PIG APPROVED BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#5516

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1450

peak 1450 · rated over 32 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-17

latest 2017-09-15

Best ToY finish

#624

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 32 contests

Avg finish

top 71%

overall standings

Best overall

682.2172 / 720

Master · Up in Smoke BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Current form

652.95 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 636.48 (+16.47)

Walk rate

38%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7144

Chicken · SMSU Smokefest

Consistency

±24.54

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 164.45 · weakest Pork Ribs (154.57)

Road miles

2,757

mi across 32 mapped stops · furthest 256 mi

Schedule strength

41%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)

Master avg

636.48 / 720

32 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

High-water mark

682.2172 career-best overall

94.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 682.2172 at Up in Smoke BBQ Bash — 94.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-07-22

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

KNUCKLEHEADS BAR AND GRILL BBQ has finished one call ahead of PIG APPROVED BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 46%.

6 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 46%

A tough matchup

27–0 behind in the head-to-head

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead in 100% of their meetings

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has come out ahead in 27 of their 27 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.9 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.88 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 22%.

Pork Ribs avg 154.57
Pork avg 164.45
0 calls in 32 entries

A strong matchup

9–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 82% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of LUCKY BRISKET in 9 of their 11 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

18 of 27 shared pork entries lost

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has out-cooked them in 18 of 27 shared pork entries.

An August team

Top 57% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 57% across 6 contests, versus top 71% the rest of the year.

6 August contests
top 71% the rest of the year

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

ROOT RIVER BOTTOM SMOKER

#5496 of the rated field

1450 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1450

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to PIG APPROVED BBQ)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team PIG APPROVED BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2025-08-16

⚔ Head-to-head

LITTLE BOB'S BBQ

#5503 of the rated field

1450 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1505

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1505 at their best, 55 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 27 contests
last seen 2017-07-21

⚔ Head-to-head

Smokesdidier bbq

#5520 of the rated field

1450 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1450

No shared contest yet.

Fewer contests behind them than PIG APPROVED BBQ has cooked, 22 to 32, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 22 contests
last seen 2026-08-07

⚔ Head-to-head

Roni's Ribs

#5495 of the rated field

1450 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1450

No shared contest yet.

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2024-09-13

⚔ Head-to-head

BOB-A-QUE

#5507 of the rated field

1450 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1450

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2021-05-28

⚔ Head-to-head

Feelin' Swine BBQ

#5494 of the rated field

1450 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1450

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 8 years after PIG APPROVED BBQ did, first appearing in 2021.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2024-09-13

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	27	0	27	0%	⚔ compare
Hogline	23	1	22	4%	⚔ compare
CITY SLICKERS BBQ	21	1	20	5%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	20	0	20	0%	⚔ compare
CROIX VALLEY SAUCES	19	4	15	21%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	19	2	17	11%	⚔ compare
CASE OF RIBS	18	5	13	28%	⚔ compare
ACES HIGH BBQ	18	1	17	6%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
BIG CITY BBQ	16	6	10	38%	⚔ compare
GRUMPY OLD MEN BBQ	16	6	10	38%	⚔ compare
NECTAR OF THE HOGS	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare
MYASSIS SMOKIN	16	3	13	19%	⚔ compare
QUETOPIA	16	3	13	19%	⚔ compare
Subtle Smoke	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	32	5	0	177.7144	135.9656	161.68	top 63%
Pork Ribs	32	0	0	168.5372	125.1426	154.57	top 74%
Pork	32	7	4	174.8456	151.9996	164.45	top 49%
Brisket	32	2	0	174.8572	134.8344	155.77	top 69%

“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	Avg finish
MN	28	top 71%
WI	3	top 86%
IA	1	top 26%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 81%
Medium (20–39)	11	top 70%
Large (40+)	20	top 71%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin In Steele	4	31	top 82%	2017-06-02
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	3	22	top 89%	2015-07-24
Minnesota in May	2	19	top 51%	2016-05-13
Med City BBQ & Musicfest	2	20	top 61%	2014-08-08

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.3 yrs 2013-05-17 → 2017-09-15

Busiest season 2014 8 contests

Contests a season 6.4 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MN 28 of 32 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 25 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 32 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 164.45 · weakest Pork Ribs (154.57)

Walk rate 38% a top-10 call in 12 of 32 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 32 contests

Master average 636.48 out of 720 · 32 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 450 419–1,002 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,757 32 mapped stops · furthest 256 mi

Schedule strength 1554 average field rating faced — tougher than 41% of rated contests

Power rating 1450 peak 1450 · #5516 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 17 First tracked contest Minnesota in May
May 17 Peak power rating (1485) Minnesota in May
Jul 12 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
2014
Jun 27 10th tracked contest Bend of the River CookOut
Aug 22 First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.9768 Big Island BBQ
2016
Jun 11 25th tracked contest *Mankato Cookout Day 2 and( Back Yard)
Jul 22 Career-best overall score682.2172 Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
Aug 19 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7144 SMSU Smokefest
2017
Sep 15 Most recent contest KTD Smokin ' Gobbler Cook-Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	2016-07-22
+13	Minnesota in May	2016-05-13
+12.5	*Mankato Cookout Day 1 and (BACKYARD)	2017-06-09
+9.9	SMSU Smokefest	2016-08-19
+6	*Mankato Cookout Day 2 and( Back Yard)	2016-06-11

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.9	Minnesota in May	2013-05-17
-13.5	Smokin' in Steele	2013-05-31
-11.2	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2013-07-12
-10.8	Smokin in Steele	2014-05-30
-10.5	Bend of the River CookOut	2014-06-27

Category scores over time

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	5	40%	top 67%	93.1%	90.7%
2016	6	67%	top 46%	94.8%	92.4%
2015	7	43%	top 77%	90.9%	87.2%
2014	8	25%	top 78%	91.1%	86.9%
2013	6	17%	top 84%	89%	85.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-09-15	KTD Smokin ' Gobbler Cook-Off Worthington, MN	24 / 27 (644.4228)	14 (169.1200)	25 (156.5144)	19 (161.0856)	21 (157.7028)
2017-07-21	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Eagan, MN	25 / 30 (637.6000)	25 (162.8000)	29 (151.3828)	14 (165.1200)	22 (158.2972)
2017-06-10	*Mankato Cookout Day 2 Mankato, MN	20 / 33 (670.2516)	29 (161.1088)	23 (164.5716)	3 (174.8456)	14 (169.7256)
2017-06-09	*Mankato Cookout Day 1 and (BACKYARD) Mankato, MN	13 / 35 (669.7260)	19 (168.0344)	16 (166.8344)	17 (167.4172)	15 (167.4400)
2017-06-02	Smokin In Steele Owatonna, MN	31 / 46 (642.7320)	7 (173.7144)	19 (165.7144)	37 (159.9544)	43 (143.3488)
2016-08-19	SMSU Smokefest Marshall, MN	14 / 37 (666.2288)	4 (177.7144)	20 (164.5716)	22 (164.0000)	22 (159.9428)
2016-07-22	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	12 / 47 (682.2172)	24 (169.1084)	22 (168.5372)	17 (169.7144)	5 (174.8572)
2016-06-11	*Mankato Cookout Day 2 and( Back Yard) Mankato, MN	18 / 32 (666.2512)	7 (173.7028)	21 (164.6172)	6 (172.5484)	28 (155.3828)
2016-06-10	*Mankato Cookout Day 1 Mankato, MN	21 / 33 (664.6060)	15 (170.8572)	26 (164.5944)	30 (158.8688)	10 (170.2856)
2016-06-03	Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN	35 / 53 (645.0172)	23 (165.7028)	41 (155.9544)	24 (163.9428)	31 (159.4172)
2016-05-13	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	19 / 71 (666.7884)	31 (165.1200)	24 (167.4172)	24 (166.2856)	20 (167.9656)
2015-08-07	Med City BBQ & Musicfest Rochester, MN	29 / 47 (642.8228)	34 (159.4172)	28 (159.9656)	27 (160.5828)	22 (162.8572)
2015-07-24	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Woodbury, MN	30 / 30 (594.7428)	20 (163.4172)	30 (135.9544)	23 (156.5484)	30 (138.8228)
2015-07-10	Smoke on the Waterfall REDWOOD FALLS, MN	13 / 16 (626.2744)	4 (173.7028)	14 (146.2744)	12 (158.9144)	14 (147.3828)
2015-05-29	Smokin' in Steel Owatonna, MN	45 / 60 (638.7084)	51 (156.5372)	28 (164.5484)	31 (163.9656)	46 (153.6572)
2015-05-15	Minnesota in May St. Paul, MN	32 / 60 (654.2972)	41 (159.9656)	26 (164.5716)	3 (173.2000)	47 (156.5600)
2015-05-02	The Masters In May - The Classic Appleton, WI	35 / 47 (634.7540)	29 (159.3600)	46 (147.4172)	8 (166.8684)	27 (161.1084)
2015-05-01	The Masters In May Appleton, WI	52 / 57 (603.9540)	52 (148.5484)	49 (148.5600)	37 (158.2856)	48 (148.5600)
2014-09-12	King Turkey Day Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off Worthington, MN	28 / 36 (631.4628)	26 (159.4056)	27 (154.2856)	18 (166.3316)	30 (151.4400)
2014-08-22	Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	31 / 54 (655.9768)	31 (167.3828)	44 (160.5940)	16 (169.1428)	33 (158.8572)
2014-08-08	Med City BBQ & Musicfest Rochester, MN	20 / 40 (646.8572)	21 (165.6800)	28 (154.8572)	3 (171.4972)	28 (154.8228)
2014-07-18	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Woodbury, MN	22 / 30 (634.2744)	27 (157.1084)	19 (158.2400)	11 (167.4516)	23 (151.4744)
2014-06-27	Bend of the River CookOut Mankato, MN	49 / 50 (611.9544)	50 (135.9656)	50 (143.3600)	22 (166.8800)	24 (165.7488)
2014-05-30	Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN	66 / 67 (602.2172)	66 (151.4056)	67 (134.8000)	38 (164.5944)	60 (151.4172)
2014-05-16	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	44 / 58 (623.5080)	52 (150.2968)	52 (146.8340)	2 (173.7944)	45 (152.5828)
2014-05-02	The Masters in May Fremont, WI	58 / 62 (599.9652)	58 (143.4284)	60 (139.3712)	21 (162.2856)	45 (154.8800)
2013-08-23	6th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	32 / 50 (641.0740)	22 (166.8684)	22 (165.1428)	36 (159.9428)	41 (149.1200)
2013-08-09	Med City BBQ & Musicfest Rochester, MN	36 / 50 (627.3944)	40 (155.4400)	38 (153.1428)	20 (164.5716)	33 (154.2400)
2013-07-12	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Woodbury, MN	27 / 29 (618.8800)	6 (169.2344)	25 (149.1084)	10 (165.7028)	28 (134.8344)
2013-06-15	Treasure Island International BBQ Championship Welch, MN	57 / 68 (632.5710)	54 (158.8572)	41 (163.9998)	61 (156.5712)	57 (153.1428)
2013-05-31	Smokin' in Steele Owatonna, MN	49 / 51 (582.2850)	45 (154.8570)	50 (125.1426)	47 (151.9996)	40 (150.2858)
2013-05-17	Minnesota in May Faribault, MN	48 / 49 (607.4280)	39 (159.9998)	49 (139.4284)	39 (159.4284)	44 (148.5714)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

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
2017 ↗	Master	#929 (375 pts)	#824 (475 pts)	#1001 (370 pts)	#710 (585 pts)	#890 (425 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#682 (560 pts)	#601 (675 pts)	#907 (420 pts)	#738 (535 pts)	#667 (595 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#760 (456 pts)	#668 (571 pts)	#805 (451 pts)	#523 (741 pts)	#786 (466 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#624 (596 pts)	#665 (576 pts)	#652 (586 pts)	#312 (1116 pts)	#651 (571 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#728 (428 pts)	#585 (558 pts)	#748 (443 pts)	#625 (528 pts)	#756 (428 pts)