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.
THE SMOKING PIGS
THE SMOKING PIGS is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 6th of 26 at the KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off (2015). They are ranked #2875 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1509
peak 1531 · rated over 11 contests
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
Aug 15, 2014
latest Mar 2, 2018 · 3.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
3
27% of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 53%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
646.94 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 655.10 (-8.15)
Walk rate
73%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.87
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 164.98 · weakest Brisket (161.58)
Road miles
1,584
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
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 | #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) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to THE SMOKING PIGS, each with one reason worth a look.
98 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,864 of the rated field
- 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.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,885 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1509
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,883 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1521
Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,865 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1520
Level with THE SMOKING PIGS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,870 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1515
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,890 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 31%
- Peak
- 1526
13 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 31% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar 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 | 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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 43% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 61% |
Repeat visits (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% | Mar 2, 2018 |
| Smokefest | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 50% | Aug 21, 2015 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
3 contests
Contests a season
2.2
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MN
10 of 11 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
9
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
211
finished ahead 205 times, behind 250
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20181 milestone
- Most recent contest Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship
20171 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Big Muddy Brew N Que
20161 milestone
- Peak power rating (1531) Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship
20154 milestones
- First overall top-10 Great Northern BBQ
- First category win (Pork) KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off
- Career-best overall score679.9544 KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off
- Career-best single call (Pork)176 KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +10.5 | KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off | Sep 18, 2015 |
| +9.3 | Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship | Mar 4, 2016 |
| +7.1 | Great Northern BBQ | Jul 31, 2015 |
| +5.1 | Big Muddy Brew N Que | Sep 2, 2017 |
| +2.9 | Smokefest | Aug 21, 2015 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9 | Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship | Mar 2, 2018 |
| -8.7 | Cookin On Kampeska | Jul 14, 2017 |
| -3.9 | Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship | Mar 3, 2017 |
| -3.4 | Minnesota in May | May 13, 2016 |
| -1.9 | SMSU Smokefest | Aug 19, 2016 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 88.1% | 88.1% |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 65% | 91.8% | 90.3% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 48% | 92.3% | 90.7% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 100% | top 35% | 94.4% | 93.2% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2018 | Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship Onamia, MN | 48 / 57 (634.6520) | 41 (161.6456) | 25 (166.2632) | 53 (152.4916) | 48 (154.2516) |
| Sep 2, 2017 | Big Muddy Brew N Que Winona, MN | 9 / 21 (661.0400) | 11 (165.7144) | 7 (167.4172) | 5 (170.2628) | 16 (157.6456) |
| Jul 14, 2017 | Cookin On Kampeska Watertown, SD | 41 / 48 (647.2456) | 29 (167.3828) | 42 (159.3944) | 42 (157.0628) | 31 (163.4056) |
| Mar 3, 2017 | Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship Onamia, MN | 32 / 47 (642.7316) | 42 (158.2744) | 10 (169.6800) | 28 (161.7028) | 31 (153.0744) |
| Aug 19, 2016 | SMSU Smokefest Marshall, MN | 23 / 37 (649.0400) | 32 (157.6572) | 17 (166.8228) | 32 (155.4400) | 8 (169.1200) |
| May 13, 2016 | Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN | 42 / 71 (645.0744) | 38 (163.4172) | 41 (161.7028) | 36 (164) | 52 (155.9544) |
| Mar 4, 2016 | Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship Isle, MN | 14 / 59 (664.5944) | 25 (164.5944) | 16 (166.2972) | 30 (162.2628) | 10 (171.4400) |
| Sep 18, 2015 | KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-Off Worthington, MN | 6 / 26 (679.9544) | 11 (169.1200) | 14 (166.8572) | 1 (176) | 12 (167.9772) |
| Aug 21, 2015 | Smokefest Marshall, MN | 20 / 42 (665.1548) | 6 (173.7144) | 21 (164.6288) | 7 (172.5600) | 36 (154.2516) |
| Jul 31, 2015 | Great Northern BBQ Brainerd, MN | 9 / 26 (667.9884) | 10 (170.2972) | 4 (169.7372) | 16 (161.1084) | 7 (166.8456) |
| Aug 15, 2014 | Smokefest Marshall, MN | 17 / 32 (648.5832) | 22 (161.7144) | 24 (155.9888) | 8 (167.4400) | 18 (163.4400) |