THE SMOKING PIGS

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

Power ranking

#2855

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1509

peak 1531 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-08-15

latest 2018-03-02

Best ToY finish

#1195

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 53%

overall standings

Best overall

679.9544 / 720

Master · KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.94 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 655.10 (-8.15)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.0000

Pork · KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off

Consistency

±12.87

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 164.98 · weakest Brisket (161.58)

Road miles

1,584

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 146 mi

Schedule strength

37%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1549)

Master avg

655.10 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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.

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 8 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

679.9544 career-best overall

94.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 679.9544 at KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off — 94.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-09-18

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 35%.

3 contests
2 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 35%

A tough matchup

9–0 behind in the head-to-head

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead in 100% of their meetings

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Good Ol Boys BBQ in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

8 of 9 shared pork ribs entries lost

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead 89% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has out-cooked them in 8 of 9 shared pork ribs entries.

The metronome

±1.79% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.79% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.0% of a perfect score
11 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.

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

CLOVER RIDGE SMOKERS

#2845 of the rated field

1509 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1510

2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to THE SMOKING PIGS)

These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2016-08-12

⚔ Head-to-head

LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING FELLAS

#2864 of the rated field

1509 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1509

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2021-10-29

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKEY STRUT BBQ

#2872 of the rated field

1509 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1522

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2019-09-12

⚔ Head-to-head

TWOLITTLEPIGSBBQ.COM

#2844 of the rated field

1509 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

Level with THE SMOKING PIGS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2016-08-12

⚔ Head-to-head

Last Place Chicken

#2859 of the rated field

1509 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 8% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-06-12

⚔ Head-to-head

FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE

#2842 of the rated field

1509 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1509

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2021-09-24

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
Eggspert BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Hogline	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Borgy the BBQ Butcher	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
CITY SLICKERS BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
BEND OF THE RIVER BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
CROIX VALLEY SAUCES	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
SONS OF BUTCHERS	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
WHITEWATER BBQ COMPANY	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
CROW RIVER BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
Pigtamer BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
BIG J'S SMOKEHOUSE	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	2	0	0	173.7144	157.6572	164.87	top 56%
Pork Ribs	11	3	0	0	169.7372	155.9888	164.98	top 46%
Pork	11	4	1	1	176.0000	152.4916	163.67	top 51%
Brisket	11	3	0	0	171.4400	153.0744	161.58	top 56%

“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	GCs	Avg finish
MN	10	0	top 50%
SD	1	0	top 85%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 43%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 61%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship	2	32	0	top 76%	2018-03-02
Smokefest	2	17	0	top 50%	2015-08-21

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

On the trail 3.5 yrs 2014-08-15 → 2018-03-02

Busiest season 2017 3 contests

Contests a season 2.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MN 10 of 11 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 9 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 11 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 164.98 · weakest Brisket (161.58)

Walk rate 73% a top-10 call in 8 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 27% 3 of 11 contests

Master average 655.10 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 211 205–250 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,584 11 mapped stops · furthest 146 mi

Schedule strength 1549 average field rating faced — tougher than 37% of rated contests

Power rating 1509 peak 1531 · #2855 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Aug 15 First tracked contest Smokefest
Aug 15 First call Smokefest
Aug 15 First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.5832 Smokefest
2015
Jul 31 First overall top-10 Great Northern BBQ
Sep 18 First category win (Pork) KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off
Sep 18 Career-best overall score679.9544 KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off
Sep 18 Career-best single call (Pork)176.0000 KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off
2016
Mar 4 Peak power rating (1531) Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship
2017
Sep 2 10th tracked contest Big Muddy Brew N Que
2018
Mar 2 Most recent contest Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.5	KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off	2015-09-18
+9.3	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship	2016-03-04
+7.1	Great Northern BBQ	2015-07-31
+5.1	Big Muddy Brew N Que	2017-09-02
+2.9	Smokefest	2015-08-21

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship	2018-03-02
-8.7	Cookin On Kampeska	2017-07-14
-3.9	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship	2017-03-03
-3.4	Minnesota in May	2016-05-13
-1.9	SMSU Smokefest	2016-08-19

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	1	0	0	0%	top 84%	88.1%	88.1%
2017	3	1	0	67%	top 65%	91.8%	90.3%
2016	3	0	0	67%	top 48%	92.3%	90.7%
2015	3	2	1	100%	top 35%	94.4%	93.2%
2014	1	0	0	100%	top 53%	90.1%	90.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-03-02	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship Onamia, MN	48 / 57 (634.6520)	41 (161.6456)	25 (166.2632)	53 (152.4916)	48 (154.2516)
2017-09-02	Big Muddy Brew N Que Winona, MN	9 / 21 (661.0400)	11 (165.7144)	7 (167.4172)	5 (170.2628)	16 (157.6456)
2017-07-14	Cookin On Kampeska Watertown, SD	41 / 48 (647.2456)	29 (167.3828)	42 (159.3944)	42 (157.0628)	31 (163.4056)
2017-03-03	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship Onamia, MN	32 / 47 (642.7316)	42 (158.2744)	10 (169.6800)	28 (161.7028)	31 (153.0744)
2016-08-19	SMSU Smokefest Marshall, MN	23 / 37 (649.0400)	32 (157.6572)	17 (166.8228)	32 (155.4400)	8 (169.1200)
2016-05-13	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	42 / 71 (645.0744)	38 (163.4172)	41 (161.7028)	36 (164.0000)	52 (155.9544)
2016-03-04	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship Isle, MN	14 / 59 (664.5944)	25 (164.5944)	16 (166.2972)	30 (162.2628)	10 (171.4400)
2015-09-18	KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off Worthington, MN	6 / 26 (679.9544)	11 (169.1200)	14 (166.8572)	1 (176.0000)	12 (167.9772)
2015-08-21	Smokefest Marshall, MN	20 / 42 (665.1548)	6 (173.7144)	21 (164.6288)	7 (172.5600)	36 (154.2516)
2015-07-31	Great Northern BBQ Brainerd, MN	9 / 26 (667.9884)	10 (170.2972)	4 (169.7372)	16 (161.1084)	7 (166.8456)
2014-08-15	Smokefest Marshall, MN	17 / 32 (648.5832)	22 (161.7144)	24 (155.9888)	8 (167.4400)	18 (163.4400)

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)	#1732 (135 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#2266 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1195 (245 pts)	#1547 (180 pts)	#1224 (265 pts)	#1564 (180 pts)	#995 (350 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1470 (166 pts)	#1773 (121 pts)	#1950 (106 pts)	#1182 (276 pts)	#1902 (116 pts)