High-water mark
674.7428
career-best overall
93.7% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 674.7428 at Lakeland Pig Festival — 93.7% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jan 26, 2018
Hot Ashes
Hot Ashes is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 12th of 35 at the When Pigs Fly South (2015). They are ranked #2729 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1513
peak 1538 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
Jan 30, 2015
latest Jan 28, 2022 · 7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 49%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
655.40
last 5 Master vs avg 655.65 (-0.26)
Walk rate
20%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±16.11
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 165.84 · weakest Pork Ribs (162.11)
Road miles
32
across 10 mapped stops
Schedule strength
38%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1550)
Purse competed for
$75K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
655.65 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Hot Ashes, each with one reason worth a look.
128 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,713 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1513
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Hot Ashes)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Hot Ashes has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,733 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1513
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,727 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1527
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,749 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1512
Level with Hot Ashes on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,716 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1518
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 6 years before Hot Ashes's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,741 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1530
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 6 years before Hot Ashes's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAMP BOYS | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Two Crackers Cooking | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| SWINOS | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Accutech BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| HOGS GONE WILD BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN ACES BBQ - FL | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG JOHN'S TEXAS BAR-B-QUE | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT WACHULA'S | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| SWINE AND SHINE BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| J-MACK COOKERS | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN BLUE Q FL | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Blitzkrieg BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Slimz | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171.4172 | 155.9656 | 163.32 | top 62% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168 | 147.9200 | 162.11 | top 55% |
| Pork | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.7028 | 156.5372 | 164.40 | top 52% |
| Brisket | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8572 | 151.9316 | 165.84 | top 39% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 34% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 51% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 5 | 16 | 0 | top 54% | Jan 28, 2022 |
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 2 | 25 | 0 | top 43% | Jan 29, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2015
2 contests
Contests a season
1.1
across 9 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
FL
10 of 10 contests
Contests visited
3
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
322
finished ahead 264 times, behind 319
Longest layoff
2 yrs
Jan 24, 2020 → Jan 28, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20222 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
- Most recent contest Lakeland Pig Festival
20192 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork)173.7028 Lakeland Pig Festival
- Peak power rating (1538) Lakeland Pig Festival
20181 milestone
- Career-best overall score674.7428 Lakeland Pig Festival
20152 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score660.4456 Lakeland Pig Festival
- First call When Pigs Fly South
20131 milestone
- First tracked contest Plant City Pig Jam
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +10.2 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 26, 2018 |
| +10.1 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 27, 2017 |
| +6 | When Pigs Fly South | Nov 6, 2015 |
| +5.1 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 30, 2015 |
| +3.4 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 25, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.5 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 28, 2022 |
| -12.5 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 24, 2020 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 90% | 88.1% | 88.1% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 85% | 87.3% | 87.3% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 40% | 92.8% | 92.8% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 27% | 93.7% | 93.7% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 27% | 93.2% | 93.2% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 47% | 91.8% | 91.8% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 37% | 91.7% | 90.8% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 28, 2022 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 54 / 60 (634.6284) | 50 (162.7884) | 58 (147.9200) | 50 (162.2628) | 44 (161.6572) |
| Jan 24, 2020 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 45 / 53 (628.3888) | 45 (159.9428) | 44 (159.9772) | 49 (156.5372) | 44 (151.9316) |
| Jan 25, 2019 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 23 / 58 (667.8856) | 41 (161.6456) | 27 (166.2516) | 5 (173.7028) | 28 (166.2856) |
| Jan 26, 2018 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 16 / 60 (674.7428) | 17 (169.6800) | 19 (168) | 29 (166.2400) | 14 (170.8228) |
| Jan 27, 2017 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 16 / 60 (671.3372) | 15 (171.4172) | 32 (163.3944) | 17 (166.8228) | 16 (169.7028) |
| Jan 29, 2016 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 27 / 58 (661.0512) | 37 (162.8228) | 33 (162.2400) | 24 (166.8456) | 14 (169.1428) |
| Nov 6, 2015 | When Pigs Fly South Lakeland, FL | 12 / 35 (646.7540) | 22 (155.9656) | 16 (162.2400) | 13 (162.2628) | 4 (166.2856) |
| Jan 30, 2015 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 25 / 62 (660.4456) | 48 (162.2628) | 18 (166.8344) | 46 (160.4912) | 14 (170.8572) |
| Jan 23, 2014 | The Tiger Town Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 22, 2013 | Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL | — | — | — | — | — |