AJ’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ CA
Rating
1460
peak 1460
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
2024-03-15
latest 2026-05-23
Best ToY finish
#294
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 vs career avg 654.81 (+15.82)
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±23.36
std dev of 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
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Meat Candy Q has come out ahead in 7 of their 8 shared contests.
Teams like this (closest power rating, CA first)
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% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (4 contests)
- Cooks mostly in CA (7 of 9 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (9 entries)
- All-time average overall score: 654.81
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 690.7772 | 680.19 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 632.3888 | 632.39 |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 638.2060 | 635.03 |
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) |
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 | #294 (390 pts) | #367 (345 pts) | #178 (685 pts) | #236 (475 pts) | #321 (360 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1423 (56 pts) | #1457 (56 pts) | #1134 (106 pts) | #1166 (66 pts) | #1437 (56 pts) |