BETTER THAN BACON

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

Power ranking

#4899

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1464

peak 1515 · rated over 15 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-10

latest 2018-09-28

Best ToY finish

#919

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 15 contests

Avg finish

top 63%

overall standings

Best overall

646.1944 / 720

Master · New Holland Summer Fest

Perfect 180s

Current form

618.20 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 616.99 (+1.21)

Walk rate

20%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

168.5828

Chicken · New Holland Summer Fest

Consistency

±41.91

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 161.24 · weakest Brisket (153.68)

Road miles

728

mi across 15 mapped stops · furthest 73 mi

Schedule strength

31%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1542)

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

616.99 / 720

15 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.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Palm tree smokehouse has finished one call ahead of BETTER THAN BACON 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 40%.

3 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 40%

A tough matchup

13–1 behind in the head-to-head

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ ahead in 93% of their meetings

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ has come out ahead in 13 of their 14 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.6 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.56 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 7%.

Brisket avg 153.68
Pork Ribs avg 161.24
0 calls in 15 entries

A strong matchup

7–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 78% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Fire Ants BBQ in 7 of their 9 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

10 of 13 shared pork ribs entries lost

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ ahead 77% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LO' -N- SLO' BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 13 shared pork ribs entries.

An August team

Top 54% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 54% across 5 contests, versus top 63% the rest of the year.

5 August contests
top 63% the rest of the year

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked New Holland Summer Fest every year from 2013 to 2017 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 17th

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.

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

CHUCK'SWAGON BBQ

#4878 of the rated field

1465 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1465

3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to BETTER THAN BACON)

These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — BETTER THAN BACON ahead 3–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2018-08-24

⚔ Head-to-head

OUR BARK IS BETTER THAN YOUR BITE

#4917 of the rated field

1464 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 39
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1535

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BETTER THAN BACON)

They've been 1535 at their best, 71 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 39 contests
last seen 2024-06-14

⚔ Head-to-head

Genuswine Brisket Authority

#4886 of the rated field

1465 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

DIXIE MOON

#4877 of the rated field

1465 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1465

No shared contest yet.

16 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

THE MIGHTY QUINNS BBQ

#4912 of the rated field

1464 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1509

No shared contest yet.

Level with BETTER THAN BACON on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2018-06-15

⚔ Head-to-head

Tracica BBQ Team

#4915 of the rated field

1464 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1464

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 9 years after BETTER THAN BACON did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2026-08-08

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN GNOME BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
HAWG NATION BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
PIGHEADED BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
PIG PEN BBQ	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
CHRISTMAS CITY BBQ	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
Smokestack Redemption	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
Fire Ants BBQ	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
WILLY'S Q SHACK	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
Badlands BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
WILBUR'S REVENGE	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
SMOKEN DUDES BBQ	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
D&G'S REAL BBQ	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	15	1	168.5828	141.7028	155.98	top 64%
Pork Ribs	14	1	168.5600	154.8000	161.24	top 43%
Pork	15	2	165.7484	149.0744	156.83	top 58%
Brisket	15	0	164.0228	134.7888	153.68	top 57%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	1	0	top 84%
Large (40+)	14	0	top 62%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
New Holland Summer Fest	5	17	0	top 54%	2017-08-25
Keystone Classic Barbeque	3	14	0	top 50%	2015-10-02

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

On the trail 5.4 yrs 2013-05-10 → 2018-09-28

Busiest season 2018 3 contests

Contests a season 2.5 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in PA 15 of 15 contests

Contests visited 9 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 15 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 161.24 · weakest Brisket (153.68)

Walk rate 20% a top-10 call in 3 of 15 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 15 contests

Master average 616.99 out of 720 · 15 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 333 330–530 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 728 15 mapped stops · furthest 73 mi

Schedule strength 1542 average field rating faced — tougher than 31% of rated contests

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Power rating 1464 peak 1515 · #4899 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 10 First tracked contest Green Lane Fire CO's
Aug 23 First call New Holland Summer Fest
Aug 23 Career-best overall score646.1944 New Holland Summer Fest
Aug 23 Career-best single call (Chicken)168.5828 New Holland Summer Fest
2014
Aug 22 Peak power rating (1515) New Holland Summer Fest
2016
Aug 26 10th tracked contest New Holland Summer Fest
2018
Sep 28 Most recent contest Smoke in the Park

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.9	Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition	2014-05-09
+9	Keystone Classic Barbeque	2013-10-04
+6.3	New Holland Summer Fest	2013-08-23
+5	New Holland Summer Fest	2014-08-22

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15.8	Green Lane Fire CO's	2013-05-10
-9.9	Smoke in the Grove	2018-07-27
-9	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	2016-10-07
-5.7	New Holland Summer Fest	2016-08-26
-5.1	Smoke in the Park	2018-09-28

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)
2018	3	0%	top 84%	87.5%	85.8%
2017	1	0%	top 74%	86.9%	86.9%
2016	2	0%	top 80%	86.7%	85.9%
2015	3	0%	top 64%	88.5%	87.3%
2014	3	67%	top 40%	88.8%	87.9%
2013	3	33%	top 50%	89.7%	81.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-09-28	Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA	26 / 31 (616.4344)	29 (151.3716)	25 (155.9656)	20 (158.2972)	25 (150.8000)
2018-07-27	Smoke in the Grove Spring Grove, PA	53 / 54 (606.1032)	48 (150.8228)	37 (158.2744)	53 (149.0744)	52 (147.9316)
2018-06-01	Que for the Troops Levittown, PA	43 / 61 (629.6916)	54 (149.6916)	31 (159.4172)	39 (156.5600)	22 (164.0228)
2017-08-25	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	51 / 69 (625.6456)	58 (150.2744)	36 (160.5828)	59 (150.7884)	24 (164.0000)
2016-10-07	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	41 / 47 (613.1088)	41 (157.1544)	18 (166.2628)	42 (150.2972)	44 (139.3944)
2016-08-26	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	48 / 66 (624.5372)	63 (141.7028)	21 (165.1200)	51 (154.8916)	19 (162.8228)
2015-10-02	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	35 / 57 (636.9828)	18 (166.2628)	42 (155.3828)	35 (158.2400)	34 (157.0972)
2015-08-28	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	45 / 70 (624.5716)	34 (160.0000)	29 (161.7144)	52 (152.5600)	47 (150.2972)
2015-05-08	Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition & Festival Green Lane, PA	38 / 57 (623.3484)	28 (162.8456)	25 (159.9656)	16 (165.7484)	53 (134.7888)
2014-10-03	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	33 / 53 (621.0060)	47 (150.2400)	6 (168.5600)	35 (155.4288)	43 (146.7772)
2014-08-22	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	26 / 70 (639.3256)	32 (160.5256)	11 (167.4056)	33 (156.0000)	31 (155.3944)
2014-05-09	Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition Green Lane, PA	11 / 54 (639.3600)	17 (161.7028)	12 (161.0972)	10 (164.0228)	28 (152.5372)
2013-10-04	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	14 / 55 (642.8112)	34 (154.8572)	11 (162.8684)	13 (164.5828)	17 (160.5028)
2013-08-23	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	17 / 71 (646.1944)	6 (168.5828)	40 (154.8000)	9 (165.1316)	29 (157.6800)
2013-05-10	Green Lane Fire CO's Green Lane, PA	58 / 58 (465.7142)	34 (153.7142)	—	33 (150.8572)	11 (161.1428)

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	#1323 (176 pts)	#1370 (176 pts)	#1392 (176 pts)	#1268 (201 pts)	#1297 (191 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#2230 (65 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1775 (120 pts)	#1883 (120 pts)	#1593 (175 pts)	#1872 (120 pts)	#1686 (150 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1372 (180 pts)	#1341 (215 pts)	#1470 (180 pts)	#1357 (225 pts)	#1431 (180 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2084 (75 pts)	#2167 (75 pts)	#1730 (145 pts)	#2172 (75 pts)	#2148 (75 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#919 (320 pts)	#940 (340 pts)	#1293 (220 pts)	#882 (370 pts)	#916 (335 pts)