A tough matchup
10–0
behind in the head-to-head
HIGH i QUE ahead in 100% of their meetings
HIGH i QUE has come out ahead in 10 of their 10 shared contests.
Big Blue BBQ
Big Blue BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 9th of 14 at the Bricks, Brons & BBQ (2013). They are ranked #6163 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1425
peak 1425 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Sep 20, 2013
latest Oct 30, 2024 · 11.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
1
8% of 13 contests
Avg finish
top 80%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
627.05 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 628.06 (-1.01)
Walk rate
15%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±15.74
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 158.92 · weakest Brisket (154.43)
Road miles
454
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 184 mi
Schedule strength
59%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$306K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
628.06 / 720
13 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 Blue BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
32 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#6,166 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1425
3–0 in 3 shared contests (100% to Big Blue BBQ)
These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — Big Blue BBQ ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#6,160 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 19%
- Peak
- 1425
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#6,161 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1425
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 6 years before Big Blue BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#6,168 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1424
Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#6,162 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1425
16 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#6,165 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1505
Level with Big Blue 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH i QUE | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Three Brothers Different Mothers | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| DUSTY ROADS BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokesdidier bbq | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Theslabs.com | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| 913 BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BURNT FINGER BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Fat&Dumb BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Lucky D's BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Three Hog Night Smokers | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ATTITUDES OF SMOKE | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke & Beer BBQ | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.8572 | 147.4400 | 157.54 | top 77% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 145.0628 | 157.16 | top 73% |
| Pork | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 179.4400 | 139.9656 | 158.92 | top 69% |
| Brisket | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 165.7144 | 143.3828 | 154.43 | top 75% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 64% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 70% |
| Large (40+) | 10 | 0 | top 84% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Bricks | 3 | 37 | 0 | top 85% | Aug 26, 2022 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2 | 357 | 0 | top 81% | Sep 27, 2023 |
| Fire On the Frontier BBQ Classic | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 70% | Jun 10, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2021
2 contests
Contests a season
1.3
across 10 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
13 of 13 contests
Contests visited
9
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,612
finished ahead 504 times, behind 3,000
Longest layoff
1.9 yrs
Sep 12, 2019 → Aug 20, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20241 milestone
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
20211 milestone
- 10th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST
20154 milestones
- First category win (Pork) Fire on the Frontier BBQ Classic
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score652.0688 Fire on the Frontier BBQ Classic
- Career-best overall score652.0688 Fire on the Frontier BBQ Classic
- Career-best single call (Pork)179.4400 Fire on the Frontier BBQ Classic
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest Bricks, Brons & BBQ
- First call Bricks, Brons & BBQ
- First overall top-10 Bricks, Brons & BBQ
- Peak power rating (1498) Bricks, Brons & BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.7 | 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Oct 29, 2016 |
| -9.5 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Sep 1, 2017 |
| -9.2 | Smoke on the Bricks | May 31, 2019 |
| -8.1 | Smoke on the Bricks | Aug 20, 2021 |
| -6.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Oct 30, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 87% | 87% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 86% | 88.2% | 88.2% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 88.1% | 88.1% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 83% | 88.6% | 86.1% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 89.4% | 86.7% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 88.1% | 88.1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 92% | 84.7% | 84.7% |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 88.7% | 86.7% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 63% | 90.6% | 90.6% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 64% | 88.5% | 88.5% |
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 | 397 / 444 (626.2060) | 410 (153.7372) | 434 (145.0972) | 310 (163.9772) | 298 (163.3944) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 417 / 487 (635.2684) | 282 (166.8572) | 396 (159.3828) | 437 (155.3828) | 432 (153.6456) |
| Aug 26, 2022 | Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS | 37 / 48 (634.6400) | 27 (165.1088) | 42 (154.7772) | 33 (161.0740) | 39 (153.6800) |
| Sep 16, 2021 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 357 / 467 (637.6000) | 387 (155.9772) | 324 (161.6800) | 125 (169.1428) | 397 (150.8000) |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS | 41 / 46 (601.5316) | 46 (148.5488) | 43 (145.0628) | 30 (164.5372) | 41 (143.3828) |
| Sep 12, 2019 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 322 / 468 (643.9204) | 288 (162.8344) | 336 (160.5372) | 381 (154.8344) | 201 (165.7144) |
| May 31, 2019 | Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS | 44 / 49 (603.8856) | 46 (149.1544) | 43 (147.9428) | 48 (147.9656) | 31 (158.8228) |
| Sep 15, 2018 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 369 / 467 (634.1600) | 408 (155.4172) | 93 (171.9772) | 437 (148.5372) | 334 (158.2284) |
| Sep 1, 2017 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 374 / 407 (609.7144) | 253 (162.9144) | 345 (153.7144) | 399 (139.9656) | 329 (153.1200) |
| Oct 29, 2016 | 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 505 / 557 (609.6112) | 517 (147.4400) | 433 (155.9884) | 463 (155.3828) | 460 (150.8000) |
| Jun 10, 2016 | Fire On the Frontier BBQ Classic Hays, KS | 24 / 31 (638.8688) | 26 (157.1544) | 21 (162.2972) | 14 (168.0228) | 26 (151.3944) |
| Jun 12, 2015 | Fire on the Frontier BBQ Classic Hays, KS | 22 / 35 (652.0688) | 24 (162.8572) | 25 (162.3316) | 1 (179.4400) | 32 (147.4400) |
| Sep 20, 2013 | Bricks, Brons & BBQ Russell, KS | 9 / 14 (637.2576) | 8 (160.0116) | 6 (162.3200) | 10 (157.7488) | 7 (157.1772) |