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5TH GEAR BBQ

5TH GEAR BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 36 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championship (2023). They are ranked #698 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#698
of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1642
peak 1671 · rated over 36 contests

Contests

36
in the data

First seen

May 17, 2019
latest Sep 18, 2026 · 7.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#100
Master 2022 · every season

Grand champs

2
0 reserve · wins it all 6% of the time

Category wins

5
24 podiums

Overall top-10s

19
53% of 36 contests

Best top-10 run

4
straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 38%
overall standings

Best overall

701.0856 / 720
Master · 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship - Day 2

Perfect 180s

3 🔥

Current form

678.65 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 680.89 (-2.23)

Walk rate

86%
contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥
Chicken · Icebox Cookoff

Consistency

±13.25
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken
avg 171.87 · weakest Brisket (167.85)

Road miles

6,164
across 36 mapped stops · furthest 714 mi

Schedule strength

69%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1587)

Purse competed for

$275K
listed at 31 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅
won from 35 state-championship entries

Master avg

680.89 / 720
34 Master contests · 1 GC

Backyard avg

330.81 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs

Backyard (4-meat) avg

677.07 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 1 GC

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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.

Storylines (18 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

Perfect scores on the board

3 perfect 180s

3 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.

  • Chicken ×2
  • Brisket ×1

Against the odds

27-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 73 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championship (May 26, 2023) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 27-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, B' Mackin BBQ.

Happy hunting ground

Top 17% average finish here

Horse Town Brew n Que Festival is their spot: an average finish in the top 17% across 3 visits.

  • 3 visits
  • best finish 4th
  • average top 17%

They almost always walk

86% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 31 of 36 contests

A top-10 category call in 86% of their 36 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

State champions

1 state championship won

They've taken 1 state championship from 35 entries at contests carrying the title.

  • 35 state-championship entries

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

West Coast BBQ Shop has finished one call ahead of 5TH GEAR BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Show 11 more storylines

Their season

2019 1 Grand Championship

2019 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 13%.

  • 3 contests
  • 3 overall top-10s
  • 0 category wins
  • average top 13%

A tough matchup

24–4 behind in the head-to-head

B' Mackin BBQ ahead in 86% of their meetings

B' Mackin BBQ has come out ahead in 24 of their 28 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.0 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.02 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 35% of the time against 47%.

  • Brisket avg 167.85
  • Chicken avg 171.87
  • 12 calls in 34 entries

The drought

13 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championship on May 26, 2023 — 13 contests and 3.4 years ago.

  • last GC May 26, 2023
  • 3.4 years ago

A strong matchup

12–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Pops BBQ 22 in 12 of their 15 shared contests.

The comeback

1.6 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.6 years, then back at 22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest (Sep 18, 2026).

  • last seen Jan 25, 2025
  • back Sep 18, 2026

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

LADY OF Q has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A November team

Top 27% average finish in November

Something about November: average finish in the top 27% across 3 contests, versus top 38% the rest of the year.

  • 3 November contests
  • top 38% the rest of the year

The long haul

6,164 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,164 miles across 36 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 714 miles to Icebox Cookoff.

  • 36 mapped stops
  • furthest 714 mi

The metronome

±1.84% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.84% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

  • averages 94.5% of a perfect score
  • 36 contests

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

YearSeriesOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
2026 ↗ Master #921 (96 pts) #881 (121 pts) #637 (281 pts) #1278 (56 pts) #969 (91 pts)
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 (1,150 pts) #181 (1,070 pts) #167 (1,225 pts) #291 (750 pts) #333 (655 pts)
2022 ↗ Master #100 (1,532 pts) #33 (1,992 pts) #157 (1,252 pts) #86 (1,572 pts) #144 (1,272 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 #1314 (165 pts) #1824 (95 pts) #1230 (200 pts) #1453 (145 pts) #1423 (145 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to 5TH GEAR BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

LOVE-N-SMOKE
#699 of the rated field
1642 power rating
Contests
34
GCs
1
Top-10s
44%
Peak
1643

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 34 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

  • rated over 34 contests
  • last seen Apr 29, 2023
⚔ Compare careers
DIVA Q
#700 of the rated field
1641 power rating
Contests
44
GCs
2
Top-10s
43%
Peak
1654

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before 5TH GEAR BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

  • rated over 41 contests
⚔ Compare careers
POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP
#701 of the rated field
1641 ▼ 1 power rating
Contests
69
GCs
1
Top-10s
39%
Peak
1678
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to 5TH GEAR BBQ)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team 5TH GEAR BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

  • rated over 67 contests
  • last seen Aug 21, 2026
⚔ Head-to-head
The Pitfather BBQ
#695 of the rated field
1643 ▲ 1 power rating
Contests
27
GCs
1
Top-10s
33%
Peak
1648
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to 5TH GEAR BBQ)

Careers of much the same size, 27 contests to 36, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

  • rated over 19 contests
  • last seen Sep 30, 2026
⚔ Head-to-head
Pig Candy Barbeque Co.
#708 of the rated field
1640 ▼ 1 power rating
Contests
37
GCs
2
Top-10s
32%
Peak
1641

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 37 contests, alongside a 32% overall top-10 rate.

  • rated over 36 contests
  • last seen Sep 25, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
FIRED UP SMOKERS
#697 of the rated field
1642 ▲ 1 power rating
Contests
34
GCs
2
Top-10s
29%
Peak
1656

They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before 5TH GEAR BBQ's first contest.

  • rated over 32 contests
  • last seen Oct 13, 2017
⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

OpponentMeetingsAheadBehindWin rate
Meat Candy Q 30 8 22 27% ⚔ compare
LADY OF Q 28 12 16 43% ⚔ compare
B' Mackin BBQ 28 4 24 14% ⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ 24 12 12 50% ⚔ 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 17 8 9 47% ⚔ compare
BULL MARKET BBQ 16 3 13 19% ⚔ compare
Pops BBQ 22 15 12 3 80% ⚔ compare
West Coast BBQ Shop 14 7 7 50% ⚔ compare
Smokin' Bliss BBQ 13 8 5 62% ⚔ compare
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ 13 7 6 54% ⚔ compare
JOLLEY'S BAD TO THE BONE BARBEQUE 12 12 0 100% ⚔ compare

By meat

CategoryEntriesCallsWinsPodiumsBestWorstAverageAvg finish
Chicken 36 17 2 7 180 🔥 159.9428 171.87 top 36%
Pork Ribs 36 19 2 8 178.8572 160.5144 171.14 top 36%
Pork 29 10 1 5 178.8572 154.7540 169.89 top 47%
Brisket 34 12 0 4 180 🔥 151.8968 167.85 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

FieldContestsGCsAvg finish
Small (<20 teams)42top 26%
Medium (20–39)240top 42%
Large (40+)80top 29%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

WhereContestsGCsAvg finish
CA302top 39%
AZ40top 28%
NV10top 55%
OR10top 8%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

ContestVisitsBestGCsAvg finishLast visit
BBQ Boots & Brew 3 5 0 top 36% Apr 12, 2024
Horse Town Brew n Que Festival 3 4 0 top 17% Jun 2, 2023
Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 2) 3 5 0 top 40% May 28, 2022
The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) 2 21 0 top 78% Jan 25, 2025
2022 Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival 2 3 0 top 22% Nov 4, 2022

More numbers

Busiest season 2022 11 contests
Contests a season 4.5 across 8 seasons in the data
Most contests held in CA 30 of 36 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited 28 5 of them more than once
First title May 17, 2019 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)
Opponents faced 432 finished ahead 756 times, behind 412
Longest layoff 1.6 yrs Jan 25, 2025 → Sep 18, 2026

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20261 milestone
  1. Most recent contest 22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest
20251 milestone
  1. Peak power rating (1671) 10th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
20232 milestones
  1. First state championship Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championship
  2. 25th tracked contest Icebox Cookoff
20223 milestones
  1. First category win (Pork) The Golden State Battle IV - Day 1
  2. First perfect 180 (Chicken) 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship - Day 2
  3. Career-best overall score701.0856 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship - Day 2
20211 milestone
  1. 10th tracked contest Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships
20196 milestones
  1. First tracked contest 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)
  2. First call 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)
  3. First overall top-10 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)
  4. First overall podium 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)
  5. First Grand Championship 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)
  6. First overall past 90% of a perfect score677.0744 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

SwingContestDate
+1616th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY)May 17, 2019
+13.42022 Indio California State BBQ Championship & FestivalNov 4, 2022
+12.9Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL)May 31, 2019
+12.4The Golden State Battle IV - Day 1Jan 21, 2022
+12.1Swanner House Autumn Reata Round Up BBQ ContestOct 6, 2023

📉 Toughest weekends

SwingContestDate
-11.5The Golden State Battle VII (Day 1)Jan 24, 2025
-10.3The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2)Jan 25, 2025
-9.4Dinuba's Annual BBQ & Brew FestAug 4, 2023
-7.822nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ ContestSep 18, 2026
-7.49th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ ChampionshipApr 1, 2022

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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

SeasonContestsGCsTop-10sCategory winsWalk rateAvg finishBest overall (% of perfect)Avg overall (% of perfect)
20261001 100% top 55% 94.6% 94.6%
20253010 67% top 54% 96.3% 94.3%
20244020 75% top 33% 95.9% 94.9%
20236132 83% top 28% 97.1% 95.6%
202211082 91% top 38% 97.4% 95%
20215020 100% top 39% 96.2% 94%
20203000 67% top 62% 94.1% 92.1%
20193130 100% top 13% 94% 93.1%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

DateEventOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
Sep 18, 2026 22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest 🏅 Riverside, CA 17 / 31 (681.0628) 12 (170.2628) 1 (177.7028) — 18 (170.8228)
Jan 25, 2025 The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) 🏅 Hollister, CA 21 / 27 (678.7884) 18 (171.9656) 25 (167.9772) — 16 (170.2628)
Jan 24, 2025 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)
Jan 17, 2025 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)
May 24, 2024 Best Dam Barbeque 🏅 Boulder City, NV 18 / 33 (674.7200) 25 (165.0856) 22 (167.3944) 14 (173.1200) 14 (169.1200)
Apr 12, 2024 BBQ Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA 10 / 39 (688.4684) 8 (175.4056) 6 (176) 22 (169.6800) 24 (167.3828)
Mar 1, 2024 The Golden State Battle VI 🏅 Hollister, CA 14 / 33 (678.2060) 10 (173.1316) 11 (171.9772) 32 (161.1200) 10 (171.9772)
Jan 12, 2024 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)
Nov 17, 2023 Golden State Battle of Indio 🏅 Indio, CA 14 / 40 (690.7656) 15 (174.2628) 4 (176.5600) — 29 (169.1200)
Oct 6, 2023 Swanner House Autumn Reata Round Up BBQ Contest 🏅 San Juan Capistrano, CA 3 / 17 (698.2056) 4 (175.4056) 1 (178.8572) — 9 (170.8228)
Aug 4, 2023 Dinuba's Annual BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA 22 / 29 (658.7656) 16 (169.1316) 19 (166.8228) 22 (164) 24 (158.8112)
Jul 1, 2023 Icebox Cookoff 🏅 Sweet Home, OR 3 / 38 (696.5256) 2 (180) 3 (174.8572) 13 (171.4056) 16 (170.2628)
Jun 2, 2023 Horse Town Brew n Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA 12 / 43 (688.4800) 13 (173.7028) 4 (176.5600) 23 (170.8228) 25 (167.3944)
May 26, 2023 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)
Nov 4, 2022 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)
Jun 3, 2022 Horse Town Brew N Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA 5 / 37 (692.5144) 11 (173.7028) 9 (175.4172) 14 (171.9772) 11 (171.4172)
May 28, 2022 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)
May 27, 2022 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)
May 6, 2022 Eastern Sierra BBQ, Chili & Salsa Festival 🏅 Bishop, CA 3 / 4 (676.4456) 3 (170.2628) 3 (166.2516) 3 (171.9656) 3 (167.9656)
Apr 8, 2022 BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA 5 / 29 (687.3256) 1 (177.7144) 11 (169.1200) 2 (175.4056) 17 (165.0856)
Apr 2, 2022 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship - Day 2 🏅 Arcadia, CA 6 / 27 (701.0856) 2 (180) 13 (171.9772) 21 (169.1084) 3 (180)
Apr 1, 2022 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)
Feb 18, 2022 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)
Jan 22, 2022 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)
Jan 21, 2022 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)
Nov 5, 2021 Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival 🏅 Indio, CA 12 / 33 (684.4916) 3 (178.8572) 20 (165.6800) 6 (175.4172) 19 (164.5372)
May 28, 2021 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)
May 21, 2021 BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA 16 / 25 (662.1144) 19 (164.5372) 18 (160.5144) 13 (167.3828) 10 (169.6800)
Apr 17, 2021 The Golden State Battle III - Day 2 🏅 Hollister, CA 7 / 26 (692.5372) 8 (175.4172) 14 (170.2972) — 2 (178.8572)
Apr 16, 2021 The Golden State Battle III - Day 1 🏅 Hollister, CA 15 / 41 (673.0512) 19 (165.1200) 6 (174.2856) — 27 (165.6684)
Feb 28, 2020 Best in the Desert Southwest KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 Yuma, AZ 21 / 29 (656.9596) 7 (172) 17 (167.9772) 19 (165.0856) 24 (151.8968)
Feb 21, 2020 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)
Jan 24, 2020 The Golden State Battle II 🏅 Hollister, CA 16 / 46 (677.6916) 34 (164.0228) 5 (171.9888) 6 (174.2856) 25 (167.3944)
May 31, 2019 Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL) 🏅 Norco, CA 4 / 49 (330.8116) 6 (159.9428) 3 (170.8688) — —
May 24, 2019 Big Bear Grill & Chill 🏅 Big Bear Lake, CA 6 / 25 (671.3600) 16 (163.4056) 4 (171.9772) 8 (167.9772) 8 (168)
May 17, 2019 16th Annual Burnt Offerings (BACKYARD ONLY) Riverside, CA 1 / 16 (677.0744) 4 (165.6800) 2 (172) 2 (174.2744) —

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

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