Grillin' Thyme

Grillin' Thyme is a competition barbecue team with 37 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 8th of 16 at the Currituck Heritage Festival (2016). They are ranked #4565 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “GRILLIN'THYME” and “Grillin Thyme”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,565

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1472

peak 1472 · rated over 37 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 20, 2014

latest May 17, 2024 · 9.9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#606

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

8% of 37 contests

Avg finish

top 67%

overall standings

Best overall

673.0968 / 720

Master · Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.57

last 5 Master vs avg 646.58 (-0.01)

Walk rate

41%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Chicken · Currituck Heritage Festival

Consistency

±14.07

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 162.44 · weakest Brisket (160.83)

Road miles

5,363

across 37 mapped stops · furthest 230 mi

Schedule strength

59%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)

Purse competed for

$30K

listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

646.58 / 720

37 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

673.0968 career-best overall

93.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 673.0968 at Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival — 93.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 18, 2018

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

ARMED AND HAMMERED BBQ has finished one call ahead of Grillin' Thyme 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

28–1 behind in the head-to-head

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ ahead in 97% of their meetings

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ has come out ahead in 28 of their 29 shared contests.

A strong matchup

8–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 89% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of COASTAL SMOKE in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival (May 20, 2022).

last seen May 17, 2019
back May 20, 2022

Pork nemesis

24 of 26 shared pork entries lost

REDNECK SCIENTIFIC ahead 92% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, REDNECK SCIENTIFIC has out-cooked them in 24 of 26 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Pappy's Legacy BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Show 4 more storylines

A May team

Top 58% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 58% across 8 contests, versus top 67% the rest of the year.

8 May contests
top 67% the rest of the year

The long haul

5,363 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,363 miles across 37 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 230 miles to WNC BBQ Festival.

37 mapped stops
furthest 230 mi

The metronome

±1.95% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.95% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.8% of a perfect score
37 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival every year from 2016 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

6 visits in all
best finish 9th

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1849 (75 pts)	#1856 (90 pts)	#1996 (65 pts)	#2029 (60 pts)	#1836 (85 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#636 (535 pts)	#539 (690 pts)	#603 (605 pts)	#728 (495 pts)	#568 (640 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#606 (642 pts)	#651 (617 pts)	#358 (1,042 pts)	#545 (722 pts)	#504 (782 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#701 (543 pts)	#763 (518 pts)	#630 (648 pts)	#563 (723 pts)	#604 (663 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#695 (518 pts)	#757 (488 pts)	#488 (793 pts)	#495 (783 pts)	#674 (553 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1082 (280 pts)	#1076 (310 pts)	#1142 (280 pts)	#792 (470 pts)	#1101 (290 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Grillin' Thyme, each with one reason worth a look.

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

TAR RIVER BBQ

#4,556 of the rated field

1472 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1472

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Grillin' Thyme)

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen Apr 29, 2016

⚔ Head-to-head

MESS-IN-A ROUND BBQ

#4,559 of the rated field

1472 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1472

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 22 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Mar 20, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Deans Rockn Rednecks

#4,564 of the rated field

1472 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1503

Fewer contests behind them than Grillin' Thyme has cooked, 18 to 37, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Jul 29, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

OLD SCHOOL BBQ ARIZONA

#4,578 of the rated field

1472 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1472

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

rated over 17 contests

⚔ Compare careers

The Meat Rubbers BBQ

#4,552 of the rated field

1472 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1472

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

rated over 16 contests
last seen Jul 20, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

Can't Beat Our Meat

#4,575 of the rated field

1472 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1518

Level with Grillin' Thyme on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ	29	1	28	3%	⚔ compare
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC	26	0	26	0%	⚔ compare
HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC	22	9	13	41%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN SKULLIES	21	2	19	10%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA	21	1	20	5%	⚔ compare
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM	20	1	19	5%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	19	0	19	0%	⚔ compare
OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE	17	3	14	18%	⚔ compare
K & D SMOKERS	17	1	16	6%	⚔ compare
CAROLINA SMOKE	16	10	6	63%	⚔ compare
FIRED UP SMOKERS	16	3	13	19%	⚔ compare
FatHeads bbq	15	4	11	27%	⚔ compare
HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
WHO CARES BBQ	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	37	3	1	1	176.5600	147.9084	161.13	top 69%
Pork Ribs	37	8	0	0	174.8916	147.4056	162.19	top 56%
Pork	37	6	0	1	175.4056	149.1084	162.44	top 58%
Brisket	37	4	0	1	173.1200	142.2400	160.83	top 60%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 69%
Medium (20–39)	17	top 65%
Large (40+)	18	top 68%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
NC	30	0	top 65%
VA	7	0	top 72%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival	6	9	top 56%	May 17, 2024
Pigs & Pedals	4	23	top 68%	Aug 3, 2018
Currituck Heritage Festival	3	8	top 61%	Nov 2, 2018
WNC BBQ Festival (Smokin in the Valley)	3	26	top 63%	Jul 21, 2017
Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down	2	21	top 53%	Oct 12, 2018
Beak Week BBQ Challenge	2	20	top 58%	Sep 8, 2017
Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off	2	23	top 65%	Apr 28, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 8 contests

Contests a season 4.6 across 8 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NC 30 of 37 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 22 7 of them more than once

Opponents faced 539 finished ahead 513 times, behind 984

Longest layoff 3 yrs May 17, 2019 → May 20, 2022

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

20191 milestone

May 17 Peak power rating (1487) Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival

20183 milestones

May 18 Career-best overall score673.0968 Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival
Nov 2 First category win (Chicken) Currituck Heritage Festival
Nov 2 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.5600 Currituck Heritage Festival

20171 milestone

Sep 8 25th tracked contest Beak Week BBQ Challenge

20161 milestone

Sep 16 First overall top-10 Currituck Heritage Festival

20152 milestones

Jul 24 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.5996 WNC BBQ Festival
Sep 11 10th tracked contest Beak Week BBQ Challenge

20142 milestones

Jun 20 First tracked contest Peak City Pig Fest
Oct 10 First call Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.6	Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival	May 19, 2017
+12.1	Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival	May 18, 2018
+7	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down	Oct 13, 2017
+6.7	Currituck Heritage Festival	Sep 16, 2016
+6.4	BBQ Jamboree	May 13, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.5	Peak City Pig Fest	Jun 20, 2014
-9.5	Bib's Camel City Cookoff (formerly Jammin' Pig)	Apr 10, 2015
-8.1	Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship	Jul 17, 2015
-8	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival	May 20, 2022
-7.8	Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown	Oct 10, 2014

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	1	0	0	0%	top 89%	89.7%	89.7%
2022	1	0	0	0%	top 88%	89.4%	89.4%
2019	1	0	0	0%	top 61%	90.5%	90.5%
2018	7	1	1	43%	top 64%	93.5%	90%
2017	8	1	0	75%	top 58%	92.2%	90.9%
2016	7	1	0	57%	top 60%	93.2%	90.7%
2015	8	0	0	13%	top 71%	91%	89.6%
2014	4	0	0	25%	top 82%	87.8%	86.2%

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	16 / 18 (645.5204)	13 (166.2516)	17 (159.9428)	17 (155.9316)	13 (163.3944)
May 20, 2022	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-Off and Festival 🏅 Ayden, NC	28 / 32 (643.7940)	28 (160.5484)	28 (155.3484)	26 (162.8000)	16 (165.0972)
May 17, 2019	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival 🏅 Ayden, NC	22 / 36 (651.2796)	19 (167.4284)	24 (160.5372)	30 (159.9428)	20 (163.3712)
Nov 2, 2018	Currituck Heritage Festival Currituck, NC	15 / 25 (655.8284)	1 (176.5600)	17 (157.6572)	22 (157.0628)	13 (164.5484)
Oct 12, 2018	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down Rocky Mount, NC	25 / 39 (636.4112)	22 (159.9656)	23 (156.5372)	34 (151.9084)	10 (168)
Sep 28, 2018	Smithfield BBQ Classic Richmond, VA	26 / 41 (650.1372)	18 (166.2744)	21 (164.5600)	39 (153.0628)	12 (166.2400)
Aug 3, 2018	Pigs & Pedals Asheboro, NC	35 / 48 (646.1368)	25 (165.1544)	35 (157.6456)	32 (161.1084)	30 (162.2284)
May 18, 2018	Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival Ayden, NC	10 / 38 (673.0968)	24 (165.7028)	5 (173.7372)	11 (169.1084)	19 (164.5484)
May 4, 2018	Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC	57 / 70 (641.5772)	42 (167.4400)	54 (156.5488)	63 (155.3600)	51 (162.2284)
Mar 23, 2018	BBQ Gives Back Urbanna, VA	59 / 75 (632.8912)	66 (155.3712)	54 (157.0744)	47 (159.9544)	46 (160.4912)
Oct 13, 2017	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down Rocky Mount, NC	21 / 50 (662.7312)	16 (170.8456)	8 (170.8456)	29 (161.0972)	34 (159.9428)
Sep 15, 2017	Currituck Heritage Festival Powells Point, NC	18 / 25 (648.4572)	20 (159.4056)	6 (169.1316)	16 (162.8228)	19 (157.0972)
Sep 8, 2017	Beak Week BBQ Challenge Goldsboro, NC	20 / 39 (663.9088)	24 (165.6800)	4 (172.5600)	21 (162.2516)	25 (163.4172)
Aug 4, 2017	Pigs & Pedals Asheboro, NC	25 / 46 (641.0508)	42 (148.5484)	26 (158.2512)	19 (164.5484)	11 (169.7028)
Jul 21, 2017	WNC BBQ Festival (Smokin in the Valley) Maggie Valley, NC	34 / 47 (661.4852)	27 (168.5256)	19 (171.9656)	26 (167.3712)	41 (153.6228)
Jun 23, 2017	Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	28 / 32 (636.4224)	26 (159.3940)	27 (155.9656)	5 (168.5600)	27 (152.5028)
May 19, 2017	Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival Ayden, NC	9 / 36 (661.5996)	10 (167.9656)	5 (170.8228)	18 (161.1428)	17 (161.6684)
Apr 28, 2017	Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC	23 / 38 (657.5884)	33 (156.5256)	13 (168.5716)	27 (159.3712)	3 (173.1200)
Sep 16, 2016	Currituck Heritage Festival Powells Point, NC	8 / 16 (652.6060)	7 (164.0228)	6 (164.5600)	8 (160.0116)	5 (164.0116)
Aug 5, 2016	Pigs & Pedals Asheboro, NC	34 / 47 (642.1488)	21 (168)	32 (158.8228)	29 (161.1088)	37 (154.2172)
Jul 22, 2016	WNC BBQ Festival- Maggie Valley, NC	26 / 49 (671.3600)	43 (161.0856)	6 (174.8916)	28 (166.2400)	25 (169.1428)
Jun 3, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Asheville, NC	23 / 27 (653.5660)	26 (157.6800)	25 (161.6572)	13 (166.8344)	16 (167.3944)
May 20, 2016	Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival Ayden, NC	15 / 30 (653.6688)	24 (159.9888)	23 (159.4056)	10 (166.2628)	7 (168.0116)
May 13, 2016	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	31 / 72 (646.1712)	53 (156.5484)	21 (165.6800)	36 (161.7028)	28 (162.2400)
Apr 22, 2016	Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC	37 / 54 (654.1600)	36 (164.5372)	49 (154.2744)	7 (175.4056)	40 (159.9428)
Oct 9, 2015	Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown Rocky Mount, NC	32 / 49 (642.7312)	38 (157.0856)	23 (164.5600)	32 (159.4056)	21 (161.6800)
Sep 18, 2015	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC	38 / 59 (655.3944)	49 (159.4172)	33 (162.8572)	19 (170.2628)	39 (162.8572)
Sep 11, 2015	Beak Week BBQ Challenge Goldsboro, NC	21 / 32 (651.4168)	28 (151.9884)	8 (165.7372)	4 (174.2856)	21 (159.4056)
Aug 7, 2015	Black Dog Music and Que Festival Floyd, VA	18 / 27 (652.4572)	20 (162.8228)	16 (163.9656)	11 (169.1428)	21 (156.5260)
Jul 24, 2015	WNC BBQ Festival Maggie Valley, NC	31 / 49 (653.5996)	43 (158.2284)	13 (169.1428)	11 (171.4284)	40 (154.8000)
Jul 17, 2015	Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship Galax, VA	26 / 29 (634.1144)	29 (147.9084)	12 (166.8344)	25 (158.8344)	19 (160.5372)
Jun 19, 2015	Peak City Pigfest Apex, NC	27 / 45 (646.7656)	31 (161.0740)	14 (166.8572)	29 (162.8916)	35 (155.9428)
Apr 10, 2015	Bib's Camel City Cookoff (formerly Jammin' Pig) Winston-Salem, NC	46 / 51 (622.1368)	46 (156.5372)	49 (149.1428)	41 (158.1940)	33 (158.2628)
Oct 10, 2014	Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown Rocky Mount, NC	44 / 53 (618.2512)	48 (149.1084)	43 (153.7372)	3 (173.1656)	49 (142.2400)
Aug 1, 2014	Pigs & Pedals Asheboro, NC	23 / 32 (624.4456)	15 (166.8456)	26 (153.0972)	29 (149.1084)	22 (155.3944)
Jul 18, 2014	Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship Galax, VA	23 / 30 (632.4228)	29 (150.2400)	21 (160.5256)	18 (162.2744)	22 (159.3828)
Jun 20, 2014	Peak City Pig Fest Apex, NC	47 / 48 (606.1136)	32 (161.0972)	45 (147.4056)	45 (150.2512)	44 (147.3596)

Grillin' Thyme

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

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 (11 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A May team

The long haul

The metronome

A standing appointment

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)