Ol' Blue BBQ

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

Power ranking

#4909

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1464

peak 1464 · rated over 8 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-06-21

latest 2026-04-24

Best ToY finish

#240

Backyard 2026

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 8 contests

Avg finish

top 76%

overall standings

Best overall

642.6856 / 720

Master · Indio California State BBQ Championship- JUDGES FULL

Perfect 180s

Current form

623.74 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 618.17 (+5.58)

Walk rate

25%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

170.8228

Pork Ribs · Indio California State BBQ Championship- JUDGES FULL

Consistency

±17.43

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 160.78 · weakest Brisket (149.94)

Road miles

2,522

mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 2313 mi

Schedule strength

59%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)

Purse competed for

$19K

listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

618.17 / 720

6 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

329.70 / 360

2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

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 (4 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.

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

Burnin and Lootin ahead in 100% of their meetings

Burnin and Lootin has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−10.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 10.83 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 25%.

Brisket avg 149.94
Pork Ribs avg 160.78
0 calls in 6 entries

The comeback

5.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 5.9 years, then back at First State BBQ Bash (2025-09-26).

last seen 2019-11-01
back 2025-09-26

Pork Ribs nemesis

5 of 5 shared pork ribs entries lost

Burnin and Lootin ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Burnin and Lootin has out-cooked them in 5 of 5 shared pork ribs entries.

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.

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

HEAVENLY SMOKE BBQ

#4919 of the rated field

1464 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1464

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2019-06-14

⚔ Head-to-head

HELLFIRE BBQ

#4890 of the rated field

1465 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1465

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Ol' Blue BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 8 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Chasing Grand

#4903 of the rated field

1464 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1464

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2023-09-08

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN BULLETS

#4882 of the rated field

1465 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1465

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2019-03-15

⚔ Head-to-head

Pretty Straights BBQ

#4888 of the rated field

1465 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1465

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

Jay Miller and the Experience

#4925 of the rated field

1464 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1464

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2025-08-22

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
COOL GRILLING	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
Burnin and Lootin	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
LADY OF Q	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN MO'S BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
Smokin it Up BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
TWISTED BRISKET BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	8	1	166.8344	137.1426	156.42	top 76%
Pork Ribs	8	2	170.8228	153.6800	160.78	top 63%
Pork	6	0	162.2744	145.0628	155.20	top 83%
Brisket	6	0	154.7772	145.0516	149.94	top 85%

“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	Avg finish
CA	6	top 84%
VA	1	top 55%
DE	1	top 48%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 71%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 85%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival	2	33	0	top 88%	2019-11-01

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 12.8 yrs 2013-06-21 → 2026-04-24

Busiest season 2015 2 contests

Contests a season 1.1 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CA 6 of 8 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 8 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 160.78 · weakest Brisket (149.94)

Walk rate 25% a top-10 call in 2 of 8 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 8 contests

Master average 618.17 out of 720 · 6 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 329.70 out of 360 · 2 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 241 81–283 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,522 8 mapped stops · furthest 2,313 mi

Schedule strength 1575 average field rating faced — tougher than 59% of rated contests

Purse competed for $18,900 listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 3 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 5.9 yrs 2019-11-01 → 2025-09-26

Power rating 1464 peak 1464 · #4909 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Jun 21 First tracked contest 2nd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship
Jun 21 Peak power rating (1489) 2nd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship
2015
Nov 13 Career-best overall score642.6856 Indio California State BBQ Championship- JUDGES FULL
Nov 13 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)170.8228 Indio California State BBQ Championship- JUDGES FULL
2025
Sep 26 First call First State BBQ Bash
Sep 26 First overall past 90% of a perfect score326.2856 First State BBQ Bash
2026
Apr 24 Most recent contest Revolutionary BBQ Brawl

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+3.9	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl	2026-04-24
+3.2	First State BBQ Bash	2025-09-26

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.7	2nd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship	2013-06-21
-8.4	6th Annual Vista Q Classic	2014-07-25
-8.1	7th Annual Vista BBQ Classic	2015-07-24
-6.7	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival	2019-11-01
-6.4	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full)	2016-11-11

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)

Season by season

Season	Contests	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	100%	top 55%	92.5%	92.5%
2025	1	100%	top 48%	90.6%	90.6%
2019	1	0%	top 89%	84.3%	84.3%
2016	1	0%	top 87%	86.8%	86.8%
2015	2	0%	top 79%	89.3%	87.1%
2014	1	0%	top 83%	87.9%	87.9%
2013	1	0%	top 86%	82%	82%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-04-24	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl 🏅 Williamsburg, VA	11 / 20 (333.1200)	9 (166.8344)	10 (166.2856)	—	—
2025-09-26	First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE	12 / 25 (326.2856)	13 (160.0000)	9 (166.2856)	—	—
2019-11-01	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival 🏅 Indio, CA	33 / 37 (606.7200)	33 (153.1428)	30 (157.1544)	36 (145.0628)	34 (151.3600)
2016-11-11	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full) Indio, CA	33 / 38 (625.0976)	34 (154.8116)	32 (157.1772)	28 (162.2744)	33 (150.8344)
2015-11-13	Indio California State BBQ Championship- JUDGES FULL Indio, CA	25 / 34 (642.6856)	23 (165.1316)	12 (170.8228)	27 (159.3712)	30 (147.3600)
2015-07-24	7th Annual Vista BBQ Classic Vista, CA	46 / 54 (611.2804)	52 (150.8572)	44 (153.6800)	40 (161.6916)	49 (145.0516)
2014-07-25	6th Annual Vista Q Classic Vista, CA	50 / 60 (632.9372)	42 (163.4172)	43 (158.8000)	52 (155.9428)	50 (154.7772)
2013-06-21	2nd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship Temecula, CA	60 / 70 (590.2852)	69 (137.1426)	43 (155.9998)	61 (146.8570)	49 (150.2858)

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 ↗	Backyard	#240 (115 pts)	#228 (130 pts)	#248 (120 pts)	—	—