5TH GEAR BBQ CA
Rating
1620
peak 1642 · rated over 35 contests
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
35
in the data
First seen
2019-05-17
latest 2025-01-25
Best ToY finish
#100
Master 2022
Grand champs
2
0 reserve
Category wins
4
23 podiums
Overall top-10s
19
of 35 contests
Avg finish
top 37%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Current form
680.13 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 680.88 (-0.75)
Walk rate
86%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±13.45
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.92 · weakest Brisket (167.76)
Road miles
5857
mi across 35 mapped stops · furthest 712 mi
Schedule strength
49%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1544)
Purse competed for
$265K
listed at 30 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
GCs in 34 state-championship entries
Master avg
680.88 / 720
33 Master contests · 1 GC
Backyard avg
503.94 / 360
2 Backyard contests · 1 GC
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Porterhouse BBQ has finished one call ahead of 5TH GEAR BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
LADY OF Q has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
B' Mackin BBQ has come out ahead in 23 of their 27 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Pops BBQ 22 in 12 of their 15 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Horse Town Brew n Que Festival is their spot: an average finish in the top 17% across 3 visits.
📅 A November team
Something about November: average finish in the top 27% across 3 contests, versus top 37% the rest of the year.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championship (2023-05-26) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 34-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, B' Mackin BBQ.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 1 of 16 at their very first tracked contest, 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY) (2019-05-17).
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 | 29 | 8 | 21 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| LADY OF Q | 27 | 12 | 15 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| B' Mackin BBQ | 27 | 4 | 23 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | 23 | 12 | 11 | 52% | ⚔ compare |
| 7 SINS BBQ | 21 | 12 | 9 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | 21 | 12 | 9 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG RED BBQ | 21 | 10 | 11 | 48% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG POPPA SMOKERS | 20 | 5 | 15 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Porterhouse BBQ | 16 | 8 | 8 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| BULL MARKET BBQ | 16 | 3 | 13 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| Pops BBQ 22 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Bliss BBQ | 13 | 8 | 5 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| West Coast BBQ Shop | 13 | 7 | 6 | 54% | ⚔ compare |
| JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE | 12 | 12 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Weekend Warrior BBQ | 12 | 11 | 1 | 92% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 35 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 180.0000 🔥 | 159.9428 | 171.92 | top 36% |
| Pork Ribs | 35 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 178.8572 | 160.5144 | 170.95 | top 37% |
| Pork | 34 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 178.8572 | 154.7540 | 169.86 | top 49% |
| Brisket | 33 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 180.0000 🔥 | 151.8968 | 167.76 | 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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 29 | 2 | top 39% |
| AZ | 4 | 0 | top 28% |
| NV | 1 | 0 | top 55% |
| OR | 1 | 0 | top 8% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 2 | top 26% |
| Medium (20–39) | 23 | 0 | top 42% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 0 | top 29% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Boots & Brew | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 36% | 2024-04-12 |
| Horse Town Brew n Que Festival | 3 | 4 | 0 | top 17% | 2023-06-02 |
| Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 2) | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 40% | 2022-05-28 |
| The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 78% | 2025-01-25 |
| 2022 Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 22% | 2022-11-04 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2022 (11 contests)
- Cooks mostly in CA (29 of 35 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (35 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY) (2019-05-17)
- Wins it all in 6% of contests
- Average Master overall score: 680.88 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 503.94 / 360
- 3 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Milestones
- 🚩 2019-05-17 — First tracked contest · 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📣 2019-05-17 — First call · 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 🏆 2019-05-17 — First Grand Championship · 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 🔥 2022-04-02 — First perfect 180 (Chicken) · 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship - Day 2
- ⭐ 2022-04-02 — Career-best overall score (701.0856) · 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship - Day 2
- 🎖️ 2023-07-01 — 25th tracked contest · Icebox Cookoff
- 📈 2025-01-17 — Peak power rating (1642) · 10th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16 | 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2019-05-17 |
| +12.9 | 2022 Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival | 2022-11-04 |
| +12.3 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championship | 2023-05-26 |
| +11.6 | Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL) | 2019-05-31 |
| +11.2 | Swanner House Autumn Reata Round Up BBQ Contest | 2023-10-06 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.4 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 1) | 2025-01-24 |
| -10.3 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) | 2025-01-25 |
| -10.1 | Dinuba's Annual BBQ & Brew Fest | 2023-08-04 |
| -9 | 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship | 2022-04-01 |
| -8.5 | The Tyson Guinea Pig, Matt Dalton Memorial | 2020-02-21 |
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 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 54% | 96.3% | 94.3% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 75% | top 33% | 95.9% | 94.9% |
| 2023 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 83% | top 28% | 97.1% | 95.6% |
| 2022 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 91% | top 38% | 97.4% | 95% |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 39% | 96.2% | 94% |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 62% | 94.1% | 92.1% |
| 2019 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 100% | top 13% | 188.1% | 124.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-25 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) 🏅 Hollister, CA | 21 / 27 (678.7884) | 18 (171.9656) | 25 (167.9772) | 22 (168.5828) | 16 (170.2628) |
| 2025-01-24 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 1) 🏅 Hollister, CA | 24 / 31 (665.6340) | 27 (162.8456) | 10 (173.1200) | 22 (165.6912) | 21 (163.9772) |
| 2025-01-17 | 10th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 3 / 48 (693.0628) | 16 (171.9656) | 12 (171.9656) | 17 (170.2744) | 2 (178.8572) |
| 2024-05-24 | Best Dam Barbeque 🏅 Boulder City, NV | 18 / 33 (674.7200) | 25 (165.0856) | 22 (167.3944) | 14 (173.1200) | 14 (169.1200) |
| 2024-04-12 | BBQ Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 10 / 39 (688.4684) | 8 (175.4056) | 6 (176.0000) | 22 (169.6800) | 24 (167.3828) |
| 2024-03-01 | The Golden State Battle VI 🏅 Hollister, CA | 14 / 33 (678.2060) | 10 (173.1316) | 11 (171.9772) | 32 (161.1200) | 10 (171.9772) |
| 2024-01-12 | 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 5 / 58 (690.7884) | 14 (174.2744) | 2 (178.8572) | 22 (171.4056) | 29 (166.2512) |
| 2023-11-17 | Golden State Battle of Indio 🏅 Indio, CA | 14 / 40 (690.7656) | 15 (174.2628) | 4 (176.5600) | 25 (170.8228) | 29 (169.1200) |
| 2023-10-06 | Swanner House Autumn Reata Round Up BBQ Contest 🏅 San Juan Capistrano, CA | 3 / 17 (698.2056) | 4 (175.4056) | 1 (178.8572) | 6 (173.1200) | 9 (170.8228) |
| 2023-08-04 | Dinuba's Annual BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA | 22 / 29 (658.7656) | 16 (169.1316) | 19 (166.8228) | 22 (164.0000) | 24 (158.8112) |
| 2023-07-01 | Icebox Cookoff 🏅 Sweet Home, OR | 3 / 38 (696.5256) | 2 (180.0000) | 3 (174.8572) | 13 (171.4056) | 16 (170.2628) |
| 2023-06-02 | Horse Town Brew n Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA | 12 / 43 (688.4800) | 13 (173.7028) | 4 (176.5600) | 23 (170.8228) | 25 (167.3944) |
| 2023-05-26 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championship 🏅 Big Bear Lake, CA | 1 / 19 (698.8116) | 1 (174.8572) | 2 (175.4288) | 2 (177.7028) | 6 (170.8228) |
| 2022-11-04 | 2022 Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival 🏅 Indio, CA | 3 / 35 (690.7888) | 11 (174.2628) | 5 (174.8572) | 19 (169.6800) | 9 (171.9888) |
| 2022-06-03 | Horse Town Brew N Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA | 5 / 37 (692.5144) | 11 (173.7028) | 9 (175.4172) | 14 (171.9772) | 11 (171.4172) |
| 2022-05-28 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 2) 🏅 Big Bear Lake, CA | 17 / 25 (662.1832) | 7 (177.1428) | 22 (161.1316) | 14 (169.6800) | 21 (154.2288) |
| 2022-05-27 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 1) 🏅 Big Bear Lake, CA | 5 / 25 (692.5372) | 4 (175.4172) | 5 (174.8572) | 12 (170.2628) | 5 (172.0000) |
| 2022-05-06 | Eastern Sierra BBQ, Chili & Salsa Festival 🏅 Bishop, CA | 3 / 4 (676.4456) | 3 (170.2628) | 3 (166.2516) | 3 (171.9656) | 3 (167.9656) |
| 2022-04-08 | BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 5 / 29 (687.3256) | 1 (177.7144) | 11 (169.1200) | 2 (175.4056) | 17 (165.0856) |
| 2022-04-02 | 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship - Day 2 🏅 Arcadia, CA | 6 / 27 (701.0856) | 2 (180.0000) | 13 (171.9772) | 21 (169.1084) | 3 (180.0000) |
| 2022-04-01 | 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship 🏅 Arcadia, CA | 28 / 37 (661.6116) | 11 (171.9772) | 19 (167.9772) | 31 (160.5716) | 29 (161.0856) |
| 2022-02-18 | BBQ & Brew 'Best in the Southwest' Festival 🏅 Yuma, AZ | 8 / 34 (692.5600) | 8 (175.4400) | 10 (174.8572) | 11 (173.7028) | 13 (168.5600) |
| 2022-01-22 | The Golden State Battle IV - Day 2 🏅 Santa Barbara, CA | 18 / 25 (675.8628) | 17 (170.8344) | 11 (173.1200) | 10 (172.5600) | 23 (159.3484) |
| 2022-01-21 | The Golden State Battle IV - Day 1 🏅 Santa Barbara, CA | 6 / 30 (691.3716) | 2 (179.4400) | 23 (162.8116) | 1 (178.8572) | 15 (170.2628) |
| 2021-11-05 | Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival 🏅 Indio, CA | 12 / 33 (684.4916) | 3 (178.8572) | 20 (165.6800) | 6 (175.4172) | 19 (164.5372) |
| 2021-05-28 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships 🏅 Big Bear Lake, CA | 9 / 27 (671.2800) | 12 (169.6800) | 14 (163.3944) | 10 (168.5256) | 9 (169.6800) |
| 2021-05-21 | BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 16 / 25 (662.1144) | 19 (164.5372) | 18 (160.5144) | 13 (167.3828) | 10 (169.6800) |
| 2021-04-17 | The Golden State Battle III - Day 2 🏅 Hollister, CA | 7 / 26 (692.5372) | 8 (175.4172) | 14 (170.2972) | 17 (167.9656) | 2 (178.8572) |
| 2021-04-16 | The Golden State Battle III - Day 1 🏅 Hollister, CA | 15 / 41 (673.0512) | 19 (165.1200) | 6 (174.2856) | 22 (167.9772) | 27 (165.6684) |
| 2020-02-28 | Best in the Desert Southwest KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 Yuma, AZ | 21 / 29 (656.9596) | 7 (172.0000) | 17 (167.9772) | 19 (165.0856) | 24 (151.8968) |
| 2020-02-21 | The Tyson Guinea Pig, Matt Dalton Memorial 🏅 Coachella, CA | 39 / 50 (654.1024) | 12 (170.2972) | 30 (165.6800) | 48 (154.7540) | 30 (163.3712) |
| 2020-01-24 | The Golden State Battle II 🏅 Hollister, CA | 16 / 46 (677.6916) | 34 (164.0228) | 5 (171.9888) | 6 (174.2856) | 25 (167.3944) |
| 2019-05-31 | Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL) 🏅 Norco, CA | 4 / 49 (330.8116) | 6 (159.9428) | 3 (170.8688) | — | — |
| 2019-05-24 | Big Bear Grill & Chill 🏅 Big Bear Lake, CA | 6 / 25 (671.3600) | 16 (163.4056) | 4 (171.9772) | 8 (167.9772) | 8 (168.0000) |
| 2019-05-17 | 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY) Riverside, CA | 1 / 16 (677.0744) | 4 (165.6800) | 2 (172.0000) | 2 (174.2744) | — |
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 | #502 (368 pts) | #691 (248 pts) | #623 (308 pts) | #676 (238 pts) | #473 (433 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #340 (641 pts) | #401 (571 pts) | #293 (846 pts) | #524 (381 pts) | #486 (431 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #168 (1150 pts) | #181 (1070 pts) | #167 (1225 pts) | #291 (750 pts) | #333 (655 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #100 (1532 pts) | #33 (1992 pts) | #157 (1252 pts) | #86 (1572 pts) | #144 (1272 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #389 (498 pts) | #451 (433 pts) | #443 (473 pts) | #466 (403 pts) | #357 (573 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #448 (239 pts) | #360 (344 pts) | #372 (339 pts) | #372 (319 pts) | #577 (179 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1320 (165 pts) | #1826 (95 pts) | #1233 (200 pts) | #1459 (145 pts) | #1427 (145 pts) |