AJ’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ CA
Rating
1460
peak 1460 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
2024-03-15
latest 2026-05-23
Best ToY finish
#384
Master 2026
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
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
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±23.36
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 166.83 · weakest Brisket (158.12)
Road miles
1384
mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 692 mi
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1555)
Purse competed for
$87K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
654.81 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Meat Candy Q has come out ahead in 7 of their 8 shared contests.
😤 Pork Ribs nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, Meat Candy Q has out-cooked them in 6 of 8 shared pork ribs entries.
Teams like this (closest power rating, CA first)
Familiar 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 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 154.8344 | 165.18 | top 66% |
| 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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 7 | 0 | top 80% |
| OR | 1 | 0 | top 36% |
| AZ | 1 | 0 | top 80% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 8 | 0 | top 80% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 39% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring 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% | 2026-03-20 |
| BBQ, Boots & Brew | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 95% | 2025-04-11 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (4 contests)
- Cooks mostly in CA (7 of 9 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (9 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 654.81 / 720
Milestones
- 🚩 2024-03-15 — First tracked contest · Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
- 📈 2024-03-15 — Peak power rating (1489) · Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
- 📣 2026-01-30 — First call · The Golden State Battle VIII
- ⭐ 2026-01-30 — Career-best overall score (690.7772) · The Golden State Battle VIII
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +8.9 | BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay | 2026-05-23 |
| +6.7 | The Golden State Battle VIII | 2026-01-30 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.3 | BBQ Boots & Brew | 2024-04-12 |
| -11.5 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest | 2024-03-15 |
| -10.3 | Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival | 2024-05-31 |
| -8.7 | BBQ, Boots & Brew | 2025-04-11 |
| -8.5 | 20th Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest | 2024-06-28 |
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-23 | 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) |
| 2026-03-20 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 18 / 27 (674.7200) | 17 (171.9656) | 2 (175.4172) | 17 (169.6800) | 21 (157.6572) |
| 2026-02-27 | BBQ & Brew Festival 🏅 Yuma, AZ | 20 / 25 (673.6116) | 22 (162.8228) | 2 (178.8572) | 16 (171.4172) | 23 (160.5144) |
| 2026-01-30 | The Golden State Battle VIII 🏅 Riverside, CA | 16 / 41 (690.7772) | 16 (174.2628) | 24 (169.1316) | 6 (176.5600) | 17 (170.8228) |
| 2025-04-11 | BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 24 / 26 (632.3888) | 24 (159.3716) | 14 (164.5372) | 22 (157.0856) | 24 (151.3944) |
| 2024-06-28 | 20th Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest 🏅 Riverside, CA | 30 / 35 (638.2060) | 24 (168.5828) | 20 (170.2972) | 33 (154.8344) | 34 (144.4916) |
| 2024-05-31 | Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA | 34 / 39 (637.6116) | 35 (157.7144) | 26 (161.1084) | 21 (166.8344) | 36 (151.9544) |
| 2024-04-12 | BBQ Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 38 / 39 (636.9604) | 27 (166.8916) | 39 (147.8972) | 33 (161.6456) | 36 (160.5260) |
| 2024-03-15 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 25 / 27 (627.3372) | 25 (155.3716) | 24 (161.1200) | 26 (157.7256) | 26 (153.1200) |
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 | #384 (390 pts) | #468 (345 pts) | #272 (685 pts) | #332 (475 pts) | #417 (360 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1423 (56 pts) | #1457 (56 pts) | #1134 (106 pts) | #1166 (66 pts) | #1437 (56 pts) |