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BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ

BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 25 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Days of 47 BBQ Showdown (2014). They are ranked #2754 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,754
of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1512
peak 1522 · rated over 24 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

25
in the data

First seen

Apr 5, 2013
latest Jul 19, 2024 · 11.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#658
Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

1
0 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time

Category wins

3
9 podiums

Overall top-10s

3
12% of 25 contests

Avg finish

top 55%
overall standings

Best overall

682.2400 / 720
Master · 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open

Perfect 180s

0

Current form

667.95 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 649.60 (+18.35)

Walk rate

64%
contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.0116
Chicken · 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational

Consistency

±33.03
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork
avg 167.08 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.03)

Road miles

9,311
across 25 mapped stops · furthest 954 mi

Schedule strength

42%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1555)

Purse competed for

$38K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

649.60 / 720
24 Master contests · 1 GC

Backyard avg

324.53 / 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.

Storylines (16 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

Against the odds

27-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 73 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Days of 47 BBQ Showdown (Jul 24, 2014) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 27-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Rhythm n QUE.

Giant slayer

31 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 31-team field at Days of 47 BBQ Showdown.

  • Jul 24, 2014

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.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

HQO has finished one call ahead of BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

14–2 behind in the head-to-head

Rhythm n QUE ahead in 88% of their meetings

Rhythm n QUE has come out ahead in 14 of their 16 shared contests.

The weak link

−11.1 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 11.05 points below their pork, and turns into a call 20% of the time against 38%.

  • Pork Ribs avg 156.03
  • Pork avg 167.08
  • 5 calls in 25 entries
Show 9 more storylines

The drought

18 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Days of 47 BBQ Showdown on Jul 24, 2014 — 18 contests and 12.2 years ago.

  • last GC Jul 24, 2014
  • 12.2 years ago

A strong matchup

5–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 71% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of RICHARDS ROUNDUP BBQ in 5 of their 7 shared contests.

The comeback

3.6 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.6 years, then back at Lake Views & BBQ (Apr 5, 2024).

  • last seen Aug 14, 2020
  • back Apr 5, 2024

Pork nemesis

10 of 12 shared pork entries lost

Rooftop BBQ ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Rooftop BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 12 shared pork entries.

Built for the big stage

Top 50% average finish in large fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 50% finish in large fields against top 73% in small ones.

  • Large (40+): top 50% (8)
  • Small (<20 teams): top 73% (4)

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

G AND L BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An April team

Top 45% average finish in April

Something about April: average finish in the top 45% across 5 contests, versus top 55% the rest of the year.

  • 5 April contests
  • top 55% the rest of the year

The long haul

9,311 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 9,311 miles across 25 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 954 miles to Lake Views & BBQ.

  • 25 mapped stops
  • furthest 954 mi

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Sam's Club National BBQ Tour every year from 2013 to 2016 — the contest they never miss.

  • 4 visits in all
  • best finish 9th

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

YearSeriesOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
2020 ↗ Master #760 (100 pts) #807 (95 pts) #592 (175 pts) #757 (115 pts) #883 (60 pts)
2018 ↗ Master #1323 (176 pts) #1370 (176 pts) #1286 (201 pts) #1059 (281 pts) #1297 (191 pts)
2016 ↗ Master #1347 (205 pts) #1508 (185 pts) #1692 (155 pts) #1052 (340 pts) #1439 (200 pts)
2015 ↗ Master #658 (554 pts) #532 (734 pts) #774 (479 pts) #417 (899 pts) #598 (629 pts)
2014 ↗ Master #958 (332 pts) #816 (447 pts) #1088 (302 pts) #615 (627 pts) #937 (357 pts)
2013 ↗ Master #934 (313 pts) #937 (343 pts) #1122 (268 pts) #1119 (268 pts) #927 (333 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

RUB Q LONG TIME
#2,742 of the rated field
1512 power rating
Contests
21
GCs
0
Top-10s
29%
Peak
1518
6–3 in 9 shared contests (67% to BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ)

These two have cooked 9 of the same contests — BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ ahead 6–3 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

  • rated over 21 contests
  • last seen Apr 8, 2016
⚔ Head-to-head
OOPS
#2,735 of the rated field
1513 power rating
Contests
20
GCs
0
Top-10s
0%
Peak
1515
2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 20 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

  • rated over 20 contests
  • last seen Sep 8, 2022
⚔ Head-to-head
SUCKA BONE BBQ TEAM
#2,751 of the rated field
1512 power rating
Contests
38
GCs
0
Top-10s
29%
Peak
1609
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ)

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 38 contests to 25.

  • rated over 38 contests
  • last seen Jun 26, 2026
⚔ Head-to-head
HILLBILLY SHEEK
#2,746 of the rated field
1512 power rating
Contests
13
GCs
0
Top-10s
8%
Peak
1517
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 5 years before BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

  • rated over 13 contests
⚔ Head-to-head
Pork Posse
#2,769 of the rated field
1512 power rating
Contests
12
GCs
1
Top-10s
17%
Peak
1512
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ)

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 12 contests, alongside a 17% overall top-10 rate.

  • rated over 12 contests
  • last seen Apr 5, 2024
⚔ Head-to-head
SMOKEY STRUT BBQ
#2,741 of the rated field
1512 power rating
Contests
11
GCs
0
Top-10s
0%
Peak
1526
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ)

Level with BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

  • rated over 11 contests
  • last seen Sep 12, 2019
⚔ Head-to-head

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

OpponentMeetingsAheadBehindWin rate
Rhythm n QUE 16 2 14 13% ⚔ compare
TEAM AMERICA 14 3 11 21% ⚔ compare
GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE 13 2 11 15% ⚔ compare
HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ 12 6 6 50% ⚔ compare
CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH 12 3 9 25% ⚔ compare
Rooftop BBQ 12 0 12 0% ⚔ compare
G AND L BBQ 11 7 4 64% ⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS 10 0 10 0% ⚔ compare
RUB Q LONG TIME 9 6 3 67% ⚔ compare
ZZYZX BAR.B.Q 9 1 8 11% ⚔ compare
WILD HOGS BBQ 8 5 3 63% ⚔ compare
HD BBQ 8 3 5 38% ⚔ compare
Backdraft BBQ 8 2 6 25% ⚔ compare
RICHARDS ROUNDUP BBQ 7 5 2 71% ⚔ compare
HQO 7 4 3 57% ⚔ compare

By meat

CategoryEntriesCallsWinsPodiumsBestWorstAverageAvg finish
Chicken 25 6 1 2 176.0116 147.4172 165.85 top 49%
Pork Ribs 25 5 1 1 175.4744 20 156.03 top 61%
Pork 24 9 1 6 176 154.8460 167.08 top 37%
Brisket 24 5 0 0 174.2628 143.9544 160.75 top 56%

“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

FieldContestsGCsAvg finish
Small (<20 teams)40top 73%
Medium (20–39)131top 53%
Large (40+)80top 50%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

WhereContestsGCsAvg finish
UT111top 52%
NV80top 66%
MO20top 27%
OK10top 57%
AZ10top 58%
ID10top 60%
CO10top 57%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

ContestVisitsBestGCsAvg finishLast visit
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour 4 9 0 top 42% Apr 8, 2016
Wild West BBQ Shoot Out 3 17 0 top 69% Aug 28, 2015
USA Barbecue Championship 2 21 0 top 58% Oct 27, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 7 contests
Contests a season 3.6 across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in UT 11 of 25 contests · 7 states in all
Contests visited 19 3 of them more than once
First title Jul 24, 2014 Days of 47 BBQ Showdown
Opponents faced 946 finished ahead 991 times, behind 556
Longest layoff 3.6 yrs Aug 14, 2020 → Apr 5, 2024

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

20242 milestones
  1. 25th tracked contest The Blaze of 47 BBQ Cookoff
  2. Most recent contest The Blaze of 47 BBQ Cookoff
20201 milestone
  1. Peak power rating (1522) Western Legends Heritage and Music Festival
20152 milestones
  1. Career-best single call (Chicken)176.0116 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational
  2. Career-best overall score682.2400 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open
20144 milestones
  1. First overall podium Days of 47 BBQ Showdown
  2. First Grand Championship Days of 47 BBQ Showdown
  3. Biggest field won (31 teams) Days of 47 BBQ Showdown
  4. 10th tracked contest USA Barbecue Championship
20135 milestones
  1. First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
  2. First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
  3. First overall top-10 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
  4. First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.5710 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
  5. First category win (Pork) Utah BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

SwingContestDate
+17Days of 47 BBQ ShowdownJul 24, 2014
+1636th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- OpenOct 3, 2015
+7.1Western Legends Heritage and Music FestivalAug 14, 2020
+6.9Sam's Club National BBQ TourApr 5, 2013
+6.4Sam's Club National BBQ TourApr 11, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

SwingContestDate
-13.4Wild West BBQ Shoot OutAug 22, 2014
-8.7YCC - Real Men Can Cook BBQ CompJun 19, 2015
-7.4The Blaze of 47 BBQ CookoffJul 19, 2024
-6.7Smokin in Mesquite BBQ ChampionshipAug 31, 2013
-6.6Utah BBQ FestivalSep 20, 2013

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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

SeasonContestsGCsTop-10sCategory winsWalk rateAvg finishBest overall (% of perfect)Avg overall (% of perfect)
20242000 100% top 72% 93.3% 91.7%
20201000 100% top 40% 94.4% 94.4%
20182000 50% top 55% 92.4% 92.2%
20163000 33% top 56% 92.3% 91.4%
20157001 57% top 54% 94.8% 91.5%
20146121 83% top 53% 93% 88%
20134011 50% top 58% 90.1% 87.6%

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

DateEventOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
Jul 19, 2024 The Blaze of 47 BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Salt Lake City, UT 14 / 16 (672.0348) 5 (174.9144) 5 (172.5828) 16 (154.8460) 7 (169.6916)
Apr 5, 2024 Lake Views & BBQ 🏅 Wagoner, OK 12 / 21 (324.5256) 15 (158.2628) 9 (166.2628) — —
Aug 14, 2020 Western Legends Heritage and Music Festival 🏅 Kanab, UT 17 / 42 (679.4748) 18 (171.4400) 6 (173.7144) 14 (172.0232) 29 (162.2972)
Jul 13, 2018 Happy Grillmore BBQ Competition Draper, UT 11 / 21 (665.0512) 11 (166.2628) 17 (158.2972) 3 (173.1084) 9 (167.3828)
May 4, 2018 City of Show Low's 6th Annual BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ 30 / 52 (662.7200) 33 (165.7028) 14 (173.1200) 35 (162.8116) 31 (161.0856)
Oct 27, 2016 USA Barbecue Championship Laughlin, NV 21 / 36 (660.4916) 20 (168.5600) 21 (162.8116) 16 (168) 24 (161.1200)
Sep 16, 2016 Rock'n Brews & BBQ Festival Nampa, ID 15 / 25 (664.4684) 16 (166.2628) 15 (165.6684) 13 (166.8228) 15 (165.7144)
Apr 8, 2016 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Salt Lake City, UT 15 / 30 (649.5884) 18 (158.8456) 26 (156.5028) 3 (170.8456) 16 (163.3944)
Oct 24, 2015 Oktoberfeast BBQ & Brews Festival Las Vegas, NV 20 / 34 (657.5888) 29 (160.5256) 18 (164.5488) 8 (173.1200) 22 (159.3944)
Oct 3, 2015 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO 49 / 606 (682.2400) 188 (168) 40 (174.2972) 237 (166.2400) 49 (173.7028)
Oct 2, 2015 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational unrated Kansas City, MO 86 / 187 (676.4916) 21 (176.0116) 159 (161.0972) 41 (172.5600) 121 (166.8228)
Aug 28, 2015 Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV 30 / 49 (665.7372) 28 (166.3316) 37 (160.5600) 31 (164.5828) 11 (174.2628)
Jul 24, 2015 Days of 47 BBQ Rib & Rodeo Salt Lake City, UT 11 / 17 (656.5256) 12 (166.2628) 16 (155.4288) 3 (170.8456) 8 (163.9884)
Jun 19, 2015 YCC - Real Men Can Cook BBQ Comp Ogden, UT 19 / 23 (631.8860) 1 (172.5600) 22 (150.8228) 11 (164) 21 (144.5032)
Apr 10, 2015 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Salt Lake City, UT 16 / 30 (640.5376) 17 (163.4744) 27 (147.9656) 3 (168.5716) 16 (160.5260)
Oct 30, 2014 USA Barbecue Championship Laughlin, NV 45 / 79 (662.8000) 29 (171.4400) 63 (158.2744) 45 (165.1084) 35 (167.9772)
Sep 12, 2014 Colorado Pork & Hops Challenge Grand Junction, CO 27 / 47 (658.7660) 30 (162.8228) 20 (164.0116) 5 (173.7144) 35 (158.2172)
Aug 22, 2014 Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV 30 / 31 (513.7260) 22 (162.2972) 31 (20) 3 (172) 18 (159.4288)
Jul 24, 2014 Days of 47 BBQ Showdown Holladay, UT 1 / 31 (669.7600) 6 (169.7028) 1 (175.4744) 14 (161.1428) 8 (163.4400)
May 1, 2014 Smoke on the Water NEVADA BBQ Championship Laughlin, NV 12 / 18 (651.2688) 10 (166.8228) 6 (170.8344) 4 (167.9772) 18 (145.6344)
Apr 11, 2014 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Salt Lake City, UT 10 / 29 (645.6116) 3 (172.5600) 21 (154.8572) 11 (162.2628) 12 (155.9316)
Sep 20, 2013 Utah BBQ Festival Coalville, UT 12 / 16 (612.4460) 14 (147.4172) 15 (145.0744) 1 (176) 14 (143.9544)
Aug 31, 2013 Smokin in Mesquite BBQ Championship Mesquite, NV 41 / 54 (619.2228) 31 (159.9312) 44 (151.3944) 21 (162.8228) 43 (145.0744)
Aug 23, 2013 Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV 17 / 34 (643.4404) 13 (162.8800) 21 (157.1660) 14 (165.1428) 21 (158.2516)
Apr 5, 2013 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Salt Lake City, UT 9 / 29 (648.5710) 8 (166.8570) 13 (159.9998) 24 (155.4284) 5 (166.2858)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

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