High-water mark
690.7772
career-best overall
95.9% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 690.7772 at The Golden State Battle VIII — 95.9% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jan 30, 2026
AJ’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ
AJ’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2024 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 12th of 33 at the BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay (2026). They are ranked #4819 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1467
peak 1467 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Mar 15, 2024
latest May 23, 2026 · 2.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 75%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
670.63 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 654.81 (+15.82)
Walk rate
22%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±23.36
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 166.83 · weakest Brisket (158.12)
Road miles
1,384
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 692 mi
Schedule strength
63%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1579)
Purse competed for
$87K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
654.81 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to AJ’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
139 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,815 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1467
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#4,797 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1467
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before AJ’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,809 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,821 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1467
Level with AJ’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,820 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1511
They've been 1511 at their best, 44 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#4,804 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1467
They were already cooking in 2013, 11 years before AJ’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meat Candy Q | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| WILD WILLY'S SMOKIN HOT BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| B' Mackin BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SoCal Outlaw BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Porterhouse BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BONE RUBBIN BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| ONE PIT WONDER | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Blackjack bbq | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Bad Bears BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LADY OF Q | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE HOUND BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 155.3716 | 164.68 | top 74% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 178.8572 | 147.8972 | 166.83 | top 53% |
| Pork | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171.4172 | 154.8344 | 163.76 | top 73% |
| Brisket | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 144.4916 | 158.12 | 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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 8 | 0 | top 80% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 39% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 80% | Mar 20, 2026 |
| BBQ, Boots & Brew | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 95% | Apr 11, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
4 contests
Contests a season
3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CA
7 of 9 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
7
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
160
finished ahead 75 times, behind 229
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20265 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score690.7772 The Golden State Battle VIII
- Career-best overall score690.7772 The Golden State Battle VIII
- First call BBQ & Brew Festival
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 BBQ & Brew Festival
- Most recent contest BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay
20242 milestones
- First tracked contest Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
- Peak power rating (1490) Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.3 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay | May 23, 2026 |
| +7.3 | The Golden State Battle VIII | Jan 30, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.3 | BBQ Boots & Brew | Apr 12, 2024 |
| -10.4 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest | Mar 15, 2024 |
| -9.7 | Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival | May 31, 2024 |
| -7.9 | BBQ, Boots & Brew | Apr 11, 2025 |
| -7.9 | 20th Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest | Jun 28, 2024 |
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 56% | 95.9% | 94.5% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 92% | 87.8% | 87.8% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 91% | 88.6% | 88.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2026 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR | 12 / 33 (681.6688) | 20 (165.1428) | 13 (173.1316) | 14 (170.8344) | 11 (172.5600) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 18 / 27 (674.7200) | 17 (171.9656) | 2 (175.4172) | 17 (169.6800) | 21 (157.6572) |
| Feb 27, 2026 | BBQ & Brew Festival 🏅 Yuma, AZ | 20 / 25 (673.6116) | 22 (162.8228) | 2 (178.8572) | 16 (171.4172) | 23 (160.5144) |
| Jan 30, 2026 | The Golden State Battle VIII 🏅 Riverside, CA | 16 / 41 (690.7772) | 16 (174.2628) | 24 (169.1316) | — | 17 (170.8228) |
| Apr 11, 2025 | BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 24 / 26 (632.3888) | 24 (159.3716) | 14 (164.5372) | 22 (157.0856) | 24 (151.3944) |
| Jun 28, 2024 | 20th Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest 🏅 Riverside, CA | 30 / 35 (638.2060) | 24 (168.5828) | 20 (170.2972) | 33 (154.8344) | 34 (144.4916) |
| May 31, 2024 | Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA | 34 / 39 (637.6116) | 35 (157.7144) | 26 (161.1084) | 21 (166.8344) | 36 (151.9544) |
| Apr 12, 2024 | BBQ Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 38 / 39 (636.9604) | 27 (166.8916) | 39 (147.8972) | 33 (161.6456) | 36 (160.5260) |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 25 / 27 (627.3372) | 25 (155.3716) | 24 (161.1200) | 26 (157.7256) | 26 (153.1200) |