LITTLE LUKE'S BBQ

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

Power ranking

#936

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1611

peak 1614 · rated over 24 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-10

latest 2018-08-24

Best ToY finish

#503

Master 2017

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

10 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 24 contests

Avg finish

top 36%

overall standings

Best overall

677.6688 / 720

Master · Twin Valley Fire and Smoke

Perfect 180s

Current form

656.69 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 641.03 (+15.66)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.8800

Brisket · Twin Valley Fire and Smoke

Consistency

±38.68

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 162.66 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.54)

Road miles

2,179

mi across 24 mapped stops · furthest 147 mi

Schedule strength

34%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1545)

Master avg

641.03 / 720

24 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (11 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.

They almost always walk

67% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 16 of 24 contests

A top-10 category call in 67% of their 24 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

677.6688 career-best overall

94.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 677.6688 at Twin Valley Fire and Smoke — 94.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
2017-05-19

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BEERBEQUE has finished one call ahead of LITTLE LUKE'S BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 13%.

3 contests
3 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 13%

A tough matchup

14–2 behind in the head-to-head

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ ahead in 88% of their meetings

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ has come out ahead in 14 of their 16 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.1 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.13 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 42% of the time against 17%.

Pork Ribs avg 157.54
Chicken avg 162.66
10 calls in 24 entries

A strong matchup

11–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 92% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Fire Ants BBQ in 11 of their 12 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

14 of 16 shared chicken entries lost

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LO' -N- SLO' BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 16 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

CAMP BACON BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 22% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 22% across 4 contests, versus top 36% the rest of the year.

4 May contests
top 36% the rest of the year

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked New Holland Summer Fest(JUDGES FULL) every year from 2014 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 7th

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.

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

GONEHOGGIN.COM

#934 of the rated field

1611 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1611

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to LITTLE LUKE'S BBQ)

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

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2016-07-08

⚔ Head-to-head

Big Al and the Boys

#940 of the rated field

1611 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1611

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 25 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2024-08-23

⚔ Head-to-head

BLACK CAT BBQ

#937 of the rated field

1611 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 52%
Peak: 1612

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 21 contests to 24, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2016-08-05

⚔ Head-to-head

County Line Que

#933 of the rated field

1612 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 37%
Peak: 1620

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 3 years before LITTLE LUKE'S BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 30 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

BULLHORN BBQ

#935 of the rated field

1611 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1611

No shared contest yet.

24 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 8% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

PIGGY D'S BBQ

#931 of the rated field

1612 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 41
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 46%
Peak: 1626

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 41 contests
last seen 2019-08-23

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	17	5	12	29%	⚔ compare
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	16	2	14	13%	⚔ compare
HAWG NATION BBQ	14	8	6	57%	⚔ compare
PIGHEADED BBQ	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' TEX BBQ	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
QUEGASM	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
BEERBEQUE	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
Fire Ants BBQ	12	11	1	92%	⚔ compare
WEEKEND SMOKERS	12	9	3	75%	⚔ compare
WILBUR'S REVENGE	12	8	4	67%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
SMOKOPOLIS BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ	10	9	1	90%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN FOOLZ	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	24	4	0	1	174.2628	146.8116	162.66	top 40%
Pork Ribs	24	10	1	6	177.7144	20.0000	157.54	top 37%
Pork	24	4	1	2	172.5944	144.4684	160.16	top 45%
Brisket	24	1	1	1	178.8800	148.5372	160.67	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	Avg finish
PA	14	top 36%
NJ	6	top 44%
DE	2	top 28%
MD	1	top 20%
VA	1	top 22%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	3	0	top 28%
Large (40+)	21	0	top 37%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
New Holland Summer Fest(JUDGES FULL)	5	7	top 31%	2018-08-24
Smoke in the Park	3	4	top 40%	2017-09-22
* Que by the Sea	2	23	top 56%	2016-09-17
New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	2	7	top 55%	2016-07-08
Que for the Troops	2	8	top 36%	2014-06-06

The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.3 yrs 2013-05-10 → 2018-08-24

Busiest season 2017 6 contests

Contests a season 4 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in PA 14 of 24 contests · 5 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 15 5 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 24 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 162.66 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.54)

Walk rate 67% a top-10 call in 16 of 24 contests

Overall top-10 rate 38% 9 of 24 contests

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 641.03 out of 720 · 24 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 489 818–443 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,179 24 mapped stops · furthest 147 mi

Schedule strength 1545 average field rating faced — tougher than 34% of rated contests

Power rating 1611 peak 1614 · #936 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 10 First tracked contest BBQ Jamboree
May 10 First call BBQ Jamboree
May 31 First overall top-10 Que for the Troops
2014
Aug 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.9200 Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ
2015
Sep 25 First category win (Pork) Smoke in the Park
Sep 25 10th tracked contest Smoke in the Park
2017
May 19 Career-best overall score677.6688 Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
May 19 Career-best single call (Brisket)178.8800 Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
Sep 15 Peak power rating (1614) Smoke on the Water New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
2018
Aug 24 Most recent contest New Holland Summer Fest(JUDGES FULL)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.4	Smoke in the Park	2015-09-25
+14.4	New Holland Summer Fest	2015-08-28
+11.5	Smokin Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship $15,000	2015-10-09
+11.4	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ	2014-08-01
+11.3	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke	2017-05-19

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-16.3	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	2013-07-12
-12.2	Keystone Classic Barbeque	2014-10-03
-5.1	* Que by the Sea	2016-09-17
-1.7	Smoke in the Park	2017-09-22
-1.3	New Holland Summer Fest(JUDGES FULL)	2018-08-24

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	1	0	0	0%	top 48%	88.6%	88.6%
2017	6	3	2	83%	top 27%	94.1%	92.2%
2016	6	2	0	83%	top 35%	91.5%	90.1%
2015	3	3	1	100%	top 13%	92.5%	92.3%
2014	5	0	0	20%	top 53%	91.1%	86.8%
2013	3	1	0	67%	top 46%	89%	81.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-08-24	New Holland Summer Fest(JUDGES FULL) New Holland, PA	34 / 71 (638.1368)	17 (167.4056)	36 (157.6800)	37 (157.6456)	42 (155.4056)
2017-09-22	Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA	24 / 44 (651.3488)	25 (162.8344)	14 (166.2628)	28 (157.1316)	19 (165.1200)
2017-09-15	Smoke on the Water New Jersey State Barbecue Championship Atlantic City, NJ	11 / 42 (666.1824)	16 (165.6684)	7 (172.5600)	15 (166.2628)	16 (161.6912)
2017-08-25	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	9 / 69 (662.1716)	40 (160.5484)	1 (177.7144)	27 (161.6688)	30 (162.2400)
2017-07-28	*Smoke in the Grove(JUDGES FULL) Spring Grove, PA	8 / 51 (665.6000)	6 (170.8572)	21 (163.3944)	18 (166.2628)	20 (165.0856)
2017-06-09	Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition New Castle, DE	16 / 46 (658.2056)	6 (171.4056)	43 (145.1084)	3 (172.0000)	12 (169.6916)
2017-05-19	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke Morgantown, PA	8 / 53 (677.6688)	30 (166.2516)	24 (163.9772)	14 (168.5600)	1 (178.8800)
2016-09-23	Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA	20 / 38 (649.5772)	5 (173.1200)	25 (158.8572)	27 (157.0972)	23 (160.5028)
2016-09-17	* Que by the Sea Seaside Heights, NJ	28 / 44 (621.5424)	19 (163.3940)	41 (141.0856)	27 (157.0972)	17 (159.9656)
2016-08-26	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	19 / 66 (653.5544)	2 (174.2628)	14 (168.5256)	47 (155.3944)	38 (155.3716)
2016-07-08	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	7 / 65 (651.9084)	11 (165.7028)	9 (167.9540)	5 (167.3828)	35 (150.8688)
2016-06-10	The Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition at Battery Park New Castle, DE	8 / 39 (658.7888)	24 (158.2628)	3 (170.3088)	14 (164.5372)	11 (165.6800)
2016-05-06	Smoke in the Valley BBQ competition Greenlane, PA	16 / 47 (655.3256)	22 (164.0000)	15 (163.9656)	9 (166.2628)	25 (161.0972)
2015-10-09	Smokin Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship $15,000 Atlantic City, NJ	8 / 46 (662.2856)	27 (159.4400)	2 (173.1772)	15 (166.8228)	12 (162.8456)
2015-09-25	Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA	4 / 34 (666.2972)	15 (163.9656)	4 (168.0116)	1 (172.5944)	12 (161.7256)
2015-08-28	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	7 / 70 (665.1312)	17 (168.0112)	3 (173.7144)	46 (154.8456)	12 (168.5600)
2014-10-03	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	47 / 53 (601.0172)	48 (146.8116)	47 (145.1200)	47 (145.0856)	14 (164.0000)
2014-09-20	Que by the Sea Seaside Heights, NJ	23 / 48 (624.9592)	21 (158.7884)	11 (161.7028)	37 (151.3712)	27 (153.0968)
2014-08-22	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	37 / 70 (623.8512)	49 (153.0628)	44 (155.4056)	40 (154.2628)	18 (161.1200)
2014-08-01	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Leonardtown, MD	12 / 59 (655.9200)	11 (166.2400)	8 (171.4516)	30 (156.5600)	19 (161.6684)
2014-06-06	Que for the Troops Levittown, PA	36 / 65 (619.8968)	44 (153.0856)	34 (154.2972)	16 (163.9768)	42 (148.5372)
2013-07-12	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	64 / 65 (477.5656)	27 (155.9772)	65 (20.0000)	52 (144.4684)	14 (157.1200)
2013-05-31	Que for the Troops Levittown, PA	8 / 46 (640.5706)	14 (158.8570)	2 (171.9998)	20 (156.5712)	17 (153.1426)
2013-05-10	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	13 / 60 (637.1424)	23 (156.0000)	2 (168.5714)	16 (159.9996)	26 (152.5714)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1954 (60 pts)	#1819 (100 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1990 (60 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#503 (755 pts)	#629 (635 pts)	#514 (770 pts)	#599 (675 pts)	#525 (750 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#595 (660 pts)	#506 (805 pts)	#568 (725 pts)	#642 (625 pts)	#790 (480 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#685 (529 pts)	#1157 (269 pts)	#551 (704 pts)	#810 (454 pts)	#927 (374 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#810 (376 pts)	#1071 (286 pts)	#532 (621 pts)	#1051 (291 pts)	#968 (316 pts)