The comeback
8.2 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 8.2 years, then back at All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) (Aug 2, 2024).
- last seen Jun 10, 2016
- back Aug 2, 2024
Holy Cow BBQ
Holy Cow BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 4th of 13 at the Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026).
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1497
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 2
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
Jun 10, 2016
latest Aug 8, 2026 · 10.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
14% of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 65%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
43%
contests with a top-10 call
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 168.80 · weakest Brisket (139.35)
Road miles
1,294
across 7 mapped stops · furthest 488 mi
Purse competed for
$5,995
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
589.02 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
341.66 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Holy Cow BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
Holy Cow BBQ has 2 rated contests, short of the five a power ranking needs, so its rating is still close to the 1500 every team starts on and 109 rated teams sit within a point of it.
#3,325 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,304 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1514
They turned up 5 years after Holy Cow BBQ did, first appearing in 2021.
⚔ Compare careers#3,326 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1497
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Holy Cow BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,302 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1506
Level with Holy Cow BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,313 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1505
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Holy Cow BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,308 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1506
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Holy Cow BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.6800 | 154.2972 | 161.99 | top 73% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 175.4172 | 146.8344 | 168.80 | top 46% |
| Pork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 148.5372 | 148.5372 | 148.54 | top 100% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 139.3488 | 139.3488 | 139.35 | top 100% |
“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 31% |
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
3 contests
Contests a season
1.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IN
4 of 7 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
2
a different one every time
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
7 entries · 1 win · 3 calls
Opponents faced
45
finished ahead 9 times, behind 36
Longest layoff
8.2 yrs
Jun 10, 2016 → Aug 2, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- First overall top-10 Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score341.6572 Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)
20243 milestones
- First call All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)175.4172 All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
20162 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke Out Hunger BBQ Challenge
- Career-best overall score589.0176 Smoke Out Hunger BBQ Challenge
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 31% | 94.9% | 94.9% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | — | — | — |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 81.8% | 81.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2026 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN | 4 / 13 (341.6572) | 7 (169.6800) | 3 (171.9772) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN | — | — | 16 (172.0116) | — | — |
| Aug 1, 2025 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 11 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Jun 6, 2025 | Hoosier BBQ Classic (ONE MEAT RIBS) Franklin, IN | — | — | 12 (169.6800) | — | — |
| May 16, 2025 | 11th Annual Rockin' BBQ (ONE MEAT RIBS) 🏅 Warsaw, IN | — | — | 8 (173.7144) | — | — |
| Aug 2, 2024 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 1 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jun 10, 2016 | Smoke Out Hunger BBQ Challenge Kansas City, KS | 34 / 34 (589.0176) | 31 (154.2972) | 34 (146.8344) | 34 (148.5372) | 34 (139.3488) |