Big Butts BBQ

Big Butts BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 41 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 63 at the New Jersey State Barbecue Championship (2025), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #1928 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “BIG BUTTS BBQ .” and “Big Butt's BBQ”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,928

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1542

peak 1573 · rated over 38 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 26, 2019

latest Jul 11, 2026 · 7.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#607

Master 2025 · every season

Grand champs

2 reserve

Category wins

7 podiums

Overall top-10s

32% of 41 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 52%

overall standings

Best overall

686.8688 / 720

Master · New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

Perfect 180s

Current form

335.83 ▲

last 5 Backyard vs avg 327.59 (+8.24)

Walk rate

63%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8800

Chicken · New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

Consistency

±9.99

spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.50 · weakest Brisket (155.32)

Road miles

8,039

across 41 mapped stops · furthest 757 mi

Schedule strength

56%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1572)

Purse competed for

$269K

listed at 37 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 35 state-championship entries

Master avg

640.54 / 720

16 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

327.59 / 360

20 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Backyard (3-meat) avg

489.94 / 540

2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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.

Storylines (16 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

The heartbreaker

1.6568 points from the title

Came within 1.6568 points of the Grand Championship at K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) (Jul 6, 2024).

Happy hunting ground

Top 18% average finish here

Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) is their spot: an average finish in the top 18% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 4th
average top 18%

They almost always walk

63% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 26 of 41 contests

A top-10 category call in 63% of their 41 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

686.8688 career-best overall

95.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 686.8688 at New Jersey State Barbecue Championship — 95.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 12, 2025

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Backwooder BBQ has finished one call ahead of Big Butts BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2024 their best year

2024 was the year it came together: 11 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 27%.

11 contests
7 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 27%

A tough matchup

23–4 behind in the head-to-head

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit ahead in 85% of their meetings

Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit has come out ahead in 23 of their 27 shared contests.

Show 9 more storylines

The weak link

−11.2 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 11.18 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 42%.

Brisket avg 155.32
Chicken avg 166.50
0 calls in 16 entries

A strong matchup

17–6 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 74% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BIG BOB'S SMOKIN QUE in 17 of their 23 shared contests.

The comeback

3.4 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.4 years, then back at BBQ Capital Cook Off (Apr 26, 2019).

last seen Nov 20, 2015
back Apr 26, 2019

Chicken nemesis

15 of 18 shared chicken entries lost

Brewski's BBQ Competition Team ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Brewski's BBQ Competition Team has out-cooked them in 15 of 18 shared chicken entries.

Going the wrong way

-31 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 31 points across 4 contests since Jul 12, 2025 — from 1573 down to 1542.

4 contests since Jul 12, 2025
now 1542

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

Capt. Blue BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.

An April team

Top 36% average finish in April

Something about April: average finish in the top 36% across 7 contests, versus top 52% the rest of the year.

7 April contests
top 52% the rest of the year

The long haul

8,039 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 8,039 miles across 41 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 757 miles to Swampfest.

41 mapped stops
furthest 757 mi

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked New Jersey State Barbecue Championship every year from 2023 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 2nd

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	#1020 (60 pts)	#868 (125 pts)	#1080 (90 pts)	#1067 (60 pts)	#1051 (60 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#607 (260 pts)	#634 (285 pts)	#964 (135 pts)	#1037 (105 pts)	#904 (125 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#2471 (58 pts)	#2489 (58 pts)	#2490 (58 pts)	#2487 (58 pts)	#1960 (68 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Big Butts BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

46 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

Phil the Grill

#1,923 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 57
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1606

They've been 1606 at their best, 64 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 56 contests
last seen Nov 21, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

BAPTIZED IN SMOKE

#1,924 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1542

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Big Butts BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 24 contests

⚔ Compare careers

ABS of SQUEAL

#1,930 of the rated field

1541 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1557

Fewer contests behind them than Big Butts BBQ has cooked, 21 to 41, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

QUE BIZ

#1,926 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1566

21 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Jun 22, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKING BAD

#1,931 of the rated field

1541 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1543

Level with Big Butts BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2020

⚔ Compare careers

BELLY RUB'N BBQ

#1,925 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1545

They were already cooking in 2014, 5 years before Big Butts BBQ's first contest.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Apr 14, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	27	3	23	11%	⚔ compare
BIG BOB'S SMOKIN QUE	23	17	5	74%	⚔ compare
Capt. Blue BBQ	22	8	14	36%	⚔ compare
CHUNKY BBQ	21	5	15	24%	⚔ compare
Second Helping BBQ -PA	19	14	5	74%	⚔ compare
BOGGS HOG BBQ	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
Brewski's BBQ Competition Team	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
TRUCKERS CHOICE BBQ	17	15	2	88%	⚔ compare
Sauce Em & Toss Em BBQ	17	7	10	41%	⚔ compare
Weber's Backyard BBQ	17	1	16	6%	⚔ compare
Oldman's Backyard B B QUE	16	8	8	50%	⚔ compare
PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ	15	8	6	53%	⚔ compare
DIG'N N PIG'N	15	4	9	27%	⚔ compare
4 BOXERS Q	14	11	3	79%	⚔ compare
POPPA Q-BBQ	14	9	5	64%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	38	16	2	5	178.8800	147.9772	166.50	top 43%
Pork Ribs	40	17	0	2	176.5600	134.2172	161.84	top 47%
Pork	18	2	0	0	175.4056	144.4800	157.39	top 74%
Brisket	16	0	0	0	169.1428	135.9772	155.32	top 79%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 49%
Medium (20–39)	23	top 52%
Large (40+)	12	top 54%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
NJ	17	top 39%
PA	11	top 41%
NC	4	top 98%
GA	3	top 73%
VA	2	top 85%
IL	1	top 97%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	4	2	top 44%	Jul 11, 2026
New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2)	4	6	top 29%	Apr 20, 2024
Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2)	3	8	top 35%	May 18, 2024
Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)	2	25	top 86%	Oct 25, 2025
Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)	2	4	top 18%	Oct 19, 2024
K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	2	top 32%	Jul 6, 2024
York County BBQ Festival	2	16	top 58%	Jun 16, 2023
Smoke in the Grove (Day 2)	2	21	top 46%	Jul 30, 2022

More numbers

Busiest season 2024 11 contests

Contests a season 4.6 across 9 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NJ 19 of 41 contests · 6 states in all

Contests visited 25 8 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 40 entries · 0 wins · 17 calls

Opponents faced 607 finished ahead 826 times, behind 1,015

Longest layoff 3.4 yrs Nov 20, 2015 → Apr 26, 2019

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20261 milestone

Jul 11 Most recent contest New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

20252 milestones

Jul 12 Career-best overall score686.8688 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
Jul 12 Peak power rating (1573) New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

20243 milestones

Jul 6 First overall podium K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY)
Jul 6 First Reserve Championship K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY)
Jul 13 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8800 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship

20231 milestone

Jul 28 25th tracked contest Smoke on the Rail (Day 1)

20222 milestones

Apr 23 First category win (Chicken) New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
Apr 23 10th tracked contest New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES

20211 milestone

Oct 22 First overall top-10 Red White & Que: Day 1 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES

20202 milestones

Sep 11 First call Swine At the Shrine
Sep 11 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.0060 Swine At the Shrine

20151 milestone

Nov 20 First tracked contest The National BBQ Cup

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.6	K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY)	Jul 6, 2024
+13.9	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	Jul 12, 2025
+13.1	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Apr 23, 2022
+11.6	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)	Oct 19, 2024
+10.8	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1)	May 17, 2024

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.6	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)	Oct 25, 2025
-11.6	Route 66 Smoke Out	May 3, 2019
-11.1	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic	Sep 20, 2019
-10.9	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1)	Oct 24, 2025
-10.7	Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1	May 5, 2023

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	0	0	0%	top 71%	88%	88%
2025	3	1	1	67%	top 58%	95.4%	92.7%
2024	11	7	0	100%	top 27%	95.4%	93%
2023	11	2	0	36%	top 57%	93.6%	90.1%
2022	7	2	1	86%	top 41%	92.2%	89.9%
2021	2	1	0	100%	top 56%	90.2%	88.3%
2020	1	0	0	100%	top 89%	92.4%	92.4%
2019	4	0	0	0%	top 98%	84.9%	83.1%
2015	1	0	0	0%	—	—	—

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 11, 2026	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	44 / 62 (633.4972)	12 (172.5484)	19 (170.2744)	58 (144.4800)	59 (146.1944)
Oct 25, 2025	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Jackson, NJ	29 / 32 (653.5432)	19 (168.5372)	21 (167.9656)	29 (163.9544)	30 (153.0860)
Oct 24, 2025	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Jackson, NJ	25 / 31 (661.0516)	13 (171.9772)	10 (171.4172)	28 (161.6800)	28 (155.9772)
Jul 12, 2025	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	2 / 63 (686.8688)	1 (178.2972)	10 (170.8916)	16 (168.5372)	12 (169.1428)
Oct 19, 2024	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Columbia, NJ	4 / 26 (343.3944)	13 (166.8344)	2 (176.5600)	—	—
Oct 19, 2024	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Columbia, NJ	—	—	7 (168.5488)	—	—
Oct 18, 2024	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Columbia, NJ	6 / 28 (334.2056)	7 (168.5256)	6 (165.6800)	—	—
Aug 23, 2024	New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA	10 / 38 (325.0632)	3 (169.6800)	11 (155.3832)	—	—
Jul 13, 2024	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	23 / 62 (661.0744)	4 (178.8800)	24 (165.0972)	37 (160.5372)	41 (156.5600)
Jul 6, 2024	K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) Kennett Square, PA	2 / 14 (342.2744)	6 (171.4172)	2 (170.8572)	—	—
May 18, 2024	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA	12 / 26 (334.2172)	9 (170.8228)	16 (163.3944)	—	—
May 17, 2024	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA	8 / 37 (340.5028)	10 (168.5256)	5 (171.9772)	—	—
Apr 20, 2024	New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	6 / 27 (334.2516)	4 (170.2744)	7 (163.9772)	—	—
Apr 20, 2024	New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Blairstown, NJ	—	—	6 (169.7032)	—	—
Apr 19, 2024	New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	10 / 29 (327.9316)	3 (173.1316)	15 (154.8000)	—	—
Oct 6, 2023	The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Lyons, GA	21 / 29 (664.4688)	18 (167.9772)	18 (164.5372)	17 (169.6916)	21 (162.2628)
Jul 28, 2023	Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA	26 / 51 (326.7772)	27 (163.9544)	22 (162.8228)	—	—
Jul 21, 2023	Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA	33 / 38 (631.8400)	29 (166.8228)	38 (144.5032)	32 (160.4912)	29 (160.0228)
Jul 14, 2023	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	41 / 64 (637.6004)	21 (168.5372)	20 (167.4172)	60 (147.9544)	43 (153.6916)
Jun 30, 2023	K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) Kennett Square, PA	6 / 12 (337.0744)	6 (168.5256)	6 (168.5488)	—	—
Jun 16, 2023	York County BBQ Festival 🏅 Delta, PA	16 / 29 (327.9316)	20 (160.5372)	11 (167.3944)	—	—
May 19, 2023	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA	14 / 37 (327.9544)	17 (162.2400)	10 (165.7144)	—	—
May 5, 2023	Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 🏅 Kannapolis, NC	34 / 35 (642.1144)	23 (168.5372)	34 (150.7772)	30 (162.2744)	30 (160.5256)
Apr 22, 2023	New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	8 / 30 (317.0516)	8 (157.0856)	8 (159.9660)	—	—
Apr 21, 2023	New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	12 / 36 (310.1600)	11 (158.2172)	13 (151.9428)	—	—
Mar 31, 2023	Swampfest 🏅 Waycross, GA	16 / 28 (668.3884)	27 (160.5028)	20 (166.2516)	6 (175.4056)	17 (166.2284)
Oct 22, 2022	Red White & Que: Day 2 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	10 / 27 (331.9316)	15 (162.8116)	7 (169.1200)	—	—
Oct 21, 2022	Red White & Que: Day 1 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	15 / 29 (324.5032)	5 (171.9772)	19 (152.5260)	—	—
Jul 30, 2022	Smoke in the Grove (Day 2) 🏅 Spring Grove, PA	22 / 42 (484.4692)	23 (163.9660)	4 (170.2744)	26 (150.2288)	—
Jul 29, 2022	Smoke in the Grove (Day 1) 🏅 Spring Grove, PA	21 / 54 (495.4060)	10 (173.1316)	4 (171.4400)	33 (150.8344)	—
Jun 17, 2022	York County BBQ Festival 🏅 Delta, PA	21 / 34 (312.4804)	18 (161.6916)	24 (150.7888)	—	—
Apr 23, 2022	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	7 / 41 (329.0744)	1 (174.2628)	12 (154.8116)	—	—
Apr 22, 2022	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	12 / 48 (314.2060)	5 (168.5372)	16 (145.6688)	—	—
Oct 22, 2021	Red White & Que: Day 1 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Jackson, NJ	9 / 31 (310.8344)	18 (147.9772)	8 (162.8572)	—	—
Jul 23, 2021	Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 🏅 Galax, VA	14 / 17 (649.6456)	3 (173.7256)	7 (169.1200)	17 (147.9200)	13 (158.8800)
Sep 11, 2020	Swine At the Shrine 🏅 Savannah, GA	34 / 38 (665.0060)	17 (173.1200)	38 (158.2516)	4 (175.4056)	38 (158.2288)
Sep 20, 2019	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic 🏅 Salisbury, NC	55 / 56 (609.4512)	53 (151.9656)	49 (157.0856)	56 (147.9084)	48 (152.4916)
Aug 2, 2019	Pigs & Pedals 🏅 Asheboro, NC	40 / 40 (577.5432)	36 (152.5716)	40 (134.2172)	38 (153.1200)	40 (137.6344)
May 3, 2019	Route 66 Smoke Out 🏅 Dwight, IL	32 / 33 (611.2456)	26 (160.5256)	32 (145.1088)	33 (147.3828)	23 (158.2284)
Apr 26, 2019	BBQ Capital Cook Off 🏅 Lexington, NC	41 / 43 (595.3140)	31 (158.2512)	34 (155.9544)	43 (145.1312)	42 (135.9772)
Nov 20, 2015	The National BBQ Cup Cumming, GA	—	—	—	—	—

Big Butts BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Backyard (3-meat) avg

Storylines (16 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Going the wrong way

Looking over their shoulder

An April team

The long haul

A standing appointment

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)