New Life BBQ

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

Power ranking

#5859

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1439

peak 1439 · rated over 13 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2022-04-08

latest 2024-05-31

Best ToY finish

#475

Master 2022

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 79%

overall standings

Best overall

682.7888 / 720

Master · Horse Town Brew n Que Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

656.76 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 654.73 (+2.03)

Walk rate

31%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.3200

Pork Ribs · BBQ on the Bay Day 1

Consistency

±12.78

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 165.11 · weakest Brisket (161.20)

Road miles

974

mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 173 mi

Schedule strength

69%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1587)

Purse competed for

$130K

listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 13 state-championship entries

Master avg

654.73 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 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.

High-water mark

682.7888 career-best overall

94.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 682.7888 at Horse Town Brew n Que Festival — 94.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2023-06-02

A tough matchup

13–0 behind in the head-to-head

Meat Candy Q ahead in 100% of their meetings

Meat Candy Q has come out ahead in 13 of their 13 shared contests.

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Old Man Grillin' and The Chain Smokers in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

12 of 13 shared pork entries lost

Meat Candy Q ahead 92% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Meat Candy Q has out-cooked them in 12 of 13 shared pork entries.

The metronome

±1.77% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.77% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.9% of a perfect score
13 contests

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.

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

Red and Black BBQ Shack

#5860 of the rated field

1439 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1503

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1503 at their best, 64 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2026-07-11

⚔ Head-to-head

Northstar BBQ

#5854 of the rated field

1439 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1501

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-06-13

⚔ Head-to-head

FOUR MEN AND A SMOKIN PIG

#5866 of the rated field

1438 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1502

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 12 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Bubba's BBQ

#5862 of the rated field

1438 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1438

No shared contest yet.

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 13% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2019-05-31

⚔ Head-to-head

SWINE-O-MITE

#5864 of the rated field

1438 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1438

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before New Life BBQ's first contest.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2022-05-13

⚔ Head-to-head

Holy Town Cookers

#5861 of the rated field

1438 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1438

No shared contest yet.

Level with New Life BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2021-09-17

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Meat Candy Q	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
B' Mackin BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
Porterhouse BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
LADY OF Q	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
7 SINS BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Weekend Warrior BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
West Coast BBQ Shop	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BIG RED BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
5TH GEAR BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKE HOUND BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Twiki G BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	0	0	172.5828	145.0284	163.57	top 76%
Pork Ribs	13	2	1	174.3200	150.2056	164.85	top 68%
Pork	13	1	0	172.5600	151.9200	165.11	top 68%
Brisket	13	1	0	173.7144	149.0744	161.20	top 72%

“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	11	0	top 79%
AZ	2	0	top 85%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 85%
Medium (20–39)	7	top 79%
Large (40+)	4	top 77%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ Boots & Brew	3	24	top 79%	2024-04-12
Horse Town Brew n Que Festival	2	18	top 59%	2023-06-02
Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 2)	2	20	top 86%	2022-05-28

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 2.1 yrs 2022-04-08 → 2024-05-31

Busiest season 2022 6 contests

Contests a season 4.3 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CA 11 of 13 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 9 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 13 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 165.11 · weakest Brisket (161.20)

Walk rate 31% a top-10 call in 4 of 13 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 13 contests

Master average 654.73 out of 720 · 13 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 177 95–356 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 974 13 mapped stops · furthest 173 mi

Schedule strength 1587 average field rating faced — tougher than 69% of rated contests

Purse competed for $130,000 listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 13 state-championship entries

Power rating 1439 peak 1439 · #5859 of 6,413 rated

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

2022
Apr 8 First tracked contest BBQ, Boots & Brew
Apr 8 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.7660 BBQ, Boots & Brew
Apr 8 Peak power rating (1493) BBQ, Boots & Brew
Sep 16 First call BBQ on the Bay Day 1
Sep 16 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.3200 BBQ on the Bay Day 1
2023
Jun 2 Career-best overall score682.7888 Horse Town Brew n Que Festival
Nov 17 10th tracked contest Golden State Battle of Indio
2024
May 31 Most recent contest Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+7	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival	2023-06-02

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.9	Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 1)	2022-05-27
-8.6	Golden State Battle of Indio	2023-11-17
-7	9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge	2024-01-12
-6.9	BBQ, Boots & Brew	2022-04-08
-6.3	BBQ on the Bay Day 1	2022-09-16

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)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	3	33%	top 79%	90.4%	89.9%
2023	4	25%	top 74%	94.8%	91.9%
2022	6	33%	top 83%	93.4%	90.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2024-05-31	Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA	27 / 39 (650.7200)	33 (159.9428)	29 (159.9544)	7 (172.5600)	30 (158.2628)
2024-04-12	BBQ Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA	31 / 39 (650.0452)	39 (145.0284)	23 (169.1084)	21 (170.8228)	29 (165.0856)
2024-01-12	9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ	52 / 58 (640.3656)	53 (163.9884)	43 (163.9544)	55 (151.9200)	41 (160.5028)
2023-11-17	Golden State Battle of Indio 🏅 Indio, CA	39 / 40 (659.8744)	22 (171.9656)	37 (162.2400)	28 (169.7144)	39 (155.9544)
2023-06-02	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA	18 / 43 (682.7888)	24 (169.6800)	22 (167.4288)	20 (171.9656)	8 (173.7144)
2023-04-28	BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA	25 / 33 (657.0516)	19 (172.5828)	25 (165.7144)	20 (166.8344)	32 (151.9200)
2023-01-13	Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ	36 / 45 (648.4000)	37 (161.6572)	31 (163.9772)	37 (158.7884)	24 (163.9772)
2022-09-17	BBQ on the Bay Day 2 🏅 San Diego, CA	13 / 16 (672.4684)	14 (161.1200)	8 (173.1084)	11 (170.8572)	14 (167.3828)
2022-09-16	BBQ on the Bay Day 1 🏅 San Diego, CA	15 / 17 (657.0856)	14 (166.2856)	2 (174.3200)	11 (167.4056)	16 (149.0744)
2022-06-03	Horse Town Brew N Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA	28 / 37 (655.9088)	13 (172.5600)	21 (168.5488)	31 (161.6684)	36 (153.1316)
2022-05-28	Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 2) 🏅 Big Bear Lake, CA	20 / 25 (653.6460)	19 (168.0228)	24 (159.3832)	22 (157.0628)	11 (169.1772)
2022-05-27	Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 1) 🏅 Big Bear Lake, CA	23 / 25 (628.3544)	23 (153.0972)	25 (150.2056)	20 (163.9428)	18 (161.1088)
2022-04-08	BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA	24 / 29 (654.7660)	27 (160.5372)	21 (165.1088)	21 (162.8228)	16 (166.2972)

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
2024 ↗	Master	#655 (240 pts)	#682 (255 pts)	#726 (250 pts)	#540 (365 pts)	#693 (240 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#709 (213 pts)	#763 (213 pts)	#883 (193 pts)	#707 (228 pts)	#622 (278 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#475 (447 pts)	#449 (507 pts)	#401 (637 pts)	#449 (497 pts)	#421 (547 pts)