Blue Ribbon BBQ NC

Blue Ribbon BBQ NC is a competition barbecue team with 27 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2024. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Swine At the Shrine (2022). They are ranked #1544 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,544

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1561

peak 1591 · rated over 25 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Nov 5, 2021

latest May 17, 2024 · 2.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#247

Master 2023 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

30% of 27 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

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

Best single call

178.2972

Pork · Swine At the Shrine

Consistency

±14.45

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 170.19 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.62)

Road miles

9,304

across 27 mapped stops · furthest 2,114 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 🏅

won from 25 state-championship entries

Master avg

676.40 / 720

26 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (15 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

Against the odds

9-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 91 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Swine At the Shrine (Aug 5, 2022) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 9-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.

Aug 5, 2022

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
Aug 5, 2022

State champions

1 state championship 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 win
average top 34%

Show 8 more storylines

The drought

18 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Swine At the Shrine on Aug 5, 2022 — 18 contests and 4.2 years ago.

last GC Aug 5, 2022
4.2 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

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	#999 (103 pts)	#846 (168 pts)	#1199 (88 pts)	#1007 (113 pts)	#1023 (108 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#247 (862 pts)	#177 (1,085 pts)	#327 (777 pts)	#241 (905 pts)	#231 (927 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Blue Ribbon BBQ NC, each with one reason worth a look.

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

SMOKIN' AXE BBQ

#1,535 of the rated field

1562 power rating

Contests: 62
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1562

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

2 contests 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 60 contests
last seen Aug 7, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Sweetie's Bar-B-Q

#1,540 of the rated field

1562 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
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 Oct 15, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN SUZY

#1,543 of the rated field

1562 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1562

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 7 years before Blue Ribbon BBQ NC's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 25 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Smoke Busters

#1,556 of the rated field

1561 power rating

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

Careers of much the same size, 28 contests to 27, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 26 contests
last seen May 29, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

THE DEVIL MADE ME Q IT

#1,532 of the rated field

1562 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 63%
Peak: 1572

24 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 63% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 24 contests
last seen Sep 10, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

Hill Billy BBQ

#1,548 of the rated field

1561 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1600

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

rated over 29 contests
last seen May 16, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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 field size and state

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%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

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%

Repeat visits (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%	May 17, 2024
Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down	2	6	top 44%	Oct 13, 2023
Bone Suckin' Sauce Peak City Pig Fest	2	6	top 24%	Apr 14, 2023
Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition	2	17	top 61%	Apr 7, 2023
BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)	2	17	top 57%	Mar 25, 2023

More numbers

Busiest season 2022 14 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 6.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NC 13 of 27 contests · 8 states in all

Contests visited 20 5 of them more than once

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

First title Aug 5, 2022 Swine At the Shrine

Opponents faced 829 finished ahead 906 times, behind 693

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

20241 milestone

May 17 Most recent contest Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival

20231 milestone

Sep 27 25th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest

202212 milestones

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

20211 milestone

Nov 5 First tracked contest Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.5	Swine At the Shrine	Aug 5, 2022
+13.8	Lowell's Smokin' In the Ozarks-Arkansas State Challenge	Jul 1, 2022
+13.8	Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest	Jul 22, 2022
+13.1	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival	May 20, 2022
+11.3	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	Sep 27, 2023

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11	BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)	Mar 25, 2023
-10.9	Mission Farm's King of the Farm	Feb 24, 2023
-10.6	Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition	Apr 7, 2023
-7.7	Clayton BBQ Challenge	Sep 15, 2023
-7.5	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival	Nov 5, 2021

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	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
May 17, 2024	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)
Oct 13, 2023	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down 🏅 Rocky Mount, NC	18 / 27 (666.1484)	21 (161.6684)	16 (167.9772)	9 (169.6800)	16 (166.8228)
Sep 27, 2023	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)
Sep 27, 2023	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)
Sep 15, 2023	Clayton BBQ Challenge 🏅 Clayton, NC	15 / 17 (666.1600)	12 (170.2512)	17 (156.5488)	10 (173.1200)	14 (166.2400)
Aug 11, 2023	Americamps BBQ Masters Throwdown Day 1 🏅 Ashland, VA	18 / 28 (686.2172)	15 (173.1200)	19 (170.8228)	15 (173.1200)	19 (169.1544)
May 19, 2023	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)
Apr 14, 2023	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)
Apr 7, 2023	Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition 🏅 Stem, NC	21 / 28 (670.7200)	17 (168.5256)	24 (164.5372)	16 (170.2628)	21 (167.3944)
Mar 25, 2023	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)
Mar 24, 2023	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)
Feb 24, 2023	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)
Oct 14, 2022	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)
Oct 14, 2022	Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que Music Festival - One Meat Chicken Grovetown, GA	—	25 (167.9772)	—	—	—
Oct 7, 2022	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down 🏅 Rocky Mount, NC	6 / 27 (691.3372)	10 (176.5600)	13 (169.6800)	3 (175.4172)	7 (169.6800)
Sep 23, 2022	Pigmaster's BBQ Challenge 🏅 Connelly Springs, NC	10 / 32 (685.6116)	5 (176.5600)	21 (166.2516)	11 (171.9772)	13 (170.8228)
Sep 9, 2022	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)
Aug 26, 2022	New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA	11 / 49 (685.6572)	21 (168.5372)	9 (171.9772)	11 (172.0228)	8 (173.1200)
Aug 5, 2022	Swine At the Shrine 🏅 Savannah, GA	1 / 49 (702.2516)	7 (176.5600)	33 (169.6916)	4 (178.2972)	3 (177.7028)
Jul 22, 2022	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)
Jul 1, 2022	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)
Jun 10, 2022	WV Coalfields Cookoff 🏅 Welch, WV	6 / 15 (673.6344)	8 (165.6916)	4 (171.4400)	5 (169.6800)	7 (166.8228)
May 20, 2022	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)
May 13, 2022	Jiggy With The Piggy 🏅 Kannapolis, NC	12 / 46 (686.2056)	33 (164.5256)	4 (175.4172)	12 (172)	6 (174.2628)
Apr 8, 2022	Jimbo's Annual BBQ Competition 🏅 Stem, NC	17 / 36 (673.6460)	24 (163.9656)	11 (170.8572)	9 (171.9772)	12 (166.8460)
Mar 25, 2022	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)
Nov 5, 2021	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival 🏅 Indio, CA	28 / 33 (625.4396)	25 (160.4912)	32 (152.5028)	27 (154.2400)	26 (158.2056)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

Blue Ribbon BBQ NC

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (15 found in their record)

Against the odds

Giant slayer

They almost always walk

High-water mark

State champions

The one to beat

Their season

The drought

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

They cook the hard rooms

Built for the big stage

An August team

The long haul

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)