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THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES

THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES is a competition barbecue team with 43 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 27 at the 4th Annual Hudson's Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cookoff (2021), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion 5 times. They are ranked #657 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#657
of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1648
peak 1656 · rated over 41 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

43
in the data

First seen

Mar 28, 2014
latest May 28, 2022 · 8.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#272
Master 2021 · every season

Grand champs

0
5 reserve

Category wins

5
26 podiums

Overall top-10s

22
51% of 43 contests

Best top-10 run

5
straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 36%
overall standings

Best overall

698.2628 / 720

Perfect 180s

0

Current form

680.03 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 663.78 (+16.25)

Walk rate

79%
contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Consistency

±27.78
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork
avg 167.12 · weakest Brisket (164.30)

Road miles

15,965
across 43 mapped stops · furthest 672 mi

Schedule strength

44%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1557)

Purse competed for

$147K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅
won from 12 state-championship entries

Master avg

663.78 / 720
42 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (14 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

2.8112 points from the title

Came within 2.8112 points of the Grand Championship at Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off (Jul 25, 2014).

They almost always walk

79% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 34 of 43 contests

A top-10 category call in 79% of their 43 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

698.2628 career-best overall

97.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 698.2628 at Fire it Up 5 BBQ Competition — 97.0% of a perfect 720.

  • Master
  • Jun 3, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BOOTIES BBQ has finished one call ahead of THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2021 their best year

2021 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 25%.

  • 4 contests
  • 4 overall top-10s
  • 1 category win
  • average top 25%

A tough matchup

19–5 behind in the head-to-head

SON OF SMOKE ahead in 79% of their meetings

SON OF SMOKE has come out ahead in 19 of their 24 shared contests.

A strong matchup

15–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN' AXE BBQ in 15 of their 18 shared contests.

Show 7 more storylines

Pork nemesis

17 of 24 shared pork entries lost

SON OF SMOKE ahead 71% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SON OF SMOKE has out-cooked them in 17 of 24 shared pork entries.

Always the bridesmaid

5 reserve championships

Runner-up for the whole thing 5 times against 0 Grand Championships — close enough to touch it, over and over.

  • 0 Grand Championships
  • 43 contests

A big fish in small ponds

Top 27% average finish in small fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 27% finish in small fields against top 42% in large ones.

  • Small (<20 teams): top 27% (7)
  • Large (40+): top 42% (15)

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A June team

Top 25% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 25% across 5 contests, versus top 36% the rest of the year.

  • 5 June contests
  • top 36% the rest of the year

The long haul

15,965 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 15,965 miles across 43 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 672 miles to The Great Northwest Barbecue & Beer Festival.

  • 43 mapped stops
  • furthest 672 mi

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay every year from 2016 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

  • 5 visits in all
  • best finish 3rd

In the record book (on 1 all-time board)

Where this team sits in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record they hold outright; the rest are boards they are on.

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

YearSeriesOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
2023 ↗ Master — — #872 (197 pts) — —
2022 ↗ Master #1138 (102 pts) #910 (167 pts) #1731 (52 pts) #1025 (127 pts) #1156 (107 pts)
2021 ↗ Master #272 (714 pts) #286 (724 pts) #299 (704 pts) #302 (674 pts) #365 (559 pts)
2020 ↗ Master #341 (331 pts) #342 (361 pts) #377 (326 pts) #352 (341 pts) #527 (206 pts)
2019 ↗ Master #604 (539 pts) #474 (719 pts) #591 (589 pts) #524 (659 pts) #704 (474 pts)
2018 ↗ Master #377 (901 pts) #457 (796 pts) #351 (976 pts) #333 (1,011 pts) #502 (736 pts)
2017 ↗ Master #317 (1,142 pts) #289 (1,177 pts) #443 (882 pts) #273 (1,227 pts) #233 (1,367 pts)
2016 ↗ Master #353 (1,056 pts) #188 (1,446 pts) #367 (1,026 pts) #416 (966 pts) #454 (896 pts)
2015 ↗ Master #621 (585 pts) #596 (655 pts) #563 (685 pts) #1034 (325 pts) #714 (515 pts)
2014 ↗ Master #1011 (307 pts) #1052 (322 pts) #1348 (222 pts) #994 (352 pts) #1229 (247 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES, each with one reason worth a look.

BONE RUBBIN BBQ
#654 of the rated field
1648 power rating
Contests
58
GCs
1
Top-10s
47%
Peak
1650
4–5 in 9 shared contests (44% to THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES)

These two have cooked 9 of the same contests — BONE RUBBIN BBQ ahead 5–4 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

  • rated over 57 contests
  • last seen Aug 8, 2026
⚔ Head-to-head
HELL ON SQUEALS
#653 of the rated field
1649 power rating
Contests
60
GCs
3
Top-10s
53%
Peak
1673

Careers of much the same size, 60 contests to 43, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

  • rated over 58 contests
  • last seen May 15, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
DIG'N N PIG'N
#655 of the rated field
1648 power rating
Contests
66
GCs
2
Top-10s
35%
Peak
1648

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 64 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

  • rated over 64 contests
  • last seen May 16, 2026
  • on a 3-contest top-10 run
⚔ Compare careers
Steak Princess BBQ
#658 of the rated field
1648 power rating
Contests
19
GCs
2
Top-10s
63%
Peak
1648

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 19 contests, alongside a 63% overall top-10 rate.

  • rated over 19 contests
  • last seen Jul 25, 2025
⚔ Compare careers
Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team
#656 of the rated field
1648 power rating
Contests
18
GCs
3
Top-10s
72%
Peak
1648

They turned up 9 years after THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES did, first appearing in 2023.

  • rated over 14 contests
  • last seen Jul 18, 2026
  • on a 3-contest top-10 run
⚔ Compare careers
Rusty's BBQ
#659 of the rated field
1648 ▼ 1 power rating
Contests
39
GCs
3
Top-10s
56%
Peak
1655
2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES)

Level with THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

  • rated over 32 contests
  • last seen Aug 22, 2026
⚔ Head-to-head

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

OpponentMeetingsAheadBehindWin rate
SON OF SMOKE 24 5 19 21% ⚔ compare
PIRATES OF THE PIG 22 10 12 45% ⚔ compare
SMOKIN' AXE BBQ 18 15 3 83% ⚔ compare
Smokey and the Pirate 18 3 15 17% ⚔ compare
RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ 18 3 15 17% ⚔ compare
BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ 18 2 16 11% ⚔ compare
RBQ 17 11 6 65% ⚔ compare
PIGGY D'S BBQ 17 9 8 53% ⚔ compare
ROYAL SMOKIN' HOT 17 8 9 47% ⚔ compare
NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT 16 9 7 56% ⚔ compare
BAR-B-Q'S-2GO 16 6 10 38% ⚔ compare
CANYON RIDERS BBQ 15 13 2 87% ⚔ compare
Pops BBQ 22 15 10 5 67% ⚔ compare
SMOKED SEDUCTION 15 8 7 53% ⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ 15 3 12 20% ⚔ compare

By meat

CategoryEntriesCallsWinsPodiumsBestWorstAverageAvg finish
Chicken 42 22 3 10 178.8572 20 166.06 top 33%
Pork Ribs 43 21 1 5 179.4400 145.1088 166.31 top 42%
Pork 40 18 1 6 176.5600 145.0860 167.12 top 38%
Brisket 42 16 0 5 175.4400 142.2516 164.30 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

FieldContestsGCsAvg finish
Small (<20 teams)70top 27%
Medium (20–39)190top 35%
Large (40+)150top 42%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

WhereContestsGCsAvg finish
CA240top 39%
OR80top 23%
NV50top 51%
WA20top 20%
ID20top 32%

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

ContestVisitsBestGCsAvg finishLast visit
BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 5 3 0 top 28% May 28, 2022
Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off 3 4 0 top 40% Oct 15, 2021
Silicon Valley BBQ Championship 3 14 0 top 38% Jun 21, 2019

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 9 contests
Contests a season 4.3 across 10 seasons in the data
Most contests held in CA 25 of 43 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited 34 3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 43 entries · 1 win · 21 calls
Opponents faced 546 finished ahead 872 times, behind 545
Longest layoff 1.3 yrs May 28, 2022 → Sep 15, 2023

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

20231 milestone
  1. Most recent contest 12 Bridge Rib Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS)
20211 milestone
  1. Peak power rating (1656) 4th Annual Hudson's Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cookoff
20201 milestone
  1. Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)179.4400 Albany Bacon Championship
20181 milestone
  1. 25th tracked contest BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL)
20163 milestones
  1. First category win (Chicken) Fire it Up 5 BBQ Competition
  2. Career-best overall score698.2628 Fire it Up 5 BBQ Competition
  3. 10th tracked contest Silicon Valley Barbeque Championships
20146 milestones
  1. First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
  2. First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
  3. First overall top-10 Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
  4. First overall podium Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
  5. First Reserve Championship Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off
  6. First overall past 90% of a perfect score676.6288 Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

SwingContestDate
+15.2Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-OffJul 25, 2014
+14.6Battle of the BonesJun 26, 2015
+10.9Lassen County Annual BBQ Cook-OffAug 18, 2017
+10.8BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL)May 26, 2018
+10.11st Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ ChampionshipOct 2, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

SwingContestDate
-14.4The Smithfield Guinea PigFeb 17, 2017
-8.1Lodi Beerfest & BBQ ChampionshipApr 20, 2018
-7.6Sam's Club National BBQ TourMar 28, 2014
-6.6BBQ, Blues & Brews on the BayMay 28, 2022
-5.7Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-OffAug 16, 2019

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

SeasonContestsGCsTop-10sCategory winsWalk rateAvg finishBest overall (% of perfect)Avg overall (% of perfect)
20231000 100% — — —
20221000 100% top 56% 91.7% 91.7%
20214041 100% top 25% 96.7% 95.1%
20202011 50% top 27% 95.7% 94.5%
20195020 80% top 41% 95.2% 92.3%
20187031 57% top 37% 95.2% 92.9%
20179040 78% top 42% 94.6% 90.2%
20168052 88% top 32% 97% 92.6%
20154020 75% top 31% 93.9% 91.9%
20142010 100% top 45% 94% 89.6%

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

DateEventOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
Sep 15, 2023 12 Bridge Rib Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lincoln, CA — — 4 (172.5600) — —
May 28, 2022 BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR 15 / 27 (660.4684) 6 (171.4056) 26 (156.5028) 10 (168.5944) 14 (163.9656)
Oct 15, 2021 Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Susanville, CA 5 / 11 (671.3024) 3 (170.8456) 4 (167.9772) 3 (170.2512) 6 (162.2284)
Aug 21, 2021 4th Annual Hudson's Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cookoff 🏅 DuPont, WA 2 / 27 (696) 1 (178.2972) 3 (173.1428) 5 (172.5600) 5 (172)
Apr 17, 2021 The Golden State Battle III - Day 2 🏅 Hollister, CA 6 / 26 (695.3600) 11 (174.2744) 10 (172.5600) — 15 (170.8228)
Apr 16, 2021 The Golden State Battle III - Day 1 🏅 Hollister, CA 10 / 41 (677.0288) 14 (167.3944) 7 (174.2744) — 11 (173.1200)
Feb 15, 2020 Albany Bacon Championship 🏅 Albany, OR 2 / 16 (689.1772) 2 (173.1428) 1 (179.4400) 2 (175.4400) 7 (161.1544)
Jan 24, 2020 The Golden State Battle II 🏅 Hollister, CA 19 / 46 (671.3144) 13 (172) 30 (162.8116) 17 (170.2628) 26 (166.2400)
Sep 20, 2019 5th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship 🏅 23 / 44 (667.2796) 5 (177.7028) 37 (158.8112) 2 (175.4056) 35 (155.3600)
Sep 13, 2019 Bands brews & BBQ 🏅 Boise, ID 7 / 25 (685.6572) 12 (169.7144) 3 (177.1428) 14 (169.1200) 8 (169.6800)
Aug 16, 2019 Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Susanville, CA 15 / 25 (642.0908) 5 (169.6800) 15 (159.4056) 16 (162.2284) 20 (150.7768)
Jun 21, 2019 Silicon Valley BBQ Championship 🏅 unrated Santa Clara, CA 34 (647.2572) 33 (161.6572) 21 (164.5372) 22 (165.7028) 36 (155.3600)
May 25, 2019 BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR 8 / 34 (681.0624) 5 (174.2628) 12 (165.1428) 12 (170.2512) 10 (171.4056)
Sep 14, 2018 4th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA 15 / 43 (669.0624) 20 (167.9884) 16 (166.2628) 14 (168.5484) 16 (166.2628)
Aug 24, 2018 Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV 20 / 46 (676.4684) 28 (166.2628) 6 (175.4056) 24 (168.5372) 22 (166.2628)
Aug 17, 2018 Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-Off Susanville, CA 4 / 27 (681.6340) 8 (172) 5 (174.8456) 1 (173.7028) 14 (161.0856)
Jul 13, 2018 The Great Northwest Barbecue & Beer Festival Coeur d' Alene, ID 7 / 19 (677.6340) 4 (171.4400) 5 (171.4056) 15 (161.0856) 4 (173.7028)
Jun 22, 2018 Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA 26 / 49 (653.1316) 40 (157.7372) 16 (164.5372) 11 (171.4400) 28 (159.4172)
May 26, 2018 BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL) North Bend, OR 3 / 35 (685.6228) 12 (166.8228) 5 (173.1200) 2 (176.5600) 10 (169.1200)
Apr 20, 2018 Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship Lodi, CA 33 / 48 (637.6116) 12 (169.7144) 48 (145.1088) 23 (162.2284) 29 (160.5600)
Sep 15, 2017 3rd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA 23 / 48 (659.9200) 34 (161.6572) 30 (164.5600) 13 (169.7028) 23 (164)
Sep 2, 2017 Redwood Coast Grills Gone Wild Crescent City, CA 7 / 15 (659.9084) 8 (161.6572) 8 (163.9656) 6 (168.5484) 2 (165.7372)
Aug 25, 2017 Grills N Grills penn Valley, CA 7 / 27 (668) 3 (175.4400) 17 (164) 6 (169.1200) 18 (159.4400)
Aug 18, 2017 Lassen County Annual BBQ Cook-Off Susanville, CA 2 / 15 (656.5372) 5 (163.9656) 6 (160.5488) 5 (162.8228) 3 (169.2000)
Jun 23, 2017 Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA 14 / 62 (665.0968) 20 (166.2856) 47 (152.4912) 10 (170.8800) 3 (175.4400)
May 27, 2017 BBQ Blues & Brews on the Bay (JUDGES FULL) North Bend, OR 11 / 37 (675.3484) 18 (165.6800) 8 (170.2628) 22 (164) 4 (175.4056)
Apr 21, 2017 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Las Vegas, NV 17 / 30 (681.0284) 17 (170.8344) 23 (166.2628) 3 (176.5600) 20 (167.3712)
Mar 31, 2017 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA 10 / 30 (654.7544) 2 (172.0116) 16 (162.2744) 23 (155.3484) 9 (165.1200)
Feb 17, 2017 The Smithfield Guinea Pig Indio, CA 49 / 49 (524.5140) 49 (20) 31 (164.5484) 14 (171.4400) 19 (168.5256)
Oct 21, 2016 San Francisco BBQ Festival BBQ Competition San Francisco, CA 9 / 38 (666.7544) 7 (167.4172) 8 (172.5600) 12 (165.6800) 13 (161.0972)
Sep 16, 2016 2nd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA 23 / 61 (655.4172) 19 (169.1200) 29 (162.2972) 5 (174.2972) 50 (149.7028)
Aug 26, 2016 Grills 'N' Grilles (presented by the United Way of Nevada Country) Penn Valley, CA 10 / 28 (653.6576) 1 (177.7372) 16 (157.7032) 22 (155.9544) 8 (162.2628)
Jul 29, 2016 2016 Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge Gilroy, CA 8 / 20 (653.5996) 4 (170.8572) 11 (162.8228) 10 (160.5256) 12 (159.3940)
Jun 24, 2016 Silicon Valley Barbeque Championships Santa Clara, CA 11 / 54 (667.3716) 4 (176) 8 (169.1316) 33 (159.9656) 22 (162.2744)
Jun 3, 2016 Fire it Up 5 BBQ Competition Florence, OR 3 / 13 (698.2628) 1 (178.8572) 2 (176.5600) 9 (167.4056) 3 (175.4400)
May 28, 2016 BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay North Bend, OR 9 / 43 (673.1428) 5 (174.2972) 9 (170.8684) 6 (172.5716) 27 (155.4056)
May 6, 2016 Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship Mesquite, NV 20 / 35 (662.8116) 26 (163.4516) 26 (160.5372) 15 (169.7028) 15 (169.1200)
Oct 2, 2015 1st Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA 8 / 41 (670.2172) 3 (173.7256) 11 (168.5488) 19 (163.3828) 11 (164.5600)
Aug 28, 2015 Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV 20 / 49 (674.2516) 30 (166.2744) 2 (177.1428) 30 (165.1544) 29 (165.6800)
Jun 26, 2015 Battle of the Bones Central Point, OR 2 / 25 (675.9200) 2 (176) 5 (167.4056) 11 (163.3944) 3 (169.1200)
Mar 27, 2015 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Reno, NV 17 / 30 (626.7776) 14 (164) 12 (163.4400) 26 (145.0860) 16 (154.2516)
Jul 25, 2014 Siskiyou Beef Country Cook-Off Montague, CA 2 / 18 (676.6288) 2 (170.8572) 5 (168.0228) 4 (166.3316) 4 (171.4172)
Mar 28, 2014 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Sacramento, CA 23 / 29 (613.6000) 20 (155.9656) 26 (150.2400) 7 (165.1428) 25 (142.2516)

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

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

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