They almost always walk
60%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 6 of 10 contests
A top-10 category call in 60% of their 10 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
Last Best BBQ
Last Best BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 18 at the East Helena Smoke Show (2024). They are ranked #1710 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1552
peak 1552 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
Jun 9, 2023
latest Aug 28, 2026 · 3.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
40% of 10 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 42%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
687.72 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 678.78 (+8.94)
Walk rate
60%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.62
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 171.59 · weakest Brisket (167.69)
Road miles
1,075
across 10 mapped stops · furthest 189 mi
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)
Purse competed for
$113K
listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 10 state-championship entries
Master avg
678.78 / 720
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #696 (181 pts) | #650 (251 pts) | #820 (181 pts) | #651 (236 pts) | #821 (141 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #717 (185 pts) | #1221 (60 pts) | #751 (235 pts) | #795 (175 pts) | #904 (125 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #361 (602 pts) | #470 (452 pts) | #351 (707 pts) | #409 (527 pts) | #426 (512 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #554 (319 pts) | #592 (319 pts) | #607 (354 pts) | #616 (289 pts) | #569 (319 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Last Best BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
59 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,708 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1552
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,716 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1551
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Last Best BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,701 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1560
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,707 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1555
They were already cooking in 2014, 9 years before Last Best BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,703 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1552
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 50% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,700 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1555
Level with Last Best BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIG BOYZ BBQ | 9 | 8 | 1 | 89% | ⚔ compare |
| SMELLAQUE | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Shane Edd's BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Poor Richard's BBQ | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Bearded Boar BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| 1 Bite BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Rhythm n QUE | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Whistle Pig BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Kick Back BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Popping Smoke Barbecue | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 177.7144 | 161.0740 | 169.46 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 178.2972 | 165.0972 | 171.59 | top 37% |
| Pork | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 176.5828 | 163.4056 | 170.04 | top 45% |
| Brisket | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 153.6456 | 167.69 | top 51% |
“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 22% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 46% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 50% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana Pitmaster Classic | 4 | 5 | 0 | top 36% | Aug 28, 2026 |
| East Helena Smoke Show | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 27% | Aug 9, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
4 contests
Contests a season
2.5
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MT
8 of 10 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
138
finished ahead 176 times, behind 122
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Montana Pitmaster Classic
- Peak power rating (1552) Montana Pitmaster Classic
- Most recent contest Montana Pitmaster Classic
20252 milestones
- Career-best overall score697.1316 Montana Pitmaster Classic
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.2972 Montana Pitmaster Classic
20242 milestones
- First overall podium Blowin' Smoke Barbecue Cook Off
- First category win (Pork Ribs) East Helena Smoke Show
20234 milestones
- First tracked contest Montana BBQ Cookoff
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score678.7888 Montana BBQ Cookoff
- First call East Helena Smoke Show
- First overall top-10 East Helena Smoke Show
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.7 | East Helena Smoke Show | Aug 9, 2024 |
| +12.9 | Montana Pitmaster Classic | Aug 22, 2025 |
| +10 | Blowin' Smoke Barbecue Cook Off | Jul 27, 2024 |
| +6.8 | East Helena Smoke Show | Aug 5, 2023 |
| +6.3 | Montana BBQ Cookoff | Jun 9, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -4.9 | Smoke-N-Wings | Jun 28, 2024 |
| -3.6 | Smoke-N-Wings | Jun 26, 2026 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 55% | 95.8% | 95.3% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 13% | 96.8% | 96.8% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 75% | top 41% | 95.3% | 93.4% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 43% | 94.8% | 93.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 15 / 39 (689.6688) | 5 (177.7144) | 12 (174.2744) | 7 (175.4056) | 33 (162.2744) |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID | 22 / 31 (682.2176) | 23 (171.9888) | 25 (170.2744) | 22 (170.8344) | 20 (169.1200) |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 5 / 38 (697.1316) | 25 (167.3944) | 3 (178.2972) | 6 (176.5828) | 12 (174.8572) |
| Aug 23, 2024 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 16 / 39 (683.3600) | 19 (169.1316) | 8 (176.5600) | 33 (163.4056) | 9 (174.2628) |
| Aug 9, 2024 | East Helena Smoke Show 🏅 East Helena, MT | 3 / 18 (686.2284) | 7 (168.5600) | 1 (176) | 5 (173.1084) | 9 (168.5600) |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Blowin' Smoke Barbecue Cook Off 🏅 Dillon, MT | 3 / 11 (670.7424) | 5 (166.8112) | 3 (169.1428) | 4 (168.5256) | 4 (166.2628) |
| Jun 28, 2024 | Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID | 22 / 28 (650.0796) | 26 (161.0740) | 21 (165.0972) | 13 (170.2628) | 26 (153.6456) |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 22 / 44 (666.7772) | 18 (170.8684) | 21 (165.6916) | 27 (164.5372) | 23 (165.6800) |
| Aug 5, 2023 | East Helena Smoke Show 🏅 East Helena, MT | 9 / 24 (682.7996) | 11 (170.8228) | 4 (174.8456) | 12 (166.8684) | 11 (170.2628) |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Montana BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Absarokee, MT | 15 / 36 (678.7888) | 16 (170.2744) | 22 (165.6800) | 14 (170.8228) | 11 (172.0116) |