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
- Dec 11, 2015
BIG BOB GIBSON BBQ
BIG BOB GIBSON BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 8th of 24 at the Big Poppa Smokers - King of the Smoker (Invitational) (JUDGES FULL) (2013). They are ranked #2155 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1533
peak 1533 · rated over 6 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Dec 6, 2013
latest Oct 30, 2024 · 10.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
13% 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
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 170.34 · weakest Brisket (165.12)
Road miles
2,192
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 1,252 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 🏅
won from 5 state-championship entries
Master avg
675.86 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 BIG BOB GIBSON BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
83 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,157 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#2,147 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#2,156 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1533
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,166 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 63%
- Peak
- 1533
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.
⚔ Compare careers#2,153 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1533
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careers#2,145 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1533
Level with BIG BOB GIBSON 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 52% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 42% |
Repeat visits (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% | Sep 27, 2023 |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 8 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
4 of 8 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
6
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,044
finished ahead 1,342 times, behind 753
Longest layoff
2.5 yrs
Mar 8, 2019 → Sep 16, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20242 milestones
- Peak power rating (1533) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
20211 milestone
- Career-best single call (Pork)177.7028 American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST
20151 milestone
- Career-best overall score686.2400 King of the Smoker Invitational (JUDGES FULL)
20134 milestones
- 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)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.3 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST | Sep 16, 2021 |
| +8.8 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Oct 30, 2024 |
| +5.9 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 27, 2023 |
| +4.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST | Sep 29, 2022 |
| +0.1 | Smoke on the Shores | Mar 9, 2018 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -1 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 8, 2019 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2024 | 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) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | 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) |
| Sep 29, 2022 | 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) |
| Sep 16, 2021 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 41 / 467 (685.0628) | 70 (173.1316) | 93 (172) | 13 (177.7028) | 270 (162.2284) |
| Mar 8, 2019 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Nashville, TN | 44 / 67 (661.5660) | 16 (172.5716) | 54 (159.9544) | 48 (162.8000) | 44 (166.2400) |
| Mar 9, 2018 | Smoke on the Shores Nashville, TN | 54 / 87 (663.8972) | 69 (162.8456) | 45 (165.0972) | 22 (172) | 54 (163.9544) |
| Dec 11, 2015 | King of the Smoker Invitational (JUDGES FULL) unrated La Quinta, CA | 17 / 24 (686.2400) | 16 (172.5828) | 5 (175.4288) | 15 (172) | 20 (166.2284) |
| Dec 6, 2013 | 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) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.