Papa Linda's Barbecue

Papa Linda's Barbecue is a competition barbecue team with 21 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 7th of 12 at the 3rd Annual Halfway to St.Pat's BBQ Contest (2019). They are ranked #4228 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,228

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1479

peak 1526 · rated over 20 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 24, 2019

latest Jul 28, 2023 · 3.9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#378

Master 2020 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

10% of 21 contests

Avg finish

top 65%

overall standings

Best overall

684.4800 / 720

Master · Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge

Perfect 180s

Current form

666.94 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 664.00 (+2.94)

Walk rate

62%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.1544

Pork · 13th Annual Big Island BBQ

Consistency

±11.93

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 168.31 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.81)

Road miles

2,505

across 21 mapped stops · furthest 140 mi

Schedule strength

79%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1602)

Purse competed for

$158K

listed at 19 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 20 state-championship entries

Master avg

664.00 / 720

20 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

62% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 13 of 21 contests

A top-10 category call in 62% of their 21 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

684.4800 career-best overall

95.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 684.4800 at Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge — 95.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 4, 2021

Their season

2020 their best year

2020 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 53%.

3 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 53%

A tough matchup

15–1 behind in the head-to-head

HOT DADDY'S BBQ ahead in 94% of their meetings

HOT DADDY'S BBQ has come out ahead in 15 of their 16 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.5 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.51 points below their brisket, and turns into a call 10% of the time against 25%.

Pork Ribs avg 163.81
Brisket avg 168.31
2 calls in 20 entries

A strong matchup

6–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of PORK COUNTY BARBECUE in 6 of their 8 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

10 of 11 shared brisket entries lost

Hogline ahead 91% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Hogline has out-cooked them in 10 of 11 shared brisket entries.

Show 2 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±1.66% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.66% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.2% of a perfect score
21 contests

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
2023 ↗	Master	#560 (312 pts)	#427 (522 pts)	#672 (302 pts)	#416 (512 pts)	#388 (532 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#654 (272 pts)	#720 (252 pts)	#631 (342 pts)	#356 (677 pts)	#473 (487 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#382 (502 pts)	#482 (397 pts)	#448 (467 pts)	#265 (762 pts)	#331 (622 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#378 (289 pts)	#394 (299 pts)	#390 (314 pts)	#364 (324 pts)	#331 (364 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#975 (271 pts)	#1066 (251 pts)	#1134 (236 pts)	#836 (376 pts)	#897 (336 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Papa Linda's Barbecue, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Three Stooges bbq

#4,237 of the rated field

1478 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1502

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Papa Linda's Barbecue)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Papa Linda's Barbecue has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Aug 25, 2023

⚔ Head-to-head

Morning Wood BBQ

#4,203 of the rated field

1479 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1512

They've been 1512 at their best, 33 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Aug 15, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

WOODBROTHERS BBQ

#4,230 of the rated field

1478 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1503

Careers of much the same size, 20 contests to 21, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Oct 15, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

JERIMIAH JOHNSON MOUNTAIN MAN BBQ

#4,238 of the rated field

1478 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1507

21 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 14% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 21 contests
last seen May 27, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

TIKI QUE

#4,208 of the rated field

1479 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1479

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 6 years before Papa Linda's Barbecue's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 17 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Smokin Bros

#4,207 of the rated field

1479 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1518

They were already cooking in 2014, 5 years before Papa Linda's Barbecue's first contest.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Apr 10, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
HOT DADDY'S BBQ	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
TEAM CRAWFORD	15	6	9	40%	⚔ compare
WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
T-Rex BBQ	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
Luscious Loins BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
Phoenix BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
MACHETE BOYS BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
Hogline	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
SMOKEHOUSE 72	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
UGLY BABY BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
DRY 2 DA BONE	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	20	3	0	1	175.4172	145.6228	164.08	top 72%
Pork Ribs	20	2	0	0	174.2972	152.4916	163.81	top 67%
Pork	20	8	1	4	177.1544	153.6344	167.80	top 46%
Brisket	20	5	0	1	176.5600	162.2400	168.31	top 45%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 58%
Medium (20–39)	15	top 66%
Large (40+)	4	top 60%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IA	15	top 69%
MN	3	top 62%
NE	1	top 44%
MO	1	top 32%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
King of the Corn	2	24	top 68%	May 19, 2023
Tri City BBQ Fest	2	18	top 79%	Sep 16, 2022
KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off	2	26	top 78%	Jul 15, 2022

More numbers

Busiest season 2023 5 contests

Contests a season 4.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IA 15 of 21 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 17 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 303 finished ahead 242 times, behind 467

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

20231 milestone

Jul 28 Most recent contest 7th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest

20215 milestones

Aug 20 First category win (Pork) 13th Annual Big Island BBQ
Aug 20 Career-best single call (Pork)177.1544 13th Annual Big Island BBQ
Sep 4 10th tracked contest Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge
Sep 4 Career-best overall score684.4800 Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge
Sep 4 Peak power rating (1526) Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge

20194 milestones

Aug 24 First tracked contest 3rd Annual Halfway to St.Pat's BBQ Contest
Aug 24 First call 3rd Annual Halfway to St.Pat's BBQ Contest
Aug 24 First overall top-10 3rd Annual Halfway to St.Pat's BBQ Contest
Aug 24 First overall past 90% of a perfect score670.7888 3rd Annual Halfway to St.Pat's BBQ Contest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.3	13th Annual Big Island BBQ	Aug 20, 2021
+7.9	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition	Jun 18, 2021
+6.8	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge	Sep 4, 2021
+5.3	4th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest	Jul 25, 2020
+5.1	Smoketoberfest	Oct 4, 2019

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.8	Ottumwa 4th Annual Smoketoberfest	Sep 24, 2021
-7.6	King of the Corn	Oct 14, 2022
-7.1	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 20, 2019
-6.6	Rose Festival 22nd Annual KCBS BBQ Competition	Jun 16, 2023
-6.3	KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off	Jul 15, 2022

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	5	0	0	60%	top 71%	94%	92.6%
2022	5	0	0	60%	top 77%	91.9%	91.5%
2021	5	1	1	80%	top 55%	95.1%	92.7%
2020	3	0	0	67%	top 53%	94.5%	92.6%
2019	3	1	0	33%	top 64%	93.2%	91.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 28, 2023	7th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest 🏅 Emmetsburg, IA	27 / 32 (666.6740)	29 (165.0856)	27 (164.5256)	24 (167.3828)	14 (169.6800)
Jul 7, 2023	Art of the Que 🏅 Spencer, IA	22 / 28 (666.1372)	3 (175.4172)	28 (154.2172)	15 (169.1200)	17 (167.3828)
Jun 16, 2023	Rose Festival 22nd Annual KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA	23 / 27 (653.4972)	18 (167.3828)	26 (152.4916)	20 (166.2400)	14 (167.3828)
May 19, 2023	King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA	24 / 45 (677.0856)	19 (171.9656)	21 (168.5600)	33 (164.5828)	10 (171.9772)
Mar 31, 2023	Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA	26 / 47 (671.2912)	42 (160.5028)	32 (165.6800)	4 (174.8456)	20 (170.2628)
Oct 14, 2022	King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA	30 / 36 (656.4112)	36 (159.3484)	35 (153.6572)	2 (176.5828)	18 (166.8228)
Sep 16, 2022	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	18 / 25 (657.0168)	20 (161.1200)	14 (168)	21 (154.1940)	4 (173.7028)
Jul 15, 2022	KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off 🏅 Worthington, MN	33 / 40 (660.4232)	39 (159.9428)	35 (159.9660)	2 (174.2744)	19 (166.2400)
Jul 15, 2022	KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off (One Meat Ribs) Worthington, MN	—	—	—	—	—
Jun 17, 2022	Rose Festival 21st Annual KCBS BBQ Contest 🏅 State Center, IA	23 / 32 (661.5544)	30 (160.5144)	13 (168.5600)	19 (166.2400)	16 (166.2400)
Sep 24, 2021	Ottumwa 4th Annual Smoketoberfest 🏅 Ottumwa, IA	31 / 35 (651.3028)	32 (160.5372)	30 (161.1200)	22 (167.4056)	30 (162.2400)
Sep 4, 2021	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge 🏅 Omaha, NE	11 / 25 (684.4800)	16 (168.5372)	6 (174.2972)	5 (175.4056)	15 (166.2400)
Aug 20, 2021	13th Annual Big Island BBQ 🏅 Albert Lea, MN	10 / 35 (678.2056)	17 (170.2628)	16 (166.8228)	1 (177.1544)	19 (163.9656)
Jul 30, 2021	5th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest 🏅 Emmetsburg, IA	28 / 35 (655.8512)	34 (157.0972)	28 (160.5256)	8 (170.8572)	14 (167.3712)
Jun 18, 2021	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA	11 / 32 (666.8004)	20 (165.7260)	21 (162.2744)	22 (162.2400)	2 (176.5600)
Sep 18, 2020	KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off 🏅 Worthington, MN	26 / 35 (658.1376)	21 (168.5716)	19 (167.3944)	34 (153.6344)	18 (168.5372)
Sep 5, 2020	Mozingo Lake BBQ 🏅 Maryville, MO	11 / 34 (680.5600)	7 (171.9656)	14 (170.3316)	18 (165.7028)	6 (172.5600)
Jul 25, 2020	4th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest 🏅 Emmetsburg, IA	16 / 30 (662.2860)	28 (161.1200)	14 (166.8916)	6 (170.8572)	17 (163.4172)
Oct 4, 2019	Smoketoberfest 🏅 Ottumwa, IA	23 / 49 (670.8120)	32 (162.8688)	24 (167.9772)	17 (169.1316)	18 (170.8344)
Sep 20, 2019	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	29 / 34 (630.6516)	32 (145.6228)	28 (159.3944)	24 (162.8116)	21 (162.8228)
Aug 24, 2019	3rd Annual Halfway to St.Pat's BBQ Contest 🏅 Emmetsburg, IA	7 / 12 (670.7888)	8 (167.9656)	10 (163.4172)	3 (167.4288)	5 (171.9772)

Papa Linda's Barbecue

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (9 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Brisket nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

The metronome

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

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

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

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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

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