The heartbreaker
3.4284
points from the title
Came within 3.4284 points of the Grand Championship at Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional (Jan 24, 2026).
88 BBQ
88 BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 19 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1511 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1563
peak 1563 · rated over 18 contests
Contests
19
in the data
First seen
Apr 7, 2018
latest Sep 18, 2026 · 8.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
1 reserve · wins it all 5% of the time
Category wins
5
18 podiums
Overall top-10s
12
63% of 19 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 41%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
678.95 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 659.62 (+19.33)
Walk rate
89%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±22.83
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 168.35 · weakest Brisket (158.57)
Road miles
5,279
across 19 mapped stops · furthest 3,058 mi
Schedule strength
9%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1513)
Master avg
659.62 / 720
17 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
350.33 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 1 GC
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master 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.
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 | #87 (1,447 pts) | #88 (1,501 pts) | #96 (1,472 pts) | #67 (1,502 pts) | #103 (1,332 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) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to 88 BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
44 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,508 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1563
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,520 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1571
Careers of much the same size, 19 contests to 19, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,507 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 15%
- Peak
- 1582
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 6 years before 88 BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,510 of the rated field
- Contests
- 22
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1565
22 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 36% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,515 of the rated field
- Contests
- 23
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 26%
- Peak
- 1570
They were already cooking in 2013, 5 years before 88 BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,513 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1563
Level with 88 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice BBQ | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Club Carbon CR | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| Bros & Fire PTY | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| Fire Family BBQ PTY | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke 44 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| HUMO Parrillada | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Pura Vida BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Los Pinos BBQ Team | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| DrumQ BBQ Costa Rica | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Tiquicia Smokers BBQ | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| Sibo Smokers | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| GRILLDROIDS | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Firehouse Jimat BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| CLUB CARBONCITO | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 19 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 177.7372 | 157.0856 | 167.03 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 177.7144 | 153.1200 | 168.35 | top 40% |
| Pork | 18 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 177.1428 | 144.5140 | 166.98 | top 40% |
| Brisket | 17 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 173.7028 | 130.2400 | 158.57 | top 56% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 11 | 1 | top 44% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 36% |
By state / province (where the contests were held)
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| SJ | 2 | 0 | top 49% |
| CR | 1 | 0 | top 38% |
| PO | 1 | 0 | top 38% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pz al Carbon, Festival BBQ 2026 | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 49% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| BBQ Fest Panama | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 26% | Mar 21, 2026 |
| BBQ Fest Costa Rica | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 30% | Feb 21, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
10 contests
Contests a season
2.7
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CR
2 of 19 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
15
3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
19 entries · 2 wins · 14 calls
First title
Nov 15, 2025
BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY)
Opponents faced
148
finished ahead 202 times, behind 123
Longest layoff
2.1 yrs
Mar 23, 2019 → Apr 23, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20267 milestones
- First Reserve Championship Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional
- First multi-meat day Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional
- 10th tracked contest Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7372 Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional
- Career-best overall score698.7884 Camino del Fuego 2026
- Peak power rating (1563) Camino del Fuego 2026
- Most recent contest Camino del Fuego 2026
20252 milestones
- First category win (Chicken) BBQ Fest Panama
- First Grand Championship BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY)
20213 milestones
- First overall top-10 Fuego y Humo 2021
- First overall podium Fuego y Humo 2021
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.0624 Fuego y Humo 2021
20182 milestones
- First tracked contest Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018
- First call Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15 | BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY) | Nov 15, 2025 |
| +14.2 | Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional | Jan 24, 2026 |
| +13.6 | BBQ Fest Panama | Apr 26, 2025 |
| +13.5 | Fuego y Humo 2021 | Apr 23, 2021 |
| +11.5 | BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2024 | Apr 6, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.4 | BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022 | Mar 25, 2022 |
| -8.8 | Pz al Carbon, Festival BBQ 2026 | Jun 26, 2026 |
| -7.6 | Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018 | Apr 7, 2018 |
| -5.7 | Jaco Beach BBQ Challenge | Mar 6, 2026 |
| -5 | BBQFest Costa Rica 2019 | Mar 23, 2019 |
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 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 80% | top 40% | 97.1% | 92.9% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Camino del Fuego 2026 San Rafael, Alajuela, Costa Rica | 6 / 16 (698.7884) | 11 (174.2628) | 4 (176.5600) | 7 (174.2628) | 4 (173.7028) |
| Sep 18, 2026 | Camino del Fuego 2026 (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) San Rafael, Alajuela, Costa Rica | — | 11 (166.2628) | — | — | — |
| Jul 24, 2026 | ECP BBQ Challenge San Jose | 3 / 17 (696.5488) | 3 (177.1428) | 3 (177.7144) | 10 (170.8228) | 8 (170.8688) |
| Jul 12, 2026 | BBQ Fest Market Plaza La Chorrera, PO | 5 / 13 (648.5368) | 6 (158.3084) | 8 (159.4056) | 1 (177.1428) | 9 (153.6800) |
| Jun 26, 2026 | 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) |
| May 1, 2026 | BBQ Fest Parque Tempisque Guanacaste | 5 / 14 (681.7944) | 7 (165.7372) | 5 (172.5828) | 2 (174.8916) | 6 (168.5828) |
| Mar 21, 2026 | BBQ Fest Panama Panama, Pa | 9 / 23 (623.3256) | 8 (158.8112) | 11 (153.1200) | 15 (150.2400) | 1 (161.1544) |
| Mar 6, 2026 | Jaco Beach BBQ Challenge Play Jaco | 11 / 16 (664.5144) | 6 (170.8228) | 8 (173.1544) | 10 (168.5600) | 14 (151.9772) |
| Feb 21, 2026 | BBQ Fest Costa Rica Alajuela | 7 / 18 (662.7656) | 16 (157.0856) | 5 (172.5600) | 8 (165.1428) | 4 (167.9772) |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional Chiriqui | 2 / 31 (676.5828) | 1 (177.7372) | 3 (174.2856) | 1 (175.4400) | 24 (149.1200) |
| Nov 15, 2025 | BBQ Fest Palmares (BACKYARD ONLY) Palmares | 1 / 8 (350.3316) | 2 (174.8800) | 2 (175.4516) | 2 (174.8572) | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | 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) |
| Apr 26, 2025 | BBQ Fest Panama Panama, Pa | 3 / 23 (650.2284) | 1 (171.4056) | 6 (164) | 7 (162.8456) | 11 (151.9772) |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Masters BBQ Challenge CR San Jose | 11 / 17 (639.3596) | 3 (171.4628) | 4 (173.1772) | 17 (144.5140) | 15 (150.2056) |
| Apr 6, 2024 | BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2024 Heredia | 5 / 24 (654.2284) | 7 (165.6800) | 16 (159.4400) | 2 (172.5484) | 12 (156.5600) |
| Mar 25, 2022 | BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022 San Jose | 25 / 28 (654.2744) | 24 (158.8688) | 27 (158.2744) | 7 (171.9884) | 21 (165.1428) |
| Apr 23, 2021 | Fuego y Humo 2021 San Jose | 3 / 22 (665.0624) | 10 (162.2740) | 2 (171.9656) | 2 (170.8572) | 11 (159.9656) |
| Mar 23, 2019 | BBQFest Costa Rica 2019 San Jose | 15 / 22 (638.7996) | 3 (171.9656) | 15 (164) | 22 (149.1084) | 18 (153.7256) |
| Apr 7, 2018 | Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018 San Jose | 12 / 16 (611.9312) | 6 (161.1200) | 9 (158.8112) | 4 (161.7600) | 15 (130.2400) |