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 pork.
- Pork ×1
Transformer BBQ
Transformer BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2025. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ (2013). They are ranked #2132 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1533
peak 1540 · rated over 7 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
May 18, 2013
latest May 17, 2025 · 12 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
0 reserve · wins it all 13% of the time
Category wins
2
6 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
50% of 8 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 40%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
661.41 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 655.80 (+5.61)
Walk rate
75%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±22.12
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 168.42 · weakest Brisket (161.27)
Road miles
2,250
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 940 mi
Schedule strength
26%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1535)
Purse competed for
$13K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
655.80 / 720
8 Master contests · 1 GC
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1097 (74 pts) | #1494 (54 pts) | #1211 (89 pts) | #926 (124 pts) | #1081 (89 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #636 (255 pts) | #789 (190 pts) | #791 (215 pts) | #419 (510 pts) | #849 (155 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #1029 (278 pts) | #1320 (203 pts) | #866 (368 pts) | #875 (373 pts) | #1233 (223 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Transformer BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
82 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,130 of the rated field
- Contests
- 90
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1646
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Transformer BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Transformer BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,116 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 71%
- Peak
- 1534
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,114 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1534
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 9 contests, alongside a 44% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#2,128 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1542
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Transformer BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,117 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1537
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careers#2,138 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1547
Level with Transformer BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Rogue Hog BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 171.4056 | 142.2400 | 161.91 | top 57% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 172.5600 | 160.5716 | 164.21 | top 45% |
| Pork | 8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 180 🔥 | 157.0856 | 168.42 | top 30% |
| Brisket | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 173.1772 | 137.0628 | 161.27 | top 50% |
“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) | 7 | 1 | top 39% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 48% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts in May (Day 2) | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 52% | May 17, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2013
4 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
2
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MA
3 of 8 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
7
1 of them more than once
First title
Jul 26, 2013
The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ
Opponents faced
215
finished ahead 179 times, behind 121
Longest layoff
9.7 yrs
Jul 25, 2014 → Apr 12, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest Massachusetts in May (Day 2)
20243 milestones
- First perfect 180 (Pork) Massachusetts in May (Day 2)
- Career-best overall score683.9544 Massachusetts in May (Day 2)
- Peak power rating (1540) Massachusetts in May (Day 2)
20138 milestones
- First tracked contest The Lexington Battle-Green BBQ Festival
- First call The Lexington Battle-Green BBQ Festival
- First overall top-10 The Lexington Battle-Green BBQ Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.9996 The Lexington Battle-Green BBQ Festival
- First overall podium The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ
- First Grand Championship The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ
- Biggest field won (31 teams) The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ
- First category win (Pork) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.3 | The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ | Jul 26, 2013 |
| +8.4 | The Lexington Battle-Green BBQ Festival | May 18, 2013 |
| +7.2 | Massachusetts in May (Day 2) | May 18, 2024 |
| +5.8 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) | Apr 12, 2024 |
| +4.8 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Aug 9, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -6.5 | Massachusetts in May (Day 2) | May 17, 2025 |
| -2.5 | Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ | Jul 25, 2014 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 72% | 92% | 92% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 35% | 95% | 93.8% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 62% | 88.1% | 88.1% |
| 2013 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 100% | top 29% | 94% | 90.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2025 | Massachusetts in May (Day 2) 🏅 Wrentham, MA | 21 / 29 (662.1484) | 29 (156.4912) | 18 (168) | 11 (171.9656) | 18 (165.6916) |
| May 18, 2024 | Massachusetts in May (Day 2) 🏅 Wrentham, MA | 10 / 31 (683.9544) | 24 (164.5716) | 9 (172.5600) | 1 (180) | 20 (166.8228) |
| Apr 12, 2024 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) 🏅 Bristol, CT | 11 / 29 (667.3488) | 10 (170.2744) | 21 (162.2516) | 3 (175.4056) | 21 (159.4172) |
| Jul 25, 2014 | Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT | 21 / 34 (634.2744) | 16 (162.2972) | 17 (160.5716) | 12 (163.4056) | 29 (148) |
| Oct 25, 2013 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 47 / 97 (659.3256) | 63 (162.8228) | 44 (166.2400) | 75 (157.0856) | 6 (173.1772) |
| Aug 9, 2013 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Medford, NY | 10 / 27 (610.7772) | 26 (142.2400) | 2 (160.5944) | 1 (170.8800) | 21 (137.0628) |
| Jul 26, 2013 | The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT | 1 / 31 (676.5828) | 2 (171.4056) | 16 (162.8688) | 5 (169.7484) | 2 (172.5600) |
| May 18, 2013 | The Lexington Battle-Green BBQ Festival Lexington, MA | 8 / 31 (651.9996) | 8 (165.1426) | 13 (160.5716) | 17 (158.8570) | 8 (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.