BIG BLOCK BBQ

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

Power ranking

#1046

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1599

peak 1635 · rated over 32 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-03

latest 2016-09-03

Best ToY finish

#160

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

11 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 33 contests

Avg finish

top 39%

overall standings

Best overall

691.4400 / 720

Master · Almost Heaven BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Current form

558.17 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 635.97 (-77.80)

Walk rate

70%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.8800

Brisket · 4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle

Consistency

±87.12

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 164.88 · weakest Brisket (160.26)

Road miles

6,074

mi across 33 mapped stops · furthest 1217 mi

Schedule strength

35%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1546)

Master avg

635.97 / 720

33 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (14 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.

Against the odds

30-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 70 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at 4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle (2014-10-10) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 30-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, 4:20 Q.

They almost always walk

70% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 23 of 33 contests

A top-10 category call in 70% of their 33 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

691.4400 career-best overall

96.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 691.4400 at Almost Heaven BBQ Bash — 96.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-06-19

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

JUST SMOKIN' AROUND has finished one call ahead of BIG BLOCK BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

26–2 behind in the head-to-head

3 EYZ BBQ ahead in 93% of their meetings

3 EYZ BBQ has come out ahead in 26 of their 28 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.6 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.61 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 21% of the time against 34%.

Brisket avg 160.26
Chicken avg 164.88
7 calls in 33 entries

The drought

15 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at 4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle on 2014-10-10 — 15 contests and 11.9 years ago.

last GC 2014-10-10
11.9 years ago

A strong matchup

9–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

23 of 28 shared chicken entries lost

3 EYZ BBQ ahead 82% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, 3 EYZ BBQ has out-cooked them in 23 of 28 shared chicken entries.

Going the wrong way

-36 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 36 points across 4 contests since 2015-09-25 — from 1635 down to 1599.

4 contests since 2015-09-25
now 1599

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

HIGH ON THE HOG MARYLAND has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±12.10% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±12.10% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 88.3% of a perfect score
best 96.0%

A June team

Top 20% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 20% across 4 contests, versus top 39% the rest of the year.

4 June contests
top 39% the rest of the year

The long haul

6,074 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,074 miles across 33 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,217 miles to City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival.

33 mapped stops
furthest 1,217 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.

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

SMOKETASTIC BBQ

#1044 of the rated field

1599 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 42
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1620

3–0 in 3 shared contests (100% to BIG BLOCK BBQ)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — BIG BLOCK BBQ ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 42 contests
last seen 2019-11-01

⚔ Head-to-head

KC Meat Sweats

#1048 of the rated field

1599 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 64
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1628

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BIG BLOCK BBQ)

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 64 contests to 33.

rated over 59 contests
last seen 2026-08-21

⚔ Head-to-head

CRAZY COYOTE

#1050 of the rated field

1599 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 32
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 34%
Peak: 1618

No shared contest yet.

32 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 34% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 32 contests
last seen 2017-08-04

⚔ Head-to-head

THAT'S OUR QUE

#1049 of the rated field

1599 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1600

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 26 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2019-06-01

⚔ Head-to-head

Woodquarter Smokerheads

#1042 of the rated field

1600 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 85%
Peak: 1612

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 9 years after BIG BLOCK BBQ did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2026-07-18

⚔ Head-to-head

Hawg Feathers

#1045 of the rated field

1599 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 49
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1617

No shared contest yet.

Level with BIG BLOCK BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 48 contests
last seen 2024-03-15

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
3 EYZ BBQ	28	2	26	7%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	21	7	14	33%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	20	12	8	60%	⚔ compare
APORKALYPSE NOW	20	5	15	25%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	19	10	9	53%	⚔ compare
CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ	19	2	17	11%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	17	6	11	35%	⚔ compare
PORK BARREL BBQ	17	4	13	24%	⚔ compare
SAUCE THIS BBQ	15	3	12	20%	⚔ compare
4:20 Q	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER	12	6	6	50%	⚔ compare
BLACK CAT BBQ	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	11	8	3	73%	⚔ compare
Team Meat Coma	11	7	4	64%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM	11	7	4	64%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	32	11	2	5	177.7372	145.6688	164.88	top 40%
Pork Ribs	32	16	2	3	174.8456	145.7144	163.55	top 36%
Pork	32	6	0	1	173.1428	147.4056	162.15	top 42%
Brisket	33	7	1	2	178.8800	144.5714	160.26	top 46%

“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
MD	17	1	top 38%
VA	5	0	top 25%
DE	3	0	top 37%
MO	2	0	top 58%
PA	2	0	top 22%
TX	1	0	top 100%
TN	1	0	top 74%
WV	1	0	top 10%
AR	1	0	top 68%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	10	1	top 41%
Large (40+)	23	0	top 38%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Beltway BBQ Showdown	3	9	top 48%	2015-05-29
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	6	top 34%	2015-08-28
Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ	2	21	top 41%	2015-07-31
Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival	2	14	top 35%	2014-05-02

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3.3 yrs 2013-05-03 → 2016-09-03

Busiest season 2015 13 contests

Contests a season 8.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MD 17 of 33 contests · 9 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 28 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Brisket 33 entries · 1 win · 7 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 164.88 · weakest Brisket (160.26)

Walk rate 70% a top-10 call in 23 of 33 contests

Overall top-10 rate 30% 10 of 33 contests

Wins it all 3% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2014-10-10 4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 635.97 out of 720 · 33 contests · 1 GC

Opponents faced 1,246 1,193–1,136 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 6,074 33 mapped stops · furthest 1,217 mi

Schedule strength 1546 average field rating faced — tougher than 35% of rated contests

Power rating 1599 peak 1635 · #1046 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 3 First tracked contest Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival
Jul 26 First call Bluemont BBQ Bash & Blackberry Bonanza
Sep 20 First overall top-10 Hogs & Hops Dover
Sep 20 First overall past 90% of a perfect score663.3832 Hogs & Hops Dover
2014
May 30 10th tracked contest Pig and A Jig BBQ Festival
Jun 27 First category win (Chicken) Hogging Up BBQ Festival
Jun 27 First overall podium Hogging Up BBQ Festival
Oct 10 First Grand Championship 4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle
Oct 10 Career-best single call (Brisket)178.8800 4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle
2015
Jun 19 25th tracked contest Almost Heaven BBQ Bash
Jun 19 Career-best overall score691.4400 Almost Heaven BBQ Bash
Sep 25 Peak power rating (1635) Smoke in the Park
2016
Sep 3 Most recent contest City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.4	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	2014-08-29
+15.2	Hogging Up BBQ Festival	2014-06-27
+14.2	4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle	2014-10-10
+12.9	Hogs & Hops Dover	2013-09-20
+12.5	Almost Heaven BBQ Bash	2015-06-19

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-19.7	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	2016-09-03
-11.3	Beltway BBQ Showdown	2013-05-31
-8.6	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open	2015-10-03
-7.4	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)	2015-10-23
-7.1	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ	2015-07-31

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)
2016	1	0	0	0	0%	top 100%	21.8%	21.8%
2015	13	0	3	1	62%	top 36%	96%	91.5%
2014	12	1	6	4	92%	top 30%	94.5%	90.9%
2013	7	0	1	0	57%	top 52%	92.1%	87.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2016-09-03	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX	58 / 58 (157.1084)	—	—	—	39 (157.1084)
2015-10-23	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN	69 / 93 (658.7084)	54 (167.4172)	77 (160.5256)	47 (166.8228)	60 (163.9428)
2015-10-03	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	300 / 606 (652.4684)	415 (159.4056)	270 (165.1200)	215 (166.8456)	322 (161.0972)
2015-10-02	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Invitational unrated Kansas City, MO	124 / 187 (669.0508)	168 (161.1312)	82 (169.1200)	89 (169.1084)	89 (169.6912)
2015-09-25	Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA	12 / 34 (653.5312)	11 (166.2628)	1 (171.9656)	18 (161.0972)	22 (154.2056)
2015-08-28	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Laurel, MD	14 / 29 (640.4568)	9 (168.0000)	9 (162.2856)	18 (155.9656)	18 (154.2056)
2015-08-14	14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	6 / 46 (682.2056)	7 (174.8456)	10 (172.5600)	12 (169.1200)	16 (165.6800)
2015-07-31	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Leonardtown, MD	25 / 54 (646.7308)	28 (161.1772)	24 (160.5484)	15 (166.2168)	27 (158.7884)
2015-06-19	Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Buckhannon, WV	4 / 41 (691.4400)	3 (177.7372)	5 (174.8456)	8 (172.5600)	22 (166.2972)
2015-05-29	Beltway BBQ Showdown Ft. Washington, MD	14 / 39 (646.1368)	18 (160.5256)	15 (160.5484)	26 (152.5028)	4 (172.5600)
2015-05-08	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	14 / 65 (654.1484)	25 (164.5600)	15 (165.1084)	30 (157.0972)	10 (167.3828)
2015-05-01	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	19 / 64 (653.5656)	16 (166.8344)	33 (157.6572)	13 (166.2284)	28 (162.8456)
2015-04-10	Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival Harrington, DE	28 / 99 (646.2624)	28 (166.2856)	3 (173.7372)	48 (159.9312)	79 (146.3084)
2015-04-03	The Ironman Shady Grove, PA	4 / 48 (673.1084)	16 (165.1200)	8 (168.5484)	4 (173.1428)	11 (166.2972)
2014-10-17	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest Woodstock, VA	11 / 40 (659.3944)	2 (174.2972)	31 (153.1200)	11 (165.1316)	11 (166.8456)
2014-10-10	4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle Clarksburg, MD	1 / 25 (678.8344)	11 (163.9772)	6 (165.7144)	3 (170.2628)	1 (178.8800)
2014-09-26	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship Bentonville, AR	34 / 50 (680.4684)	8 (177.1428)	11 (174.2744)	49 (156.5028)	27 (172.5484)
2014-08-29	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Richmond, VA	3 / 30 (670.7428)	15 (170.8228)	5 (170.8572)	12 (162.2400)	5 (166.8228)
2014-08-22	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Laurel, MD	6 / 29 (654.7656)	10 (165.1316)	1 (172.5828)	12 (158.8228)	17 (158.2284)
2014-08-08	MD State BBQ Bash, Presented by Mars Super Markets Bel Air, MD	9 / 54 (654.7540)	1 (176.0228)	34 (154.2056)	32 (155.4056)	3 (169.1200)
2014-08-01	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Leonardtown, MD	21 / 59 (644.4452)	24 (162.2284)	10 (171.4056)	19 (161.7028)	41 (149.1084)
2014-06-27	Hogging Up BBQ Festival Winchester, VA	3 / 46 (664.5488)	1 (176.5944)	8 (165.0972)	21 (158.8572)	8 (164.0000)
2014-06-06	Beltway BBQ Showdown Ft. Washington, MD	9 / 42 (657.6228)	3 (173.7028)	10 (163.9888)	16 (161.6684)	16 (158.2628)
2014-05-30	Pig and A Jig BBQ Festival Snow Hill, MD	18 / 30 (627.8284)	14 (159.9772)	7 (167.4172)	25 (150.2056)	23 (150.2284)
2014-05-02	Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival Annapolis, MD	14 / 59 (657.5884)	10 (169.1084)	6 (167.9772)	28 (160.5600)	22 (159.9428)
2014-04-11	Delaware's Triple Threat BBQ Festival at the Fair Harrington, DE	73 / 109 (605.6340)	48 (158.2512)	82 (145.7144)	86 (147.4056)	44 (154.2628)
2013-10-11	3rd Annual High Point BBQ Clarksburg, MD	15 / 31 (635.8744)	25 (149.6572)	9 (165.6800)	6 (165.1772)	17 (155.3600)
2013-09-20	Hogs & Hops Dover Dover, DE	7 / 45 (663.3832)	7 (169.1200)	13 (162.2860)	5 (168.5600)	10 (163.4172)
2013-08-09	12th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	39 / 60 (609.4516)	50 (145.6688)	52 (147.3256)	5 (166.8228)	35 (149.6344)
2013-07-26	Bluemont BBQ Bash & Blackberry Bonanza Bluemont, VA	20 / 33 (624.9024)	30 (151.3484)	9 (160.5600)	21 (158.2284)	21 (154.7656)
2013-06-14	Central MD Swinetastic BBQ Festival Frederick, MD	27 / 63 (635.9998)	33 (159.4286)	21 (161.1430)	24 (161.1428)	37 (154.2854)
2013-05-31	Beltway BBQ Showdown Ft. Washington, MD	22 / 25 (611.9998)	18 (156.5714)	22 (149.7142)	12 (161.1428)	21 (144.5714)
2013-05-03	Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival Annapolis, MD	25 / 55 (623.9998)	34 (157.7142)	31 (152.0000)	14 (162.2856)	28 (152.0000)

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
2015 ↗	Master	#263 (1268 pts)	#308 (1153 pts)	#189 (1478 pts)	#309 (1083 pts)	#371 (998 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#160 (1682 pts)	#92 (1887 pts)	#147 (1652 pts)	#307 (1132 pts)	#211 (1452 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#471 (654 pts)	#542 (599 pts)	#450 (724 pts)	#307 (969 pts)	#519 (614 pts)