Hot Racks and BBQ Stacks

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

Power ranking

#1853

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1545

peak 1545 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-08-16

latest 2015-08-21

Best ToY finish

#1416

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 7 contests

Avg finish

top 34%

overall standings

Best overall

683.8972 / 720

Master · High on the Hog Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

666.07 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 668.96 (-2.89)

Walk rate

100%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Chicken · Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival

Consistency

±9.77

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 171.49 · weakest Pork (163.38)

Road miles

858

mi across 7 mapped stops · furthest 256 mi

Schedule strength

34%

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

Master avg

668.96 / 720

7 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 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

683.8972 career-best overall

95.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 683.8972 at High on the Hog Festival — 95.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-04-18

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

FOWL BUTT BBQ has finished one call ahead of Hot Racks and BBQ Stacks 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

THUNDER HOG BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

THUNDER HOG BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.1 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.11 points below their brisket, and turns into a call 14% of the time against 57%.

Pork avg 163.38
Brisket avg 171.49
1 calls in 7 entries

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ACME BBQ in 6 of their 6 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.

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

Bourbon Barrel Smokers

#1847 of the rated field

1545 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2025-09-26

⚔ Head-to-head

TEAM BALLINGER

#1842 of the rated field

1545 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 57%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

Level with Hot Racks and BBQ Stacks on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2020-03-13

⚔ Head-to-head

K-Dubs BBQ

#1862 of the rated field

1544 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1544

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2025-11-21

⚔ Head-to-head

Grillbilly's BBQ

#1852 of the rated field

1545 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 13 contests, alongside a 15% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG AL AND THE BOYS BARBECUE

#1854 of the rated field

1545 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2019-10-25

⚔ Head-to-head

F.B.I. BBQ - FAT BOYS OF ILLINOIS

#1858 of the rated field

1544 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1544

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2016-09-23

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
ACME BBQ	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
HUG HOGS	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
BLUE CHIP BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
FRIENDS OF OBR	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
Extra Mile BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
LITTLE BOB'S BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
FOWL BUTT BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
THUNDER HOG BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	7	1	0	176.5600	159.3944	167.73	top 46%
Pork Ribs	7	1	0	174.2744	159.9544	166.35	top 42%
Pork	7	1	0	170.2744	158.1940	163.38	top 57%
Brisket	7	4	1	176.5600	165.6800	171.49	top 19%

“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
IN	5	top 33%
KY	1	top 56%
TN	1	top 18%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	1	0	top 56%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 30%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival	2	30	0	top 49%	2015-08-21

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

On the trail 2 yrs 2013-08-16 → 2015-08-21

Busiest season 2014 4 contests

Contests a season 2.3 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IN 5 of 7 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 6 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 7 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 171.49 · weakest Pork (163.38)

Walk rate 100% a top-10 call in 7 of 7 contests

Overall top-10 rate 14% 1 of 7 contests

Master average 668.96 out of 720 · 7 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 230 261–119 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 858 7 mapped stops · furthest 256 mi

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

Power rating 1545 peak 1545 · #1853 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Aug 16 First tracked contest Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues
Aug 16 First call Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues
Aug 16 First overall past 90% of a perfect score668.4572 Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues
2014
Apr 18 Career-best overall score683.8972 High on the Hog Festival
2015
Jun 12 First overall top-10 Smokin' On The River
Aug 21 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.5600 Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival
Aug 21 Peak power rating (1545) Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival
Aug 21 Most recent contest Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.9	Smokin' On The River	2015-06-12
+11.8	High on the Hog Festival	2014-04-18
+11.2	Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues	2013-08-16
+6.9	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	2014-07-18
+1.7	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival	2015-08-21

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-0.4	Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off	2014-10-17

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2015	2	1	100%	top 31%	94.6%	93.3%
2014	4	0	100%	top 39%	95%	92.7%
2013	1	0	100%	top 18%	92.8%	92.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2015-08-21	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	31 / 64 (662.1372)	4 (176.5600)	49 (159.9544)	44 (159.9428)	23 (165.6800)
2015-06-12	Smokin' On The River Jeffersonville, IN	8 / 59 (681.0632)	14 (171.9772)	13 (172.0116)	46 (160.5144)	5 (176.5600)
2014-10-17	Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off Munfordville, KY	18 / 32 (657.5776)	27 (163.3944)	19 (163.3944)	27 (158.8116)	5 (171.9772)
2014-08-15	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	30 / 60 (658.1600)	27 (168.0116)	37 (159.9544)	43 (158.1940)	10 (172.0000)
2014-07-18	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	17 / 51 (671.3944)	40 (159.3944)	18 (168.0000)	12 (169.1200)	2 (174.8800)
2014-04-18	High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN	11 / 62 (683.8972)	30 (169.6800)	8 (174.2744)	34 (166.8228)	14 (173.1200)
2013-08-16	Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues Madison, IN	11 / 60 (668.4572)	21 (165.1200)	15 (166.8344)	10 (170.2744)	18 (166.2284)

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
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#1366 (210 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2225 (60 pts)	#2141 (70 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1416 (190 pts)	#1666 (150 pts)	#1501 (185 pts)	#1397 (215 pts)	#826 (425 pts)