High-water mark
695.3828
career-best overall
96.6% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 695.3828 at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest — 96.6% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Nov 5, 2025
Big Horn Cookers
Big Horn Cookers is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 5th of 48 at the Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-off (2021). They are ranked #1455 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1568
peak 1568 · rated over 7 contests3 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
Feb 16, 2018
latest Nov 5, 2025 · 7.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
1
10% of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 41%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
679.34 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 677.46 (+1.88)
Walk rate
20%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.14
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 170.00 · weakest Brisket (168.77)
Road miles
2,024
across 10 mapped stops · furthest 631 mi
Schedule strength
55%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1570)
Purse competed for
$430K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
677.46 / 720
10 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Big Horn Cookers, each with one reason worth a look.
43 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,448 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1568
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Big Horn Cookers)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Big Horn Cookers has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,456 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 16%
- Peak
- 1588
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Big Horn Cookers)
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 25 contests to 10.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,453 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1575
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 5 years before Big Horn Cookers's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,460 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1567
They were already cooking in 2013, 5 years before Big Horn Cookers's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,454 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1568
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,451 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1572
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 12 contests, alongside a 25% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA PASADITA | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| LC BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Rio Valley Meat BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Crossed Rifles BBQ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| JCs GOOD OL BOYS | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Justice BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Rollin' Smoke BBQ Texas | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| MUDVILLE BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| TINY E BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| BULLHORN BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 158.8000 | 169.69 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 176.5944 | 161.6916 | 170.00 | top 45% |
| Pork | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 175.4056 | 162.2744 | 169.00 | top 46% |
| Brisket | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 177.7144 | 155.3600 | 168.77 | top 39% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 47% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 41% |
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 | 44 | 0 | top 21% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest | 2 | 130 | 0 | top 89% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2 | 85 | 0 | top 25% | Sep 27, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2021
3 contests
Contests a season
2
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
7 of 10 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
7
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,048
finished ahead 1,540 times, behind 944
Longest layoff
3.3 yrs
Feb 16, 2018 → Jun 4, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20254 milestones
- 10th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Career-best overall score695.3828 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Peak power rating (1568) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
20241 milestone
- Career-best single call (Brisket)177.7144 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
20211 milestone
- First overall top-10 Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-off
20183 milestones
- First tracked contest Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown
- First call Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.8512 Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.8 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-off | Jun 4, 2021 |
| +13.7 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Nov 5, 2025 |
| +11.3 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff | Sep 8, 2023 |
| +8.1 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST | Sep 16, 2021 |
| +7.9 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 27, 2023 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 47% | 96.6% | 95% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 64% | 95.1% | 93.6% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 23% | 94.8% | 94.7% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 34% | 95.5% | 94.4% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 47% | 91.1% | 91.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 44 / 401 (695.3828) | 86 (174.2744) | 138 (171.9772) | 74 (175.4056) | 79 (173.7256) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 130 / 158 (672.4344) | 135 (166.2400) | 103 (169.6916) | 81 (170.8228) | 123 (165.6800) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 137 / 444 (684.5144) | 97 (174.8572) | 266 (167.4288) | 307 (164.5140) | 12 (177.7144) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 163 / 169 (662.7548) | 148 (166.2400) | 140 (166.8460) | 155 (162.2744) | 128 (167.3944) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 154 / 487 (681.6116) | 125 (173.1200) | 224 (169.6800) | 270 (166.8344) | 102 (171.9772) |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 14 / 99 (682.2972) | 23 (171.4516) | 39 (168.6172) | 25 (171.9656) | 22 (170.2628) |
| Sep 16, 2021 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 85 / 467 (677.6912) | 80 (172.5828) | 24 (176.5944) | 197 (166.2856) | 271 (162.2284) |
| Sep 16, 2021 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-INVITATIONAL CONTEST 🏅 unrated Kansas City, KS | 134 / 185 (674.1712) | 139 (167.3828) | 162 (161.6916) | 97 (170.2512) | 36 (174.8456) |
| Jun 4, 2021 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Cedar Park, TX | 5 / 48 (687.9196) | 11 (171.9884) | 8 (172) | 4 (175.4056) | 9 (168.5256) |
| Feb 16, 2018 | Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown Huntsville, TX | 18 / 38 (655.8512) | 24 (158.8000) | 3 (175.4628) | 18 (166.2284) | 30 (155.3600) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.