88 BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#1580

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1559

peak 1559 · rated over 17 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2018-04-07

latest 2026-07-24

Best ToY finish

#81

Master 2026

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

18 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 41%

overall standings

Best overall

696.5488 / 720

Master · ECP BBQ Challenge

Perfect 180s

Current form

663.86 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 657.17 (+6.69)

Walk rate

94%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

177.7372

Chicken · Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional

Consistency

±21.26

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 167.21 · weakest Brisket (157.62)

Road miles

5,271

mi across 17 mapped stops · furthest 3058 mi

Schedule strength

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1512)

Master avg

657.17 / 720

16 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

350.33 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 1 GC

Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (14 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

The heartbreaker

3.4284 points from the title

Came within 3.4284 points of the Grand Championship at Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional (2026-01-24).

On the rise

+25 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 25 points across 9 contests since 2025-11-15 — from 1535 up to 1559.

9 contests since 2025-11-15
now 1559

A multi-meat day

1 contests with 2+ category wins

They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional (2026-01-24).

Chicken 1st
Pork 1st

They almost always walk

94% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 16 of 17 contests

A top-10 category call in 94% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

696.5488 career-best overall

96.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 696.5488 at ECP BBQ Challenge — 96.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
2026-07-24

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Fire Family BBQ PTY has finished one call ahead of 88 BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2025 1 Grand Championship

2025 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 29%.

4 contests
3 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 29%

A tough matchup

12–2 behind in the head-to-head

Justice BBQ ahead in 86% of their meetings

Justice BBQ has come out ahead in 12 of their 14 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.6 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.58 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 38% of the time against 67%.

Brisket avg 157.62
Pork Ribs avg 167.21
6 calls in 16 entries

A strong matchup

7–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 70% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Bros & Fire PTY in 7 of their 10 shared contests.

The comeback

2.1 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.1 years, then back at Fuego y Humo 2021 (2021-04-23).

last seen 2019-03-23
back 2021-04-23

Pork Ribs nemesis

10 of 14 shared pork ribs entries lost

Justice BBQ ahead 71% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Justice BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 14 shared pork ribs entries.

An April team

Top 31% average finish in April

Something about April: average finish in the top 31% across 4 contests, versus top 41% the rest of the year.

4 April contests
top 41% the rest of the year

The long haul

5,271 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,271 miles across 17 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 3,058 miles to Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018.

17 mapped stops
furthest 3,058 mi

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

Rack Shack bbq

#1581 of the rated field

1559 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1576

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 20 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2026-05-08

⚔ Head-to-head

ALPINE SMOKE WORKS

#1585 of the rated field

1559 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1559

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2026-07-17

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKE EM UP BBQ

#1578 of the rated field

1559 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1559

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before 88 BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 20 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

J-PIG PICTURE PERFECT BAR-B-QUE

#1572 of the rated field

1560 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1560

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2013, 5 years before 88 BBQ's first contest.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2021-06-04

⚔ Head-to-head

HAWG DOCTORS

#1573 of the rated field

1560 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1562

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 12 contests, alongside a 42% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2015-10-03

⚔ Head-to-head

HOME COOKIN' BBQ

#1584 of the rated field

1559 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1577

No shared contest yet.

Level with 88 BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 27 contests
last seen 2026-05-30

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Justice BBQ	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
Bros & Fire PTY	10	7	3	70%	⚔ compare
Club Carbon CR	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
Pura Vida BBQ	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
Fire Family BBQ PTY	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Smoke 44	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
HUMO Parrillada	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Tiquicia Smokers BBQ	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
Los Pinos BBQ Team	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
DrumQ BBQ Costa Rica	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
GRILLDROIDS	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
Sibo Smokers	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
CLUB CARBONCITO	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	14	2	6	177.7372	157.0856	166.65	top 39%
Pork Ribs	18	12	0	5	177.7144	153.1200	167.21	top 42%
Pork	17	13	2	6	177.1428	144.5140	166.55	top 40%
Brisket	16	6	1	1	170.8688	130.2400	157.62	top 58%

“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
SJ	2	0	top 49%
PO	1	0	top 38%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	10	1	top 45%
Medium (20–39)	7	0	top 36%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Pz al Carbon, Festival BBQ 2026	2	4	top 49%	2026-06-26
BBQ Fest Panama	2	3	top 26%	2026-03-21
BBQ Fest Costa Rica	2	5	top 30%	2026-02-21

The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 8.3 yrs 2018-04-07 → 2026-07-24

Busiest season 2026 8 contests

Contests a season 2.4 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in SJ 2 of 17 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 14 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 18 entries · 0 wins · 12 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 167.21 · weakest Brisket (157.62)

Walk rate 94% a top-10 call in 16 of 17 contests

Overall top-10 rate 65% 11 of 17 contests

Wins it all 6% 1 Grand Championship · 1 reserve

First title 2025-11-15 BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY)

Best top-10 run 5 straight contests

Master average 657.17 out of 720 · 16 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 350.33 out of 360 · 1 contest · 1 GC

Opponents faced 147 192–118 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 5,271 17 mapped stops · furthest 3,058 mi

Schedule strength 1512 average field rating faced — tougher than 8% of rated contests

Longest layoff 2.1 yrs 2019-03-23 → 2021-04-23

Power rating 1559 peak 1559 · #1580 of 6,413 rated

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

2018
Apr 7 First tracked contest Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018
Apr 7 First call Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018
2021
Apr 23 First overall top-10 Fuego y Humo 2021
Apr 23 First overall podium Fuego y Humo 2021
Apr 23 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.0624 Fuego y Humo 2021
2025
Apr 26 First category win (Chicken) BBQ Fest Panama
Nov 15 First Grand Championship BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY)
2026
Jan 24 First Reserve Championship Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional
Jan 24 First multi-meat day Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional
Jan 24 10th tracked contest Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional
Jan 24 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7372 Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional
Jul 24 Career-best overall score696.5488 ECP BBQ Challenge
Jul 24 Peak power rating (1559) ECP BBQ Challenge
Jul 24 Most recent contest ECP BBQ Challenge

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15	BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY)	2025-11-15
+14.2	Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional	2026-01-24
+13.6	BBQ Fest Panama	2025-04-26
+13.5	Fuego y Humo 2021	2021-04-23
+11.5	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2024	2024-04-06

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.3	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022	2022-03-25
-8.8	Pz al Carbon, Festival BBQ 2026	2026-06-26
-7.6	Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018	2018-04-07
-5.7	Jaco Beach BBQ Challenge	2026-03-06
-5	BBQFest Costa Rica 2019	2019-03-23

Category scores over time

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	8	0	6	4	88%	top 40%	96.7%	92.4%
2025	4	1	3	1	100%	top 29%	97.3%	92.6%
2024	1	0	1	0	100%	top 21%	90.9%	90.9%
2022	1	0	0	0	100%	top 89%	90.9%	90.9%
2021	1	0	1	0	100%	top 14%	92.4%	92.4%
2019	1	0	0	0	100%	top 68%	88.7%	88.7%
2018	1	0	0	0	100%	top 75%	85%	85%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-07-24	ECP BBQ Challenge San Jose, 92701	3 / 17 (696.5488)	3 (177.1428)	3 (177.7144)	10 (170.8228)	8 (170.8688)
2026-07-12	BBQ Fest Market Plaza La Chorrera, PO	5 / 13 (648.5368)	6 (158.3084)	8 (159.4056)	1 (177.1428)	9 (153.6800)
2026-06-26	Pz al Carbon, Festival BBQ 2026 Perez Zeldon, SJ	14 / 19 (669.0972)	14 (165.7028)	11 (169.7144)	13 (168.5600)	13 (165.1200)
2026-05-01	BBQ Fest Parque Tempisque Guanacaste, 50101	5 / 14 (681.7944)	7 (165.7372)	5 (172.5828)	2 (174.8916)	6 (168.5828)
2026-03-21	BBQ Fest Panama Panama, Pa	9 / 23 (623.3256)	8 (158.8112)	11 (153.1200)	15 (150.2400)	1 (161.1544)
2026-03-06	Jaco Beach BBQ Challenge Play Jaco, 61101	11 / 16 (664.5144)	6 (170.8228)	8 (173.1544)	10 (168.5600)	14 (151.9772)
2026-02-21	BBQ Fest Costa Rica Alajuela, 10903	7 / 18 (662.7656)	16 (157.0856)	5 (172.5600)	8 (165.1428)	4 (167.9772)
2026-01-24	Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional Chiriqui, +507	2 / 31 (676.5828)	1 (177.7372)	3 (174.2856)	1 (175.4400)	24 (149.1200)
2025-11-15	BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY) Palmares, 20701	1 / 8 (350.3316)	2 (174.8800)	2 (175.4516)	2 (174.8572)	—
2025-06-27	Pz al Carbon, Festival BBQ 2025 Perez Zeldon, SJ	4 / 16 (677.7144)	8 (163.9656)	2 (176.0572)	4 (172.0116)	4 (165.6800)
2025-04-26	BBQ Fest Panama Panama, Pa	3 / 23 (650.2284)	1 (171.4056)	6 (164.0000)	7 (162.8456)	11 (151.9772)
2025-03-14	Masters BBQ Challenge CR San Jose, 10104	11 / 17 (639.3596)	3 (171.4628)	4 (173.1772)	17 (144.5140)	15 (150.2056)
2024-04-06	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2024 Heredia, 40703	5 / 24 (654.2284)	7 (165.6800)	16 (159.4400)	2 (172.5484)	12 (156.5600)
2022-03-25	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022 San Jose,	25 / 28 (654.2744)	24 (158.8688)	27 (158.2744)	7 (171.9884)	21 (165.1428)
2021-04-23	Fuego y Humo 2021 San Jose,	3 / 22 (665.0624)	10 (162.2740)	2 (171.9656)	2 (170.8572)	11 (159.9656)
2019-03-23	BBQFest Costa Rica 2019 San Jose, 1000	15 / 22 (638.7996)	3 (171.9656)	15 (164.0000)	22 (149.1084)	18 (153.7256)
2018-04-07	Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018 San Jose, 1000	12 / 16 (611.9312)	6 (161.1200)	9 (158.8112)	4 (161.7600)	15 (130.2400)

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

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	#81 (1291 pts)	#95 (1281 pts)	#103 (1281 pts)	#70 (1356 pts)	#103 (1141 pts)
2025 ↗	Backyard	#182 (258 pts)	#201 (233 pts)	#208 (233 pts)	—	—
2025 ↗	Master	#400 (526 pts)	#370 (626 pts)	#410 (596 pts)	#474 (426 pts)	#493 (401 pts)