PHIL & LOU BBQ

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

Power ranking

#1117

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1593

peak 1593 · rated over 16 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-04-05

latest 2019-09-13

Best ToY finish

#470

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

18 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 32%

overall standings

Best overall

695.9888 / 720

Master · Bands brews & BBQ

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

674.35 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 664.27 (+10.07)

Walk rate

76%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Chicken · Bands brews & BBQ

Consistency

±21.17

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.65 · weakest Pork Ribs (164.26)

Road miles

5,538

mi across 17 mapped stops · furthest 1000 mi

Schedule strength

28%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1538)

Purse competed for

$10K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

664.27 / 720

17 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (12 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.

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180s

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.

Chicken ×1

Happy hunting ground

1× Grand Championships here

Sam's Club National BBQ Tour is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 3 visits.

3 visits
best finish 1st
average top 14%

A multi-meat day

1 contests with 2+ category wins

They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (2013-04-05).

Pork 1st
Brisket 1st

They almost always walk

76% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 13 of 17 contests

A top-10 category call in 76% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

695.9888 career-best overall

96.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 695.9888 at Bands brews & BBQ — 96.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
2019-09-13

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

CROOKED PIGS has finished one call ahead of PHIL & LOU BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

7–1 behind in the head-to-head

TEAM AMERICA ahead in 88% of their meetings

TEAM AMERICA has come out ahead in 7 of their 8 shared contests.

The drought

16 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour on 2013-04-05 — 16 contests and 13.4 years ago.

last GC 2013-04-05
13.4 years ago

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of G AND L BBQ in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

5 of 5 shared chicken entries lost

I.A.B. 30 BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, I.A.B. 30 BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 5 shared chicken entries.

Announced themselves early

1st at their very first contest

Finished 1 of 29 at their very first tracked contest, Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (2013-04-05).

2013-04-05
29-team field

The long haul

5,538 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,538 miles across 17 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,000 miles to Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship.

17 mapped stops
furthest 1,000 mi

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.

Smokin Steve's BBQ

#1119 of the rated field

1592 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 5
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1599

No shared contest yet.

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 25 contests to 17.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2026-08-01

⚔ Head-to-head

MONTY PIGTHON & THE HOLY GRILL

#1120 of the rated field

1592 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 39%
Peak: 1620

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 4 years before PHIL & LOU BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 28 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Notorious P.I.G.

#1116 of the rated field

1593 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 63
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1596

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 59 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 59 contests
last seen 2026-05-29

⚔ Head-to-head

Stewbabys BBQ

#1118 of the rated field

1592 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 79
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1598

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 79 contests, alongside a 15% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 76 contests
last seen 2026-03-20

⚔ Head-to-head

MAXIMUM LOIN

#1113 of the rated field

1594 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1594

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to PHIL & LOU BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team PHIL & LOU BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2019-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

Bucked Up BBQ

#1111 of the rated field

1594 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1601

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 8 years after PHIL & LOU BBQ did, first appearing in 2021.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2026-08-21

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
GOT SMOKE BAR-B-QUE	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
TEAM AMERICA	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
G AND L BBQ	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
BIG JOHNSON'S BBQ	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
HALF BAKED HIPPIES BBQ	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
Whistle Pig BBQ	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
R&R BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Rhythm n QUE	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Rooftop BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
SMOKE-IN-LAW	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
RUB Q LONG TIME	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
Backdraft BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
I.A.B. 30 BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	10	1	7	180.0000 🔥	148.5256	167.65	top 35%
Pork Ribs	17	4	0	1	170.2744	151.3944	164.26	top 44%
Pork	17	9	1	5	176.0228	144.5714	166.88	top 32%
Brisket	17	7	1	5	177.1428	138.2056	165.49	top 38%

“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
UT	5	1	top 32%
ID	4	0	top 31%
NV	3	0	top 43%
MO	2	0	top 25%
CO	1	0	top 16%
AR	1	0	top 36%
MT	1	0	top 23%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	13	1	top 33%
Large (40+)	4	0	top 25%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	3	1	1	top 14%	2016-04-08
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	2	4	0	top 48%	2015-04-24

The story so far (21 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 6.4 yrs 2013-04-05 → 2019-09-13

Busiest season 2013 7 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 2.4 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in UT 5 of 17 contests · 7 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 14 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 17 entries · 1 win · 10 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 167.65 · weakest Pork Ribs (164.26)

Walk rate 76% a top-10 call in 13 of 17 contests

Overall top-10 rate 53% 9 of 17 contests

Wins it all 6% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2013-04-05 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 664.27 out of 720 · 17 contests · 1 GC

Perfect 180s 1 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 792 854–293 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 5,538 17 mapped stops · furthest 1,000 mi

Schedule strength 1538 average field rating faced — tougher than 28% of rated contests

Purse competed for $10,000 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2018-09-07 → 2019-09-13

Power rating 1593 peak 1593 · #1117 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Apr 5 First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 5 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 5 First category win (Pork) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 5 First overall top-10 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 5 First overall podium Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 5 First Grand Championship Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 5 First multi-meat day Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Apr 5 First overall past 90% of a perfect score689.1426 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
2015
Apr 10 10th tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
2019
Sep 13 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Bands brews & BBQ
Sep 13 Career-best overall score695.9888 Bands brews & BBQ
Sep 13 Peak power rating (1593) Bands brews & BBQ
Sep 13 Most recent contest Bands brews & BBQ

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2013-04-05
+12.7	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	2013-04-19
+11.8	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2015-04-10
+10.4	*Rockn & BBQ Brew Festival	2018-09-07
+9.9	Conifer Mountain BBQ Challenge	2014-08-15

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.3	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	2015-04-24
-7.2	Days of 47 BBQ Showdown	2014-07-24
-6.4	*Rock'n Brews & BBQ Festival	2017-09-15

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	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	1	1	100%	top 16%	96.7%	96.7%
2018	1	0	1	0	100%	top 12%	95.9%	95.9%
2017	1	0	0	0	100%	top 68%	88.2%	88.2%
2016	2	0	2	0	100%	top 27%	94.8%	93.8%
2015	3	0	1	0	67%	top 48%	92.4%	91.7%
2014	2	0	1	0	100%	top 42%	93.8%	90%
2013	7	1	3	2	57%	top 23%	95.7%	92.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-09-13	Bands brews & BBQ 🏅 Boise, ID	4 / 25 (695.9888)	1 (180.0000)	16 (167.4060)	4 (176.0228)	3 (172.5600)
2018-09-07	*Rockn & BBQ Brew Festival Boise, ID	3 / 25 (690.3088)	3 (172.5600)	10 (169.7260)	2 (175.4628)	3 (172.5600)
2017-09-15	*Rock'n Brews & BBQ Festival Boise, ID	19 / 28 (635.2800)	26 (148.5256)	23 (151.3944)	10 (169.1200)	16 (166.2400)
2016-09-16	Rock'n Brews & BBQ Festival Nampa, ID	7 / 25 (682.2628)	3 (174.2856)	12 (166.8344)	15 (164.0000)	2 (177.1428)
2016-04-08	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Salt Lake City, UT	8 / 30 (667.9088)	4 (172.5600)	15 (163.4288)	2 (171.4172)	20 (160.5028)
2015-06-19	YCC - Real Men Can Cook BBQ Comp Ogden, UT	11 / 23 (653.0976)	7 (167.4400)	9 (163.9888)	15 (161.1316)	16 (160.5372)
2015-04-24	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Las Vegas, NV	25 / 30 (661.6000)	24 (168.5256)	21 (165.7032)	28 (160.5256)	16 (166.8456)
2015-04-10	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Salt Lake City, UT	4 / 30 (665.0740)	3 (169.7256)	11 (164.5600)	5 (167.4056)	10 (163.3828)
2014-08-15	Conifer Mountain BBQ Challenge Conifer, CO	7 / 43 (675.3600)	6 (171.4172)	7 (170.2628)	8 (169.1200)	11 (164.5600)
2014-07-24	Days of 47 BBQ Showdown Holladay, UT	21 / 31 (621.0396)	2 (176.5600)	18 (158.8684)	30 (147.4056)	31 (138.2056)
2013-10-18	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship Bentonville, AR	18 / 50 (684.5144)	37 (169.1200)	22 (170.2744)	3 (176.0000)	31 (169.1200)
2013-10-03	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	112 / 535 (658.2052)	423 (152.5256)	177 (163.9656)	36 (172.0228)	56 (169.6912)
2013-10-03	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational unrated Kansas City, MO	50 / 174 (670.7428)	89 (166.2284)	57 (167.9888)	13 (174.8456)	109 (161.6800)
2013-08-23	Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV	11 / 34 (657.0052)	16 (161.7028)	12 (165.0856)	12 (167.9656)	15 (162.2512)
2013-07-06	Montana BBQ Cook-Off Absarokee, MT	5 / 22 (626.2858)	2 (163.4288)	11 (151.4286)	14 (144.5714)	2 (166.8570)
2013-04-19	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Las Vegas, NV	4 / 30 (658.8574)	17 (162.8574)	11 (162.2856)	2 (168.5716)	5 (165.1428)
2013-04-05	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Salt Lake City, UT	1 / 29 (689.1426)	2 (172.5712)	3 (169.1430)	1 (171.4284)	1 (176.0000)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1170 (200 pts)	#1010 (275 pts)	#1820 (95 pts)	#1236 (200 pts)	#1155 (225 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1152 (225 pts)	#1200 (225 pts)	#1584 (125 pts)	#1126 (250 pts)	#1214 (225 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2076 (83 pts)	#2908 (53 pts)	#2296 (63 pts)	#1762 (128 pts)	#2046 (98 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1046 (305 pts)	#870 (430 pts)	#1375 (220 pts)	#1029 (355 pts)	#1040 (330 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1116 (260 pts)	#1099 (290 pts)	#1395 (200 pts)	#1311 (235 pts)	#1274 (230 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1483 (173 pts)	#1524 (183 pts)	#1548 (173 pts)	#1616 (163 pts)	#1787 (138 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#470 (655 pts)	#471 (680 pts)	#613 (545 pts)	#573 (580 pts)	#450 (710 pts)