Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ NJ
Rating
1561
peak 1581
Contests
83
in the data
First seen
2024-04-26
latest 2026-06-26
Best ToY finish
#36
Master 2026
Grand champs
1
0 reserve
Category wins
11
22 podiums
Overall top-10s
11
of 83 contests
Avg finish
top 54%
overall standings
Best overall
703.9544
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
678.40 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 669.96 (+8.45)
Walk rate
70%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
3
best run (overall)
Best single call
180.0000 🔥
Consistency
±48.82
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 170.74 · weakest Brisket (168.14)
Road miles
13887
mi across 83 mapped stops · furthest 856 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
BBQ Maestros has finished one call ahead of Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
BulldogBBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
FIRE & SHINE BBQ has come out ahead in 23 of their 27 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Mullen It Over BBQ in 13 of their 14 shared contests.
📅 A August team
Something about August: average finish in the top 42% across 5 contests, versus top 54% the rest of the year.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1) (2025-08-08) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 16-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE.
Teams like this (closest power rating, NJ first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 65 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 177.1544 | 154.8000 | 168.76 | top 57% |
| Pork Ribs | 71 | 31 | 3 | 10 | 180.0000 🔥 | 151.3488 | 168.44 | top 54% |
| Pork | 51 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 180.0000 🔥 | 158.8000 | 170.74 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 51 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 177.7028 | 152.5716 | 168.14 | 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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA | 10 | 0 | top 57% |
| NJ | 8 | 0 | top 42% |
| VA | 6 | 1 | top 64% |
| MI | 5 | 0 | top 50% |
| OH | 4 | 0 | top 41% |
| WI | 4 | 0 | top 69% |
| CT | 4 | 0 | top 51% |
| TN | 3 | 0 | top 48% |
| IN | 3 | 0 | top 56% |
| NY | 2 | 0 | top 55% |
| KY | 2 | 0 | top 52% |
| NC | 1 | 0 | top 72% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 6 | 0 | top 61% |
| Medium (20–39) | 34 | 1 | top 52% |
| Large (40+) | 12 | 0 | top 54% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (39 contests)
- Cooks mostly in NJ (16 of 83 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (71 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1) (2025-08-08)
- Wins it all in 1% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 669.96
- 2 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 0 | 5 | 703.9544 | 679.58 |
| 2025 | 39 | 1 | 5 | 703.9428 | 677.75 |
| 2024 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 683.9544 | 629.25 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | Grizzly BBQ Brawl Wellington, OH | 20 / 39 (677.0512) | 13 (172.5600) | 32 (161.1200) | 8 (175.4056) | 17 (167.9656) |
| 2026-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 27 / 37 (674.7312) | 6 (176.0116) | 27 (165.6684) | 25 (168.5256) | 29 (164.5256) |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 34 / 40 (656.4000) | 21 (169.1200) | 38 (158.8000) | 34 (161.0972) | 16 (167.3828) |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 26 (159.9544) | — | — |
| 2026-05-24 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) Lebanon, TN | 10 / 82 (703.9544) | 34 (175.4056) | 53 (171.9888) | 1 (180.0000) | 13 (176.5600) |
| 2026-05-23 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) Lebanon, TN | 82 / 117 (679.8856) | 36 (174.8456) | 87 (167.9772) | 86 (167.3944) | 67 (169.6684) |
| 2026-05-22 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 12 (176.5716) | — | — |
| 2026-05-16 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) Morgantown, PA | 5 / 17 (686.1712) | 7 (175.4172) | 14 (165.6800) | 5 (174.2628) | 8 (170.8112) |
| 2026-05-15 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) Morgantown, PA | 19 / 25 (657.5200) | 14 (169.6800) | 25 (151.3488) | 5 (172.5600) | 16 (163.9312) |
| 2026-05-02 | Grand American Barbecue New York State Championship Open (OPEN FORMAT) New Paltz, NY | 27 / 59 (679.3256) | 7 (177.1428) | 21 (172.5600) | 41 (167.9772) | 51 (161.6456) |
| 2026-05-01 | Grand American Barbecue World Championship Invitational (COMPETITOR SERIES) New Paltz, NY | 28 / 43 (682.7428) | 14 (175.4056) | 36 (165.6800) | 18 (173.1316) | 26 (168.5256) |
| 2026-05-01 | Grand American Barbecue World Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) New Paltz, NY | — | 6 (176.0116) | — | — | — |
| 2026-05-01 | Grand American Barbecue World Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) New Paltz, NY | — | — | 14 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2026-04-24 | Marietta River City BBQ (OPEN FORMAT) Marietta, OH | 3 / 15 (681.6460) | 12 (167.3828) | 2 (173.1316) | 1 (177.7372) | 7 (163.3944) |
| 2026-04-24 | Marietta River City BBQ (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Marietta, OH | — | 8 (166.3084) | — | — | — |
| 2026-04-18 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) Blairstown, NJ | 4 / 26 (699.3484) | 13 (169.6684) | 5 (176.5600) | 5 (175.4172) | 1 (177.7028) |
| 2026-04-18 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Blairstown, NJ | — | — | 8 (153.6800) | — | — |
| 2026-04-17 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) Blairstown, NJ | 4 / 26 (685.0400) | 5 (171.9656) | 3 (174.2744) | 14 (168.5372) | 7 (170.2628) |
| 2026-04-17 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Blairstown, NJ | — | 7 (166.2516) | — | — | — |
| 2026-04-11 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) Bristol, CT | 18 / 29 (677.5884) | 28 (158.7884) | 23 (167.3944) | 1 (178.2972) | 10 (173.1084) |
| 2026-04-11 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Bristol, CT | — | 11 (169.1084) | — | — | — |
| 2026-04-11 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT | — | — | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2026-04-10 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) Bristol, CT | 15 / 33 (679.2680) | 17 (170.8112) | 22 (167.9656) | 5 (171.9656) | 14 (168.5256) |
| 2026-03-28 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) Urbanna, VA | 31 / 36 (673.0176) | 14 (176.5600) | 36 (160.5144) | 27 (167.4060) | 26 (168.5372) |
| 2026-03-27 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) Urbanna, VA | 17 / 40 (680.4684) | 31 (166.8228) | 26 (166.8344) | 15 (173.7028) | 12 (173.1084) |
| 2026-03-27 | BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Urbanna, VA | — | 1 (177.1544) | — | — | — |
| 2026-03-27 | BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT RIBS) Urbanna, VA | — | — | 25 (151.3600) | — | — |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship Lebanon, TN | 77 / 125 (678.7312) | 23 (176.5600) | 107 (162.2284) | 77 (169.6800) | 60 (170.2628) |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 37 (171.4056) | — | — | — |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 14 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2025-10-31 | "Spooky Q" 1792 Monticello, KY | 13 / 23 (677.5424) | 17 (168.5140) | 7 (170.8228) | 4 (176.5600) | 19 (161.6456) |
| 2025-10-25 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) Jackson, NJ | 13 / 32 (685.0516) | 22 (166.8228) | 9 (173.1200) | 9 (174.2860) | 15 (170.8228) |
| 2025-10-25 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (One Meat Ribs) Jackson, NJ | — | — | 13 (165.7144) | — | — |
| 2025-10-24 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) Jackson, NJ | 8 / 31 (689.0516) | 14 (171.9656) | 25 (163.9544) | 4 (176.5716) | 3 (176.5600) |
| 2025-10-24 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (One Meat Chicken) Jackson, NJ | — | 5 (175.4056) | — | — | — |
| 2025-09-26 | Fire in the Foothills King, NC | 18 / 25 (669.5540) | 8 (172.5600) | 11 (171.4056) | 14 (166.2516) | 22 (159.3368) |
| 2025-09-19 | September Fest Coldwater, MI | 3 / 26 (689.6112) | 9 (174.2628) | 10 (170.2744) | 1 (177.7028) | 14 (167.3712) |
| 2025-09-19 | September Fest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Coldwater, MI | — | — | 9 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2025-08-15 | Madison Ribberfest Madison, IN | 26 / 45 (675.8396) | 30 (167.9656) | 16 (170.8228) | 31 (167.3828) | 24 (169.6684) |
| 2025-08-09 | Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) Doswell, VA | 17 / 25 (679.9316) | 7 (177.1428) | 9 (173.7144) | 24 (160.5372) | 13 (168.5372) |
| 2025-08-08 | Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1) Doswell, VA | 1 / 25 (703.9428) | 7 (173.1084) | 1 (180.0000) | 1 (177.7144) | 9 (173.1200) |
| 2025-08-08 | Triple Crown BBQ (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Doswell, VA | — | 10 (166.2400) | — | — | — |
| 2025-08-08 | Triple Crown BBQ (ONE MEAT RIBS) Doswell, VA | — | — | 6 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2025-08-01 | All American BBQ Throwdown Westland, MI | 19 / 43 (680.4684) | 10 (173.1200) | 32 (166.8228) | 16 (171.9772) | 17 (168.5484) |
| 2025-08-01 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 24 (163.9428) | — | — |
| 2025-07-26 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) New Freedom, PA | 13 / 27 (673.1316) | 21 (166.8572) | 15 (166.8688) | 3 (176.0000) | 18 (163.4056) |
| 2025-07-25 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) New Freedom, PA | 13 / 30 (685.6572) | 12 (173.7144) | 16 (167.9772) | 12 (174.2628) | 18 (169.7028) |
| 2025-07-18 | Buckeye BBQ Classic Hillsboro, OH | 17 / 40 (683.3140) | 32 (164.5256) | 5 (174.8572) | 9 (174.2628) | 19 (169.6684) |
| 2025-06-28 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) Delta, PA | 8 / 10 (681.6228) | 10 (161.6800) | 7 (171.4172) | 3 (175.4056) | 3 (173.1200) |
| 2025-06-27 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) Delta, PA | 15 / 26 (671.2684) | 15 (169.6800) | 16 (166.8228) | 6 (174.2628) | 21 (160.5028) |
| 2025-06-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 28 / 36 (669.6576) | 20 (170.8688) | 2 (176.5600) | 25 (166.8344) | 36 (155.3944) |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 15 / 36 (679.3144) | 29 (161.6688) | 8 (172.5716) | 5 (175.4056) | 19 (169.6684) |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 4 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2025-06-06 | Hoosier BBQ Classic Franklin, IN | 22 / 30 (668.4684) | 22 (165.7144) | 25 (164.5256) | 26 (163.3828) | 6 (174.8456) |
| 2025-06-06 | Hoosier BBQ Classic (ONE MEAT RIBS) Franklin, IN | — | — | 14 (165.1200) | — | — |
| 2025-05-17 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) Morgantown, PA | 13 / 21 (670.1716) | 19 (161.6572) | 10 (166.8688) | 15 (165.0856) | 1 (176.5600) |
| 2025-05-16 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) Morgantown, PA | 5 / 28 (687.3716) | 5 (175.4172) | 15 (167.9772) | 7 (170.8572) | 6 (173.1200) |
| 2025-05-09 | Smoke in the Mitten Westland, MI | 15 / 26 (675.8512) | 7 (174.8456) | 10 (169.6916) | 18 (167.3828) | 20 (163.9312) |
| 2025-05-09 | Smoke in the Mitten (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 19 (163.3944) | — | — |
| 2025-05-03 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) Blairstown, NJ | 27 / 34 (655.3260) | 26 (162.2516) | 29 (160.5488) | 15 (170.2744) | 24 (162.2512) |
| 2025-05-03 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Blairstown, NJ | — | — | 7 (170.2744) | — | — |
| 2025-05-02 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) Blairstown, NJ | 18 / 33 (673.6344) | 33 (155.3944) | 6 (174.8572) | 21 (167.9656) | 4 (175.4172) |
| 2025-05-02 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Blairstown, NJ | — | 20 (154.8000) | — | — | — |
| 2025-04-25 | Marietta River City BBQ Marietta, OH | 5 / 10 (679.3488) | 6 (169.1316) | 8 (167.9772) | 4 (171.4172) | 4 (170.8228) |
| 2025-04-18 | GLBBQA Spring Fling Charlotte, MI | 46 / 56 (665.1200) | 54 (155.9772) | 29 (168.5484) | 38 (168.0116) | 16 (172.5828) |
| 2025-04-12 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) Bristol, CT | 15 / 35 (681.6460) | 16 (173.1316) | 19 (167.3944) | 18 (170.2972) | 12 (170.8228) |
| 2025-04-12 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Bristol, CT | — | 16 (165.1088) | — | — | — |
| 2025-04-12 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT | — | — | 1 (177.7144) | — | — |
| 2025-04-11 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) Bristol, CT | 16 / 30 (669.6576) | 23 (162.2516) | 20 (163.9772) | 8 (172.5600) | 7 (170.8688) |
| 2024-10-26 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) Roseland, VA | 11 / 11 (658.2172) | 10 (169.1200) | 11 (166.8572) | 10 (165.1200) | 11 (157.1200) |
| 2024-10-25 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) Roseland, VA | 11 / 13 (659.2228) | 12 (161.6456) | 9 (168.5372) | 12 (159.3600) | 9 (169.6800) |
| 2024-10-25 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Roseland, VA | — | 5 (171.9888) | — | — | — |
| 2024-10-25 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT RIBS) Roseland, VA | — | — | 9 (156.5144) | — | — |
| 2024-10-19 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) Columbia, NJ | 12 / 26 (682.7660) | 6 (174.8572) | 4 (174.2744) | 4 (175.4172) | 22 (158.2172) |
| 2024-10-19 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Columbia, NJ | — | — | 9 (168.0000) | — | — |
| 2024-10-18 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) Columbia, NJ | 16 / 28 (665.0288) | 24 (159.3828) | 3 (173.7144) | 13 (166.2516) | 15 (165.6800) |
| 2024-10-18 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Columbia, NJ | — | 6 (173.1428) | — | — | — |
| 2024-09-13 | Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY | 15 / 31 (675.9548) | 11 (173.7144) | 27 (159.9888) | 12 (170.2744) | 9 (171.9772) |
| 2024-08-16 | Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Madison, IN | 18 / 49 (683.9544) | 12 (173.1544) | 3 (177.1544) | 13 (174.2744) | 37 (159.3712) |
| 2024-07-27 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) New Freedom, PA | 22 / 32 (667.9204) | 31 (158.8116) | 14 (170.2744) | 27 (162.2744) | 4 (176.5600) |
| 2024-07-26 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) New Freedom, PA | 30 / 35 (638.8004) | 30 (158.2744) | 11 (169.1544) | 30 (158.8000) | 30 (152.5716) |
| 2024-07-20 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI | 13 / 23 (331.4288) | 18 (157.1316) | 3 (174.2972) | — | — |
| 2024-04-26 | Marietta River City BBQ (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Marietta, OH | — | 6 (155.9544) | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #36 (1386 pts) | #26 (1601 pts) | #16 (1658 pts) | #5 (1906 pts) | #29 (1410 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #103 (1574 pts) | #114 (1497 pts) | #44 (1979 pts) | #22 (2086 pts) | #53 (1863 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #311 (108 pts) | #354 (83 pts) | #220 (223 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #286 (761 pts) | #155 (1212 pts) | #114 (1432 pts) | #247 (886 pts) | #256 (866 pts) |