 | Silicon Valley Barbeque Championships Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2014 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.