Big Al and the Boys

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#940

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1611

peak 1611 · rated over 25 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-05-24

latest 2024-08-23

Best ToY finish

#397

Master 2019

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 25 contests

Avg finish

top 42%

overall standings

Best overall

691.3716 / 720

Master · Smoke on the Trails

Perfect 180s

Current form

676.01 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 671.46 (+4.55)

Walk rate

64%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

177.7144

Pork Ribs · Border War Barbeque

Consistency

±22.19

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 169.24 · weakest Brisket (165.93)

Road miles

1,008

mi across 25 mapped stops · furthest 59 mi

Schedule strength

77%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1599)

Purse competed for

$167K

listed at 19 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 22 state-championship entries

Master avg

671.46 / 720

25 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

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.

They almost always walk

64% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 16 of 25 contests

A top-10 category call in 64% of their 25 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

691.3716 career-best overall

96.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 691.3716 at Smoke on the Trails — 96.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
2020-09-11

Their season

2019 their best year

2019 was the year it came together: 9 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 31%.

9 contests
4 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 31%

A tough matchup

21–1 behind in the head-to-head

HIGH i QUE ahead in 95% of their meetings

HIGH i QUE has come out ahead in 21 of their 22 shared contests.

A strong matchup

10–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of 777 BBQ in 10 of their 12 shared contests.

The comeback

3.4 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.4 years, then back at *Smoke On the Trails (2017-09-29).

last seen 2014-05-24
back 2017-09-29

Pork Ribs nemesis

17 of 22 shared pork ribs entries lost

HIGH i QUE ahead 77% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, HIGH i QUE has out-cooked them in 17 of 22 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

AMERICAN FIRE BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

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.

29 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

LITTLE LUKE'S BBQ

#936 of the rated field

1611 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1614

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 24 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2018-08-24

⚔ Head-to-head

BACKFIRIN' BBQ

#941 of the rated field

1611 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1611

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 8 years before Big Al and the Boys's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 24 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

BLACK CAT BBQ

#937 of the rated field

1611 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 52%
Peak: 1612

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 21 contests to 25, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2016-08-05

⚔ Head-to-head

SLIM D'S BBQ

#943 of the rated field

1611 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1624

No shared contest yet.

30 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 30 contests
last seen 2019-08-24

⚔ Head-to-head

County Line Que

#933 of the rated field

1612 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 37%
Peak: 1620

No shared contest yet.

Level with Big Al and the Boys on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 30 contests
last seen 2015-09-04

⚔ Head-to-head

Eleven Thirteen Q

#942 of the rated field

1611 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1611

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 6 years after Big Al and the Boys did, first appearing in 2020.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2026-08-15

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
HIGH i QUE	22	1	21	5%	⚔ compare
MAN MEAT BBQ	20	0	20	0%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' SAUCED	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
777 BBQ	12	10	2	83%	⚔ compare
Happy Grillmore	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
BULL CREEK BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
ROCK N BLUES BBQ	10	8	2	80%	⚔ compare
Boxer Q BBQ	10	7	3	70%	⚔ compare
LOVE 2 Q	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
PUTTIN' IT IN YOUR MOUTH BBQ	9	9	0	100%	⚔ compare
M Squared Smokin' Q	9	9	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	25	5	0	0	175.4056	146.2056	168.79	top 44%
Pork Ribs	25	9	1	2	177.7144	134.7428	169.24	top 36%
Pork	25	2	0	0	174.2628	151.9656	167.49	top 48%
Brisket	25	8	0	0	175.4056	139.4060	165.93	top 45%

“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	24	0	top 43%
MO	1	0	top 19%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	4	0	top 40%
Large (40+)	21	0	top 43%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Border War Barbeque	3	7	top 47%	2022-10-21
Smoke on the Bricks	3	4	top 33%	2021-08-20
Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest	3	18	top 39%	2021-07-09
Smoke on the Trails	3	11	top 47%	2020-09-11

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 10.3 yrs 2014-05-24 → 2024-08-23

Busiest season 2019 9 contests

Contests a season 3.6 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in KS 24 of 25 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 17 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 25 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 169.24 · weakest Brisket (165.93)

Walk rate 64% a top-10 call in 16 of 25 contests

Overall top-10 rate 24% 6 of 25 contests

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 671.46 out of 720 · 25 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 581 753–575 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,008 25 mapped stops · furthest 59 mi

Schedule strength 1599 average field rating faced — tougher than 77% of rated contests

Purse competed for $166,760 listed at 19 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 22 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 3.4 yrs 2014-05-24 → 2017-09-29

Power rating 1611 peak 1611 · #940 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
May 24 First tracked contest Sugar Mound BBQ Festival
2017
Oct 27 First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.2176 Border War Barbeque
2019
Mar 15 First call Qlathe BBQ Championship
Mar 15 First overall top-10 Qlathe BBQ Championship
Jul 26 10th tracked contest Smokin Hot Cars & BBQ
2020
Sep 11 Career-best overall score691.3716 Smoke on the Trails
2021
Jun 4 First overall podium Mclouth BBQ Blowout 29th Annual
Oct 22 First category win (Pork Ribs) Border War Barbeque
Oct 22 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.7144 Border War Barbeque
2024
Aug 23 25th tracked contest East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship
Aug 23 Peak power rating (1611) East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship
Aug 23 Most recent contest East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.1	Smoke on the Bricks	2019-05-31
+14.8	Qlathe BBQ Championship	2019-03-15
+13.2	Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life	2019-06-14
+12.8	Smokin In The Creek BBQ Contest	2019-04-26
+12.1	Mclouth BBQ Blowout 29th Annual	2021-06-04

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.8	Sugar Mound BBQ Festival	2014-05-24
-5	Qlathe BBQ Championship	2022-03-18
-4.8	Smoke in the Spring	2020-10-30
-4.7	*Smoke On the Trails	2017-09-29
-2.2	Border War Barbeque	2021-10-22

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)

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	1	0	0	0%	top 43%	94.4%	94.4%
2022	2	1	0	100%	top 43%	95.8%	93.9%
2021	5	1	1	60%	top 35%	95.3%	94.3%
2020	5	0	0	60%	top 49%	96%	94.5%
2019	9	4	0	89%	top 31%	95.1%	93.7%
2017	2	0	0	0%	top 67%	92.5%	90.5%
2014	1	0	0	0%	top 95%	80.6%	80.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2024-08-23	East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship 🏅 Paola, KS	18 / 42 (679.3256)	16 (171.4056)	14 (173.7144)	32 (162.2400)	13 (171.9656)
2022-10-21	Border War Barbeque 🏅 Osawatomie, KS	7 / 30 (689.6344)	17 (169.1316)	5 (175.4056)	10 (171.9772)	7 (173.1200)
2022-03-18	Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	45 / 71 (662.7200)	43 (166.2400)	6 (174.2972)	53 (162.8228)	51 (159.3600)
2021-10-22	Border War Barbeque 🏅 Osawatomie, KS	18 / 30 (668.4688)	14 (170.8228)	1 (177.7144)	13 (169.7028)	29 (150.2288)
2021-08-20	Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS	15 / 46 (679.9200)	6 (174.2744)	15 (167.9772)	24 (168.5484)	14 (169.1200)
2021-07-09	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest 🏅 Mayetta, KS	18 / 43 (681.6000)	20 (171.9772)	13 (171.9772)	12 (173.1200)	26 (164.5256)
2021-06-04	Mclouth BBQ Blowout 29th Annual 🏅 Mclouth, KS	3 / 42 (686.1940)	4 (175.4056)	12 (173.1200)	13 (170.8456)	14 (166.8228)
2021-03-19	3rd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	25 / 70 (678.2172)	19 (171.9772)	21 (171.4172)	28 (170.8228)	40 (164.0000)
2020-10-30	Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS	66 / 93 (664.4912)	52 (169.1200)	57 (166.2628)	61 (166.2628)	62 (162.8456)
2020-09-11	Smoke on the Trails 🏅 Gardner, KS	11 / 48 (691.3716)	24 (169.6800)	4 (176.0116)	20 (170.8228)	9 (174.8572)
2020-08-21	Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS	25 / 43 (674.1828)	11 (174.2744)	33 (163.9772)	30 (164.5256)	14 (171.4056)
2020-07-24	Farm Stock Smoke Off 🏅 Lane, KS	13 / 21 (685.6800)	15 (171.9772)	16 (168.0000)	11 (173.7028)	8 (172.0000)
2020-07-10	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest 🏅 Mayetta, KS	18 / 61 (686.2056)	8 (174.8572)	16 (173.7028)	45 (163.3828)	16 (174.2628)
2019-09-27	Smoke on the Trails 🏅 Gardner, KS	23 / 53 (654.7084)	31 (161.0972)	24 (163.4056)	6 (172.0000)	30 (158.2056)
2019-08-23	East Central State BBQ Cook-Off, Paola Roots Festival 🏅 Paola, KS	22 / 66 (673.6228)	33 (166.8344)	38 (163.9656)	32 (167.4172)	7 (175.4056)
2019-07-26	Smokin Hot Cars & BBQ 🏅 Iola, KS	26 / 41 (660.4224)	20 (167.9656)	8 (173.1200)	30 (161.6800)	34 (157.6568)
2019-07-12	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest 🏅 Mayetta, KS	27 / 59 (674.7200)	9 (173.7028)	56 (157.0860)	11 (174.2628)	21 (169.6684)
2019-06-14	Knights Of Columbus BBQ Smoke Off 4 Life 🏅 Kansas City, KS	6 / 38 (682.7884)	15 (169.6800)	5 (173.7028)	11 (169.7028)	10 (169.7028)
2019-05-31	Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS	4 / 49 (683.9660)	7 (173.7144)	4 (175.4172)	22 (165.1200)	10 (169.7144)
2019-04-26	Smokin In The Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	8 / 42 (683.8740)	17 (168.5256)	4 (173.7144)	20 (167.3712)	4 (174.2628)
2019-04-12	Smoke In the Springs 🏅 Osage City, KS	36 / 104 (675.8744)	56 (166.8228)	12 (174.2744)	29 (169.6800)	55 (165.0972)
2019-03-15	Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	8 / 64 (684.4340)	35 (165.0856)	3 (177.7144)	22 (168.5140)	6 (173.1200)
2017-10-27	Border War Barbeque Osawatomie, KS	27 / 46 (666.2176)	27 (168.5372)	31 (164.6060)	16 (170.8228)	30 (162.2516)
2017-09-29	*Smoke On the Trails Gardner, KS	48 / 64 (637.5428)	40 (160.5144)	30 (165.7028)	58 (151.9656)	44 (159.3600)
2014-05-24	Sugar Mound BBQ Festival Mound City, KS	83 / 87 (580.3544)	83 (146.2056)	87 (134.7428)	54 (160.0000)	82 (139.4060)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#397 (810 pts)	#506 (680 pts)	#259 (1095 pts)	#441 (775 pts)	#345 (945 pts)