High-water mark
673.6340
career-best overall
93.6% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 673.6340 at The Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown — 93.6% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Sep 26, 2014
PICKIN' AND GRILLIN
PICKIN' AND GRILLIN is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 8th of 30 at the Big Blue BBQ Championship (2016). They are ranked #3175 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Pickin' And Grillin'”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1501
peak 1503 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
May 2, 2014
latest Nov 3, 2023 · 9.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
2
33% of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 60%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
656.78 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 650.05 (+6.72)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±22.11
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 166.25 · weakest Chicken (157.97)
Road miles
1,380
across 6 mapped stops · furthest 641 mi
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1565)
Purse competed for
$26K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
650.05 / 720
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1048 (92 pts) | #1200 (72 pts) | #1255 (77 pts) | #1098 (92 pts) | #1005 (112 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1612 (58 pts) | #1621 (58 pts) | #1723 (53 pts) | #1338 (63 pts) | #1325 (63 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #2620 (65 pts) | #2633 (65 pts) | #2644 (65 pts) | #2648 (65 pts) | #2630 (65 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to PICKIN' AND GRILLIN, each with one reason worth a look.
106 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,186 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to PICKIN' AND GRILLIN)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team PICKIN' AND GRILLIN has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,192 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1517
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,172 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1509
Level with PICKIN' AND GRILLIN on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,181 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1513
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before PICKIN' AND GRILLIN's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,177 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1527
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before PICKIN' AND GRILLIN's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,164 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before PICKIN' AND GRILLIN's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.4400 | 153.7028 | 157.97 | top 73% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 153.6344 | 164.06 | top 57% |
| Pork | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 177.7028 | 152.5028 | 166.25 | top 50% |
| Brisket | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 168.5256 | 149.1088 | 161.77 | 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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 52% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 98% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
2 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
LA
3 of 6 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
6
a different one every time
Opponents faced
152
finished ahead 68 times, behind 104
Longest layoff
6 yrs
Jun 3, 2016 → May 27, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20231 milestone
- Most recent contest VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
20222 milestones
- First category win (Pork) Back The Blue BBQ
- Career-best single call (Pork)177.7028 Back The Blue BBQ
20162 milestones
- First overall top-10 Big Blue BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1503) Big Blue BBQ Championship
20144 milestones
- First tracked contest Battle of Brandon BBQ Challenge
- First call The Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score673.6340 The Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown
- Career-best overall score673.6340 The Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +10.8 | Big Blue BBQ Championship | Jun 3, 2016 |
| +6.3 | The Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown | Sep 26, 2014 |
| +4 | Back The Blue BBQ | Oct 28, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.8 | Battle of Brandon BBQ Challenge | May 2, 2014 |
| -5.1 | Bombers & BBQ | May 27, 2022 |
| -1.3 | VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition | Nov 3, 2023 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 63% | 90% | 90% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 66% | 93.1% | 90% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 27% | 92.5% | 92.5% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 68% | 93.6% | 89.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 3, 2023 | VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition 🏅 Vidalia, LA | 17 / 27 (647.8172) | 21 (155.3828) | 20 (161.0972) | 17 (166.2400) | 13 (165.0972) |
| Oct 28, 2022 | Back The Blue BBQ 🏅 Vidalia, LA | 10 / 22 (670.1484) | 18 (155.9428) | 12 (167.9772) | 1 (177.7028) | 9 (168.5256) |
| May 27, 2022 | Bombers & BBQ 🏅 Hot Springs, AR | 24 / 28 (626.0572) | 24 (155.3944) | 26 (153.6344) | 23 (160.5028) | 23 (156.5256) |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Big Blue BBQ Championship Marysville, KS | 8 / 30 (666.2284) | 15 (159.9772) | 8 (167.4172) | 7 (170.8684) | 11 (167.9656) |
| Sep 26, 2014 | The Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown Vidalia, LA | 12 / 31 (673.6340) | 14 (167.4400) | 6 (173.1200) | 9 (169.6684) | 17 (163.4056) |
| May 2, 2014 | Battle of Brandon BBQ Challenge Brandon, MS | 39 / 40 (616.4344) | 39 (153.7028) | 30 (161.1200) | 39 (152.5028) | 39 (149.1088) |