BIG POPPA SMOKERS CA
Rating
1781
peak 1781
Contests
69
in the data
First seen
2018-12-28
latest 2024-06-14
Best ToY finish
#3
Master 2016
Grand champs
10
15 reserve
Category wins
28
66 podiums
Overall top-10s
52
of 69 contests
Avg finish
top 18%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
10 🔥
Current form
695.46 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 689.80 (+5.66)
Walk rate
86%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
16
best run (overall)
Consistency
±9.46
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 172.74 · weakest Chicken (172.15)
Road miles
28023
mi across 69 mapped stops · furthest 1836 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Meat Candy Q has finished one call ahead of BIG POPPA SMOKERS 4 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
B' Mackin BBQ has landed one call behind them 5 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 13 of their 16 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of 7 SINS BBQ in 33 of their 40 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Clayton BBQ Cook-off is their spot: 2 Grand Championships in 2 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 0.0116 points of the Grand Championship at 8th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship Day 2 (2019-03-30).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 59-team field at Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge.
📅 A July team
Something about July: average finish in the top 4% across 4 contests, versus top 18% the rest of the year.
📈 Riding a hot streak
Currently on a 5-contest overall top-10 run.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 2 of 47 at their very first tracked contest, Arizona National BBQ Stampede (2018-12-28).
Teams like this (closest power rating, CA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 69 | 32 | 4 | 13 | 180.0000 🔥 | 159.3484 | 172.15 | top 34% |
| Pork Ribs | 69 | 42 | 6 | 10 | 180.0000 🔥 | 160.5372 | 172.17 | top 27% |
| Pork | 69 | 37 | 7 | 16 | 180.0000 🔥 | 163.9428 | 172.74 | top 30% |
| Brisket | 69 | 40 | 11 | 27 | 180.0000 🔥 | 157.6912 | 172.74 | top 26% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 39 | 7 | top 14% |
| AZ | 13 | 3 | top 14% |
| KS | 8 | 0 | top 39% |
| NV | 3 | 0 | top 16% |
| TN | 3 | 0 | top 25% |
| NM | 2 | 0 | top 16% |
| UT | 1 | 0 | top 21% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 23% |
| Medium (20–39) | 35 | 8 | top 13% |
| Large (40+) | 29 | 2 | top 23% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2019 (23 contests)
- Cooks mostly in CA (39 of 69 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (69 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Smoke & Hops (2019-07-05)
- Wins it all in 14% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 689.80
- 10 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 698.7884 | 695.46 |
| 2023 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 704.5256 | 687.46 |
| 2022 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 706.2400 | 692.00 |
| 2021 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 706.2284 | 689.91 |
| 2020 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 695.9428 | 688.65 |
| 2019 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 708.0344 | 687.84 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 701.1200 | 701.12 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-14 | Ignite your Passion Winchester, CA | 4 / 22 (697.6340) | 9 (173.1084) | 1 (180.0000) | 14 (171.4056) | 3 (173.1200) |
| 2024-05-24 | Best Dam Barbeque Boulder City, NV | 7 / 33 (689.6112) | 4 (175.4056) | 15 (170.8228) | 22 (166.8228) | 2 (176.5600) |
| 2024-04-26 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship Lodi, CA | 7 / 34 (693.0512) | 2 (180.0000) | 17 (170.8228) | 11 (173.7028) | 18 (168.5256) |
| 2024-02-23 | Best in the Southwest Yuma, AZ | 2 / 25 (698.2172) | 1 (180.0000) | 5 (175.4172) | 15 (167.3828) | 5 (175.4172) |
| 2024-01-12 | 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 2 / 58 (698.7884) | 27 (171.4056) | 9 (175.4172) | 13 (174.2628) | 2 (177.7028) |
| 2023-11-17 | Golden State Battle of Indio Indio, CA | 17 / 40 (690.1712) | 10 (175.4056) | 14 (174.2628) | 29 (169.6800) | 21 (170.8228) |
| 2023-11-03 | Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic Mesa, AZ | 2 / 26 (691.9656) | 5 (173.7144) | 8 (173.1200) | 8 (170.2856) | 3 (174.8456) |
| 2023-10-06 | Swanner House Autumn Reata Round Up BBQ Contest San Juan Capistrano, CA | 2 / 17 (701.0740) | 1 (180.0000) | 4 (175.4056) | 12 (168.5256) | 3 (177.1428) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 191 / 487 (678.2856) | 60 (175.4400) | 38 (176.0116) | 220 (169.1428) | 397 (157.6912) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest Kansas City, KS | 129 / 211 (679.9084) | 179 (166.2512) | 112 (170.8344) | 104 (170.8456) | 73 (171.9772) |
| 2023-08-04 | Dinuba's Annual BBQ & Brew Fest Dinuba, CA | 3 / 29 (690.8000) | 13 (173.1200) | 9 (169.6800) | 8 (171.4400) | 3 (176.5600) |
| 2023-06-02 | Horse Town Brew n Que Festival Norco, CA | 8 / 43 (690.7772) | 2 (177.7028) | 2 (176.5716) | 22 (170.8344) | 28 (165.6684) |
| 2023-05-26 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook-Off Felton, CA | 7 / 19 (675.9428) | 11 (166.8228) | 13 (163.9772) | 7 (171.4172) | 2 (173.7256) |
| 2023-04-28 | BBQ, Boots & Brew Perris, CA | 3 / 33 (704.5256) | 8 (175.4172) | 4 (177.7028) | 14 (171.4056) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2023-03-10 | BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest Yuma, AZ | 12 / 32 (683.8972) | 15 (170.8228) | 6 (176.5716) | 20 (167.3944) | 14 (169.1084) |
| 2023-01-13 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 17 / 45 (674.7200) | 15 (171.9656) | 27 (165.0972) | 23 (168.5372) | 15 (169.1200) |
| 2022-11-04 | 2022 Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival Indio, CA | 4 / 35 (690.7540) | 16 (171.9656) | 1 (177.1428) | 10 (171.9772) | 15 (169.6684) |
| 2022-10-14 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series)(JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 27 / 83 (679.3600) | 71 (162.8228) | 10 (176.0000) | 2 (177.7028) | 64 (162.8344) |
| 2022-09-29 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST Kansas City, KS | 109 / 249 (683.2796) | 115 (171.9656) | 99 (171.9772) | 203 (166.2284) | 68 (173.1084) |
| 2022-09-29 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST Kansas City, KS | 81 / 505 (686.7656) | 137 (171.9656) | 226 (167.9772) | 67 (174.8572) | 98 (171.9656) |
| 2022-09-23 | The Great Kearney BBQ Smoke-Out Fresno, CA | 11 / 43 (675.3484) | 25 (163.9428) | 10 (170.2628) | 15 (168.5600) | 5 (172.5828) |
| 2022-09-17 | BBQ on the Bay Day 2 San Diego, CA | 5 / 16 (698.7884) | 4 (175.4056) | 10 (171.9772) | 10 (171.9656) | 1 (179.4400) |
| 2022-09-16 | BBQ on the Bay Day 1 San Diego, CA | 2 / 17 (695.3828) | 3 (176.5600) | 6 (171.4400) | 8 (170.8228) | 2 (176.5600) |
| 2022-07-08 | Clayton BBQ Cook-off Clayton, CA | 1 / 27 (704.5716) | 1 (177.7028) | 4 (169.7144) | 1 (178.2972) | 1 (178.8572) |
| 2022-06-03 | Horse Town Brew N Que Festival Norco, CA | 1 / 37 (706.2400) | 1 (180.0000) | 7 (176.5600) | 3 (178.8572) | 14 (170.8228) |
| 2022-05-28 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 2) Big Bear Lake, CA | 6 / 25 (694.8116) | 9 (175.4172) | 1 (176.5716) | 8 (174.2628) | 12 (168.5600) |
| 2022-05-27 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 1) Big Bear Lake, CA | 7 / 25 (687.3712) | 8 (171.9656) | 13 (169.1200) | 2 (178.3200) | 12 (167.9656) |
| 2022-04-29 | 3rd Annual Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship Lodi, CA | 2 / 29 (696.4912) | 5 (174.2628) | 10 (172.5600) | 5 (174.2628) | 3 (175.4056) |
| 2022-04-02 | 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship - Day 2 Arcadia, CA | 2 / 27 (703.3712) | 16 (170.2512) | 2 (176.5600) | 1 (180.0000) | 9 (176.5600) |
| 2022-04-01 | 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA | 5 / 37 (687.8856) | 3 (177.7144) | 4 (175.4172) | 25 (163.9428) | 12 (170.8112) |
| 2022-02-18 | BBQ & Brew 'Best in the Southwest' Festival Yuma, AZ | 12 / 34 (687.8856) | 9 (175.4172) | 17 (170.8228) | 5 (176.5600) | 22 (165.0856) |
| 2022-01-14 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 2 / 59 (693.7028) | 2 (176.5600) | 7 (172.5944) | 8 (174.8456) | 15 (169.7028) |
| 2021-11-05 | Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival Indio, CA | 16 / 33 (679.3600) | 13 (173.1200) | 10 (169.1316) | 20 (167.9656) | 16 (169.1428) |
| 2021-10-08 | 32nd Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series)(JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 4 / 70 (697.0972) | 14 (174.2744) | 15 (174.2628) | 15 (172.5600) | 7 (176.0000) |
| 2021-09-16 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-INVITATIONAL CONTEST Kansas City, KS | 93 / 185 (681.0168) | 141 (167.3828) | 11 (177.7144) | 115 (168.5484) | 125 (167.3712) |
| 2021-09-16 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST Kansas City, KS | 105 / 467 (675.8736) | 224 (166.8112) | 175 (168.5484) | 61 (173.1084) | 172 (167.4056) |
| 2021-06-04 | 2nd Annual Throwdown in the Vineyards Murphy, CA | 4 / 29 (686.8572) | 6 (175.4400) | 11 (167.9772) | 13 (166.2856) | 1 (177.1544) |
| 2021-05-28 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships Big Bear Lake, CA | 2 / 27 (699.4172) | 7 (172.5600) | 7 (169.7028) | 3 (178.8572) | 2 (178.2972) |
| 2021-05-21 | BBQ, Boots & Brew Perris, CA | 1 / 25 (706.2284) | 2 (177.7028) | 5 (171.9656) | 1 (178.8572) | 1 (177.7028) |
| 2021-04-17 | The Golden State Battle III - Day 2 Hollister, CA | 1 / 26 (702.2400) | 20 (169.1200) | 2 (180.0000) | 6 (174.2628) | 1 (178.8572) |
| 2021-04-16 | The Golden State Battle III - Day 1 Hollister, CA | 6 / 41 (681.0628) | 16 (166.8228) | 11 (172.5600) | 13 (172.0000) | 18 (169.6800) |
| 2020-08-14 | Western Legends Heritage and Music Festival Kanab, UT | 9 / 42 (683.3252) | 23 (170.2628) | 4 (177.1428) | 29 (166.8112) | 17 (169.1084) |
| 2020-02-28 | Best in the Desert Southwest KCBS BBQ Competition Yuma, AZ | 1 / 29 (694.2516) | 3 (175.4172) | 9 (172.5716) | 15 (169.1200) | 3 (177.1428) |
| 2020-01-24 | The Golden State Battle II Hollister, CA | 10 / 46 (681.0740) | 8 (174.2628) | 15 (166.8572) | 12 (171.9884) | 22 (167.9656) |
| 2020-01-17 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 1 / 59 (695.9428) | 21 (170.8228) | 9 (169.7144) | 2 (177.7028) | 3 (177.7028) |
| 2019-12-27 | Arizona National BBQ Stampede Phoenix, AZ | 1 / 44 (700.5028) | 12 (171.9656) | 7 (173.1316) | 6 (175.4056) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2019-11-01 | Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival Indio, CA | 2 / 37 (693.0628) | 11 (171.4056) | 5 (174.2860) | 13 (169.6684) | 1 (177.7028) |
| 2019-10-25 | 31st Annual Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue(JUDGES FULL)(COMPETITORS SERIES) Lynchburg, TN | 35 / 97 (679.9084) | 76 (164.5256) | 8 (177.7144) | 41 (169.7028) | 46 (167.9656) |
| 2019-09-27 | Mazatzal Grill Masters-BBQ Competition & Testicle Festival Payson, AZ | 5 / 33 (679.4288) | 24 (160.5600) | 5 (173.7372) | 2 (176.0116) | 11 (169.1200) |
| 2019-09-12 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- INVITATIONAL CONTEST Kansas City, KS | 51 / 135 (686.1940) | 56 (173.1084) | 81 (169.1200) | 52 (171.9656) | 52 (172.0000) |
| 2019-09-12 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST Kansas City, KS | 180 / 468 (667.8628) | 244 (165.1084) | 220 (166.2400) | 200 (167.3828) | 143 (169.1316) |
| 2019-08-23 | Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV | 2 / 37 (697.6568) | 11 (172.5484) | 1 (178.8572) | 5 (176.5600) | 20 (169.6912) |
| 2019-08-16 | Turf & Surf BBQ Championship Del Mar, CA | 9 / 35 (675.8628) | 17 (167.3712) | 16 (166.8344) | 11 (170.8228) | 8 (170.8344) |
| 2019-08-02 | 10th Annual Vista BBQ Classic Vista, CA | 1 / 34 (700.5028) | 11 (171.9656) | 9 (171.9772) | 1 (178.8572) | 3 (177.7028) |
| 2019-07-26 | Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge Gilroy, CA | 2 / 36 (686.2628) | 14 (167.9656) | 23 (165.1428) | 1 (178.8572) | 2 (174.2972) |
| 2019-07-12 | Clayton BBQ Cook-off Clayton, CA | 1 / 31 (708.0344) | 2 (175.4172) | 1 (176.5944) | 2 (176.0228) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2019-07-05 | Smoke & Hops Harmony, CA | 1 / 26 (695.9888) | 4 (174.8800) | 7 (168.5488) | 2 (177.1544) | 4 (175.4056) |
| 2019-06-29 | Smokin On The Pecos (Day 2) Artesia, NM | 4 / 34 (695.9772) | 5 (177.7028) | 10 (171.4172) | 7 (173.7028) | 8 (173.1544) |
| 2019-06-28 | Smokin On The Pecos (Day 1) Artesia, NM | 8 / 41 (687.3368) | 20 (166.2400) | 5 (174.8456) | 4 (176.5600) | 10 (169.6912) |
| 2019-06-21 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA | 9 (677.6572) | 10 (172.0000) | 32 (160.5372) | 6 (172.5600) | 7 (172.5600) |
| 2019-05-31 | Throwdown in the Vineyards Murphy, CA | 3 / 20 (678.8112) | 3 (169.7028) | 9 (164.5256) | 1 (175.4400) | 5 (169.1428) |
| 2019-05-24 | The Best Dam Barbeque Boulder City, NV | 6 / 29 (683.3368) | 12 (170.2628) | 23 (161.6684) | 7 (171.9656) | 1 (179.4400) |
| 2019-05-03 | Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA | 2 / 27 (690.2284) | 4 (171.9772) | 1 (175.4400) | 3 (174.8456) | 7 (167.9656) |
| 2019-04-26 | Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship Lodi, CA | 4 / 48 (685.7028) | 10 (171.9772) | 11 (170.2856) | 18 (166.8800) | 1 (176.5600) |
| 2019-03-30 | 8th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship Day 2 Arcadia, CA | 2 / 47 (699.3944) | 23 (170.8344) | 2 (178.8572) | 6 (174.2856) | 5 (175.4172) |
| 2019-03-29 | 8th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship Day 1 Arcadia, CA | 9 / 70 (683.3600) | 59 (159.3484) | 13 (170.2744) | 7 (174.8800) | 2 (178.8572) |
| 2019-01-25 | The Golden State Battle Santa Ynez, CA | 3 / 48 (692.4684) | 4 (175.4056) | 13 (171.9772) | 9 (174.2744) | 10 (170.8112) |
| 2019-01-18 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 14 / 63 (674.7084) | 29 (168.5256) | 19 (166.8344) | 9 (173.1084) | 30 (166.2400) |
| 2018-12-28 | Arizona National BBQ Stampede Phoenix, AZ | 2 / 47 (701.1200) | 13 (173.1084) | 8 (174.3088) | 1 (179.4400) | 3 (174.2628) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #114 (1385 pts) | #145 (1245 pts) | #216 (1060 pts) | #306 (730 pts) | #125 (1315 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #83 (1560 pts) | #119 (1350 pts) | #87 (1540 pts) | #205 (1000 pts) | #96 (1485 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #27 (2241 pts) | #29 (2068 pts) | #53 (1823 pts) | #35 (1955 pts) | #56 (1806 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #126 (1302 pts) | #223 (877 pts) | #196 (1027 pts) | #179 (1022 pts) | #128 (1297 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #60 (1389 pts) | #147 (789 pts) | #112 (954 pts) | #132 (844 pts) | #65 (1209 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #15 (2628 pts) | #81 (1803 pts) | #33 (2111 pts) | #8 (2511 pts) | #9 (2505 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #12 (2592 pts) | #33 (2227 pts) | #53 (2000 pts) | #58 (2004 pts) | #63 (1985 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #5 (2705 pts) | #12 (2440 pts) | #20 (2294 pts) | #22 (2335 pts) | #15 (2531 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #3 (2817 pts) | #17 (2450 pts) | #18 (2390 pts) | #8 (2600 pts) | #7 (2544 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #5 (2709 pts) | #23 (2346 pts) | #41 (2147 pts) | #1 🏆 (2715 pts) | #10 (2553 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #20 (2638 pts) | #21 (2430 pts) | #27 (2308 pts) | #13 (2493 pts) | #28 (2446 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #26 (2555 pts) | #38 (2245 pts) | #48 (2015 pts) | #6 (2649 pts) | #37 (2251 pts) |