High-water mark
688.4800
career-best overall
95.6% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 688.4800 at Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship — 95.6% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Apr 26, 2024
Beards BBQ
Beards BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2025. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD) (2022). They are ranked #3362 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1496
peak 1523 · rated over 15 contests
Contests
16
in the data
First seen
Jul 8, 2022
latest Mar 14, 2025 · 2.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
0 reserve · wins it all 6% of the time
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
19% of 16 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 58%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
669.63
last 5 Master vs avg 670.10 (-0.47)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.75
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 169.39 · weakest Pork Ribs (166.79)
Road miles
3,689
across 16 mapped stops · furthest 449 mi
Schedule strength
55%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1570)
Purse competed for
$137K
listed at 16 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 14 state-championship entries
Master avg
670.10 / 720
14 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
340.51 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 1 GC
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
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 Beards BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
116 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,361 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1496
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,373 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1503
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Beards BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,375 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1496
Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,343 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1510
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#3,353 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 5%
- Peak
- 1507
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Beards BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#3,372 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1504
Level with Beards 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Bears BBQ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| BONE RUBBIN BBQ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Boys BBQ | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Old Town Franklin BBQ | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| Meat Candy Q | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Bliss BBQ | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| Rio Good BBQ | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Pops BBQ 22 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Cat BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Cherry Anchor BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Cynical BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| BULL MARKET BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Mid Valley BBQ | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 15 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 178.8572 | 158.2512 | 169.39 | top 53% |
| Pork Ribs | 16 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 178.8572 | 154.8000 | 166.79 | top 58% |
| Pork | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 162.8344 | 167.05 | top 62% |
| Brisket | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 155.9544 | 167.33 | 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) | 12 | 1 | top 58% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 58% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest | 2 | 19 | 0 | top 76% | Mar 14, 2025 |
| The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) | 2 | 25 | 0 | top 90% | Jan 25, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
9 contests
Contests a season
4
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CA
12 of 16 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
13
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
16 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls
First title
Jul 10, 2022
CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD)
Opponents faced
246
finished ahead 220 times, behind 309
Longest layoff
1.2 yrs
Jul 10, 2022 → Sep 15, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
20245 milestones
- Career-best overall score688.4800 Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship
- First category win (Chicken) CBCA Clayton BBQ and Brews Festival (MASTERS)
- 10th tracked contest 20th Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 The Sutherlin Throwdown
- Peak power rating (1523) BBQ Jackpot
20226 milestones
- First tracked contest Clayton BBQ Cook-off
- First call CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD)
- First overall top-10 CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD)
- First overall podium CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD)
- First Grand Championship CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score340.5140 CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.1 | CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD) | Jul 10, 2022 |
| +10.3 | BBQ Jackpot | Dec 6, 2024 |
| +6.5 | CBCA Clayton BBQ and Brews Festival (MASTERS) | Jun 14, 2024 |
| +3.5 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off | May 24, 2024 |
| +2.3 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship | Apr 26, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.9 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) | Jan 25, 2025 |
| -8.2 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 1) | Jan 24, 2025 |
| -6.6 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest | Mar 14, 2025 |
| -5.4 | 20th Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest | Jun 28, 2024 |
| -4.9 | 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge | Jan 12, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 82% | 93.6% | 92.5% |
| 2024 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 44% | top 52% | 95.6% | 93.8% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 36% | 94.6% | 91.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14, 2025 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 21 / 26 (674.1944) | 21 (166.2400) | 10 (173.1544) | 12 (170.2744) | 20 (164.5256) |
| Jan 25, 2025 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) 🏅 Hollister, CA | 25 / 27 (667.8744) | 13 (174.2628) | 27 (165.0972) | — | 25 (160.5488) |
| Jan 24, 2025 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 1) 🏅 Hollister, CA | 27 / 31 (662.2056) | 10 (172.5828) | 31 (154.8000) | 20 (166.8228) | 9 (168) |
| Jan 17, 2025 | 10th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 32 / 48 (661.0404) | 41 (161.6800) | 22 (168.5488) | 32 (163.3944) | 22 (167.4172) |
| Dec 6, 2024 | BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV | 23 / 74 (682.8344) | 33 (169.7600) | 39 (168.5372) | 43 (169.1200) | 11 (175.4172) |
| Jul 20, 2024 | The Sutherlin Throwdown 🏅 Sutherlin, OR | 16 / 30 (670.7316) | 15 (170.8228) | 4 (178.8572) | 27 (162.8344) | 27 (158.2172) |
| Jun 28, 2024 | 20th Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest 🏅 Riverside, CA | 24 / 35 (673.0628) | 27 (167.9656) | 25 (166.8228) | 25 (166.8228) | 17 (171.4516) |
| Jun 14, 2024 | CBCA Clayton BBQ and Brews Festival (MASTERS) 🏅 Clayton, CA | 9 / 25 (679.9544) | 1 (178.8572) | 21 (160.5372) | 9 (172.5600) | 9 (168) |
| May 24, 2024 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Felton, CA | 7 / 21 (683.3372) | 15 (167.9656) | 3 (175.4172) | 12 (166.8344) | 7 (173.1200) |
| Apr 26, 2024 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA | 12 / 34 (688.4800) | 10 (175.4056) | 20 (168.5372) | 17 (170.8228) | 7 (173.7144) |
| Mar 15, 2024 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 19 / 27 (663.8284) | 21 (163.9312) | 20 (165.0972) | 22 (166.2400) | 14 (168.5600) |
| Mar 1, 2024 | The Golden State Battle VI 🏅 Hollister, CA | 21 / 33 (672.4344) | 15 (171.9656) | 27 (159.9660) | 19 (168.5256) | 12 (171.9772) |
| Jan 12, 2024 | 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 44 / 58 (660.4000) | 41 (168.5372) | 45 (162.8000) | 42 (163.3944) | 32 (165.6684) |
| Sep 15, 2023 | 12 Bridge Rib Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lincoln, CA | — | — | 7 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Jul 10, 2022 | CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD) Clayton, CA | 1 / 20 (340.5140) | 3 (172.5484) | 5 (167.9656) | — | — |
| Jul 8, 2022 | Clayton BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Clayton, CA | 18 / 27 (640.9940) | 19 (158.2512) | 15 (162.8000) | 15 (163.9884) | 19 (155.9544) |