The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
FINN'S FINEST BBQ has finished one call ahead of BIG STOGIE SMOKERS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
BIG STOGIE SMOKERS
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1515
peak 1517 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
2013-05-03
latest 2015-08-28
Best ToY finish
#1030
Master 2014
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 47%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
638.01 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 636.06 (+1.95)
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.07
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 161.14 · weakest Brisket (157.22)
Road miles
126
mi across 6 mapped stops
Schedule strength
23%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1531)
Master avg
636.06 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (3 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.
A tough matchup
5–0
behind in the head-to-head
3 EYZ BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
3 EYZ BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
A strong matchup
4–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of LYIN' PIGS in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
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.
80 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2621 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 100%
- Peak
- 1516
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2635 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1519
No shared contest yet.
Level with BIG STOGIE SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#2627 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1519
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2623 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1516
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2629 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1521
No shared contest yet.
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Head-to-head#2641 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1518
No shared contest yet.
14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIG BLOCK BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| 3 EYZ BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PORK BARREL BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.8684 | 154.2744 | 161.14 | top 49% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.0228 | 149.7144 | 158.76 | top 52% |
| Pork | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 164.0000 | 151.4172 | 158.94 | top 42% |
| Brisket | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.3200 | 151.3712 | 157.22 | 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 contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 47% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 46% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 47% | 2015-08-28 |
| Beltway BBQ Showdown | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 54% | 2014-06-06 |
| Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 39% | 2014-05-02 |
The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
2.3 yrs
2013-05-03 → 2015-08-28
Busiest season
2014
3 contests
Contests a season
2
across 3 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
MD
6 of 6 contests
Contests visited
3
3 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
6 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 161.14 · weakest Brisket (157.22)
Walk rate
33%
a top-10 call in 2 of 6 contests
Overall top-10 rate
17%
1 of 6 contests
Master average
636.06
out of 720 · 6 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
147
128–103 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
126
6 mapped stops
Schedule strength
1531
average field rating faced — tougher than 23% of rated contests
Longest layoff
1 yrs
2014-08-22 → 2015-08-28
Power rating
1515
peak 1517 · #2632 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival
- First call Beltway BBQ Showdown
- 2014
- First overall top-10 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.2740 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Career-best overall score654.2740 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Career-best single call (Chicken)166.8684 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Peak power rating (1517) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- 2015
- Most recent contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.2 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2014-08-22 |
| +4.7 | Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival | 2014-05-02 |
| +3.2 | Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival | 2013-05-03 |
| +2 | Beltway BBQ Showdown | 2013-05-31 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -2 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2015-08-28 |
| -1.7 | Beltway BBQ Showdown | 2014-06-06 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 66% | 87% | 87% |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 42% | 90.9% | 89% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 44% | 89% | 88% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-08-28 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Laurel, MD | 19 / 29 (626.7312) | 22 (154.2744) | 11 (162.2628) | 13 (158.8228) | 21 (151.3712) |
| 2014-08-22 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Laurel, MD | 8 / 29 (654.2740) | 6 (166.8684) | 13 (163.4056) | 6 (161.6800) | 11 (162.3200) |
| 2014-06-06 | Beltway BBQ Showdown Ft. Washington, MD | 25 / 42 (628.5256) | 14 (164.5484) | 28 (156.0000) | 33 (151.4172) | 20 (156.5600) |
| 2014-05-02 | Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival Annapolis, MD | 23 / 59 (639.3712) | 32 (156.5828) | 13 (164.0228) | 16 (164.0000) | 28 (154.7656) |
| 2013-05-31 | Beltway BBQ Showdown Ft. Washington, MD | 12 / 25 (641.1426) | 15 (163.4284) | 18 (157.1428) | 7 (163.4284) | 13 (157.1430) |
| 2013-05-03 | Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival Annapolis, MD | 22 / 55 (626.2858) | 28 (161.1426) | 39 (149.7144) | 29 (154.2858) | 18 (161.1430) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #1030 (301 pts) | #961 (366 pts) | #1051 (316 pts) | #989 (356 pts) | #1098 (291 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #1256 (205 pts) | #1438 (175 pts) | #1527 (160 pts) | #1215 (230 pts) | #1251 (220 pts) |