Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in brisket.
- Brisket ×1
Bayou BBQ
Bayou BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 10th of 75 at the Danny Dietz Memorial World Championship Cookoff (2026). They are ranked #2528 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1519
peak 1519 · rated over 6 contests3 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
Mar 4, 2016
latest Sep 30, 2026 · 10.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
2
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
8% of 12 contests
Avg finish
top 60%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
677.73 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 668.43 (+9.30)
Walk rate
17%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±18.06
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 169.52 · weakest Brisket (164.80)
Road miles
1,719
across 12 mapped stops · furthest 631 mi
Schedule strength
63%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1579)
Purse competed for
$383K
listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
668.43 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 | #589 (255 pts) | #575 (315 pts) | #513 (410 pts) | #644 (240 pts) | #473 (405 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2195 (64 pts) | #2889 (54 pts) | #1945 (119 pts) | #2794 (59 pts) | #2182 (74 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #2240 (65 pts) | #2283 (70 pts) | #2109 (105 pts) | #2326 (60 pts) | #2252 (75 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Bayou BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
78 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,522 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1520
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Bayou BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Bayou BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,534 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1519
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Bayou BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,525 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1523
Fewer contests behind them than Bayou BBQ has cooked, 7 to 12, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#2,537 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1519
They turned up 5 years after Bayou BBQ did, first appearing in 2021.
⚔ Compare careers#2,529 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 100%
- Peak
- 1522
5 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.
⚔ Compare careers#2,524 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1522
Level with Bayou BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| BULLHORN BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| RAZORRACKS | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| The Pitfather BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| LC BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoked & Furious | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| LA PASADITA | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| TINY E BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE DANCER BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Justice BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| T-Rex BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 156.5260 | 166.71 | top 59% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 177.7144 | 162.8916 | 169.52 | top 48% |
| Pork | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 154.7884 | 167.40 | top 54% |
| Brisket | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 180 🔥 | 156.5484 | 164.80 | top 59% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 78% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 54% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2 | 200 | 0 | top 56% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest | 2 | 147 | 0 | top 92% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2 | 23 | 0 | top 78% | Mar 3, 2017 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
4 contests
Contests a season
2.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
9 of 12 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
6
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
762
finished ahead 841 times, behind 974
Longest layoff
7.7 yrs
Mar 3, 2017 → Oct 30, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20268 milestones
- First call Danny Dietz Memorial World Championship Cookoff
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Danny Dietz Memorial World Championship Cookoff
- First overall top-10 Danny Dietz Memorial World Championship Cookoff
- First perfect 180 (Brisket) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest
- 10th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Career-best overall score690.2288 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Peak power rating (1519) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides
20241 milestone
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score668.5144 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest
20161 milestone
- First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.3 | Danny Dietz Memorial World Championship Cookoff | Sep 11, 2026 |
| +12 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 30, 2026 |
| +5.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Oct 30, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -5 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Mar 4, 2016 |
| -4.8 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Mar 3, 2017 |
| -1.6 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Nov 5, 2025 |
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 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50% | top 29% | 95.9% | 95.5% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 80% | 92.5% | 92.1% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 94.2% | 93.5% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 89.7% | 89.7% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 88.2% | 88.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 77 / 158 (687.3372) | 21 (176.5600) | 101 (169.6800) | 151 (161.0972) | 1 (180) |
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 85 / 360 (690.2288) | 147 (171.4172) | 24 (177.7144) | 106 (173.7144) | 211 (167.3828) |
| Sep 11, 2026 | Danny Dietz Memorial World Championship Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 10 / 75 (685.1084) | 6 (175.4400) | 1 (177.1772) | 13 (174.2628) | 55 (158.2284) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 265 / 401 (666.1256) | 319 (163.3828) | 176 (170.2744) | 258 (167.3712) | 259 (165.0972) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 147 / 158 (659.8632) | 156 (156.5260) | 94 (170.8344) | 89 (170.8228) | 147 (161.6800) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 200 / 444 (678.2172) | 288 (166.2284) | 305 (165.1544) | 89 (173.7144) | 70 (173.1200) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 153 / 169 (668.5144) | 119 (169.1200) | 156 (163.4172) | 61 (172) | 144 (163.9772) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 3, 2017 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Shreveport, LA | 23 / 29 (645.6916) | 25 (161.1544) | 12 (168.5372) | 24 (158.8572) | 21 (157.1428) |
| Mar 4, 2016 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Shreveport, LA | 23 / 30 (634.7884) | 22 (160.5600) | 15 (162.8916) | 24 (154.7884) | 21 (156.5484) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.