BALONEY JOE'S BBQ

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

Power ranking

#1251

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1582

peak 1586 · rated over 29 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-04-19

latest 2018-10-12

Best ToY finish

#382

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 29 contests

Avg finish

top 46%

overall standings

Best overall

686.2400 / 720

Master · Jiggy With the Piggy

Perfect 180s

Current form

656.89 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 660.06 (-3.17)

Walk rate

48%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.2972

Pork Ribs · Jiggy With the Piggy

Consistency

±15.43

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.89 · weakest Brisket (163.10)

Road miles

1,497

mi across 29 mapped stops · furthest 157 mi

Schedule strength

44%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1557)

Master avg

660.06 / 720

29 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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

686.2400 career-best overall

95.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 686.2400 at Jiggy With the Piggy — 95.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-05-06

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

PICKIN' PORKERS has finished one call ahead of BALONEY JOE'S BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2017 their best year

2017 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 34%.

4 contests
1 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 34%

A tough matchup

23–0 behind in the head-to-head

REDNECK SCIENTIFIC ahead in 100% of their meetings

REDNECK SCIENTIFIC has come out ahead in 23 of their 23 shared contests.

A strong matchup

12–4 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC in 12 of their 16 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

18 of 21 shared chicken entries lost

SAUCED! BBQ TEAM ahead 86% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SAUCED! BBQ TEAM has out-cooked them in 18 of 21 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY has landed one call behind them 3 times.

The metronome

±2.14% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.14% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.7% of a perfect score
29 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic every year from 2015 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 12th

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.

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

Homestead Smoke Shack

#1254 of the rated field

1582 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 61%
Peak: 1599

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 31 contests to 29, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 31 contests
last seen 2026-06-19

⚔ Head-to-head

Vallee AC Cold Smoke

#1252 of the rated field

1582 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1582

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 27 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 27 contests
last seen 2025-10-24

⚔ Head-to-head

SWEET DIXIE BBQ

#1248 of the rated field

1582 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1585

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 26 contests, alongside a 42% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2023-10-06

⚔ Head-to-head

What’cha Got BBQ

#1253 of the rated field

1582 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1596

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 7 years after BALONEY JOE'S BBQ did, first appearing in 2020.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2025-06-14

⚔ Head-to-head

BM Grils & Smokers

#1249 of the rated field

1582 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1582

No shared contest yet.

Level with BALONEY JOE'S BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2026-06-05

⚔ Head-to-head

Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery

#1250 of the rated field

1582 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 36
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1582

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 36 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 36 contests
last seen 2026-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA	23	4	19	17%	⚔ compare
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC	23	0	23	0%	⚔ compare
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM	21	3	18	14%	⚔ compare
PICKIN' PORKERS	20	10	10	50%	⚔ compare
WHO CARES BBQ	19	8	11	42%	⚔ compare
K & D SMOKERS	19	7	12	37%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN SKULLIES	19	3	16	16%	⚔ compare
SMOKE THIS	19	2	17	11%	⚔ compare
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ	18	4	14	22%	⚔ compare
MIDNIGHT BURN	17	3	14	18%	⚔ compare
CONTAGIOUS Q	17	3	14	18%	⚔ compare
HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC	16	12	4	75%	⚔ compare
BAYOU POKER SMOKERS	16	10	6	63%	⚔ compare
EB'S BAR-B-QUE	16	7	9	44%	⚔ compare
CAROLINA SMOKIN JOHN'S BBQ	16	4	12	25%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	29	5	0	1	176.5600	156.0002	166.89	top 47%
Pork Ribs	29	8	1	1	178.2972	158.2744	166.11	top 41%
Pork	29	6	0	0	174.8572	154.8344	163.95	top 51%
Brisket	29	4	0	0	175.4172	136.5032	163.10	top 48%

“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
NC	28	0	top 46%
GA	1	0	top 45%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	7	0	top 44%
Large (40+)	22	0	top 46%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic	5	12	top 41%	2018-09-14
Jiggy With the Piggy	3	8	top 36%	2018-05-04
Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge	2	32	top 54%	2015-05-08
BBQ Capital Cook-Off	2	26	top 52%	2015-04-24

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

On the trail 5.5 yrs 2013-04-19 → 2018-10-12

Busiest season 2016 10 contests

Contests a season 4.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NC 28 of 29 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 21 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 29 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 166.89 · weakest Brisket (163.10)

Walk rate 48% a top-10 call in 14 of 29 contests

Overall top-10 rate 14% 4 of 29 contests

Master average 660.06 out of 720 · 29 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 469 833–673 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,497 29 mapped stops · furthest 157 mi

Schedule strength 1557 average field rating faced — tougher than 44% of rated contests

Power rating 1582 peak 1586 · #1251 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Apr 19 First tracked contest Kings Mountain Firehouse BBQ Cook-off
Apr 19 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.7136 Kings Mountain Firehouse BBQ Cook-off
Apr 26 First call BBQ Capital Cook-Off
2015
May 8 10th tracked contest Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge
Oct 9 First overall top-10 Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n
2016
May 6 Career-best overall score686.2400 Jiggy With the Piggy
2017
May 5 First category win (Pork Ribs) Jiggy With the Piggy
May 5 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.2972 Jiggy With the Piggy
Sep 15 25th tracked contest Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic
Sep 15 Peak power rating (1586) Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic
2018
Oct 12 Most recent contest Waxhaw Grillin & Chillin BBQ cook-off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.8	Jiggy With the Piggy	2016-05-06
+12.4	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic	2015-09-18
+10.7	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic	2016-09-16
+10.1	21st Annual Fire House BBQ Cook-Off	2017-04-14
+9.9	Hog Happenin' BBQ & Bike Fest	2016-06-03

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.2	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic	2013-09-20
-7.1	Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off	2016-04-22
-6.7	Jiggy With the Piggy	2018-05-04
-6.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2014-06-13
-6.2	Bib's Camel City Cookoff (formerly Jammin' Pig)	2015-04-10

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	3	0	0	67%	top 56%	92.3%	91%
2017	4	1	1	50%	top 34%	94.6%	92.7%
2016	10	2	0	30%	top 40%	95.3%	93%
2015	5	1	0	80%	top 47%	94.7%	91.9%
2014	3	0	0	33%	top 61%	90.1%	88.6%
2013	4	0	0	50%	top 50%	91.3%	89.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-10-12	Waxhaw Grillin & Chillin BBQ cook-off Waxhaw, NC	14 / 26 (649.0512)	3 (173.7372)	16 (162.2744)	20 (158.2284)	20 (154.8112)
2018-09-14	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC	12 / 29 (664.4228)	5 (174.2628)	6 (168.5372)	23 (159.9428)	17 (161.6800)
2018-05-04	Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC	50 / 70 (651.2688)	39 (168.5256)	48 (158.8344)	57 (157.0744)	33 (166.8344)
2017-11-10	Polar Pig BBQ Cook-Off (JUDGES FULL) Concord, NC	23 / 47 (651.2228)	36 (160.5028)	28 (162.2400)	31 (159.3600)	14 (169.1200)
2017-09-15	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC	25 / 63 (668.4688)	15 (171.9656)	41 (163.9660)	31 (165.7144)	19 (166.8228)
2017-05-05	Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC	19 / 75 (669.0288)	32 (166.2400)	1 (178.2972)	45 (162.2400)	27 (162.2516)
2017-04-14	21st Annual Fire House BBQ Cook-Off Kings Mountain, NC	10 / 49 (681.0740)	22 (167.9884)	11 (170.2628)	17 (168.5600)	8 (174.2628)
2016-11-04	Hog Happnin' Shelby, NC	19 / 56 (673.0056)	16 (170.8228)	35 (162.8000)	16 (171.4172)	25 (167.9656)
2016-10-14	Smoking in the Foothills Lenoir, NC	16 / 41 (676.9940)	11 (173.7028)	18 (166.2284)	20 (167.3828)	19 (169.6800)
2016-10-07	Grillin & Chillin BBQ cook-off Waxhaw, NC	12 / 25 (667.9200)	11 (169.1428)	10 (167.9772)	7 (169.1200)	17 (161.6800)
2016-09-16	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC	14 / 68 (675.3028)	14 (173.1200)	12 (170.8228)	12 (170.8228)	36 (160.5372)
2016-08-05	Pigs & Pedals Asheboro, NC	24 / 47 (658.2056)	25 (166.2628)	15 (168.5828)	40 (155.9428)	18 (167.4172)
2016-06-03	Hog Happenin' BBQ & Bike Fest Lincolnton, NC	6 / 26 (677.0632)	15 (165.6800)	4 (172.0004)	10 (167.9772)	6 (171.4056)
2016-05-27	Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier) Evans, GA	30 / 66 (670.1596)	29 (169.1084)	18 (171.4172)	47 (160.5140)	24 (169.1200)
2016-05-06	Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC	8 / 76 (686.2400)	4 (176.5600)	7 (174.8688)	24 (167.4056)	25 (167.4056)
2016-04-22	Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC	44 / 54 (647.8856)	35 (164.5372)	40 (161.6800)	50 (155.4056)	24 (166.2628)
2016-04-15	20th Annual Fire House BBQ Cook-Off Kings Mountain, NC	21 / 41 (662.8116)	24 (164.5716)	26 (160.0116)	16 (166.8228)	11 (171.4056)
2015-10-09	Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n Waxhaw, NC	7 / 28 (682.1712)	8 (169.1084)	7 (170.8344)	4 (173.1200)	10 (169.1084)
2015-09-18	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC	13 / 59 (677.1088)	10 (173.1656)	30 (163.4288)	35 (165.0972)	7 (175.4172)
2015-05-08	Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge Kannapolis, NC	32 / 74 (665.0744)	37 (167.3944)	55 (158.2744)	9 (171.4400)	21 (167.9656)
2015-04-24	BBQ Capital Cook-Off Lexington, NC	41 / 60 (645.0404)	21 (169.7256)	33 (163.9544)	5 (174.8572)	59 (136.5032)
2015-04-10	Bib's Camel City Cookoff (formerly Jammin' Pig) Winston-Salem, NC	39 / 51 (638.0912)	42 (158.2284)	22 (167.9772)	43 (156.5256)	36 (155.3600)
2014-06-13	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Asheville, NC	23 / 30 (633.0284)	22 (162.8228)	10 (164.5828)	25 (155.3944)	26 (150.2284)
2014-05-09	Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge Kannapolis, NC	52 / 80 (632.4000)	47 (159.4056)	37 (162.8116)	27 (164.5372)	72 (145.6456)
2014-04-25	BBQ Capital Cookoff Lexington, NC	26 / 62 (648.4116)	36 (162.2516)	21 (163.9656)	13 (167.3828)	45 (154.8116)
2013-09-20	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC	58 / 72 (635.3260)	48 (162.8344)	36 (163.9772)	65 (154.8344)	59 (153.6800)
2013-06-07	Lincolnton Hog Happenin' Lincolnton, NC	14 / 34 (649.7138)	21 (162.2856)	13 (160.5714)	7 (165.1426)	18 (161.7142)
2013-04-26	BBQ Capital Cook-Off Lexington, NC	26 / 71 (647.4286)	49 (156.0002)	6 (171.4286)	51 (157.7142)	23 (162.2856)
2013-04-19	Kings Mountain Firehouse BBQ Cook-off Kings Mountain, NC	24 / 55 (657.7136)	42 (159.9996)	25 (164.5714)	25 (164.5714)	15 (168.5712)

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	#990 (284 pts)	#748 (464 pts)	#991 (324 pts)	#1283 (199 pts)	#1205 (229 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2140 (70 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#1949 (115 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#382 (1011 pts)	#370 (1026 pts)	#333 (1096 pts)	#433 (946 pts)	#468 (881 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1312 (215 pts)	#1363 (220 pts)	#1096 (300 pts)	#1206 (265 pts)	#1405 (205 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#864 (344 pts)	#1018 (304 pts)	#725 (459 pts)	#845 (389 pts)	#832 (379 pts)