The heartbreaker
1.1660
points from the title
Came within 1.1660 points of the Grand Championship at Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (May 19, 2017).
PORKS & REC
PORKS & REC is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 53 at the Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (2017), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1616 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1557
peak 1557 · rated over 16 contests
Contests
16
in the data
First seen
Apr 3, 2015
latest Oct 20, 2017 · 2.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
19% of 16 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 47%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
663.78 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 650.24 (+13.54)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±19.29
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 164.62 · weakest Pork Ribs (160.94)
Road miles
1,604
across 16 mapped stops · furthest 308 mi
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)
Master avg
650.24 / 720
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #403 (925 pts) | #506 (780 pts) | #606 (665 pts) | #329 (1,095 pts) | #374 (1,025 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1231 (239 pts) | #1046 (334 pts) | #1230 (264 pts) | #1296 (249 pts) | #1298 (239 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1281 (210 pts) | #1254 (240 pts) | #1266 (240 pts) | #1311 (235 pts) | #1311 (215 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to PORKS & REC, each with one reason worth a look.
45 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,626 of the rated field
- Contests
- 22
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1559
1–3 in 4 shared contests (25% to PORKS & REC)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — DON'T KNOW JACK BBQ ahead 3–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,619 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1563
Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,624 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1557
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,610 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1565
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 19 contests, alongside a 21% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,621 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 31%
- Peak
- 1557
Level with PORKS & REC on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#1,615 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 54%
- Peak
- 1559
They turned up 9 years after PORKS & REC did, first appearing in 2024.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRILLING & GRILLING | 14 | 2 | 12 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| 3 EYZ BBQ | 12 | 2 | 10 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| LO' -N- SLO' BBQ | 12 | 2 | 10 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| SAUCE THIS BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' TEX BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| PIGHEADED BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| GUZZY-Q | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| ASTRO PIGS BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 173.7372 | 152.5256 | 164.62 | top 47% |
| Pork Ribs | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 144.5484 | 160.94 | top 51% |
| Pork | 16 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 176.5716 | 153.0972 | 162.61 | top 48% |
| Brisket | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 176.5600 | 150.7884 | 162.07 | top 44% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 50% |
| Large (40+) | 13 | 0 | top 46% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boo-B-Que | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 44% | Oct 20, 2017 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
8 contests
Contests a season
5.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MD
8 of 16 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
15
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
366
finished ahead 428 times, behind 343
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20179 milestones
- First overall top-10 Boss Frogs BBQ
- 10th tracked contest Boss Frogs BBQ
- First category win (Pork) Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest
- Career-best single call (Pork)176.5716 Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest
- First overall podium Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- First Reserve Championship Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- Career-best overall score689.6572 Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- Peak power rating (1557) Boo-B-Que
- Most recent contest Boo-B-Que
20153 milestones
- First tracked contest The Ironman
- First call Pig & A Jig BBQ Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.9084 Pig & A Jig BBQ Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke | May 19, 2017 |
| +14.7 | Boss Frogs BBQ | Apr 7, 2017 |
| +12.6 | Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest | May 5, 2017 |
| +8.1 | Pig & A Jig BBQ Festival | May 29, 2015 |
| +8 | Smoke in the Grove (JUDGES FULL) | Jul 28, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10 | Rotary Club of Wakefield Rhode Island | Jul 22, 2016 |
| -5.5 | The Ironman | Apr 3, 2015 |
| -3 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | Aug 12, 2016 |
| -1.3 | Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ | Jul 31, 2015 |
| -1.3 | Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition | Jun 9, 2017 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 75% | top 35% | 95.8% | 92% |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 63% | 90% | 88.2% |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 54% | 92% | 89.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 20, 2017 | Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE | 24 / 69 (663.3256) | 29 (167.3828) | 27 (166.2972) | 31 (162.8228) | 22 (166.8228) |
| Aug 11, 2017 | Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD | 23 / 47 (657.5656) | 29 (165.0972) | 33 (157.0744) | 15 (166.8112) | 8 (168.5828) |
| Jul 28, 2017 | Smoke in the Grove (JUDGES FULL) Spring Grove, PA | 15 / 51 (659.8852) | 10 (169.7028) | 25 (160.5828) | 32 (159.3484) | 7 (170.2512) |
| Jun 9, 2017 | Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition New Castle, DE | 26 / 46 (648.4684) | 10 (169.7256) | 25 (158.8572) | 32 (158.2056) | 26 (161.6800) |
| May 19, 2017 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke Morgantown, PA | 2 / 53 (689.6572) | 17 (169.7028) | 7 (173.1200) | 2 (176.0116) | 6 (170.8228) |
| May 5, 2017 | Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest Crownsville, MD | 8 / 37 (673.0632) | 10 (168.5600) | 15 (166.2744) | 1 (176.5716) | 22 (161.6572) |
| Apr 7, 2017 | Boss Frogs BBQ Hurlock, MD | 9 / 45 (667.3256) | 33 (157.6800) | 19 (161.0856) | 5 (172) | 2 (176.5600) |
| Mar 3, 2017 | The Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown Brunswick, MD | 32 / 50 (638.7428) | 18 (167.4400) | 42 (146.2172) | 22 (165.6684) | 26 (159.4172) |
| Oct 21, 2016 | Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE | 35 / 67 (634.1600) | 44 (159.4056) | 29 (161.0972) | 27 (160.5944) | 42 (153.0628) |
| Aug 12, 2016 | Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD | 29 / 42 (647.8628) | 8 (173.7372) | 20 (166.2400) | 36 (153.1084) | 30 (154.7772) |
| Jul 22, 2016 | Rotary Club of Wakefield Rhode Island Kingston, RI | 31 / 34 (618.1368) | 31 (152.5256) | 27 (157.1200) | 25 (157.7028) | 31 (150.7884) |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Que for the Troops Levittown, PA | 26 / 67 (639.2912) | 43 (158.7884) | 34 (160.5944) | 23 (161.0972) | 30 (158.8112) |
| Aug 14, 2015 | 14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD | 19 / 46 (662.1828) | 13 (170.8228) | 24 (163.9660) | 14 (167.9884) | 23 (159.4056) |
| Jul 31, 2015 | Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Leonardtown, MD | 34 / 54 (633.6232) | 43 (154.2516) | 14 (163.9888) | 44 (153.0972) | 22 (162.2856) |
| May 29, 2015 | Pig & A Jig BBQ Festival Snow Hill, MD | 12 / 32 (655.9084) | 4 (173.1428) | 11 (168) | 27 (155.9428) | 15 (158.8228) |
| Apr 3, 2015 | The Ironman Shady Grove, PA | 35 / 48 (614.6512) | 38 (155.9656) | 43 (144.5484) | 33 (154.7772) | 23 (159.3600) |