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
- Jun 2, 2023
New Life BBQ
New Life BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 13th of 16 at the BBQ on the Bay Day 2 (2022). They are ranked #5915 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1439
peak 1439 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Apr 8, 2022
latest May 31, 2024 · 2.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 13 contests
Avg finish
top 79%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
656.76 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 654.73 (+2.03)
Walk rate
31%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.78
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 164.85 · weakest Brisket (161.20)
Road miles
974
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 173 mi
Schedule strength
68%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1587)
Purse competed for
$130K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 13 state-championship entries
Master avg
654.73 / 720
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to New Life BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
75 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,913 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1439
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,919 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1438
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 3 years before New Life BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,917 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,916 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1439
15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 13% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#5,922 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1438
Level with New Life BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,920 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1438
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before New Life BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar 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 | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 172.5828 | 145.0284 | 163.57 | top 76% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 174.3200 | 150.2056 | 164.85 | top 68% |
| Pork | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 151.9200 | 164.72 | top 68% |
| Brisket | 13 | 1 | 0 | 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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 85% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 79% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 77% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Boots & Brew | 3 | 24 | 0 | top 79% | Apr 12, 2024 |
| Horse Town Brew n Que Festival | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 59% | Jun 2, 2023 |
| Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 2) | 2 | 20 | 0 | top 86% | May 28, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
6 contests
Contests a season
4.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CA
11 of 13 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
9
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
177
finished ahead 95 times, behind 356
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20241 milestone
- Most recent contest Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival
20232 milestones
- Career-best overall score682.7888 Horse Town Brew n Que Festival
- 10th tracked contest Golden State Battle of Indio
20225 milestones
- First tracked contest BBQ, Boots & Brew
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.7660 BBQ, Boots & Brew
- Peak power rating (1493) BBQ, Boots & Brew
- First call BBQ on the Bay Day 1
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.3200 BBQ on the Bay Day 1
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +7 | Horse Town Brew n Que Festival | Jun 2, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.9 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championships (Day 1) | May 27, 2022 |
| -8.6 | Golden State Battle of Indio | Nov 17, 2023 |
| -7 | 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge | Jan 12, 2024 |
| -6.9 | BBQ, Boots & Brew | Apr 8, 2022 |
| -6.3 | BBQ on the Bay Day 1 | Sep 16, 2022 |
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 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 79% | 90.4% | 89.9% |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 74% | 94.8% | 91.9% |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2024 | Horsetown Brew n' Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA | 27 / 39 (650.7200) | 33 (159.9428) | 29 (159.9544) | 7 (172.5600) | 30 (158.2628) |
| Apr 12, 2024 | BBQ Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 31 / 39 (650.0452) | 39 (145.0284) | 23 (169.1084) | 21 (170.8228) | 29 (165.0856) |
| Jan 12, 2024 | 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) |
| Nov 17, 2023 | Golden State Battle of Indio 🏅 Indio, CA | 39 / 40 (659.8744) | 22 (171.9656) | 37 (162.2400) | — | 39 (155.9544) |
| Jun 2, 2023 | Horse Town Brew n Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA | 18 / 43 (682.7888) | 24 (169.6800) | 22 (167.4288) | 20 (171.9656) | 8 (173.7144) |
| Apr 28, 2023 | BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 25 / 33 (657.0516) | 19 (172.5828) | 25 (165.7144) | 20 (166.8344) | 32 (151.9200) |
| Jan 13, 2023 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 36 / 45 (648.4000) | 37 (161.6572) | 31 (163.9772) | 37 (158.7884) | 24 (163.9772) |
| Sep 17, 2022 | 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) |
| Sep 16, 2022 | 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) |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Horse Town Brew N Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA | 28 / 37 (655.9088) | 13 (172.5600) | 21 (168.5488) | 31 (161.6684) | 36 (153.1316) |
| May 28, 2022 | 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) |
| May 27, 2022 | 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) |
| Apr 8, 2022 | BBQ, Boots & Brew 🏅 Perris, CA | 24 / 29 (654.7660) | 27 (160.5372) | 21 (165.1088) | 21 (162.8228) | 16 (166.2972) |