The heartbreaker
1.1656
points from the title
Came within 1.1656 points of the Grand Championship at Peak City Pigfest (Jun 19, 2015).
Prime BBQ
Prime BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 34 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 22 at the Quebec City International BBQ & Music Festival (2018), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #2192 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “PRIME BBQ-”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1532
peak 1621 · rated over 33 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
34
in the data
First seen
Apr 11, 2014
latest Jun 26, 2026 · 12.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
2 reserve
Category wins
8
19 podiums
Overall top-10s
11
32% of 34 contests
Best top-10 run
7
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 45%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
623.87 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 653.92 (-30.06)
Walk rate
59%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±24.80
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 164.61 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.79)
Road miles
14,920
across 34 mapped stops · furthest 887 mi
Schedule strength
37%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1549)
Purse competed for
$143K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
653.92 / 720
34 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #1065 (60 pts) | #1141 (60 pts) | #1203 (60 pts) | #1111 (60 pts) | #1102 (60 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1182 (60 pts) | #1242 (60 pts) | #1317 (60 pts) | #1231 (60 pts) | #1204 (60 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1223 (68 pts) | #1319 (60 pts) | #1328 (88 pts) | #1199 (83 pts) | #1237 (73 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1309 (60 pts) | #1341 (60 pts) | #1404 (60 pts) | #1348 (60 pts) | #1333 (60 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1236 (60 pts) | #1286 (60 pts) | #1309 (60 pts) | #1262 (60 pts) | #1245 (60 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #726 (423 pts) | #433 (783 pts) | #955 (313 pts) | #874 (353 pts) | #522 (643 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #619 (546 pts) | #939 (341 pts) | #622 (591 pts) | #681 (541 pts) | #582 (626 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1225 (234 pts) | #1446 (194 pts) | #1187 (279 pts) | #1031 (349 pts) | #1007 (349 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #986 (330 pts) | #1765 (140 pts) | #1289 (245 pts) | #988 (375 pts) | #702 (570 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #534 (705 pts) | #1223 (250 pts) | #533 (730 pts) | #719 (520 pts) | #630 (595 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #372 (998 pts) | #443 (848 pts) | #475 (843 pts) | #199 (1,423 pts) | #523 (708 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Prime BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
80 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,196 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1567
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Prime BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Prime BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,177 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1621
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Prime BBQ)
They've been 1621 at their best, 89 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,182 of the rated field
- Contests
- 46
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1546
Careers of much the same size, 46 contests to 34, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,184 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1544
21 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#2,180 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1549
They turned up 9 years after Prime BBQ did, first appearing in 2023.
⚔ Compare careers#2,198 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1531
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Prime BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA | 14 | 2 | 12 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | 14 | 2 | 12 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| PICKIN' PORKERS | 12 | 8 | 4 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN SKULLIES | 12 | 8 | 4 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| FatHeads bbq | 12 | 8 | 4 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE THIS | 11 | 6 | 5 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| ROLLIN' SMOKE | 10 | 8 | 2 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRED UP SMOKERS | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| K & D SMOKERS | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| CAROLINA SMOKE | 9 | 8 | 1 | 89% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Hot to Handle | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| THE NEKKED PIG BBQ TEAM | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 34 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 172.0228 | 147.9428 | 163.25 | top 54% |
| Pork Ribs | 34 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 176.5600 | 141.6572 | 161.79 | top 53% |
| Pork | 34 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 178.2972 | 146.2172 | 164.61 | top 42% |
| Brisket | 34 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 180 🔥 | 133.6000 | 164.27 | top 41% |
“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 67% |
| Medium (20–39) | 11 | 0 | top 44% |
| Large (40+) | 22 | 0 | top 45% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | 6 | 97 | 0 | top 75% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 28% | Oct 12, 2018 |
| Jiggy With the Piggy | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 32% | May 5, 2017 |
| Peak City Pigfest | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 10% | Jun 17, 2016 |
| Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 5% | May 8, 2015 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2014
7 contests
Contests a season
2.8
across 12 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NC
16 of 34 contests · 7 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
25
5 of them more than once
Opponents faced
966
finished ahead 1,178 times, behind 1,294
Longest layoff
1.7 yrs
Oct 4, 2019 → Jun 25, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
20191 milestone
- 25th tracked contest 514 BBQ
20181 milestone
- Peak power rating (1621) Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down
20161 milestone
- First perfect 180 (Brisket) Jiggy With the Piggy
20154 milestones
- First overall podium Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge
- Career-best overall score692.5028 Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge
- First Reserve Championship Peak City Pigfest
- 10th tracked contest Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown
20146 milestones
- First tracked contest Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival
- First call Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival
- First category win (Pork) Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival
- First overall top-10 Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score670.2172 Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival
- First multi-meat day Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.6 | Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge | May 9, 2014 |
| +14.3 | Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge | May 8, 2015 |
| +12.9 | Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival | Apr 11, 2014 |
| +12.7 | Peak City Pigfest | Jun 19, 2015 |
| +12.5 | Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown | Oct 9, 2015 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -15.3 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship | Jun 25, 2021 |
| -15 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 26, 2026 |
| -10.7 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 21, 2024 |
| -9.6 | Quebec City International BBQ & Music Fest | Jun 8, 2019 |
| -9.2 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 27, 2025 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 94% | 81.6% | 81.6% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 74% | 88.6% | 88.6% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 87% | 87% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 64% | 89.6% | 88% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 50% | 90.4% | 90.4% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 87% | 85.1% | 85.1% |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 67% | top 60% | 91.5% | 88.9% |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 83% | top 43% | 93.8% | 90.6% |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 55% | 93.6% | 91.5% |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 100% | top 12% | 95.8% | 95% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 100% | top 6% | 96.2% | 95.3% |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 57% | top 29% | 96.1% | 93.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 2026 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 148 / 157 (587.7944) | 150 (147.9428) | 112 (158.8688) | 153 (147.3828) | 150 (133.6000) |
| Jun 27, 2025 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 117 / 159 (638.1256) | 143 (154.2400) | 92 (163.4056) | 153 (149.6456) | 36 (170.8344) |
| Jun 21, 2024 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 133 / 172 (626.1492) | 150 (153.1088) | 108 (160.5372) | 141 (155.4060) | 112 (157.0972) |
| Aug 4, 2023 | La Classique BBQ Labonte Sainte-Perpetue, QC | 23 / 33 (622.1480) | 31 (150.2512) | 19 (159.9884) | 20 (156.5028) | 22 (155.4056) |
| Jun 23, 2023 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 97 / 167 (645.1088) | 100 (161.1316) | 156 (146.2744) | 38 (171.4056) | 52 (166.2972) |
| Jun 24, 2022 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 82 / 164 (650.7772) | 100 (161.1316) | 75 (164) | 107 (161.1084) | 59 (164.5372) |
| Jun 25, 2021 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 126 / 145 (612.4232) | 114 (155.9772) | 140 (141.6572) | 72 (162.2400) | 105 (152.5488) |
| Oct 4, 2019 | Riverside Blues, Brews & BBQ 🏅 Greenfield, MA | 12 / 26 (658.8116) | 13 (165.7144) | 19 (161.0972) | 22 (156.5372) | 1 (175.4628) |
| Jun 21, 2019 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 110 / 183 (635.9656) | 98 (160.0228) | 148 (150.8572) | 132 (157.0856) | 36 (168) |
| Jun 15, 2019 | 514 BBQ Saint-Léonard, QC | 7 / 23 (650.2856) | 6 (167.4056) | 16 (152.0456) | 16 (159.3828) | 2 (171.4516) |
| Jun 8, 2019 | Quebec City International BBQ & Music Fest Quebec | 16 / 24 (611.3596) | 2 (170.2856) | 19 (148.5140) | 20 (146.8344) | 23 (145.7256) |
| May 25, 2019 | Capital BBQ Festival Ottawa, ON | 26 / 43 (634.8228) | 2 (172.0228) | 42 (147.3828) | 13 (165.1200) | 37 (150.2972) |
| Feb 8, 2019 | KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Championship 🏅 unrated Little Rock, AR | 88 / 92 (648.3772) | 87 (163.9428) | 77 (162.8000) | 92 (146.2172) | 14 (175.4172) |
| Oct 13, 2018 | Back to BAYsics Primitive Contest-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES ( DAY 2) Monson, MA | 12 / 18 (675.3828) | 12 (166.8344) | 12 (169.1428) | 4 (176) | 15 (163.4056) |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down Rocky Mount, NC | 11 / 39 (659.2224) | 20 (162.2400) | 10 (167.9656) | 14 (165.0856) | 15 (163.9312) |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Bay State BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) Monson, MA | 16 / 26 (666.8228) | 24 (159.3828) | 3 (173.7144) | 19 (162.3084) | 6 (171.4172) |
| Jul 6, 2018 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY | 18 / 39 (629.5540) | 26 (157.0856) | 31 (148.5256) | 9 (161.6800) | 9 (162.2628) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle Lenexa, KS | 89 / 185 (637.0284) | 111 (157.0744) | 109 (157.6800) | 33 (168.5712) | 123 (153.7028) |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Quebec City International BBQ & Music Festival Quebec City | 2 / 22 (645.7488) | 11 (155.4056) | 4 (164.5716) | 10 (156.6056) | 3 (169.1660) |
| Oct 13, 2017 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down Rocky Mount, NC | 14 / 50 (674.1600) | 30 (165.0972) | 31 (162.8344) | 8 (171.9656) | 3 (174.2628) |
| Aug 18, 2017 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Asheville, NC | 24 / 29 (650.1140) | 21 (164.5600) | 7 (169.6800) | 22 (159.9428) | 27 (155.9312) |
| May 5, 2017 | Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC | 41 / 75 (651.8288) | 39 (163.9544) | 54 (159.3716) | 12 (169.6800) | 40 (158.8228) |
| Jun 17, 2016 | Peak City Pigfest Apex, NC | 7 / 46 (678.2056) | 33 (162.8000) | 5 (173.7028) | 19 (166.2628) | 1 (175.4400) |
| May 6, 2016 | Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC | 7 / 76 (689.6460) | 21 (170.8228) | 51 (161.1088) | 1 (177.7144) | 1 (180) |
| Oct 9, 2015 | Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown Rocky Mount, NC | 4 / 49 (682.7884) | 11 (169.1200) | 2 (173.7028) | 2 (173.1428) | 17 (166.8228) |
| Jun 19, 2015 | Peak City Pigfest Apex, NC | 2 / 45 (682.7772) | 29 (162.8000) | 4 (172.5600) | 11 (167.9772) | 1 (179.4400) |
| May 8, 2015 | Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge Kannapolis, NC | 3 / 74 (692.5028) | 32 (168.5256) | 2 (176.5600) | 11 (171.4172) | 4 (176) |
| Oct 10, 2014 | Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown Rocky Mount, NC | 8 / 53 (669.5996) | 17 (167.9656) | 20 (165.1084) | 11 (169.1084) | 14 (167.4172) |
| Sep 26, 2014 | Butts and Beans BBQ Challenge Hickory, NC | 7 / 24 (691.9428) | 15 (167.9656) | 6 (174.2972) | 3 (177.7144) | 11 (171.9656) |
| Sep 19, 2014 | Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally Salisbury, NC | 22 / 64 (668.4568) | 25 (170.2744) | 29 (166.2512) | 14 (169.7028) | 39 (162.2284) |
| Jul 25, 2014 | WNC BBQ Festival Maggie Valley, NC | 33 / 46 (653.0400) | 27 (163.9772) | 38 (155.3828) | 20 (166.8572) | 22 (166.8228) |
| Jun 20, 2014 | Peak City Pig Fest Apex, NC | 13 / 48 (658.1828) | 6 (172) | 27 (160.5256) | 3 (175.4172) | 40 (150.2400) |
| May 9, 2014 | Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge Kannapolis, NC | 5 / 80 (683.9312) | 21 (168.5484) | 1 (175.4172) | 1 (178.2972) | 40 (161.6684) |
| Apr 11, 2014 | Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival Winston-Salem, NC | 5 / 30 (670.2172) | 4 (170.8572) | 24 (155.3944) | 1 (176.5600) | 8 (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.