Blue Ribbon BBQ NC

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

Power ranking

#1547

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1561

peak 1591 · rated over 25 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2021-11-05

latest 2024-05-17

Best ToY finish

#247

Master 2023

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 27 contests

Avg finish

top 49%

overall standings

Best overall

702.2516 / 720

Master · Swine At the Shrine

Perfect 180s

Current form

671.90 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 676.40 (-4.50)

Walk rate

63%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.2972

Pork · Swine At the Shrine

Consistency

±14.45

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 170.19 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.62)

Road miles

9,304

mi across 27 mapped stops · furthest 2114 mi

Schedule strength

81%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1606)

Purse competed for

$373K

listed at 25 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

GCs in 25 state-championship entries

Master avg

676.40 / 720

26 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (15 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.

Against the odds

10-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 90 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Swine At the Shrine (2022-08-05) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 10-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Organizer Portal.

Giant slayer

49 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 49-team field at Swine At the Shrine.

2022-08-05

They almost always walk

63% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 17 of 27 contests

A top-10 category call in 63% of their 27 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

702.2516 career-best overall

97.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 702.2516 at Swine At the Shrine — 97.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
2022-08-05

State champions

1 state championships won

They've taken 1 state championship from 25 entries at contests carrying the title.

25 state-championship entries

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ has finished one call ahead of Blue Ribbon BBQ NC 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2022 1 Grand Championship

2022 was the year it came together: 14 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 34%.

14 contests
7 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 34%

The drought

18 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Swine At the Shrine on 2022-08-05 — 18 contests and 4.1 years ago.

last GC 2022-08-05
4.1 years ago

A strong matchup

9–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BIG DOG BBQ VA in 9 of their 12 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

15 of 22 shared chicken entries lost

SMOKIN SKULLIES ahead 68% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN SKULLIES has out-cooked them in 15 of 22 shared chicken entries.

They cook the hard rooms

1606 average field rating faced

A tougher draw than 81% of rated fields

The fields they enter average a 1606 power rating — a tougher draw than 81% of every rated contest in the data.

25 rated contests

Built for the big stage

Top 42% average finish in large fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 42% finish in large fields against top 66% in small ones.

Large (40+): top 42% (9)
Small (<20 teams): top 66% (4)

An August team

Top 30% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 30% across 3 contests, versus top 49% the rest of the year.

3 August contests
top 49% the rest of the year

The long haul

9,304 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 9,304 miles across 27 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 2,114 miles to Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival.

27 mapped stops
furthest 2,114 mi

The metronome

±2.01% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.01% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.9% of a perfect score
27 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.

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

TEXAS WARPIG BBQ

#1550 of the rated field

1561 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1580

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Blue Ribbon BBQ NC)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Blue Ribbon BBQ NC has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 33 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

Sweetie's Bar-B-Q

#1540 of the rated field

1562 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1562

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Blue Ribbon BBQ NC)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2026-07-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Lucky D's BBQ

#1544 of the rated field

1562 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 73
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1691

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Blue Ribbon BBQ NC)

73 contests to 27: their number has had years to settle where Blue Ribbon BBQ NC's is still finding its level.

rated over 71 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

GOD'S COUNTRY BBQ

#1546 of the rated field

1561 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1561

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Blue Ribbon BBQ NC)

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 7 contests, alongside a 29% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2026-08-21

⚔ Head-to-head

KOKOMO Q

#1531 of the rated field

1562 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1576

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 3 years before Blue Ribbon BBQ NC's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 25 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Smoke Busters

#1552 of the rated field

1561 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1584

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Blue Ribbon BBQ NC's first contest.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2026-05-29

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN SKULLIES	21	3	18	14%	⚔ compare
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ	21	2	19	10%	⚔ compare
Optimus Swine	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	15	5	10	33%	⚔ compare
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
BIG DOG BBQ VA	12	9	3	75%	⚔ compare
CHUNKY BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
Off The Rack BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
JL Smokers	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
POKE N SMOKE	9	6	3	67%	⚔ compare
ONE EYED PIG BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	27	9	0	0	177.7144	160.4912	170.19	top 51%
Pork Ribs	26	5	0	1	177.7144	152.5028	167.62	top 58%
Pork	26	8	0	1	178.2972	154.2400	169.16	top 49%
Brisket	26	10	1	3	177.7028	158.2056	169.33	top 43%

“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
NC	13	0	top 49%
VA	5	0	top 61%
KS	2	0	top 44%
GA	2	1	top 32%
PA	1	0	top 22%
AR	1	0	top 27%
WV	1	0	top 40%
CA	1	0	top 85%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	4	0	top 66%
Medium (20–39)	13	0	top 49%
Large (40+)	9	1	top 42%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival	3	7	top 49%	2024-05-17
Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down	2	6	top 44%	2023-10-13
Bone Suckin' Sauce Peak City Pig Fest	2	6	top 24%	2023-04-14
Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition	2	17	top 61%	2023-04-07
BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)	2	17	top 57%	2023-03-25

The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 2.5 yrs 2021-11-05 → 2024-05-17

Busiest season 2022 14 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 6.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NC 13 of 27 contests · 8 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 20 5 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 27 entries · 0 wins · 9 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 170.19 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.62)

Walk rate 63% a top-10 call in 17 of 27 contests

Overall top-10 rate 30% 8 of 27 contests

Wins it all 4% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2022-08-05 Swine At the Shrine

Best top-10 run 5 straight contests

Master average 676.40 out of 720 · 26 contests · 1 GC

Opponents faced 829 906–693 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 9,304 27 mapped stops · furthest 2,114 mi

Schedule strength 1606 average field rating faced — tougher than 81% of rated contests

Purse competed for $373,480 listed at 25 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 1 from 25 state-championship entries

Power rating 1561 peak 1591 · #1547 of 6,413 rated

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

2021
Nov 5 First tracked contest Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival
2022
Mar 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score673.6228 BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)
Apr 8 First call Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition
May 20 First overall top-10 Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival
Jul 1 First category win (Brisket) Lowell's Smokin' In the Ozarks-Arkansas State Challenge
Aug 5 First overall podium Swine At the Shrine
Aug 5 First Grand Championship Swine At the Shrine
Aug 5 First state championship Swine At the Shrine
Aug 5 Biggest field won (49 teams) Swine At the Shrine
Aug 5 Career-best overall score702.2516 Swine At the Shrine
Aug 5 Career-best single call (Pork)178.2972 Swine At the Shrine
Aug 26 10th tracked contest New Holland Summer Fest
Oct 7 Peak power rating (1591) Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down
2023
Sep 27 25th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
2024
May 17 Most recent contest Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.5	Swine At the Shrine	2022-08-05
+13.8	Lowell's Smokin' In the Ozarks-Arkansas State Challenge	2022-07-01
+13.8	Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest	2022-07-22
+13.1	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival	2022-05-20
+11.3	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	2023-09-27

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11	BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)	2023-03-25
-10.9	Mission Farm's King of the Farm	2023-02-24
-10.6	Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition	2023-04-07
-7.7	Clayton BBQ Challenge	2023-09-15
-7.5	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival	2021-11-05

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	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	1	0	0	0	100%	top 72%	92.1%	92.1%
2023	11	0	1	0	45%	top 61%	95.5%	93.6%
2022	14	1	7	1	79%	top 34%	97.5%	94.9%
2021	1	0	0	0	0%	top 85%	86.9%	86.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2024-05-17	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival 🏅 Ayden, NC	13 / 18 (663.2800)	5 (173.1200)	16 (159.9772)	11 (166.2400)	12 (163.9428)
2023-10-13	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down 🏅 Rocky Mount, NC	18 / 27 (666.1484)	21 (161.6684)	16 (167.9772)	9 (169.6800)	16 (166.8228)
2023-09-27	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	90 / 487 (687.3716)	134 (173.1084)	108 (173.1316)	297 (165.6916)	32 (175.4400)
2023-09-27	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS	145 / 211 (676.5256)	63 (174.8572)	190 (163.9772)	148 (167.9656)	109 (169.7256)
2023-09-15	Clayton BBQ Challenge 🏅 Clayton, NC	15 / 17 (666.1600)	12 (170.2512)	17 (156.5488)	10 (173.1200)	14 (166.2400)
2023-08-11	Americamps BBQ Masters Throwdown Day 1 🏅 Ashland, VA	18 / 28 (686.2172)	15 (173.1200)	19 (170.8228)	15 (173.1200)	19 (169.1544)
2023-05-19	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival 🏅 Ayden, NC	13 / 25 (668.9944)	10 (171.9772)	13 (167.3828)	14 (166.8344)	17 (162.8000)
2023-04-14	Bone Suckin' Sauce Peak City Pig Fest 🏅 Apex, NC	10 / 32 (678.7196)	6 (175.4056)	15 (166.8112)	19 (165.6800)	8 (170.8228)
2023-04-07	Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition 🏅 Stem, NC	21 / 28 (670.7200)	17 (168.5256)	24 (164.5372)	16 (170.2628)	21 (167.3944)
2023-03-25	BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	38 / 46 (662.7432)	33 (168.5372)	37 (164.5488)	41 (160.5372)	25 (169.1200)
2023-03-24	BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	17 / 53 (686.7888)	4 (177.7144)	32 (169.6800)	34 (165.1316)	8 (174.2628)
2023-02-24	Mission Farm's King of the Farm 🏅 Iron Station, NC	30 / 33 (662.6744)	20 (170.8228)	32 (159.3716)	21 (167.3828)	26 (165.0972)
2022-10-14	Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que Music Festival 🏅 Grovetown, GA	32 / 51 (673.6000)	25 (171.9656)	36 (166.2400)	46 (163.4056)	13 (171.9888)
2022-10-14	Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que Music Festival - One Meat Chicken Grovetown, GA	—	25 (167.9772)	—	—	—
2022-10-07	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down 🏅 Rocky Mount, NC	6 / 27 (691.3372)	10 (176.5600)	13 (169.6800)	3 (175.4172)	7 (169.6800)
2022-09-23	Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge 🏅 Connelly Springs, NC	10 / 32 (685.6116)	5 (176.5600)	21 (166.2516)	11 (171.9772)	13 (170.8228)
2022-09-09	18th Annual Recovery Fest and 12th Annual KCBS BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Hanover, VA	11 / 17 (675.2916)	12 (170.8228)	15 (167.3944)	12 (168.5372)	9 (168.5372)
2022-08-26	New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA	11 / 49 (685.6572)	21 (168.5372)	9 (171.9772)	11 (172.0228)	8 (173.1200)
2022-08-05	Swine At the Shrine 🏅 Savannah, GA	1 / 49 (702.2516)	7 (176.5600)	33 (169.6916)	4 (178.2972)	3 (177.7028)
2022-07-22	Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest 🏅 Apex, NC	6 / 35 (686.7312)	10 (175.4056)	9 (171.9656)	9 (171.9772)	15 (167.3828)
2022-07-01	Lowell's Smokin' In the Ozarks-Arkansas State Challenge 🏅 Lowell, AR	8 / 30 (694.2172)	22 (168.5256)	16 (170.8344)	7 (177.1544)	1 (177.7028)
2022-06-10	WV Coalfields Cookoff 🏅 Welch, WV	6 / 15 (673.6344)	8 (165.6916)	4 (171.4400)	5 (169.6800)	7 (166.8228)
2022-05-20	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival 🏅 Ayden, NC	7 / 32 (682.7540)	26 (163.3940)	2 (177.7144)	16 (168.5372)	2 (173.1084)
2022-05-13	Jiggy With The Piggy 🏅 Kannapolis, NC	12 / 46 (686.2056)	33 (164.5256)	4 (175.4172)	12 (172.0000)	6 (174.2628)
2022-04-08	Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition 🏅 Stem, NC	17 / 36 (673.6460)	24 (163.9656)	11 (170.8572)	9 (171.9772)	12 (166.8460)
2022-03-25	BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	33 / 53 (673.6228)	41 (165.1200)	22 (171.4172)	26 (171.4056)	40 (165.6800)
2021-11-05	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival 🏅 Indio, CA	28 / 33 (625.4396)	25 (160.4912)	32 (152.5028)	27 (154.2400)	26 (158.2056)

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	#999 (103 pts)	#846 (168 pts)	#1199 (88 pts)	#1007 (113 pts)	#1023 (108 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#247 (862 pts)	#177 (1085 pts)	#327 (777 pts)	#241 (905 pts)	#231 (927 pts)