POOR BOYS BBQ VA
Rating
1721
peak 1767
Contests
79
in the data
First seen
2021-06-11
latest 2026-06-19
Best ToY finish
#42
Master 2024
Grand champs
10
3 reserve
Category wins
14
48 podiums
Overall top-10s
54
of 79 contests
Avg finish
top 30%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
683.11 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 533.97 (+149.14)
Walk rate
82%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
11
best run (overall)
Consistency
±155.39
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 172.22 · weakest Pork Ribs (170.43)
Road miles
12964
mi across 79 mapped stops · furthest 960 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Optimus Swine has finished one call ahead of POOR BOYS BBQ 5 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Ham Squad has landed one call behind them 5 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Country Boys BBQ in 20 of their 28 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 0.5716 points of the Grand Championship at BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) (2023-03-24).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 46-team field at BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard).
📅 A September team
Something about September: average finish in the top 16% across 10 contests, versus top 30% the rest of the year.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (OPEN FORMAT) (2026-06-19) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 29-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA.
Teams like this (closest power rating, VA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 74 | 45 | 3 | 14 | 179.4400 | 156.5372 | 171.21 | top 38% |
| Pork Ribs | 69 | 45 | 7 | 16 | 178.8572 | 157.6456 | 170.43 | top 37% |
| Pork | 46 | 29 | 3 | 13 | 178.8572 | 160.5256 | 172.22 | top 33% |
| Brisket | 31 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 178.2972 | 157.7144 | 171.71 | top 39% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 30 | 6 | top 22% |
| WV | 18 | 2 | top 36% |
| TN | 4 | 0 | top 64% |
| GA | 3 | 0 | top 36% |
| NC | 3 | 1 | top 14% |
| MD | 3 | 0 | top 33% |
| MA | 2 | 1 | top 15% |
| KS | 2 | 0 | top 34% |
| OH | 1 | 0 | top 47% |
| DC | 1 | 0 | top 31% |
| AL | 1 | 0 | top 80% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 24 | 3 | top 36% |
| Medium (20–39) | 27 | 6 | top 23% |
| Large (40+) | 17 | 1 | top 35% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2023 (22 contests)
- Cooks mostly in VA (37 of 79 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (74 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) (2022-09-24)
- Wins it all in 13% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 533.97
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 699.3484 | 684.11 |
| 2025 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 695.3832 | 686.83 |
| 2024 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 710.2860 | 690.02 |
| 2023 | 22 | 6 | 9 | 697.0972 | 471.62 |
| 2022 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 525.7144 | 431.64 |
| 2021 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 506.8232 | 365.48 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-19 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (OPEN FORMAT) Buckhannon, WV | 1 / 29 (699.3484) | 2 (177.7028) | 13 (169.6800) | 7 (175.4056) | 4 (176.5600) |
| 2026-04-24 | Marietta River City BBQ (OPEN FORMAT) Marietta, OH | 7 / 15 (669.0744) | 6 (171.9772) | 13 (167.9656) | 6 (171.4172) | 15 (157.7144) |
| 2026-04-24 | Marietta River City BBQ (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Marietta, OH | — | 4 (172.5484) | — | — | — |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship Lebanon, TN | 63 / 125 (683.9200) | 92 (167.4056) | 23 (175.4172) | 58 (171.9772) | 74 (169.1200) |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 11 (177.7028) | — | — | — |
| 2025-11-14 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic Cumming, GA | 38 / 56 (681.0284) | 33 (170.8228) | 49 (165.0972) | 14 (174.2628) | 28 (170.8456) |
| 2025-10-10 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 56 / 90 (682.1712) | 7 (178.8572) | 88 (159.9428) | 9 (177.7028) | 69 (165.6684) |
| 2025-09-26 | Fire in the Foothills King, NC | 3 / 25 (689.6688) | 16 (169.6800) | 13 (169.7144) | 5 (173.1200) | 2 (177.1544) |
| 2025-07-25 | Smoke on the Mountain Galax, VA | 11 / 37 (686.2056) | 6 (174.2856) | 13 (170.8344) | 33 (164.5256) | 4 (176.5600) |
| 2025-06-13 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Buckhannon, WV | 10 / 30 (689.0856) | 1 (179.4400) | 15 (169.6800) | 22 (167.9656) | 10 (172.0000) |
| 2025-06-06 | WV Coalfields Cookoff WV KCBS State Championship Welch, WV | 3 / 11 (689.6344) | 2 (176.5600) | 6 (170.2860) | 4 (174.2628) | 6 (168.5256) |
| 2025-05-25 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Sunday, May 25, 2025) Lebanon, TN | 63 / 70 (677.5540) | 59 (169.6684) | 55 (168.5372) | 58 (169.6684) | 51 (169.6800) |
| 2025-05-24 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational (Saturday, May 24, 2025) Lebanon, TN | 58 / 106 (684.4688) | 55 (171.9772) | 23 (175.4172) | 91 (166.2400) | 53 (170.8344) |
| 2025-05-23 | 7th Annual KCBS World Invitational Chicken (Friday, May 23, 2025) Lebanon, TN | — | 22 (171.9772) | — | — | — |
| 2025-03-22 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 10 / 43 (695.3832) | 9 (177.1544) | 17 (173.1316) | 21 (171.9772) | 14 (173.1200) |
| 2025-03-21 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 5 / 45 (693.0744) | 13 (174.2628) | 13 (173.1316) | 19 (171.4172) | 5 (174.2628) |
| 2025-03-21 | BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Urbanna, VA | — | 9 (170.2744) | — | — | — |
| 2024-11-15 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic Cuming, GA | 21 / 58 (686.7540) | 28 (171.9656) | 25 (173.1084) | 20 (172.5600) | 27 (169.1200) |
| 2024-08-30 | Fire in the Foothills BBQ Festival King, NC | 7 / 28 (688.4684) | 14 (172.5600) | 6 (171.9772) | 1 (177.7028) | 21 (166.2284) |
| 2024-08-10 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) Ashland, VA | 7 / 28 (691.3256) | 13 (174.2628) | 6 (176.5600) | 12 (170.8228) | 12 (169.6800) |
| 2024-08-09 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) Ashland, VA | 5 / 27 (697.6916) | 20 (170.8344) | 7 (173.7028) | 7 (176.0000) | 4 (177.1544) |
| 2024-08-09 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Ashland, VA | — | 7 (174.2628) | — | — | — |
| 2024-07-26 | Smoke on the Mountain Galax, VA | 1 / 32 (710.2860) | 3 (178.8572) | 6 (175.4288) | 2 (178.8572) | 3 (177.1428) |
| 2024-06-22 | Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle Washington, DC | 11 / 36 (693.7372) | 14 (174.8456) | 28 (165.7144) | 3 (177.1772) | 5 (176.0000) |
| 2024-06-14 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Buckhannon, WV | 9 / 30 (682.2516) | 16 (167.4172) | 6 (173.1316) | 21 (167.4172) | 6 (174.2856) |
| 2024-06-07 | WV Coalfields Cookoff Welch, WV | 4 / 13 (689.0628) | 8 (169.1200) | 7 (169.6800) | 3 (173.1200) | 2 (177.1428) |
| 2024-05-18 | Massachusetts in May (Day 2) Wrentham, MA | 8 / 31 (685.6112) | 18 (167.9656) | 15 (170.8228) | 16 (168.5256) | 1 (178.2972) |
| 2024-05-17 | Massachusetts in May (Day 1) Wrentham, MA | 1 / 30 (691.3712) | 8 (171.9656) | 21 (166.2628) | 2 (177.1428) | 3 (176.0000) |
| 2024-04-20 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) Williamsburg, VA | 5 / 25 (687.9084) | 18 (168.5256) | 5 (175.4056) | 2 (175.4172) | 16 (168.5600) |
| 2024-04-19 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) Williamsburg, VA | 10 / 25 (683.9544) | 12 (170.2744) | 2 (176.5828) | 18 (166.8344) | 13 (170.2628) |
| 2024-03-23 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 16 / 42 (686.1828) | 29 (169.1200) | 17 (170.8112) | 10 (174.2744) | 13 (171.9772) |
| 2024-03-22 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 12 / 45 (685.6228) | 14 (173.1084) | 5 (174.2744) | 17 (170.8228) | 26 (167.4172) |
| 2024-03-22 | BBQ Gives Back (One Meat Chicken) Urbanna, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023-11-17 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic Cumming, GA | 3 / 60 (697.0972) | 20 (173.1200) | 23 (173.1200) | 5 (176.5828) | 9 (174.2744) |
| 2023-10-28 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) Galax, VA | 2 / 17 (337.0972) | 3 (166.2628) | 2 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Galax, VA | — | 4 (170.8228) | — | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) Galax, VA | 4 / 19 (329.6112) | 12 (158.7884) | 1 (170.8228) | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT RIBS) Galax, VA | — | — | 7 (165.6916) | — | — |
| 2023-09-23 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 4 / 20 (520.5028) | 4 (177.7144) | 15 (167.3712) | 3 (175.4172) | — |
| 2023-09-22 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 1 / 24 (531.4288) | 1 (178.2972) | 5 (174.2744) | 1 (178.8572) | — |
| 2023-09-09 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) Mannington, WV | 1 / 11 (351.4516) | 1 (176.0116) | 1 (175.4400) | — | — |
| 2023-09-08 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) Mannington, WV | 4 / 12 (339.9544) | 3 (173.1200) | 5 (166.8344) | — | — |
| 2023-09-01 | Fire in the Foothills BBQ Festival King, NC | 1 / 21 (345.0856) | 2 (177.7028) | 2 (167.3828) | — | — |
| 2023-08-12 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL Mayetta, KS | 10 / 29 (349.6800) | 20 (170.8228) | 5 (178.8572) | — | — |
| 2023-08-11 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN Mayetta, KS | 30 / 90 (691.3716) | 12 (177.1544) | 60 (169.6800) | 27 (174.2744) | 42 (170.2628) |
| 2023-07-21 | Smoke on the Mountain Galax, VA | 7 / 38 (333.0628) | 2 (171.4172) | 8 (161.6456) | — | — |
| 2023-06-16 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Buckhannon, WV | 11 / 28 (684.4684) | 8 (173.1084) | 2 (174.2628) | 17 (165.6916) | 11 (171.4056) |
| 2023-06-09 | WV Coalfields Cookoff Welch, WV | 4 / 16 (687.3372) | 3 (176.5600) | 6 (167.3944) | 2 (177.7028) | 11 (165.6800) |
| 2023-06-02 | Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA | 1 / 27 (526.2744) | 4 (172.5600) | 1 (174.8572) | 1 (178.8572) | — |
| 2023-04-29 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 2) Williamsburg, VA | 1 / 19 (349.1200) | 2 (175.4172) | 1 (173.7028) | — | — |
| 2023-04-28 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 1) Williamsburg, VA | 5 / 20 (338.8228) | 11 (168.5256) | 5 (170.2972) | — | — |
| 2023-04-21 | WV Hunting Heroes BBQ Throwdown Cottageville, WV | 3 / 15 (510.7540) | 5 (166.8112) | 3 (169.6800) | 2 (174.2628) | — |
| 2023-03-25 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 1 / 46 (521.0968) | 6 (170.8112) | 1 (178.8572) | 6 (171.4284) | — |
| 2023-03-24 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 2 / 53 (516.5256) | 5 (172.5828) | 4 (171.9772) | 4 (171.9656) | — |
| 2023-03-24 | BBQ Gives Back (One Meat Chicken) Urbanna, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022-11-12 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL Gadsden, AL | 39 / 49 (327.3140) | 26 (169.6684) | 48 (157.6456) | — | — |
| 2022-11-11 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022-09-24 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 1 / 18 (525.7144) | 3 (178.2972) | 11 (170.2744) | 3 (177.1428) | — |
| 2022-09-23 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 3 / 20 (521.1200) | 4 (175.4172) | 10 (172.0000) | 2 (173.7028) | — |
| 2022-08-19 | Pig Out in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Frostburg, MD | 2 / 12 (338.8456) | 5 (170.2628) | 2 (168.5828) | — | — |
| 2022-07-21 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022 Galax, VA | 6 / 25 (340.5028) | 4 (170.8228) | 8 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2022-06-17 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Roanoke, WV | 8 / 20 (327.9200) | 9 (162.8000) | 6 (165.1200) | — | — |
| 2022-06-10 | WV Coalfields Cookoff Welch, WV | 4 / 15 (505.6344) | 9 (161.0972) | 1 (174.8572) | 4 (169.6800) | — |
| 2022-05-21 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 Mannington, WV | 10 / 13 (327.3828) | 11 (159.9656) | 8 (167.4172) | — | — |
| 2022-04-22 | Downtown BBQ Throwdown Ripley, WV | 4 / 17 (501.7028) | 6 (165.7028) | 3 (170.2972) | 7 (165.7028) | — |
| 2022-03-26 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 3 / 50 (515.9544) | 2 (176.0000) | 9 (169.6800) | 4 (170.2744) | — |
| 2022-03-25 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) Urbanna, VA | 3 / 53 (515.9200) | 6 (171.9656) | 1 (174.2744) | 8 (169.6800) | — |
| 2022-03-25 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) (One Meat Chicken) Urbanna, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-10-29 | Almost Heaven's Spooktacular Backyard BBQ Buckhannon, WV | 8 / 12 (341.1088) | 9 (168.5372) | 5 (172.5716) | — | — |
| 2021-10-16 | Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague Galax, VA | 15 / 15 (333.0744) | 13 (167.9772) | 16 (165.0972) | — | — |
| 2021-10-15 | Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague Galax, VA | 7 / 15 (339.9888) | 7 (171.4172) | 8 (168.5716) | — | — |
| 2021-09-25 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown at Americamps - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 7 / 18 (506.8232) | 9 (169.1316) | 3 (173.1544) | 10 (164.5372) | — |
| 2021-09-24 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown at Americamps - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 4 / 19 (502.2172) | 9 (168.5372) | 7 (164.5600) | 5 (169.1200) | — |
| 2021-08-28 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 2 Boonsboro, MD | 10 / 20 (326.2860) | 6 (165.7144) | 12 (160.5716) | — | — |
| 2021-08-27 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 1 Boonsboro, MD | 8 / 24 (338.8456) | 8 (169.1428) | 10 (169.7028) | — | — |
| 2021-07-23 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship Galax, VA | 7 / 17 (333.0856) | 8 (163.3828) | 5 (169.7028) | — | — |
| 2021-07-17 | Country Roads BBQ Clash Day 2 Morgantown, WV | 8 / 15 (328.5372) | 11 (156.5372) | 3 (172.0000) | — | — |
| 2021-07-16 | Country Roads BBQ Clash Day 1 Morgantown, WV | 9 / 18 (334.8572) | 11 (163.4172) | 4 (171.4400) | — | — |
| 2021-06-11 | City of Welch Coalfields Cook-off Welch, WV | 10 / 15 (335.4516) | 9 (168.5716) | 9 (166.8800) | 14 (160.5256) | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #207 (524 pts) | #116 (855 pts) | #387 (354 pts) | #223 (499 pts) | #277 (423 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #171 (1216 pts) | #140 (1380 pts) | #282 (896 pts) | #263 (866 pts) | #164 (1221 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #42 (1944 pts) | #124 (1333 pts) | #62 (1694 pts) | #17 (2083 pts) | #26 (1921 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #7 (1257 pts) | #3 (1333 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #502 (374 pts) | #330 (681 pts) | #405 (612 pts) | #513 (394 pts) | #595 (294 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #26 (1020 pts) | #22 (1138 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #50 (703 pts) | #41 (788 pts) | — | — |