Bubba Grills

Bubba Grills is a competition barbecue team with 26 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2025. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at The River Grill before the Big Chill (2014). They are ranked #904 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#904

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1616

peak 1616 · rated over 24 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jan 25, 2013

latest Jul 25, 2025 · 12.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#300

Master 2020 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time

Category wins

13 podiums

Overall top-10s

35% of 26 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 39%

overall standings

Best overall

704.5944 / 720

Master · The River Grill before the Big Chill

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

689.05 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 678.09 (+10.96)

Walk rate

77%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Smoke on the Mountain

Consistency

±16.73

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 170.15 · weakest Pork (168.98)

Road miles

10,746

across 26 mapped stops · furthest 1,827 mi

Schedule strength

65%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1582)

Purse competed for

$319K

listed at 16 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 17 state-championship entries

Master avg

678.09 / 720

25 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (17 found in their record)

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

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.

Chicken ×1

Against the odds

22-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 78 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at The River Grill before the Big Chill (Oct 10, 2014) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 22-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ.

On the rise

+34 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 34 points across 5 contests since Jul 26, 2024 — from 1582 up to 1616.

5 contests since Jul 26, 2024
now 1616

Giant slayer

49 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 49-team field at The River Grill before the Big Chill.

Oct 10, 2014

Happy hunting ground

1× Grand Championship here

The River Grill before the Big Chill is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 1st
average top 9%

They almost always walk

77% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 20 of 26 contests

A top-10 category call in 77% of their 26 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

704.5944 career-best overall

97.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 704.5944 at The River Grill before the Big Chill — 97.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 10, 2014

Show 10 more storylines

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

ELITE BBQ SMOKERS has finished one call ahead of Bubba Grills 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2025 their best year

2025 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 23%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 23%

A tough matchup

10–3 behind in the head-to-head

Under the Radar ahead in 77% of their meetings

Under the Radar has come out ahead in 10 of their 13 shared contests.

The drought

21 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at The River Grill before the Big Chill on Oct 10, 2014 — 21 contests and 12 years ago.

last GC Oct 10, 2014
12 years ago

The comeback

1.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at Smoke on the mountain BBQ championship (Jul 21, 2017).

last seen Oct 9, 2015
back Jul 21, 2017

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS has landed one call behind them 3 times.

An October team

Top 23% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 23% across 5 contests, versus top 39% the rest of the year.

5 October contests
top 39% the rest of the year

The long haul

10,746 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 10,746 miles across 26 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,827 miles to World Food Championships - World Barbecue Championship (Competitor's Series).

26 mapped stops
furthest 1,827 mi

The metronome

±2.32% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.32% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 94.2% of a perfect score
26 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Poosa Q every year from 2022 to 2025 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 13th

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
2022 ↗	Master	#1309 (60 pts)	#1341 (60 pts)	#1270 (95 pts)	#748 (235 pts)	#1333 (60 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#799 (165 pts)	#899 (145 pts)	#1005 (125 pts)	#570 (310 pts)	#571 (320 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#300 (379 pts)	#393 (302 pts)	#412 (294 pts)	#372 (319 pts)	#269 (442 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1139 (210 pts)	#1097 (240 pts)	#1575 (120 pts)	#1578 (120 pts)	#619 (545 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Bubba Grills, each with one reason worth a look.

FALLOUT BBQ

#902 of the rated field

1616 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 34%
Peak: 1668

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Bubba Grills)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Bubba Grills has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 34 contests
last seen May 15, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Accutech BBQ

#900 of the rated field

1616 power rating

Contests: 46
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1616

4–2 in 6 shared contests (67% to Bubba Grills)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 44 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 44 contests
last seen Apr 25, 2026
on a 4-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN VAN NORMAN

#907 of the rated field

1615 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1615

Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 4 years before Bubba Grills's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 22 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Smoqued California BBQ

#899 of the rated field

1616 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1616

Fewer contests behind them than Bubba Grills has cooked, 15 to 26, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 15 contests
last seen May 8, 2015

⚔ Compare careers

NEW REVOLUTION Q

#906 of the rated field

1615 power rating

Contests: 39
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1620

39 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 23% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 39 contests
last seen Jul 27, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

BOWLING OVER PIGS

#903 of the rated field

1616 power rating

Contests: 53
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1669

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

rated over 52 contests
last seen Aug 23, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ	14	7	7	50%	⚔ compare
ELITE BBQ SMOKERS	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
Under the Radar	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
Organizer Portal	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
JACK'S OLD SOUTH	10	8	2	80%	⚔ compare
YES, DEAR BBQ	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
LEE LA Q	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS	9	8	1	89%	⚔ compare
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
Bald Hawg BBQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
Quenut BBQ	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
Smoke Central BBQ	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
ATLANTA BBQ STORE	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
MAYA JANE BBQ CO.	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	25	7	0	5	180 🔥	152.4912	169.00	top 48%
Pork Ribs	26	7	0	0	177.1772	159.3828	169.47	top 40%
Pork	26	10	0	4	178.8800	155.3600	168.98	top 44%
Brisket	26	13	1	4	178.8572	153.1088	170.15	top 37%

“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)	1	0	top 69%
Medium (20–39)	9	0	top 30%
Large (40+)	15	1	top 42%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
GA	8	0	top 31%
VA	6	0	top 43%
AL	5	0	top 50%
FL	2	0	top 57%
OH	2	1	top 9%
SC	1	0	top 26%
IL	1	0	top 44%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Poosa Q	5	13	0	top 50%	Jun 20, 2025
Smoke on the Mountain	3	4	0	top 22%	Jul 25, 2025
The River Grill before the Big Chill	2	1	1	top 9%	Oct 9, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2020 5 contests

Contests a season 2.2 across 12 seasons in the data

Most contests held in GA 8 of 26 contests · 8 states in all

Contests visited 18 3 of them more than once

First title Oct 10, 2014 The River Grill before the Big Chill

Opponents faced 803 finished ahead 839 times, behind 660

Longest layoff 1.8 yrs Oct 9, 2015 → Jul 21, 2017

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

20253 milestones

Jun 20 25th tracked contest Poosa Q
Jul 25 Peak power rating (1616) Smoke on the Mountain
Jul 25 Most recent contest Smoke on the Mountain

20231 milestone

Jul 21 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Smoke on the Mountain

20192 milestones

Jun 14 10th tracked contest Poosa-Q
Sep 20 First category win (Brisket) Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off

20145 milestones

Oct 10 First overall top-10 The River Grill before the Big Chill
Oct 10 First overall podium The River Grill before the Big Chill
Oct 10 First Grand Championship The River Grill before the Big Chill
Oct 10 Biggest field won (49 teams) The River Grill before the Big Chill
Oct 10 Career-best overall score704.5944 The River Grill before the Big Chill

20133 milestones

Jan 25 First tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
Jan 25 First call Lakeland Pig Festival
Jan 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.1422 Lakeland Pig Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.1	The River Grill before the Big Chill	Oct 10, 2014
+14.9	The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival	Oct 9, 2020
+14	Smoke on the Mountain	Jul 21, 2023
+13.1	The River Grill before the Big Chill	Oct 9, 2015
+13.1	Smoke on the Mountain	Jul 25, 2025

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.2	Poosa Q	May 5, 2022
-6.3	Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Bluegrass Festival (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier)	May 23, 2014
-5.6	Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship	Jul 19, 2013
-3.5	Poosa Q	Oct 5, 2023
-3.5	Poosa-Q	Jun 14, 2019

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	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2025	3	0	1	0	67%	top 23%	96.3%	95.9%
2024	2	0	0	0	100%	top 38%	95.5%	95.4%
2023	2	0	1	0	50%	top 33%	96.7%	95%
2022	1	0	0	0	100%	top 74%	92.1%	92.1%
2021	1	0	0	0	100%	top 30%	94.5%	94.5%
2020	5	0	4	0	100%	top 24%	96.9%	95.7%
2019	3	0	1	1	100%	top 41%	95.5%	94.1%
2018	1	0	0	0	0%	top 90%	93.8%	93.8%
2017	1	0	0	0	100%	top 60%	90.8%	90.8%
2015	2	0	1	0	50%	top 41%	95.2%	93.3%
2014	2	1	1	0	50%	top 40%	97.9%	93.2%
2013	3	0	0	0	67%	top 47%	90.7%	90.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 25, 2025	Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA	4 / 37 (691.3256)	12 (173.1084)	10 (173.1316)	10 (170.8228)	10 (174.2628)
Jun 20, 2025	Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL	13 / 42 (693.6112)	27 (171.9656)	17 (173.1200)	17 (174.2628)	12 (174.2628)
May 9, 2025	Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off 🏅 Waynesboro, GA	12 / 42 (686.1828)	12 (174.2628)	17 (170.2628)	2 (176.5600)	25 (165.0972)
Oct 4, 2024	Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL	19 / 59 (687.9196)	46 (165.6684)	16 (172.5600)	2 (178.8800)	26 (170.8112)
Jul 26, 2024	Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA	14 / 32 (686.1944)	9 (173.1200)	10 (171.4172)	23 (166.2400)	6 (175.4172)
Oct 5, 2023	Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL	41 / 73 (672.4112)	35 (169.6684)	17 (173.1200)	59 (164.5372)	52 (165.0856)
Jul 21, 2023	Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA	4 / 38 (695.9316)	2 (180)	16 (168.5372)	15 (171.9772)	6 (175.4172)
May 5, 2022	Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL	53 / 72 (663.2912)	69 (156.5140)	18 (172.5600)	3 (175.4056)	64 (158.8116)
Mar 5, 2021	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA	24 / 81 (680.4572)	20 (170.8228)	38 (167.3944)	7 (174.8456)	43 (167.3944)
Nov 20, 2020	Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA	17 / 40 (689.0744)	31 (166.2400)	24 (169.6800)	9 (174.2972)	2 (178.8572)
Oct 9, 2020	The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Lyons, GA	3 / 37 (696.5260)	14 (172.5716)	15 (169.6800)	2 (176.5600)	4 (177.7144)
Sep 11, 2020	Swine At the Shrine 🏅 Savannah, GA	6 / 38 (697.6572)	3 (177.7028)	29 (168.5372)	14 (172.5600)	2 (178.8572)
Aug 28, 2020	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Roebuck 🏅 Roebuck, SC	9 / 34 (683.3028)	21 (169.6800)	5 (175.4172)	27 (163.9428)	8 (174.2628)
Feb 7, 2020	Brasstown Valley Winter BBQ Throwdown (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) 🏅 Young Harris, GA	9 / 32 (677.5772)	23 (166.2400)	13 (166.2516)	6 (170.8228)	5 (174.2628)
Sep 20, 2019	Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Murphysboro, IL	24 / 54 (669.6000)	24 (167.3944)	46 (159.3828)	28 (166.2628)	1 (176.5600)
Aug 2, 2019	Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Gainesville, GA	9 / 45 (687.3488)	6 (175.4172)	25 (167.9888)	34 (166.2284)	2 (177.7144)
Jun 14, 2019	Poosa-Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL	28 / 48 (674.6968)	32 (165.6684)	28 (168.5256)	33 (166.2400)	9 (174.2628)
Mar 2, 2018	Sonny's Smokin Showdown (INVITATIONAL ONLY) unrated Orlando, FL	44 / 49 (675.2800)	21 (171.9656)	22 (173.1316)	48 (163.9428)	47 (166.2400)
Jul 21, 2017	Smoke on the mountain BBQ championship Galax, VA	15 / 25 (653.4968)	21 (158.2172)	6 (170.2512)	22 (155.3600)	7 (169.6684)
Oct 9, 2015	The River Grill before the Big Chill Cincinnati, OH	7 / 45 (685.6688)	3 (179.4400)	8 (172.5716)	10 (171.4056)	29 (162.2516)
Jul 17, 2015	Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship Galax, VA	19 / 29 (657.6116)	21 (162.2628)	17 (163.9772)	19 (166.2744)	17 (165.0972)
Oct 10, 2014	The River Grill before the Big Chill Cincinnati, OH	1 / 49 (704.5944)	2 (179.4400)	5 (177.1772)	13 (172.5600)	8 (175.4172)
May 23, 2014	Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Bluegrass Festival (GBC & SBBQA Qualifier) Evans, GA	51 / 65 (638.0452)	61 (152.4912)	11 (170.8572)	53 (156.4912)	47 (158.2056)
Nov 7, 2013	World Food Championships - World Barbecue Championship (Competitor's Series) Las Vegas, NV	—	—	52 (160.5600)	18 (168.5372)	22 (167.4172)
Jul 19, 2013	Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship Galax, VA	11 / 16 (651.2800)	3 (171.4056)	5 (167.9656)	13 (158.8000)	15 (153.1088)
Jan 25, 2013	Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL	17 / 70 (653.1422)	56 (153.7142)	21 (162.2854)	9 (169.7142)	12 (167.4284)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

Bubba Grills

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

Storylines (17 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

On the rise

Giant slayer

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The drought

The comeback

Looking over their shoulder

An October team

The long haul

The metronome

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)