Big Boots BBQ

Big Boots BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 31 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2023. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Harvest On the Fire At the Winery (2020), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #468 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#468

of 6,485 rated · rankings

Rating

1685

peak 1689 · rated over 27 contests3 invitational or side-series contests not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 17, 2018

latest May 5, 2023 · 4.7 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#77

Master 2021 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve · wins it all 6% of the time

Category wins

17 podiums

Overall top-10s

58% of 31 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 32%

overall standings

Best overall

694.8344 / 720

Master · Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

680.37 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 681.60 (-1.23)

Walk rate

74%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Pork · DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off

Consistency

±9.20

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 171.58 · weakest Brisket (169.75)

Road miles

5,334

across 31 mapped stops · furthest 303 mi

Schedule strength

83%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1610)

Purse competed for

$277K

listed at 25 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

2 🏅

won from 28 state-championship entries

Master avg

681.60 / 720

30 Master contests · 2 GCs

Storylines (18 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

1.7256 points from the title

Came within 1.7256 points of the Grand Championship at WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest (Apr 23, 2021).

Among the elite

#468 of 6,485 rated teams

In the top 7% of every rated team in the data

A power rating of 1685 puts them #468 of 6,485 rated teams — the top 7% of the field.

rating 1685
peak 1689
27 rated contests

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

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

Pork ×1

Against the odds

9-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 91 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Harvest On the Fire At the Winery (Jul 10, 2020) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 9-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Organizer Portal.

Giant slayer

53 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 53-team field at Harvest On the Fire At the Winery.

Jul 10, 2020

Happy hunting ground

Top 12% average finish here

Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest is their spot: an average finish in the top 12% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 4th
average top 12%

They almost always walk

74% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 23 of 31 contests

A top-10 category call in 74% of their 31 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

Show 11 more storylines

High-water mark

694.8344 career-best overall

96.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 694.8344 at Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest — 96.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 16, 2019

State champions

2 state championships won

They've taken 2 state championships from 28 entries at contests carrying the title.

28 state-championship entries

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS has finished one call ahead of Big Boots BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

8–1 behind in the head-to-head

GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 89% of their meetings

GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

The drought

22 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Harvest On the Fire At the Winery on Jul 10, 2020 — 22 contests and 6.2 years ago.

last GC Jul 10, 2020
6.2 years ago

A strong matchup

8–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW in 8 of their 10 shared contests.

They cook the hard rooms

1610 average field rating faced

A tougher draw than 83% of rated fields

The fields they enter average a 1610 power rating — a tougher draw than 83% of every rated contest in the data.

27 rated contests

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

QUE-N-BREW has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 20% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 20% across 3 contests, versus top 32% the rest of the year.

3 July contests
top 32% the rest of the year

The long haul

5,334 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,334 miles across 31 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 303 miles to Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY).

31 mapped stops
furthest 303 mi

The metronome

±1.28% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.28% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 94.7% of a perfect score
31 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
2023 ↗	Master	#362 (562 pts)	#418 (537 pts)	#400 (617 pts)	#395 (537 pts)	#409 (497 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#388 (577 pts)	#366 (657 pts)	#478 (522 pts)	#317 (767 pts)	#418 (557 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#77 (1,654 pts)	#130 (1,254 pts)	#62 (1,734 pts)	#78 (1,594 pts)	#153 (1,119 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#386 (285 pts)	#622 (155 pts)	#560 (185 pts)	#542 (185 pts)	#584 (175 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#279 (1,071 pts)	#461 (741 pts)	#242 (1,141 pts)	#384 (886 pts)	#318 (996 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1418 (145 pts)	#1925 (75 pts)	#1540 (135 pts)	#1380 (175 pts)	#1776 (105 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Big Boots BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

JOUSTING PIGS BBQ

#463 of the rated field

1685 power rating

Contests: 48
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1688

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Big Boots BBQ)

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

rated over 48 contests
last seen Jun 3, 2022

⚔ Head-to-head

GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ

#470 of the rated field

1684 power rating

Contests: 186
GCs: 8
Top-10s: 39%
Peak: 1733

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Big Boots BBQ)

They've been 1733 at their best, 49 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 165 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Insomnia BBQ Team

#465 of the rated field

1685 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 5
Top-10s: 90%
Peak: 1685

Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 31, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 29 contests
last seen Oct 18, 2025
on a 5-contest top-10 run

⚔ Compare careers

MIDNIGHT STOKERS

#467 of the rated field

1685 power rating

Contests: 32
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 47%
Peak: 1685

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 7 years before Big Boots BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 31 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Fine As* Swine BBQ

#466 of the rated field

1685 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 73%
Peak: 1686

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 33 contests, alongside a 73% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 32 contests
last seen Sep 12, 2025
on a 5-contest top-10 run

⚔ Compare careers

O.G. BANDITS

#469 of the rated field

1684 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1688

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

rated over 37 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Heavy Smoke BBQ	23	10	13	43%	⚔ compare
MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS	18	11	7	61%	⚔ compare
JANKY LEG BBQ	17	6	11	35%	⚔ compare
TRIPLE H BBQ	15	8	7	53%	⚔ compare
Can Country Outlaw BBQ	14	6	8	43%	⚔ compare
RAZORRACKS	12	7	5	58%	⚔ compare
Rusty Pig BBQ	11	7	4	64%	⚔ compare
SMOKE THIS BBQ MO	11	6	5	55%	⚔ compare
AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW	10	8	2	80%	⚔ compare
BYO GRILL	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
SmokinGhost BBQ	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
MAN MEAT BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
LA PASADITA	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	30	11	0	2	177.7144	161.1200	170.80	top 38%
Pork Ribs	31	14	3	8	179.4400	158.2288	169.77	top 39%
Pork	29	17	1	5	180 🔥	161.6800	171.58	top 33%
Brisket	30	12	0	2	176	159.9312	169.75	top 40%

“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)	1	0	top 46%
Medium (20–39)	18	1	top 31%
Large (40+)	11	1	top 32%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MO	17	1	top 27%
IL	5	1	top 29%
KS	4	0	top 51%
TN	3	0	top 46%
MS	1	0	top 13%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest (JUDGING FULL)	3	2	top 46%	Apr 28, 2023
Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2)	2	4	top 20%	Mar 25, 2023
EffingHAM-JAM	2	3	top 29%	Jul 22, 2022
Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest	2	4	top 12%	Aug 20, 2021

More numbers

Busiest season 2021 10 contests

Contests a season 5.2 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 18 of 31 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 25 4 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 31 entries · 3 wins · 14 calls

First title May 3, 2019 38th Annual Kennett Jaycee's Show Me State BBQ Cookoff

Opponents faced 987 finished ahead 1,127 times, behind 670

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

20232 milestones

Mar 25 Peak power rating (1689) Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2)
May 5 Most recent contest Kennett Jaycees Show Me State BBQ Cook Off

20221 milestone

Jul 22 25th tracked contest EffingHAM-JAM

20212 milestones

Apr 23 First Reserve Championship WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest
Jun 18 First perfect 180 (Pork) DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off

20202 milestones

Jul 10 Biggest field won (53 teams) Harvest On the Fire At the Winery
Nov 13 10th tracked contest Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition

20195 milestones

Apr 26 First category win (Pork Ribs) BBQ, Bikes and Blues
May 3 First overall podium 38th Annual Kennett Jaycee's Show Me State BBQ Cookoff
May 3 First Grand Championship 38th Annual Kennett Jaycee's Show Me State BBQ Cookoff
May 3 First state championship 38th Annual Kennett Jaycee's Show Me State BBQ Cookoff
Aug 16 Career-best overall score694.8344 Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest

20184 milestones

Aug 17 First tracked contest Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest
Aug 17 First call Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest
Aug 17 First overall top-10 Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest
Aug 17 First overall past 90% of a perfect score677.6112 Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+19.3	38th Annual Kennett Jaycee's Show Me State BBQ Cookoff	May 3, 2019
+17.9	Harvest On the Fire At the Winery	Jul 10, 2020
+16.9	BBQ, Bikes and Blues	Apr 26, 2019
+16.3	WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest	Apr 23, 2021
+14	Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest	Aug 16, 2019

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.7	WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest (JUDGING FULL)	Apr 28, 2023
-5.7	Smoke in the Spring	Apr 9, 2021
-4.8	WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest	Apr 22, 2022
-1.6	40th Annual Kennett Jaycees Show Me State BBQ Cook Off	May 6, 2022
-0.9	A Celebration of Our Heroes	Sep 3, 2021

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)
2023	5	0	3	0	80%	top 36%	96.4%	95.1%
2022	6	0	1	0	67%	top 52%	96.4%	93.7%
2021	10	0	8	3	80%	top 24%	96.4%	94.7%
2020	2	1	1	0	50%	top 33%	96.4%	95.5%
2019	7	1	4	1	71%	top 25%	96.5%	95%
2018	1	0	1	0	100%	top 20%	94.1%	94.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
May 5, 2023	Kennett Jaycees Show Me State BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Kennett, MO	9 / 26 (687.8740)	7 (175.4056)	4 (174.2744)	21 (166.2284)	9 (171.9656)
Apr 28, 2023	WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest (JUDGING FULL) 🏅 Washington, MO	26 / 37 (663.8628)	27 (166.2400)	29 (160.5372)	19 (169.1200)	18 (167.9656)
Mar 25, 2023	Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 2) 🏅 St. Robert, MO	6 / 25 (692.5260)	6 (175.4172)	13 (170.2744)	4 (176.5716)	15 (170.2628)
Mar 24, 2023	Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (Day 1) 🏅 St. Robert, MO	4 / 26 (694.2288)	7 (173.1200)	14 (169.6916)	5 (175.4172)	6 (176)
Mar 24, 2023	Kickin' It Route 66 BBQ (One Meat Ribs) St. Robert, MO	—	—	8 (174.2628)	—	—
Oct 14, 2022	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN	67 / 83 (663.3484)	17 (174.2856)	78 (161.0972)	51 (167.4056)	69 (160.5600)
Jul 22, 2022	EffingHAM-JAM 🏅 Effingham, IL	12 / 25 (677.5768)	9 (172.5600)	15 (166.8228)	14 (167.3712)	8 (170.8228)
May 6, 2022	40th Annual Kennett Jaycees Show Me State BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Kennett, MO	6 / 13 (694.2172)	2 (177.7144)	5 (171.9772)	9 (169.6800)	5 (174.8456)
Apr 22, 2022	WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest 🏅 Washington, MO	18 / 29 (664.3768)	14 (169.6684)	19 (161.6572)	3 (173.1200)	22 (159.9312)
Mar 26, 2022	Kickin It Route 66 Barbeque Challenge - Day 2 🏅 St. Robert, MO	16 / 39 (676.9940)	18 (171.9656)	20 (167.9656)	4 (174.2628)	33 (162.8000)
Mar 25, 2022	Kickin It Route 66 Barbeque Challenge - Day 1 🏅 St. Robert, MO	14 / 38 (672.4112)	21 (167.3828)	19 (165.0856)	17 (169.1200)	13 (170.8228)
Sep 24, 2021	Praise the Lard Murphysboro BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Murphysboro, IL	15 / 39 (679.2912)	14 (170.8228)	19 (166.8228)	17 (169.6800)	14 (171.9656)
Sep 3, 2021	A Celebration of Our Heroes 🏅 Madison, IL	9 / 20 (677.0744)	13 (168.5372)	12 (166.8344)	2 (177.7028)	15 (164)
Aug 20, 2021	Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest 🏅 Cape Girardeau, MO	4 / 27 (678.7544)	4 (174.2628)	21 (159.3600)	1 (178.8572)	10 (166.2744)
Jul 23, 2021	Effingham -Jam 🏅 Effingham, IL	3 / 29 (679.9428)	13 (169.1200)	3 (175.4400)	23 (161.6800)	4 (173.7028)
Jun 18, 2021	DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Nesbit, MS	6 / 48 (694.2284)	30 (166.8228)	1 (178.8572)	2 (180)	25 (168.5484)
May 14, 2021	Obion County Barbeque Cook Off 🏅 Union City, TN	6 / 31 (679.3716)	21 (161.1200)	2 (171.9772)	3 (176)	10 (170.2744)
May 1, 2021	39th Annual Kennett Jaycees Show Me State BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Kennett, MO	7 / 32 (683.9084)	6 (171.9772)	1 (179.4400)	9 (171.4056)	26 (161.0856)
Apr 23, 2021	WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest 🏅 Washington, MO	2 / 45 (687.3600)	7 (173.1428)	3 (176.0116)	8 (171.9656)	16 (166.2400)
Apr 9, 2021	Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS	60 / 105 (674.1484)	86 (161.6800)	41 (170.8344)	37 (171.9656)	51 (169.6684)
Mar 26, 2021	Kickin It Route 66 Barbeque Challenge 🏅 St. Roberts, MO	8 / 52 (687.3944)	5 (176.5828)	14 (172.0116)	40 (163.3828)	7 (175.4172)
Nov 13, 2020	Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition 🏅 unrated Mayetta, KS	60 / 94 (680.4800)	56 (170.2628)	52 (170.2628)	—	38 (172.5600)
Jul 10, 2020	Harvest On the Fire At the Winery 🏅 Marshall, IL	1 / 53 (694.2056)	8 (174.2628)	5 (171.9772)	5 (173.7028)	6 (174.2628)
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	73 / 468 (681.6116)	40 (174.8572)	218 (166.2400)	197 (167.3944)	71 (173.1200)
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- INVITATIONAL CONTEST 🏅 unrated Kansas City, KS	92 / 135 (674.7772)	48 (173.1428)	126 (158.2288)	35 (173.7028)	79 (169.7028)
Aug 23, 2019	Great Americana BBQ Festival 🏅 Franklin, TN	15 / 39 (672.4688)	21 (166.8344)	28 (162.8116)	4 (174.2972)	11 (168.5256)
Aug 16, 2019	Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest 🏅 Cape Girardeau, MO	4 / 45 (694.8344)	16 (169.1428)	2 (178.8572)	9 (171.9772)	6 (174.8572)
Jun 21, 2019	Ribs on the River 🏅 Louisiana, MO	8 / 26 (681.5996)	14 (167.3712)	2 (175.4400)	17 (165.0856)	3 (173.7028)
May 3, 2019	38th Annual Kennett Jaycee's Show Me State BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Kennett, MO	1 / 25 (693.6344)	3 (175.4172)	6 (171.9772)	7 (170.8228)	2 (175.4172)
Apr 26, 2019	BBQ, Bikes and Blues 🏅 Washington, MO	4 / 39 (687.9544)	16 (169.1428)	1 (176.5716)	7 (172.5600)	18 (169.6800)
Aug 17, 2018	Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest Cape Girardeau, MO	9 / 44 (677.6112)	22 (165.6800)	10 (169.1200)	6 (175.4056)	16 (167.4056)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

Big Boots BBQ

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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (18 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Among the elite

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

Giant slayer

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

State champions

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The drought

A strong matchup

They cook the hard rooms

Looking over their shoulder

A July 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)