High-water mark
677.6916
career-best overall
94.1% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 677.6916 at Smoking in the Woods — 94.1% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jul 22, 2016
HICKORY HILLS
HICKORY HILLS is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 4th of 18 at the Smoking in the Woods (2016). They are ranked #2909 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1508
peak 1513 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
Jul 19, 2013
latest Feb 23, 2018 · 4.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
5 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
43% of 7 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 55%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
654.35
last 5 Master vs avg 654.63 (-0.28)
Walk rate
86%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.73
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 166.94 · weakest Brisket (157.36)
Road miles
210
across 7 mapped stops · furthest 36 mi
Schedule strength
43%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1556)
Master avg
654.63 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #2485 (59 pts) | #1938 (74 pts) | #2536 (54 pts) | #1120 (254 pts) | #2540 (54 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1555 (158 pts) | #1587 (168 pts) | #1635 (158 pts) | #1654 (148 pts) | #1709 (138 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1411 (193 pts) | #1221 (268 pts) | #2071 (113 pts) | #1420 (218 pts) | #2076 (108 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #1814 (126 pts) | #1778 (141 pts) | #1307 (231 pts) | #1901 (126 pts) | #1875 (126 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #1397 (166 pts) | #1764 (126 pts) | #1144 (261 pts) | #1435 (176 pts) | #1887 (101 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to HICKORY HILLS, each with one reason worth a look.
110 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,916 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1509
Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 3 years before HICKORY HILLS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,904 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1508
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,918 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1511
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,897 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
They turned up 10 years after HICKORY HILLS did, first appearing in 2023.
⚔ Compare careers#2,912 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
Level with HICKORY HILLS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,893 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1519
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IN DEEP SAUCE | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 177.1772 | 157.7372 | 165.95 | top 53% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 174.8572 | 152.0460 | 166.94 | top 43% |
| Pork | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 174.8572 | 149.1084 | 164.38 | top 47% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 163.9772 | 148.5032 | 157.36 | top 68% |
“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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 28% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 63% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 78% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2014
2 contests
Contests a season
1.2
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MO
7 of 7 contests
Contests visited
7
a different one every time
Opponents faced
136
finished ahead 85 times, behind 117
Longest layoff
1.1 yrs
Jun 5, 2015 → Jul 22, 2016
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20181 milestone
- Most recent contest Polar Bear BBQ Challenge
20171 milestone
- Peak power rating (1513) Colombia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest
20163 milestones
- First category win (Chicken) Smoking in the Woods
- Career-best overall score677.6916 Smoking in the Woods
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.1772 Smoking in the Woods
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest Smokin' on the River
- First call Smokin' on the River
- First overall top-10 Smokin' on the River
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score670.2628 Smokin' on the River
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.1 | Smoking in the Woods | Jul 22, 2016 |
| +11.1 | Smokin' on the River | Jul 19, 2013 |
| +7.4 | Colombia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest | May 5, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.8 | Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest | May 2, 2014 |
| -6.5 | 7th Annual Wellsville BBQ Cookoff | Jul 11, 2014 |
| -5.2 | Polar Bear BBQ Challenge | Feb 23, 2018 |
| -2 | Hott Butts BBQ Contest | Jun 5, 2015 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 83% | 89.4% | 89.4% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 33% | 92.4% | 92.4% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 22% | 94.1% | 94.1% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 66% | 89.8% | 89.8% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 82% | 88.9% | 88.9% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 19% | 93.1% | 93.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2018 | Polar Bear BBQ Challenge Kingdom City, MO | 24 / 29 (643.3948) | 21 (167.9884) | 27 (152.0460) | 2 (174.8572) | 27 (148.5032) |
| May 5, 2017 | Colombia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest Columbia, MO | 6 / 18 (665.0628) | 5 (168) | 6 (171.4056) | 7 (166.2400) | 8 (159.4172) |
| Jul 22, 2016 | Smoking in the Woods Kingdom City, MO | 4 / 18 (677.6916) | 1 (177.1772) | 11 (164.5372) | 3 (172) | 12 (163.9772) |
| Jun 5, 2015 | Hott Butts BBQ Contest Boonville, MO | 21 / 32 (646.2744) | 27 (157.7372) | 2 (174.8572) | 27 (156.5372) | 23 (157.1428) |
| Jul 11, 2014 | 7th Annual Wellsville BBQ Cookoff Wellsville, MO | 32 / 41 (639.3140) | 36 (158.2284) | 7 (172.5828) | 40 (149.1084) | 27 (159.3944) |
| May 2, 2014 | Columbia Elks Lodge #594 BBQ Contest Columbia, MO | 30 / 35 (640.4112) | 22 (165.1084) | 29 (159.4172) | 25 (162.2284) | 30 (153.6572) |
| Jul 19, 2013 | Smokin' on the River Glasgow, MO | 7 / 36 (670.2628) | 12 (167.3828) | 2 (173.7600) | 6 (169.7028) | 17 (159.4172) |