On the rise
+34
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 34 points across 6 contests since Apr 15, 2016 — from 1497 up to 1531.
- 6 contests since Apr 15, 2016
- now 1531
PWA BBQ
PWA BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 20 at The Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITORS SERIES) (2021). They are ranked #2218 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1531
peak 1531 · rated over 7 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
May 29, 2015
latest May 12, 2023 · 8 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
2
7 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
27% of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 42%
overall standings
Best overall
687.3484 / 720
Competitor Series · The Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITORS SERIES)
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
676.24 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 674.34 (+1.90)
Walk rate
73%
contests with a top-10 call
Best single call
178.8800
Consistency
±5.90
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 173.81 · weakest Brisket (165.52)
Road miles
634
across 11 mapped stops · furthest 133 mi
Schedule strength
47%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1561)
Purse competed for
$9,550
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
Master avg
674.34 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 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 PWA BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
78 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,227 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1530
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to PWA BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team PWA BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,210 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1531
Fewer contests behind them than PWA BBQ has cooked, 7 to 11, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#2,225 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1530
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 7 years before PWA BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,205 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1531
Level with PWA BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,209 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1531
They turned up 6 years after PWA BBQ did, first appearing in 2021.
⚔ Compare careers#2,213 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1531
Fewer contests behind them than PWA BBQ has cooked, 6 to 11, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIG G BBQ | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Organizer Portal | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 177.7028 | 164.5488 | 170.93 | top 37% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 178.8800 | 169.1200 | 173.81 | top 24% |
| Pork | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 171.9772 | 158.1940 | 166.94 | top 51% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.2628 | 161.0972 | 165.52 | top 60% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 39% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 48% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2016
6 contests
Contests a season
1.8
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
TN
10 of 11 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
9
a different one every time
Opponents faced
247
finished ahead 192 times, behind 137
Longest layoff
2.7 yrs
Sep 21, 2018 → Jun 11, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20231 milestone
- Most recent contest Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITORS SERIES)
20213 milestones
- First overall podium The Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITORS SERIES)
- 10th tracked contest The Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITORS SERIES)
- Career-best overall score687.3484 The Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITORS SERIES)
20181 milestone
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8800 First Tennessee Bank Bluegrass & BBQ (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) (JUDGES FULL)
20171 milestone
- First category win (Pork Ribs) First Tennessee Bank Bluegrass & BBQ (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) (JUDGES FULL)
20162 milestones
- First overall top-10 Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cookoff
- Peak power rating (1531) 2nd Annual Brew B-Q
20153 milestones
- First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score676.5140 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.8 | Franklin BBQ Festival Presented By Franklin Noon Rotary Club | Aug 26, 2016 |
| +9.2 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ | May 6, 2016 |
| +8.8 | Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cookoff | May 27, 2016 |
| +5.5 | BBQ Fest Cooking Contest | Jul 22, 2016 |
| +1.9 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | May 29, 2015 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -5 | High on the Hog Festival | Apr 15, 2016 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 50% | 91.9% | 91.9% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 15% | 95.5% | 95.5% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | — | — | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | — | — | — |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 67% | top 43% | 94.7% | 93.6% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 55% | 94% | 94% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2023 | Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Murfreesboro, TN | 16 / 32 (496.4916) | 12 (164.5488) | 11 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 11, 2021 | The Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Springfield, TN | 3 / 20 (687.3484) | 2 (174.8456) | 3 (176.5944) | 11 (166.2400) | — |
| Sep 21, 2018 | First Tennessee Bank Bluegrass & BBQ (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) (JUDGES FULL) Columbia, TN | — | 5 (170.8228) | 1 (178.8800) | 3 (171.9772) | — |
| Sep 22, 2017 | First Tennessee Bank Bluegrass & BBQ (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) (JUDGES FULL) Columbia, TN | — | 2 (177.7028) | 1 (178.8572) | 14 (169.6684) | — |
| Nov 11, 2016 | 2nd Annual Brew B-Q Nashville, TN | 15 / 25 (678.7200) | 16 (169.6916) | 11 (173.1200) | 11 (169.6684) | 20 (166.2400) |
| Aug 26, 2016 | Franklin BBQ Festival Presented By Franklin Noon Rotary Club Franklin, TN | 7 / 31 (677.6344) | 12 (170.8344) | 5 (173.1428) | 18 (163.3944) | 7 (170.2628) |
| Jul 22, 2016 | BBQ Fest Cooking Contest Dyersburg, TN | 19 / 47 (670.2288) | 16 (170.2744) | 5 (173.1200) | 32 (162.8572) | 31 (163.9772) |
| May 27, 2016 | Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cookoff Lewisburg, TN | 9 / 31 (681.6228) | 3 (175.4056) | 18 (169.1200) | 14 (167.9772) | 13 (169.1200) |
| May 6, 2016 | The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL | 19 / 67 (673.0056) | 24 (170.2628) | 16 (170.8228) | 21 (167.9772) | 34 (163.9428) |
| Apr 15, 2016 | High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN | 42 / 56 (662.6392) | 44 (165.0740) | 8 (175.4056) | 51 (158.1940) | 42 (163.9656) |
| May 29, 2015 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Hendersonville, TN | 16 / 29 (676.5140) | 16 (170.8112) | 9 (173.1428) | 9 (171.4628) | 25 (161.0972) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.