THE COWBOY WAY AZ

THE COWBOY WAY AZ is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2014. Their best overall finish is 7th of 15 at the Rhythm & Ribs (2013). They are ranked #4999 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “The Cowboy Way, AZ”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,999

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1463

peak 1463 · rated over 11 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Mar 22, 2013

latest May 2, 2014 · 1.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#463

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

9% of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 68%

overall standings

Best overall

674.7084 / 720

Master · Rhythm & Ribs

Perfect 180s

Current form

651.32 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 640.80 (+10.53)

Walk rate

64%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4172

Chicken · Rhythm & Ribs

Consistency

±17.59

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.52 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.77)

Road miles

1,804

across 11 mapped stops · furthest 382 mi

Schedule strength

14%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1520)

Master avg

640.80 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (7 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

64% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 7 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 64% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

674.7084 career-best overall

93.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 674.7084 at Rhythm & Ribs — 93.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 12, 2013

A tough matchup

11–0 behind in the head-to-head

LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.

The weak link

−10.8 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 10.75 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 9% of the time against 45%.

Pork Ribs avg 156.77
Chicken avg 167.52
1 call in 11 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of PORK ON THE FORK in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

An October team

Top 51% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 51% across 4 contests, versus top 68% the rest of the year.

4 October contests
top 68% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.44% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.44% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.0% of a perfect score
11 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
2014 ↗	Master	#1822 (125 pts)	#1453 (200 pts)	#1653 (150 pts)	#1957 (115 pts)	#1241 (245 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#463 (666 pts)	#268 (1,051 pts)	#486 (676 pts)	#430 (746 pts)	#507 (631 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to THE COWBOY WAY AZ, each with one reason worth a look.

131 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

BIG ACES BBQ

#5,023 of the rated field

1462 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1503

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to THE COWBOY WAY AZ)

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

rated over 8 contests
last seen Jun 5, 2015

⚔ Head-to-head

Pharr Moore BBQ

#5,007 of the rated field

1463 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1463

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 22, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

Blackjack bbq

#5,013 of the rated field

1463 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1463

Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Ain't it the Life

#4,991 of the rated field

1463 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1463

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 13 contests, alongside a 15% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Sep 21, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

PETE'S PIG PIT POSSE

#5,009 of the rated field

1463 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1463

Level with THE COWBOY WAY AZ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Aug 16, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

Q 12 Barbecue

#4,993 of the rated field

1463 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1463

They turned up 7 years after THE COWBOY WAY AZ did, first appearing in 2020.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Mar 31, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
Phil the Grill	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
RANCH 13 BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
Bad Boyz BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
AFRO SMOKE BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
STEEL CITY BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
Karnivorous	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
KNIFE PORK AND SPOON	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
DJS SMOKIN' BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
FORK U BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
Rhythm n QUE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
I.A.B. 30 BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Your Behind BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SWEET PETE'S BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
Lip S-Macn BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	5	2	175.4172	159.4284	167.52	top 40%
Pork Ribs	11	1	0	166.2856	135.3716	156.77	top 69%
Pork	11	2	0	171.4056	144.5256	159.50	top 68%
Brisket	11	2	0	171.9656	144.5714	157.01	top 65%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 47%
Medium (20–39)	8	top 74%
Large (40+)	2	top 53%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
AZ	8	top 71%
NV	2	top 72%
CA	1	top 33%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	23	0	top 82%	Mar 21, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 9 contests

Contests a season 5.5 across 2 seasons in the data

Most contests held in AZ 8 of 11 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 10 1 of them more than once

Opponents faced 249 finished ahead 157 times, behind 264

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

20142 milestones

Mar 21 10th tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
May 2 Most recent contest 2nd Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown

20137 milestones

Mar 22 First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Mar 22 Peak power rating (1489) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
May 3 First call 1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown
Oct 4 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.5884 Dana Point State BBQ Championship
Oct 12 First overall top-10 Rhythm & Ribs
Oct 12 Career-best overall score674.7084 Rhythm & Ribs
Oct 12 Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4172 Rhythm & Ribs

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8.1	Dana Point State BBQ Championship	Oct 4, 2013
+5	Rhythm & Ribs	Oct 12, 2013
+2.3	A Smokin' Good Time	Oct 18, 2013

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.8	1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown	May 3, 2013
-11.4	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Mar 22, 2013
-6.6	2nd Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown	May 2, 2014
-6.3	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Mar 21, 2014
-5.8	3rd Annual Holbrook	Jul 12, 2013

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)
2014	2	0	0	0	100%	top 77%	90.1%	89%
2013	9	0	1	0	56%	top 66%	93.7%	89%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
May 2, 2014	2nd Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	27 / 35 (648.9712)	32 (161.0856)	20 (162.2744)	34 (153.6456)	5 (171.9656)
Mar 21, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Tucson, AZ	23 / 30 (633.0400)	9 (167.4056)	23 (157.1316)	25 (156.5256)	24 (151.9772)
Oct 31, 2013	Riverside Resort Casino USA Barbecue Championship Laughlin, NV	62 / 85 (638.7772)	37 (167.4172)	50 (161.7144)	82 (144.5256)	29 (165.1200)
Oct 18, 2013	A Smokin' Good Time Prescott Valley, AZ	12 / 24 (661.1084)	11 (166.2628)	9 (166.2856)	10 (169.1428)	16 (159.4172)
Oct 12, 2013	Rhythm & Ribs Cottonwood, AZ	7 / 15 (674.7084)	3 (175.4172)	11 (160.5028)	7 (171.4056)	9 (167.3828)
Oct 4, 2013	Dana Point State BBQ Championship Dana Point, CA	33 / 99 (653.5884)	18 (171.4056)	51 (160.5716)	61 (157.6684)	33 (163.9428)
Sep 27, 2013	Avi Resort & Casino Music Brews & BBQ Championship Laughlin, NV	22 / 31 (636.9940)	20 (161.1428)	14 (162.8572)	27 (156.4912)	22 (156.5028)
Jul 12, 2013	3rd Annual Holbrook Holbrook, AZ	21 / 27 (624.4232)	3 (173.1544)	27 (135.3716)	12 (161.1200)	20 (154.7772)
Jun 14, 2013	Northern Arizona BBQ Festival Williams, AZ	19 / 32 (643.9994)	4 (173.7142)	24 (157.7140)	12 (167.4284)	31 (145.1428)
May 3, 2013	1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	23 / 24 (622.8572)	8 (166.2858)	22 (153.1430)	19 (158.8570)	23 (144.5714)
Mar 22, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Tucson, AZ	26 / 30 (610.2854)	20 (159.4284)	29 (146.8570)	21 (157.7142)	26 (146.2858)

THE COWBOY WAY AZ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (7 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

An October team

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 — 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)