The heartbreaker
0.5716
points from the title
Came within 0.5716 points of the Grand Championship at Fo.G & Smoke 2026 (Sep 19, 2026).
Average Joe BBQ Team
Average Joe BBQ Team is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2025 and 2026. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at The War of Barbeque (2025), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1637 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1556
peak 1556 · rated over 7 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
Mar 29, 2025
latest Sep 19, 2026 · 1.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
2
1 reserve · wins it all 12% of the time
Category wins
3
9 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
24% of 17 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s · 2 straight GCs
Avg finish
top 40%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
686.10 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 687.66 (-1.56)
Walk rate
65%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.39
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 171.80 · weakest Pork Ribs (169.35)
Road miles
10,484
across 17 mapped stops · furthest 4,813 mi
Schedule strength
27%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1537)
Master avg
687.66 / 720
8 Master contests · 2 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Average Joe BBQ Team, each with one reason worth a look.
40 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,636 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1556
Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 12 years before Average Joe BBQ Team's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,638 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1556
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,634 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1556
Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,642 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1563
17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,640 of the rated field
- Contests
- 23
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1563
They were already cooking in 2014, 11 years before Average Joe BBQ Team's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,641 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 31%
- Peak
- 1574
Level with Average Joe BBQ Team 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoky Cotte | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Woodquarter Smokerheads | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Onkel Felix BBQ | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| Gold’s BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoking Butcher | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Art Razza Piave Bbq | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| LUNA SMOKE - Italy | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| SOUTH BRIXIA | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Hot Yard | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 178.2972 | 161.0856 | 171.32 | top 46% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 177.1544 | 153.1200 | 169.35 | top 40% |
| Pork | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 179.4400 | 160.5600 | 171.80 | top 45% |
| Brisket | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 175.4056 | 165.6800 | 169.74 | top 42% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 71% |
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 2 | top 29% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 58% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The War of Barbeque | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 23% | Jun 20, 2026 |
| Fo.G & Smoke 2026 | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 36% | Sep 19, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
11 contests
Contests a season
8.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
PZ
2 of 17 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
7
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
13 entries · 3 wins · 8 calls
First title
Mar 29, 2025
BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
Opponents faced
174
finished ahead 147 times, behind 134
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20265 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Grill Contest Rivergaro (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First Reserve Championship Fo.G & Smoke 2026
- Career-best overall score704.5372 Fo.G & Smoke 2026
- Peak power rating (1556) Fo.G & Smoke 2026
- Most recent contest Fo.G & Smoke 2026
20259 milestones
- First tracked contest BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- First call BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- First category win (Pork Ribs) BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- First overall top-10 BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- First overall podium BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- First Grand Championship BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score701.1200 BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- Biggest field won (30 teams) BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
- Career-best single call (Pork)179.4400 BBQ Expo Master's Challenge
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.6 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge | Mar 29, 2025 |
| +17 | The War of Barbeque | Jun 14, 2025 |
| +12.8 | Fo.G & Smoke 2026 | Sep 19, 2026 |
| +7.8 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge | Apr 11, 2026 |
| +4 | The War of Barbeque | Jun 20, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -3.9 | Fo.G & Smoke 2025 | Sep 20, 2025 |
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 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 73% | top 40% | 97.9% | 95.3% |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50% | top 40% | 97.5% | 95.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2026 | Fo.G & Smoke 2026 Spilamberto | 2 / 22 (704.5372) | — | 1 (176.5716) | 5 (176) | 2 (175.4056) |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Open Barbecue Championship Wilhering | 11 / 20 (678.1600) | 14 (168.5256) | 4 (174.8572) | 15 (168.5372) | 12 (166.2400) |
| Jul 17, 2026 | European Invitational Championship (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Wilhering | 12 / 17 (680.4804) | 6 (175.4172) | 10 (169.6916) | 12 (169.6916) | 10 (165.6800) |
| Jun 20, 2026 | The War of Barbeque Peschiera del Garda | 10 / 25 (683.9432) | 17 (170.2972) | 14 (168.5372) | 4 (176.5716) | 13 (168.5372) |
| Jun 20, 2026 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Peschiera del Garda | — | 12 (170.2628) | — | — | — |
| Jun 20, 2026 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS) Peschiera del Garda | — | — | 18 (158.2516) | — | — |
| May 3, 2026 | Grill Contest Rivergaro (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Rivergaro, PZ | — | 12 (161.0856) | — | — | — |
| May 3, 2026 | Grill Contest Rivergaro (ONE MEAT RIBS) Rivergaro, PZ | — | — | 1 (176.5716) | — | — |
| Apr 11, 2026 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge Parma | 11 / 42 (683.3828) | 5 (176.5828) | 7 (171.9772) | 24 (166.2744) | 16 (168.5484) |
| Mar 21, 2026 | Rocker's and Smoker's (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Livorno Ferraris (vc) | — | 3 (174.2856) | — | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2026 | Rocker's and Smoker's (ONE MEAT RIBS) Livorno Ferraris (vc) | — | — | 2 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 80 / 90 (669.6800) | 46 (172.0344) | 51 (170.8572) | 86 (160.5600) | 66 (166.2284) |
| Sep 20, 2025 | Fo.G & Smoke 2025 Spilamberto | 15 / 24 (667.9200) | 7 (173.7028) | 20 (153.1200) | 12 (171.4172) | 5 (169.6800) |
| Jun 14, 2025 | The War of Barbeque Peschiera del Garda | 1 / 20 (701.7260) | 3 (178.2972) | 6 (173.7144) | 2 (177.7372) | 9 (171.9772) |
| Jun 14, 2025 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Peschiera del Garda | — | 18 (166.2284) | — | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2025 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS) Peschiera del Garda | — | — | 25 (155.4172) | — | — |
| Mar 29, 2025 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge Brescia | 1 / 30 (701.1200) | 15 (169.1200) | 1 (177.1544) | 3 (179.4400) | 5 (175.4056) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.