7-8-9 BBQ CA
Rating
1618
peak 1618
Contests
19
in the data
First seen
2018-12-28
latest 2020-02-28
Best ToY finish
#89
Master 2019
Grand champs
1
0 reserve
Category wins
5
12 podiums
Overall top-10s
12
of 19 contests
Avg finish
top 24%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
676.92 ▼
last 5 vs career avg 681.28 (-4.36)
Walk rate
89%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
8
best run (overall)
Consistency
±9.65
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 171.21 · weakest Brisket (169.12)
Road miles
4981
mi across 19 mapped stops · furthest 486 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
BIG POPPA SMOKERS has finished one call ahead of 7-8-9 BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
B' Mackin BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of 7 SINS BBQ in 12 of their 12 shared contests.
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 35-team field at Turf & Surf BBQ Championship.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 3 of 47 at their very first tracked contest, Arizona National BBQ Stampede (2018-12-28).
Teams like this (closest power rating, CA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 19 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 180.0000 🔥 | 162.8112 | 170.38 | top 42% |
| Pork Ribs | 19 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 180.0000 🔥 | 157.0744 | 171.21 | top 26% |
| Pork | 19 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 177.7028 | 162.8456 | 170.57 | top 33% |
| Brisket | 19 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 177.1544 | 162.7768 | 169.12 | top 36% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 13 | 1 | top 22% |
| AZ | 4 | 0 | top 26% |
| NV | 1 | 0 | top 30% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 8 | 1 | top 22% |
| Large (40+) | 10 | 0 | top 26% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2019 (14 contests)
- Cooks mostly in CA (13 of 19 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (19 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Turf & Surf BBQ Championship (2019-08-16)
- Wins it all in 5% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 681.28
- 2 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 686.8116 | 679.05 |
| 2019 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 705.7028 | 680.91 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 695.3712 | 695.37 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-02-28 | Best in the Desert Southwest KCBS BBQ Competition Yuma, AZ | 8 / 29 (680.4572) | 17 (166.2400) | 2 (176.0000) | 9 (173.1200) | 18 (165.0972) |
| 2020-02-21 | The Tyson Guinea Pig, Matt Dalton Memorial Coachella, CA | 16 / 50 (670.7312) | 31 (165.6912) | 18 (169.6800) | 21 (167.9772) | 18 (167.3828) |
| 2020-01-24 | The Golden State Battle II Hollister, CA | 14 / 46 (678.2172) | 3 (178.8572) | 14 (166.8688) | 32 (164.5372) | 24 (167.9540) |
| 2020-01-17 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 3 / 59 (686.8116) | 1 (180.0000) | 18 (167.9888) | 8 (170.8228) | 17 (168.0000) |
| 2019-12-27 | Arizona National BBQ Stampede Phoenix, AZ | 29 / 44 (668.3996) | 37 (162.8112) | 23 (168.5372) | 14 (170.8228) | 22 (166.2284) |
| 2019-11-01 | Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival Indio, CA | 13 / 37 (670.7312) | 24 (166.2400) | 15 (169.6800) | 25 (162.8456) | 7 (171.9656) |
| 2019-09-20 | 5th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship | 18 / 44 (670.1828) | 6 (176.5828) | 40 (157.0744) | 6 (173.7028) | 26 (162.8228) |
| 2019-09-13 | America's Finest BBQ State Championship (JUDGES FULL) San Diego, CA | 8 / 30 (682.1940) | 18 (164.5484) | 11 (170.2744) | 3 (175.4056) | 9 (171.9656) |
| 2019-08-23 | Wild West BBQ Shoot Out Wendover, NV | 11 / 37 (682.8000) | 30 (164.5256) | 6 (174.8572) | 17 (168.5600) | 5 (174.8572) |
| 2019-08-16 | Turf & Surf BBQ Championship Del Mar, CA | 1 / 35 (705.7028) | 1 (177.7028) | 1 (180.0000) | 10 (170.8456) | 2 (177.1544) |
| 2019-07-05 | Smoke & Hops Harmony, CA | 3 / 26 (693.6344) | 3 (175.4056) | 2 (174.2744) | 13 (169.6916) | 6 (174.2628) |
| 2019-06-21 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA | 10 (677.1200) | 7 (174.2628) | 22 (164.0000) | 19 (166.2744) | 6 (172.5828) |
| 2019-05-31 | Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL) Norco, CA | 3 / 49 (686.8228) | 10 (173.7028) | 10 (171.4172) | 2 (176.5600) | 16 (165.1428) |
| 2019-05-24 | Big Bear Grill & Chill Big Bear Lake, CA | 5 / 25 (676.4912) | 15 (163.4056) | 5 (171.4056) | 10 (167.3828) | 5 (174.2972) |
| 2019-05-03 | Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA | 7 / 27 (675.4288) | 6 (171.4056) | 14 (164.5716) | 4 (174.3088) | 11 (165.1428) |
| 2019-03-30 | 8th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship Day 2 Arcadia, CA | 9 / 47 (686.8228) | 38 (163.9772) | 1 (179.4400) | 30 (167.3828) | 4 (176.0228) |
| 2019-03-29 | 8th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship Day 1 Arcadia, CA | 6 / 70 (685.7144) | 10 (172.5828) | 1 (177.7372) | 19 (171.4172) | 42 (163.9772) |
| 2019-01-25 | The Golden State Battle Santa Ynez, CA | 21 / 48 (670.7424) | 41 (163.9656) | 8 (172.5828) | 13 (171.4172) | 29 (162.7768) |
| 2018-12-28 | Arizona National BBQ Stampede Phoenix, AZ | 3 / 47 (695.3712) | 8 (175.4056) | 4 (176.5600) | 5 (177.7028) | 22 (165.7028) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #184 (635 pts) | #169 (705 pts) | #255 (485 pts) | #269 (470 pts) | #234 (500 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #89 (1918 pts) | #121 (1633 pts) | #39 (2081 pts) | #114 (1643 pts) | #99 (1703 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #245 (1261 pts) | #379 (921 pts) | #133 (1566 pts) | #208 (1336 pts) | #456 (796 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1058 (305 pts) | #1026 (360 pts) | #933 (410 pts) | #1038 (345 pts) | #875 (440 pts) |