JH OLD SCHOOL

JH OLD SCHOOL is a competition barbecue team with 37 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2018. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Madison Magazine BBQ Festival (2016), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #588 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#588

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1661

peak 1661 · rated over 37 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 3, 2013

latest Oct 12, 2018 · 5.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#281

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve · wins it all 3% of the time

Category wins

14 podiums

Overall top-10s

43% of 37 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 35%

overall standings

Best overall

687.9772 / 720

Master · Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff

Perfect 180s

Current form

668.02 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 659.84 (+8.19)

Walk rate

84%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.2972

Chicken · 9th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q

Consistency

±17.18

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.91 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.06)

Road miles

4,838

across 37 mapped stops · furthest 297 mi

Schedule strength

42%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1556)

Master avg

659.84 / 720

37 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (16 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

4.6172 points from the title

Came within 4.6172 points of the Grand Championship at Madison Magazine BBQ Festival (May 16, 2015).

Among the elite

#588 of 6,477 rated teams

In the top 9% of every rated team in the data

A power rating of 1661 puts them #588 of 6,477 rated teams — the top 9% of the field.

rating 1661
peak 1661
37 rated contests

Against the odds

26-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 74 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Madison Magazine BBQ Festival (May 13, 2016) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 26-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI.

A multi-meat day

1 contest 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 Madison Magazine BBQ Festival (May 13, 2016).

Chicken 1st
Pork 1st

They almost always walk

84% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 31 of 37 contests

A top-10 category call in 84% of their 37 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

687.9772 career-best overall

95.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 687.9772 at Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff — 95.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 23, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

YELLOW RIVER BBQ has finished one call ahead of JH OLD SCHOOL 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Show 9 more storylines

Their season

2016 1 Grand Championship

2016 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 24%.

6 contests
3 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 24%

A tough matchup

18–2 behind in the head-to-head

TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI ahead in 90% of their meetings

TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI has come out ahead in 18 of their 20 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.9 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.86 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 38% of the time against 51%.

Pork Ribs avg 163.06
Chicken avg 167.91
14 calls in 37 entries

The drought

14 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Madison Magazine BBQ Festival on May 13, 2016 — 14 contests and 10.4 years ago.

last GC May 13, 2016
10.4 years ago

A strong matchup

15–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 94% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA in 15 of their 16 shared contests.

Looking over their shoulder

4× one call behind them

THE SMOKE HUNTERS has landed one call behind them 4 times.

An October team

Top 25% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 25% across 4 contests, versus top 35% the rest of the year.

4 October contests
top 35% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,838 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,838 miles across 37 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 297 miles to Sam's Club National BBQ Tour.

37 mapped stops
furthest 297 mi

The metronome

±2.39% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.39% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.6% of a perfect score
37 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
2018 ↗	Master	#861 (360 pts)	#1005 (305 pts)	#767 (465 pts)	#696 (525 pts)	#703 (510 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#529 (731 pts)	#434 (881 pts)	#714 (561 pts)	#677 (611 pts)	#577 (681 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#407 (965 pts)	#404 (955 pts)	#597 (680 pts)	#450 (915 pts)	#572 (700 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#281 (1,214 pts)	#273 (1,224 pts)	#337 (1,054 pts)	#429 (879 pts)	#146 (1,709 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#331 (1,088 pts)	#217 (1,368 pts)	#418 (938 pts)	#454 (843 pts)	#351 (1,053 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#619 (507 pts)	#642 (507 pts)	#720 (462 pts)	#727 (457 pts)	#748 (432 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to JH OLD SCHOOL, each with one reason worth a look.

SMOKE N HOGS BBQ KS

#585 of the rated field

1661 power rating

Contests: 43
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 51%
Peak: 1685

Careers of much the same size, 43 contests to 37, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 42 contests
last seen Aug 16, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

ALE YEAH BBQ

#589 of the rated field

1661 power rating

Contests: 53
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 26%
Peak: 1661

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 48 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 48 contests
last seen Oct 30, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

TOO ASHAMED TO NAME

#587 of the rated field

1661 power rating

Contests: 52
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 52%
Peak: 1721

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 52 contests, alongside a 52% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 52 contests
last seen Apr 7, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

3 PIGS SMOKIN

#586 of the rated field

1661 power rating

Contests: 57
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1675

Level with JH OLD SCHOOL on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 57 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

JUGS BBQ

#592 of the rated field

1660 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 48%
Peak: 1668

2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to JH OLD SCHOOL)

These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 33 contests
last seen Jul 19, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

TATTOO BOB'S BAR-B-Q

#581 of the rated field

1662 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 39
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 49%
Peak: 1685

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 38 contests
last seen Sep 1, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
QUAU	28	11	17	39%	⚔ compare
TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI	20	2	18	10%	⚔ compare
Its 5 Oclock Somewhere	17	7	10	41%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKE HUNTERS	17	4	13	24%	⚔ compare
DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA	16	15	1	94%	⚔ compare
BIG "E" BBQ	15	3	12	20%	⚔ compare
RACK MASTERS BBQ	14	11	3	79%	⚔ compare
CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
Risky Brisket	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
YELLOW RIVER BBQ	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
Mac Attack BBQ	12	6	6	50%	⚔ compare
MUD'S BBQ	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
A FINE SWINE	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
SMOKY LINCS	10	10	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	37	19	5	5	178.2972	147.3828	167.91	top 34%
Pork Ribs	37	14	0	2	174.3200	146.2858	163.06	top 46%
Pork	37	14	1	1	176.5600	147.8856	163.63	top 45%
Brisket	37	17	1	6	176.6172	152	165.24	top 35%

“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)	3	1	top 30%
Medium (20–39)	15	0	top 34%
Large (40+)	19	0	top 37%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
IL	22	0	top 30%
WI	13	1	top 40%
IN	1	0	top 54%
MI	1	0	top 57%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff	3	7	top 30%	Sep 21, 2018
Heritage Days BBQ Showdown	2	4	top 20%	Jun 23, 2017
Red, White & BBQ (Day 2)	2	15	top 31%	May 28, 2016
Grillin' in Grafton	2	7	top 34%	Jun 26, 2015
Red, White and BBQ (Day 2)	2	19	top 48%	May 23, 2015
Pig in the Park	2	3	top 21%	Jun 20, 2014
The Masters in May	2	25	top 69%	May 2, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 10 contests

Contests a season 6.2 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IL 22 of 37 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 29 7 of them more than once

First title May 13, 2016 Madison Magazine BBQ Festival

Opponents faced 580 finished ahead 946 times, behind 487

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

20182 milestones

Oct 12 Peak power rating (1661) CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ
Oct 12 Most recent contest CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ

20164 milestones

May 13 First Grand Championship Madison Magazine BBQ Festival
May 13 First multi-meat day Madison Magazine BBQ Festival
May 28 25th tracked contest Red, White & BBQ (Day 2)
Sep 23 Career-best overall score687.9772 Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff

20151 milestone

May 16 First Reserve Championship Madison Magazine BBQ Festival

20144 milestones

Jun 20 First overall podium Pig in the Park
Jun 27 First category win (Chicken) Grillin' in Grafton
Jul 4 10th tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Oct 17 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.2972 9th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q

20134 milestones

May 3 First tracked contest The Masters in May
Jun 14 First call Pig in the Park
Jun 14 First overall top-10 Pig in the Park
Oct 18 First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.3600 8th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q (TEAMS FULL)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.3	Madison Magazine BBQ Festival	May 16, 2015
+14.5	Madison Magazine BBQ Festival	May 13, 2016
+14.5	8th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q (TEAMS FULL)	Oct 18, 2013
+14.3	Pig in the Park	Jun 20, 2014
+10.9	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff	Sep 23, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.5	The Masters in May	May 2, 2014
-6.7	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jul 5, 2013
-4.6	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1	Jun 22, 2018
-3.6	Poor Que	Jun 6, 2014
-2.8	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff	Sep 22, 2017

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

Season	Contests	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	4	0	0	1	75%	top 41%	94.8%	92.8%
2017	5	0	3	1	100%	top 27%	94%	92.8%
2016	6	1	3	2	100%	top 24%	95.6%	93.2%
2015	10	0	3	0	90%	top 36%	94.4%	92%
2014	8	0	5	3	75%	top 41%	92.9%	90.4%
2013	4	0	2	0	50%	top 41%	91.6%	88.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 12, 2018	CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ Arthur, IL	13 / 45 (667.8856)	20 (166.8344)	36 (154.2056)	6 (172.5600)	1 (174.2856)
Sep 21, 2018	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff Murphysboro, IL	18 / 59 (682.2056)	45 (163.3828)	15 (173.1200)	7 (174.8572)	23 (170.8456)
Jun 23, 2018	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 2 Belvidere, IL	20 / 44 (663.3824)	17 (171.4400)	36 (158.2856)	12 (166.8456)	18 (166.8112)
Jun 22, 2018	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1 Belvidere, IL	31 / 51 (659.3716)	41 (161.7028)	3 (174.3200)	26 (162.8000)	35 (160.5488)
Sep 22, 2017	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff Murphysboro, IL	27 / 55 (667.2684)	9 (173.7028)	31 (166.8228)	38 (165.0856)	33 (161.6572)
Sep 1, 2017	7th Annual Smokin' In The Bogs Warrens, WI	9 / 29 (663.3372)	13 (166.8228)	22 (154.2056)	4 (174.8572)	8 (167.4516)
Aug 19, 2017	McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ McHenry, IL	3 / 36 (669.1088)	4 (171.4400)	9 (165.1316)	10 (166.2628)	3 (166.2744)
Jun 23, 2017	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Belvidere, IL	12 / 42 (665.5884)	1 (175.4516)	7 (169.6800)	35 (155.3484)	15 (165.1084)
Jun 2, 2017	Up In smoke on the Square Lincoln, IL	6 / 32 (677.0396)	11 (171.9656)	12 (166.2284)	8 (170.2856)	11 (168.5600)
Sep 23, 2016	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff Murphysboro, IL	7 / 64 (687.9772)	7 (176.5600)	33 (165.6800)	15 (173.1544)	13 (172.5828)
Jul 15, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour South Bend, IN	15 / 28 (654.2284)	9 (169.1428)	26 (154.8456)	9 (165.1428)	13 (165.0972)
Jun 24, 2016	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Belvidere, IL	4 / 33 (676.5260)	9 (169.7144)	5 (170.2744)	8 (170.2744)	10 (166.2628)
May 28, 2016	Red, White & BBQ (Day 2) Westmont, IL	15 / 55 (671.4860)	6 (176.0228)	31 (161.7144)	5 (173.1544)	33 (160.5944)
May 27, 2016	Red, White & BBQ (Day 1) Westmont, IL	15 / 42 (661.0856)	24 (165.1200)	7 (171.4516)	28 (159.9656)	14 (164.5484)
May 13, 2016	Madison Magazine BBQ Festival Sauk City, WI	1 / 19 (676.5944)	1 (172.0228)	6 (163.4288)	1 (176.5600)	6 (164.5828)
Oct 16, 2015	10th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q Libertyville, IL	15 / 35 (655.8968)	5 (171.4056)	16 (165.1428)	26 (158.8000)	18 (160.5484)
Sep 11, 2015	Windy City BBQ Classic Chicago, IL	9 / 61 (679.9312)	19 (169.1428)	14 (168.5484)	19 (168.5372)	3 (173.7028)
Aug 28, 2015	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	22 / 49 (645.5996)	9 (169.1200)	25 (159.3940)	31 (158.8000)	27 (158.2856)
Jul 24, 2015	5th Annual Morton BBQ Throwdown Morton, IL	14 / 47 (663.2796)	10 (168.5484)	35 (155.3484)	23 (164.5372)	2 (174.8456)
Jun 26, 2015	Grillin' in Grafton Grafton, WI	15 / 33 (653.0056)	17 (162.2628)	26 (158.8000)	24 (157.0856)	3 (174.8572)
Jun 12, 2015	3rd Annual Hog & Steer Barbecue Competition and Festival Oconomowoc, WI	9 / 17 (666.8688)	10 (165.0972)	9 (162.8572)	4 (167.4400)	4 (171.4744)
May 23, 2015	Red, White and BBQ (Day 2) Westmont, IL	29 / 58 (651.9196)	23 (167.4056)	19 (166.2856)	32 (164.5256)	47 (153.7028)
May 22, 2015	Red, White and BBQ (Day 1) Westmont, IL	19 / 41 (655.4172)	7 (171.9772)	12 (167.4400)	39 (150.8000)	10 (165.2000)
May 16, 2015	Madison Magazine BBQ Festival Madison, WI	2 / 29 (678.8228)	7 (170.8572)	8 (166.3084)	8 (169.6916)	4 (171.9656)
May 1, 2015	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Dwight, IL	11 / 40 (671.9884)	26 (161.1200)	7 (173.1200)	22 (161.1312)	3 (176.6172)
Oct 17, 2014	9th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q Libertyville, IL	9 / 42 (665.0744)	1 (178.2972)	21 (162.8688)	11 (166.2628)	25 (157.6456)
Sep 5, 2014	Heart of Illinois BBQ, Beer & Bluegrass Festival Peoria, IL	5 / 16 (669.0052)	1 (175.4400)	9 (162.8112)	11 (161.0856)	4 (169.6684)
Jul 4, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Traverse City, MI	12 / 21 (652.4684)	14 (161.1316)	10 (165.1084)	9 (164.5256)	12 (161.7028)
Jun 27, 2014	Grillin' in Grafton Grafton, WI	7 / 32 (656.6056)	1 (174.3200)	5 (168.0228)	25 (150.8800)	10 (163.3828)
Jun 20, 2014	Pig in the Park Whitewater, WI	3 / 26 (662.8000)	5 (169.6800)	6 (164)	7 (164.5828)	5 (164.5372)
Jun 13, 2014	Smoke on the Prairie Brimfield, IL	10 / 28 (664.4456)	14 (168)	14 (163.9656)	13 (163.9544)	8 (168.5256)
Jun 6, 2014	Poor Que Montello, WI	24 / 38 (624.8796)	24 (157.6800)	23 (154.2056)	27 (156.5028)	17 (156.4912)
May 2, 2014	The Masters in May Fremont, WI	53 / 62 (612.9252)	55 (147.3828)	47 (152.5484)	56 (147.8856)	15 (165.1084)
Oct 18, 2013	8th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q (TEAMS FULL) Libertyville, IL	4 / 54 (659.3600)	15 (162.8456)	3 (173.1544)	10 (161.6800)	11 (161.6800)
Jul 5, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Madison, WI	22 / 30 (628.5714)	11 (164.5714)	27 (146.2858)	13 (160)	19 (157.7142)
Jun 14, 2013	Pig in the Park Whitewater, WI	9 / 29 (633.7140)	9 (165.1426)	19 (152.5716)	12 (157.1426)	10 (158.8572)
May 3, 2013	The Masters in May Fremont, WI	25 / 48 (618.2856)	16 (160.0002)	26 (154.8570)	35 (151.4284)	30 (152)

JH OLD SCHOOL

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (16 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Among the elite

Against the odds

A multi-meat day

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

The drought

A strong matchup

Looking over their shoulder

An October team

The long haul

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, 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

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)