Last Best BBQ

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

Power ranking

#1693

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1552

peak 1552 · rated over 10 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2023-06-09

latest 2026-08-28

Best ToY finish

#361

Master 2024

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 42%

overall standings

Best overall

697.1316 / 720

Master · Montana Pitmaster Classic

Perfect 180s

Current form

687.72 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 678.78 (+8.94)

Walk rate

60%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.2972

Pork Ribs · Montana Pitmaster Classic

Consistency

±12.62

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 171.59 · weakest Brisket (167.69)

Road miles

1,075

mi 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 🏅

GCs in 10 state-championship entries

Master avg

678.78 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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.

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.

High-water mark

697.1316 career-best overall

96.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 697.1316 at Montana Pitmaster Classic — 96.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2025-08-22

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Shane Edd's BBQ has finished one call ahead of Last Best BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

8–1 behind in the head-to-head

SMELLAQUE ahead in 89% of their meetings

SMELLAQUE has come out ahead in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

A strong matchup

8–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 89% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BIG BOYZ BBQ in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

6 of 9 shared pork ribs entries lost

SMELLAQUE ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMELLAQUE has out-cooked them in 6 of 9 shared pork ribs entries.

An August team

Top 33% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 33% across 6 contests, versus top 42% the rest of the year.

6 August contests
top 42% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.75% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.75% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 94.3% of a perfect score
10 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Montana Pitmaster Classic every year from 2023 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 5th

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.

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

LEGION OF QUE

#1694 of the rated field

1552 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1552

No shared contest yet.

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 2019-09-20

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN OFF THE GRID

#1696 of the rated field

1552 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1552

No shared contest yet.

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.

rated over 10 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Big Daddy G's

#1692 of the rated field

1552 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1555

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2020-11-21

⚔ Head-to-head

GETTA QUE

#1691 of the rated field

1552 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1555

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2019-05-04

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG DICK'S BBQ

#1702 of the rated field

1552 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1553

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2013, 10 years before Last Best BBQ's first contest.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2016-06-03

⚔ Head-to-head

FLYING PIG & SONS BBQ

#1698 of the rated field

1552 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1552

No shared contest yet.

Level with Last Best BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2015-06-12

⚔ Head-to-head

Familiar 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 state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MT	8	0	top 33%
ID	2	0	top 75%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 22%
Medium (20–39)	7	top 46%
Large (40+)	1	top 50%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Montana Pitmaster Classic	4	5	0	top 36%	2026-08-28
East Helena Smoke Show	2	3	0	top 27%	2024-08-09

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3.2 yrs 2023-06-09 → 2026-08-28

Busiest season 2024 4 contests

Contests a season 2.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MT 8 of 10 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 6 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 10 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 171.59 · weakest Brisket (167.69)

Walk rate 60% a top-10 call in 6 of 10 contests

Overall top-10 rate 40% 4 of 10 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 678.78 out of 720 · 10 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 139 176–122 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,075 10 mapped stops · furthest 189 mi

Schedule strength 1566 average field rating faced — tougher than 51% of rated contests

Purse competed for $113,000 listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 10 state-championship entries

Power rating 1552 peak 1552 · #1693 of 6,413 rated

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

2023
Jun 9 First tracked contest Montana BBQ Cookoff
Jun 9 First overall past 90% of a perfect score678.7888 Montana BBQ Cookoff
Aug 5 First call East Helena Smoke Show
Aug 5 First overall top-10 East Helena Smoke Show
2024
Jul 27 First overall podium Blowin' Smoke Barbecue Cook Off
Aug 9 First category win (Pork Ribs) East Helena Smoke Show
2025
Aug 22 Career-best overall score697.1316 Montana Pitmaster Classic
Aug 22 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.2972 Montana Pitmaster Classic
2026
Aug 28 10th tracked contest Montana Pitmaster Classic
Aug 28 Peak power rating (1552) Montana Pitmaster Classic
Aug 28 Most recent contest Montana Pitmaster Classic

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.7	East Helena Smoke Show	2024-08-09
+12.9	Montana Pitmaster Classic	2025-08-22
+10	Blowin' Smoke Barbecue Cook Off	2024-07-27
+6.8	East Helena Smoke Show	2023-08-05
+6.3	Montana BBQ Cookoff	2023-06-09

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-4.9	Smoke-N-Wings	2024-06-28
-3.6	Smoke-N-Wings	2026-06-26

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	2	0	0	50%	top 55%	95.8%	95.3%
2025	1	1	0	100%	top 13%	96.8%	96.8%
2024	4	2	1	75%	top 41%	95.3%	93.4%
2023	3	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
2026-08-28	Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT	15 / 39 (689.6688)	5 (177.7144)	12 (174.2744)	7 (175.4056)	33 (162.2744)
2026-06-26	Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID	22 / 31 (682.2176)	23 (171.9888)	25 (170.2744)	22 (170.8344)	20 (169.1200)
2025-08-22	Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT	5 / 38 (697.1316)	25 (167.3944)	3 (178.2972)	6 (176.5828)	12 (174.8572)
2024-08-23	Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT	16 / 39 (683.3600)	19 (169.1316)	8 (176.5600)	33 (163.4056)	9 (174.2628)
2024-08-09	East Helena Smoke Show 🏅 East Helena, MT	3 / 18 (686.2284)	7 (168.5600)	1 (176.0000)	5 (173.1084)	9 (168.5600)
2024-07-27	Blowin' Smoke Barbecue Cook Off 🏅 Dillon, MT	3 / 11 (670.7424)	5 (166.8112)	3 (169.1428)	4 (168.5256)	4 (166.2628)
2024-06-28	Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID	22 / 28 (650.0796)	26 (161.0740)	21 (165.0972)	13 (170.2628)	26 (153.6456)
2023-08-25	Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT	22 / 44 (666.7772)	18 (170.8684)	21 (165.6916)	27 (164.5372)	23 (165.6800)
2023-08-05	East Helena Smoke Show 🏅 East Helena, MT	9 / 24 (682.7996)	11 (170.8228)	4 (174.8456)	12 (166.8684)	11 (170.2628)
2023-06-09	Montana BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Absarokee, MT	15 / 36 (678.7888)	16 (170.2744)	22 (165.6800)	14 (170.8228)	11 (172.0116)

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
2026 ↗	Master	#624 (181 pts)	#591 (251 pts)	#739 (181 pts)	#582 (236 pts)	#734 (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)