High-water mark
686.2400
career-best overall
95.3% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 686.2400 at King of the Smoker Invitational (JUDGES FULL) — 95.3% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2015-12-11
BIG BOB GIBSON BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1533
peak 1533 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
2013-12-06
latest 2024-10-30
Best ToY finish
#1182
Master 2024
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 45%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
675.93
last 5 Master vs avg 675.86 (+0.07)
Walk rate
25%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.98
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 170.34 · weakest Brisket (165.12)
Road miles
2,192
mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 1252 mi
Schedule strength
75%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1595)
Purse competed for
$205K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
675.86 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (8 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
The weak link
−5.2
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.22 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.
- Brisket avg 165.12
- Pork avg 170.34
- 0 calls in 8 entries
A strong matchup
5–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of SMOKE ON WHEELS in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
The comeback
2.5 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2.5 years, then back at American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST (2021-09-16).
- last seen 2019-03-08
- back 2021-09-16
Pork nemesis
4 of 6
shared pork entries lost
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ ahead 67% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ has out-cooked them in 4 of 6 shared pork entries.
A September team
Top 32%
average finish in September
Something about September: average finish in the top 32% across 3 contests, versus top 45% the rest of the year.
- 3 September contests
- top 45% the rest of the year
The metronome
±1.25%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.25% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 93.9% of a perfect score
- 8 contests
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.
86 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2129 of the rated field
- Contests
- 36
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1538
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BIG BOB GIBSON BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BIG BOB GIBSON BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2118 of the rated field
- Contests
- 65
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1584
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BIG BOB GIBSON BBQ)
They've been 1584 at their best, 51 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#2135 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1533
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2139 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 63%
- Peak
- 1533
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 3 years before BIG BOB GIBSON BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#2125 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1533
No shared contest yet.
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Head-to-head#2137 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1533
No shared contest yet.
Level with BIG BOB GIBSON BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Organizer Portal | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE ON WHEELS | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Sweet Swine O'Mine | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| TEAM CRAWFORD | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| LOCAL YOKELS BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| ALE YEAH BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RAZORRACKS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1428 | 162.8456 | 170.28 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 175.4288 | 159.9544 | 170.12 | top 35% |
| Pork | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 177.7028 | 162.8000 | 170.34 | top 41% |
| Brisket | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.7256 | 160.5828 | 165.12 | top 61% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS | 4 | 0 | top 31% |
| TN | 2 | 0 | top 64% |
| CA | 2 | 0 | top 52% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 52% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 42% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 3 | 41 | 0 | top 32% | 2023-09-27 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
10.9 yrs
2013-12-06 → 2024-10-30
Busiest season
2024
1 contest
Contests a season
1
across 8 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
KS
4 of 8 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
6
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
8 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 170.34 · weakest Brisket (165.12)
Walk rate
25%
a top-10 call in 2 of 8 contests
Overall top-10 rate
13%
1 of 8 contests
Master average
675.86
out of 720 · 8 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
1,044
1,342–753 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
2,192
8 mapped stops · furthest 1,252 mi
Schedule strength
1595
average field rating faced — tougher than 75% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$205,275
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 5 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
2.5 yrs
2019-03-08 → 2021-09-16
Power rating
1533
peak 1533 · #2133 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Big Poppa Smokers - King of the Smoker (Invitational) (JUDGES FULL)
- First call Big Poppa Smokers - King of the Smoker (Invitational) (JUDGES FULL)
- First overall top-10 Big Poppa Smokers - King of the Smoker (Invitational) (JUDGES FULL)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score677.0856 Big Poppa Smokers - King of the Smoker (Invitational) (JUDGES FULL)
- 2015
- Career-best overall score686.2400 King of the Smoker Invitational (JUDGES FULL)
- 2021
- Career-best single call (Pork)177.7028 American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST
- 2024
- Peak power rating (1533) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.4 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST | 2021-09-16 |
| +8.9 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2024-10-30 |
| +5.9 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2023-09-27 |
| +4.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST | 2022-09-29 |
| +0.1 | Smoke on the Shores | 2018-03-09 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -1 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 2019-03-08 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 30% | 95.1% | 95.1% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 40% | 94.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 46% | 93.2% | 93.2% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 9% | 95.1% | 95.1% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 66% | 91.9% | 91.9% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 62% | 92.2% | 92.2% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 71% | 95.3% | 95.3% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 33% | 94% | 94% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-30 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 135 / 444 (684.5368) | 212 (169.7028) | 81 (174.8456) | 183 (170.2628) | 154 (169.7256) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 197 / 487 (677.6800) | 166 (171.4172) | 98 (173.7028) | 136 (171.9772) | 347 (160.5828) |
| 2022-09-29 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 230 / 505 (670.8112) | 267 (166.8572) | 229 (167.9656) | 162 (170.8228) | 249 (165.1656) |
| 2021-09-16 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 41 / 467 (685.0628) | 70 (173.1316) | 93 (172.0000) | 13 (177.7028) | 270 (162.2284) |
| 2019-03-08 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Nashville, TN | 44 / 67 (661.5660) | 16 (172.5716) | 54 (159.9544) | 48 (162.8000) | 44 (166.2400) |
| 2018-03-09 | Smoke on the Shores Nashville, TN | 54 / 87 (663.8972) | 69 (162.8456) | 45 (165.0972) | 22 (172.0000) | 54 (163.9544) |
| 2015-12-11 | King of the Smoker Invitational (JUDGES FULL) unrated La Quinta, CA | 17 / 24 (686.2400) | 16 (172.5828) | 5 (175.4288) | 15 (172.0000) | 20 (166.2284) |
| 2013-12-06 | Big Poppa Smokers - King of the Smoker (Invitational) (JUDGES FULL) unrated LaQuinta, CA | 8 / 24 (677.0856) | 7 (173.1428) | 6 (171.9772) | 15 (165.1428) | 15 (166.8228) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1182 (60 pts) | #1242 (60 pts) | #1317 (60 pts) | #1231 (60 pts) | #1204 (60 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1955 (60 pts) | #1763 (105 pts) | #2026 (60 pts) | #2029 (60 pts) | #2010 (60 pts) |