The Inked Pig

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

Power ranking

#3208

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1500

peak 1508 · rated over 15 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-06-27

latest 2019-04-05

Best ToY finish

#747

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 15 contests

Avg finish

top 57%

overall standings

Best overall

658.8228 / 720

Master · The Ironman

Perfect 180s

Current form

638.03 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 636.46 (+1.57)

Walk rate

33%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5828

Brisket · The Ironman

Consistency

±15.68

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 161.01 · weakest Pork Ribs (155.62)

Road miles

868

mi across 15 mapped stops · furthest 91 mi

Schedule strength

41%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)

Master avg

636.46 / 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.

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 44%.

5 contests
0 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 44%

A tough matchup

13–1 behind in the head-to-head

3 EYZ BBQ ahead in 93% of their meetings

3 EYZ BBQ has come out ahead in 13 of their 14 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.4 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.39 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 7% of the time against 0%.

Pork Ribs avg 155.62
Chicken avg 161.01
1 calls in 15 entries

A strong matchup

5–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 71% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BENTWOOD SMOKERS in 5 of their 7 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

14 of 14 shared chicken entries lost

3 EYZ BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, 3 EYZ BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 14 shared chicken entries.

A May team

Top 45% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 45% across 3 contests, versus top 57% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 57% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.18% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.18% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 88.4% of a perfect score
15 contests

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked The Ironman every year from 2015 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 11th

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.

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

SMOKIN GNOME BBQ

#3224 of the rated field

1499 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 34
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1574

1–4 in 5 shared contests (20% to The Inked Pig)

These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — SMOKIN GNOME BBQ ahead 4–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 34 contests
last seen 2021-09-24

⚔ Head-to-head

ON THE SAUCE

#3210 of the rated field

1500 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1501

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2022-06-03

⚔ Head-to-head

FLATLANDER BARBECUE

#3223 of the rated field

1499 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1503

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2019-09-28

⚔ Head-to-head

HEAVY D BBQ

#3197 of the rated field

1500 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1543

No shared contest yet.

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2019-06-15

⚔ Head-to-head

AFRO SMOKE BBQ

#3193 of the rated field

1500 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1514

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 3 years before The Inked Pig's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 15 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

CRESCENT MOON BBQ

#3219 of the rated field

1500 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

Level with The Inked Pig on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2021-06-18

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
3 EYZ BBQ	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
SAUCE THIS BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
BONE TO BARK BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
4:20 Q	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BENTWOOD SMOKERS	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
BIG BLOCK BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Brown Liquor BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	15	0	0	0	166.2856	149.6684	161.01	top 53%
Pork Ribs	15	1	0	0	168.5372	131.3144	155.62	top 64%
Pork	15	2	1	1	175.4400	150.2744	160.12	top 56%
Brisket	15	3	0	1	176.5828	139.4400	159.71	top 47%

“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
MD	7	top 49%
PA	6	top 60%
DE	1	top 69%
VA	1	top 80%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	3	0	top 59%
Large (40+)	12	0	top 57%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
The Ironman	5	11	top 57%	2019-04-05
Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival	2	23	top 51%	2016-05-06
Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ	2	17	top 54%	2015-07-31

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

On the trail 4.8 yrs 2014-06-27 → 2019-04-05

Busiest season 2015 5 contests

Contests a season 2.5 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MD 7 of 15 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 9 3 of them cooked more than once

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

Strongest meat Chicken averages 161.01 · weakest Pork Ribs (155.62)

Walk rate 33% a top-10 call in 5 of 15 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 15 contests

Master average 636.46 out of 720 · 15 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 356 330–431 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 868 15 mapped stops · furthest 91 mi

Schedule strength 1554 average field rating faced — tougher than 41% of rated contests

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2017-03-31 → 2018-04-06

Power rating 1500 peak 1508 · #3208 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Jun 27 First tracked contest Hogging Up BBQ Festival
2015
Apr 3 First call The Ironman
Apr 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.8228 The Ironman
Apr 3 Career-best overall score658.8228 The Ironman
May 29 First category win (Pork) Beltway BBQ Showdown
Jul 31 Peak power rating (1508) Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ
2016
May 6 10th tracked contest Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival
2017
Mar 31 Career-best single call (Brisket)176.5828 The Ironman
2019
Apr 5 Most recent contest The Ironman

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.4	The Ironman	2015-04-03
+7.5	Beltway BBQ Showdown	2015-05-29
+5.2	*Interstate BBQ Festival	2018-04-20
+3.8	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival	2016-05-06
+3.7	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ	2015-07-31

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.2	Hogging Up BBQ Festival	2014-06-27
-6.3	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ	2014-08-01
-5.8	The Ironman	2016-04-01
-4.5	Smoke in the Park	2015-09-25
-4.4	The Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition at Battery Park	2016-06-10

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	0%	top 69%	88.4%	88.4%
2018	2	0	0%	top 55%	91.2%	89.5%
2017	1	0	100%	top 58%	87.8%	87.8%
2016	4	0	0%	top 61%	89.8%	88.2%
2015	5	1	80%	top 44%	91.5%	89.8%
2014	2	0	0%	top 78%	84.7%	84.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-04-05	The Ironman Greencastle, PA	29 / 42 (636.3428)	22 (163.9656)	31 (158.2172)	30 (158.8000)	30 (155.3600)
2018-04-20	*Interstate BBQ Festival Hagerstown, MD	31 / 67 (656.4116)	51 (157.6572)	24 (166.2744)	44 (162.8000)	14 (169.6800)
2018-04-06	The Ironman Greencastle, PA	38 / 60 (631.9088)	48 (153.1888)	44 (154.2172)	38 (158.2628)	23 (166.2400)
2017-03-31	The Ironman Greencastle, PA	34 / 59 (631.9084)	51 (149.6684)	40 (155.3828)	50 (150.2744)	2 (176.5828)
2016-06-10	The Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition at Battery Park New Castle, DE	27 / 39 (633.5544)	14 (164.5600)	29 (159.9428)	27 (159.3944)	29 (149.6572)
2016-05-06	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	23 / 51 (644.4800)	15 (166.2628)	19 (162.8572)	32 (155.9428)	25 (159.4172)
2016-04-15	*Interstate BBQ Festival Hagerstown, MD	23 / 41 (646.8112)	27 (164.5600)	29 (156.5600)	29 (158.8684)	13 (166.8228)
2016-04-01	The Ironman Greencastle, PA	40 / 54 (614.6748)	24 (162.8344)	53 (131.3144)	25 (161.1316)	26 (159.3944)
2015-09-25	Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA	25 / 34 (633.5656)	29 (155.3600)	17 (162.2628)	16 (161.1200)	21 (154.8228)
2015-07-31	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Leonardtown, MD	17 / 54 (656.4684)	19 (166.2856)	5 (168.5372)	16 (165.6800)	32 (155.9656)
2015-05-29	Beltway BBQ Showdown Ft. Washington, MD	13 / 39 (649.6572)	12 (163.9884)	16 (158.8804)	1 (175.4400)	22 (151.3484)
2015-05-01	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	37 / 64 (634.1712)	44 (157.1428)	45 (152.5256)	52 (153.0512)	7 (171.4516)
2015-04-03	The Ironman Shady Grove, PA	11 / 48 (658.8228)	12 (166.2628)	37 (150.2744)	9 (171.4400)	4 (170.8456)
2014-08-01	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Leonardtown, MD	45 / 59 (608.4228)	29 (160.5600)	47 (150.1944)	27 (158.2284)	49 (139.4400)
2014-06-27	Hogging Up BBQ Festival Winchester, VA	37 / 46 (609.6456)	13 (162.8228)	44 (146.8572)	39 (151.3940)	38 (148.5716)

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
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#1199 (260 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1161 (260 pts)	#1008 (350 pts)	#1208 (270 pts)	#1322 (240 pts)	#1105 (300 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#747 (469 pts)	#794 (459 pts)	#746 (509 pts)	#555 (699 pts)	#634 (589 pts)