High-water mark
679.9084
career-best overall
94.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 679.9084 at Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest — 94.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jun 7, 2024
Old Man Joes
Old Man Joes is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 7th of 28 at the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (2013). They are ranked #3669 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Old Man Joe's”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1490
peak 1509 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
Mar 1, 2013
latest Jun 7, 2024 · 11.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
2
17% of 12 contests
Avg finish
top 64%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
666.86 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 643.79 (+23.08)
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±49.95
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 164.87 · weakest Chicken (162.88)
Road miles
3,273
across 12 mapped stops · furthest 1,157 mi
Schedule strength
68%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1587)
Purse competed for
$51K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
643.79 / 720
12 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1954 (60 pts) | #2012 (60 pts) | #1996 (60 pts) | #2030 (60 pts) | #1521 (135 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1589 (149 pts) | #2102 (89 pts) | #1594 (169 pts) | #1648 (149 pts) | #1923 (119 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #1162 (233 pts) | #1389 (188 pts) | #948 (328 pts) | #1110 (273 pts) | #1494 (153 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Old Man Joes, each with one reason worth a look.
161 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,677 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1490
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Old Man Joes)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Old Man Joes has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,672 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1531
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Old Man Joes)
They've been 1531 at their best, 41 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,660 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1522
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Old Man Joes)
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 30 contests to 12.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,690 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1489
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 42% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#3,684 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1490
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 4 years before Old Man Joes's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,667 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1490
They turned up 9 years after Old Man Joes did, first appearing in 2022.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 LEGS UP BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Petie's Smokin Pits BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| THE GRISWOLDS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Three Hog Night Smokers | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SCOTTS BBQ SHACK | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BOOMERANG BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BUFFALO'S BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 143.3488 | 162.88 | top 66% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 176 | 145.6344 | 164.87 | top 51% |
| Pork | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.5716 | 151.9540 | 163.87 | top 59% |
| Brisket | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1316 | 155.9200 | 164.49 | top 55% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 41% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 0 | top 75% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) | 2 | 62 | 0 | top 90% | Mar 25, 2017 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
4 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
5 of 12 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
11
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
539
finished ahead 215 times, behind 516
Longest layoff
3.5 yrs
Oct 23, 2020 → Apr 5, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20242 milestones
- Career-best overall score679.9084 Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest
20201 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1
20171 milestone
- Career-best single call (Chicken)176.5600 Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 2)
20135 milestones
- First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First overall top-10 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score669.1424 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Peak power rating (1509) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +10.7 | Derby BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) | Sep 8, 2017 |
| +8.9 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Mar 1, 2013 |
| +4 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1 | Oct 23, 2020 |
| +2.3 | Jammin' in JC BBQ Contest | Sep 23, 2016 |
| +2 | Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off | Sep 15, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.5 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) | Mar 24, 2017 |
| -9.5 | Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival | Apr 10, 2015 |
| -4.7 | Kansas BBQ Shoot Out Day 1 | Mar 2, 2018 |
| -4.1 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) | Mar 25, 2017 |
| -3.8 | Smoke in the Spring | Apr 5, 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 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 94.4% | 93.5% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 58% | 94.4% | 94.4% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 85% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25% | top 67% | 93.6% | 86% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 54% | 90.5% | 90.5% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 85% | 83.5% | 83.5% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 41% | 92.9% | 91.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 2024 | Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 25 / 43 (679.9084) | 25 (170.2972) | 19 (170.8228) | 25 (170.8228) | 21 (167.9656) |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 75 / 97 (666.1484) | 57 (168.5484) | 34 (172.5600) | 89 (157.6456) | 60 (167.3944) |
| Oct 23, 2020 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1 🏅 Shawnee, OK | 37 / 64 (679.3484) | 60 (162.8228) | 16 (171.9772) | — | 44 (165.6912) |
| Mar 2, 2018 | Kansas BBQ Shoot Out Day 1 Cheney, KS | 40 / 47 (654.1828) | 45 (156.5600) | 40 (161.6456) | 38 (162.8456) | 10 (173.1316) |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off Ponca City, OK | 22 / 38 (654.7316) | 24 (162.8000) | 17 (165.1200) | 20 (162.8344) | 22 (163.9772) |
| Sep 8, 2017 | Derby BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Derby, KS | 8 / 29 (674.2288) | 18 (165.0972) | 6 (170.8456) | 8 (170.8688) | 12 (167.4172) |
| Mar 25, 2017 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) Shawnee, OK | 62 / 77 (655.8512) | 14 (176.5600) | 27 (171.4172) | 71 (151.9540) | 66 (155.9200) |
| Mar 24, 2017 | Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) Shawnee, OK | 87 / 87 (491.9088) | — | 63 (161.0972) | 58 (164.5600) | 51 (166.2516) |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Jammin' in JC BBQ Contest Junction City, KS | 21 / 39 (651.2572) | 28 (161.6800) | 26 (160.5372) | 24 (165.0972) | 17 (163.9428) |
| Apr 10, 2015 | Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival Harrington, DE | 84 / 99 (601.4860) | 92 (143.3488) | 90 (145.6344) | 68 (154.2512) | 52 (158.2516) |
| Sep 13, 2013 | Decatur Jaycees 19th Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL | 45 / 80 (647.2340) | 54 (159.3712) | 69 (150.7540) | 10 (172.5716) | 34 (164.5372) |
| Mar 1, 2013 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Baton Rouge, LA | 7 / 28 (669.1424) | 13 (164.5712) | 2 (176) | 11 (169.1430) | 20 (159.4282) |