Steve's Prime BBQ MA
Rating
1498
peak 1525 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
2021-09-03
latest 2025-05-17
Best ToY finish
#576
Master 2024
Grand champs
1
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 66%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
660.47 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 657.86 (+2.60)
Walk rate
90%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.92
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 166.54 · weakest Brisket (162.18)
Road miles
256
mi across 10 mapped stops · furthest 202 mi
Schedule strength
59%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)
Purse competed for
$36K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
657.86 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
PADDY MCQ'S has come out ahead in 7 of their 8 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Mullen It Over BBQ in 6 of their 8 shared contests.
😤 Chicken nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, PADDY MCQ'S has out-cooked them in 8 of 8 shared chicken entries.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Steak) (JUDGING FULL) (2022-09-02) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 21-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE.
Teams like this (closest power rating, MA first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mullen It Over BBQ | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| PADDY MCQ'S | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| ELJEFE SMOKE | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 173.1084 | 158.8344 | 166.54 | top 60% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 173.7028 | 153.6456 | 166.27 | top 54% |
| Pork | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 173.1428 | 150.7540 | 164.46 | top 54% |
| Brisket | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 170.8456 | 153.1200 | 162.18 | top 67% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NY | 4 | 1 | top 66% |
| MA | 2 | 0 | top 65% |
| NH | 2 | 0 | top 68% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 75% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 60% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Love Barbecue & Music Festival | 4 | 1 | 1 | top 66% | 2023-09-01 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2024 (5 contests)
- Cooks mostly in MA (4 of 10 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (8 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Steak) (JUDGING FULL) (2022-09-02)
- Wins it all in 10% of contests
- Average Master overall score: 657.86 / 720
Milestones
- 🚩 2021-09-03 — First tracked contest · I Love Barbecue & Music Festival
- 📣 2021-09-03 — First call · I Love Barbecue & Music Festival
- 🏆 2022-09-02 — First Grand Championship · I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Steak) (JUDGING FULL)
- 📈 2022-09-02 — Peak power rating (1525) · I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Steak) (JUDGING FULL)
- ⭐ 2024-06-01 — Career-best overall score (671.3256) · Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +20.6 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Steak) (JUDGING FULL) | 2022-09-02 |
| +4.8 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival | 2021-09-03 |
| +2.2 | Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | 2024-06-01 |
| +1.5 | Weekend of Giving | 2024-10-26 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.4 | Operation Up in Smoke | 2024-07-27 |
| -9.6 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival | 2023-09-01 |
| -9.2 | Massachusetts in May (Day 2) | 2025-05-17 |
| -0.9 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Masters) (JUDGING FULL) | 2022-09-02 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 83% | 91.8% | 91.8% |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 61% | 93.2% | 92.7% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 89% | 88.7% | 88.7% |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 64% | 88.1% | 88.1% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 47% | 92.8% | 92.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-17 | Massachusetts in May (Day 2) 🏅 Wrentham, MA | 24 / 29 (661.0284) | 18 (166.8228) | 28 (153.6456) | 9 (173.1428) | 14 (167.4172) |
| 2024-10-26 | Weekend of Giving 🏅 Wrentham, MA | 12 / 25 (667.3252) | 8 (173.1084) | 19 (164.5828) | 6 (171.9656) | 20 (157.6684) |
| 2024-10-25 | Weekend of Giving (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Wrentham, MA | — | 10 (170.2744) | — | — | — |
| 2024-10-25 | Weekend of Giving (ONE MEAT RIBS) Wrentham, MA | — | — | 7 (173.7028) | — | — |
| 2024-07-27 | Operation Up in Smoke 🏅 Epping, NH | 17 / 19 (663.9196) | 15 (165.1084) | 11 (169.6800) | 18 (158.2856) | 8 (170.8456) |
| 2024-06-01 | Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Merrimack, NH | 17 / 37 (671.3256) | 26 (165.0856) | 8 (171.4056) | 5 (172.5600) | 23 (162.2744) |
| 2023-09-01 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY | 16 / 18 (638.7312) | 16 (158.8344) | 7 (169.1772) | 18 (150.7540) | 16 (159.9656) |
| 2022-09-02 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Masters) (JUDGING FULL) Lake Placid, NY | 14 / 22 (634.2056) | 10 (164.5372) | 12 (157.7028) | 12 (158.8456) | 18 (153.1200) |
| 2022-09-02 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Steak) (JUDGING FULL) Lake Placid, NY | 1 (168.0228) | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-09-03 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival 🏅 Lake Placid, NY | 7 / 15 (668.4916) | 7 (168.5716) | 7 (170.2744) | 9 (165.6800) | 10 (163.9656) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1394 (59 pts) | #1118 (89 pts) | #1555 (54 pts) | #889 (139 pts) | #1020 (109 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #576 (299 pts) | #493 (418 pts) | #474 (498 pts) | #478 (429 pts) | #629 (284 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1135 (88 pts) | #1206 (88 pts) | #1017 (148 pts) | #1222 (78 pts) | #1185 (88 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1138 (102 pts) | #1045 (122 pts) | #1197 (112 pts) | #1140 (112 pts) | #1246 (82 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #852 (145 pts) | #899 (145 pts) | #935 (145 pts) | #943 (125 pts) | #1034 (115 pts) |