HILLTOP HOGGERS

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

Power ranking

#5313

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1455

peak 1506 · rated over 12 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-06-19

latest 2023-04-21

Best ToY finish

#856

Master 2020

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 12 contests

Avg finish

top 72%

overall standings

Best overall

674.3316 / 720

Master · Southaven Springfest

Perfect 180s

Current form

612.96 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 639.82 (-26.85)

Walk rate

33%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7028

Pork · Desoto Shrine Club 7th Annual 2015 BBQ Cook Off

Consistency

±51.05

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 165.68 · weakest Pork Ribs (160.58)

Road miles

mi across 12 mapped stops

Schedule strength

51%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1565)

Purse competed for

$53K

listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 5 state-championship entries

Master avg

639.82 / 720

12 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.

High-water mark

674.3316 career-best overall

93.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 674.3316 at Southaven Springfest — 93.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-04-22

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

FIRE DANCER BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

FIRE DANCER BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.1 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.10 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 8%.

Pork Ribs avg 160.58
Chicken avg 165.68
0 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of RATED R PORK STARS in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

The comeback

1.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at Southaven Springfest (2023-04-21).

last seen 2021-06-18
back 2023-04-21

Chicken nemesis

8 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

FIRE DANCER BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, FIRE DANCER BBQ has out-cooked them in 8 of 8 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SECURITY SMOKERS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±7.09% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±7.09% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 88.9% of a perfect score
best 93.7%

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.

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

AUTO"BE"GRILLIN

#5318 of the rated field

1455 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1505

0–5 in 5 shared contests (0% to HILLTOP HOGGERS)

These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — AUTO"BE"GRILLIN ahead 5–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2024-04-26

⚔ Head-to-head

Boo Boo Bus BBQ

#5320 of the rated field

1455 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1510 at their best, 55 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-06-13

⚔ Head-to-head

INFINITE SMOKE BBQ

#5303 of the rated field

1455 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1455

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-04-17

⚔ Head-to-head

Hardwood BBQ

#5311 of the rated field

1455 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1503

No shared contest yet.

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2026-05-01

⚔ Head-to-head

Meat Your Maker

#5319 of the rated field

1455 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1455

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2015.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-08-07

⚔ Head-to-head

TAILWIND BBQ

#5330 of the rated field

1454 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before HILLTOP HOGGERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 11 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BACON & WHISKEY	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' BUTTS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
RAZORRACKS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
FIRE DANCER BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
RATED R PORK STARS	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
BLUE COLLAR BBQ MS	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
HOTTY TOTTY BBQ CREW	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
Swine Life	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
KILLER HOGS	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
UNCLE FEOL'S TENNESSEE STYLE BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
BOOTYQUE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
South Pork	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BEER-B-QUE BOYS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BOARS NIGHT OUT	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	1	1	176.0000	157.1200	165.68	top 62%
Pork Ribs	11	0	0	169.1660	146.7660	160.58	top 75%
Pork	12	2	1	177.7028	153.6228	164.20	top 65%
Brisket	12	2	0	176.5600	152.5028	162.74	top 65%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 75%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 70%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Southaven Springfest	4	23	0	top 82%	2023-04-21
Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off	3	19	0	top 64%	2019-06-14

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 7.8 yrs 2015-06-19 → 2023-04-21

Busiest season 2019 2 contests

Contests a season 1.5 across 8 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MS 12 of 12 contests

Contests visited 7 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 12 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 165.68 · weakest Pork Ribs (160.58)

Walk rate 33% a top-10 call in 4 of 12 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 12 contests

Master average 639.82 out of 720 · 12 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 229 135–334 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 55 12 mapped stops

Schedule strength 1565 average field rating faced — tougher than 51% of rated contests

Purse competed for $53,000 listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 5 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.8 yrs 2021-06-18 → 2023-04-21

Power rating 1455 peak 1506 · #5313 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
Jun 19 First tracked contest Desoto Shrine Club 7th Annual 2015 BBQ Cook Off
Jun 19 First call Desoto Shrine Club 7th Annual 2015 BBQ Cook Off
Jun 19 First overall past 90% of a perfect score663.3484 Desoto Shrine Club 7th Annual 2015 BBQ Cook Off
Jun 19 Career-best single call (Pork)177.7028 Desoto Shrine Club 7th Annual 2015 BBQ Cook Off
2016
Apr 22 Career-best overall score674.3316 Southaven Springfest
Apr 22 Peak power rating (1506) Southaven Springfest
2020
Jun 19 10th tracked contest Desoto Shrine Club 12th Annual BBQ Cook-Off
2023
Apr 21 Most recent contest Southaven Springfest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+4.5	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off	2017-06-16
+3.8	Southaven Springfest	2016-04-22
+2.6	Desoto Shrine Club 7th Annual 2015 BBQ Cook Off	2015-06-19

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.8	Southaven Springfest	2023-04-21
-10.3	Desoto Shrine Club 12th Annual BBQ Cook-Off	2020-06-19
-9	The Desoto Shrine Club 8th Annual BBQ Cook Off	2016-06-17
-6.4	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off	2019-06-14
-5.9	Southaven Springfest	2018-04-27

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	1	0%	top 100%	66.2%	66.2%
2021	1	0%	top 71%	91.1%	91.1%
2020	1	0%	top 94%	87.3%	87.3%
2019	2	50%	top 77%	91%	90.6%
2018	2	0%	top 73%	91.7%	90.2%
2017	2	100%	top 60%	93.6%	92.8%
2016	2	0%	top 66%	93.7%	91.3%
2015	1	100%	top 49%	92.1%	92.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2023-04-21	Southaven Springfest 🏅 Southaven, MS	34 / 34 (476.4000)	33 (159.3828)	—	32 (157.0628)	29 (159.9544)
2021-06-18	DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Nesbit, MS	34 / 48 (655.8400)	14 (173.1200)	36 (161.1200)	27 (165.6800)	40 (155.9200)
2020-06-19	Desoto Shrine Club 12th Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Hernando, MS	44 / 47 (628.4232)	43 (157.1200)	45 (157.6688)	38 (161.1316)	42 (152.5028)
2019-06-14	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off 🏅 Hernado, MS	39 / 49 (648.9140)	41 (161.6684)	40 (160.5028)	40 (163.9428)	33 (162.8000)
2019-04-26	Southaven Springfest 🏅 Southaven, MS	23 / 31 (655.2340)	23 (165.0856)	24 (159.3600)	30 (157.6456)	6 (173.1428)
2018-06-15	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off Hernado, MS	30 / 45 (660.4344)	30 (166.2400)	27 (167.3944)	37 (162.2516)	28 (164.5484)
2018-04-27	Southaven Springfest Southaven, MS	27 / 34 (638.1144)	24 (164.5484)	33 (146.7660)	30 (157.6572)	13 (169.1428)
2017-06-16	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off Nesbit, MS	19 / 41 (674.1484)	36 (158.2400)	19 (168.5256)	16 (170.8228)	9 (176.5600)
2017-04-28	Southaven Springfest Southaven, MS	24 / 33 (662.2628)	3 (176.0000)	32 (153.6572)	9 (172.0228)	27 (160.5828)
2016-06-17	The Desoto Shrine Club 8th Annual BBQ Cook Off Hernando, MS	35 / 41 (640.3540)	22 (168.5256)	32 (161.1200)	37 (153.6228)	38 (157.0856)
2016-04-22	Southaven Springfest Southaven, MS	19 / 41 (674.3316)	17 (170.2628)	18 (169.1660)	14 (170.8800)	25 (164.0228)
2015-06-19	Desoto Shrine Club 7th Annual 2015 BBQ Cook Off Hernando, MS	18 / 37 (663.3484)	16 (167.9656)	26 (161.1200)	3 (177.7028)	30 (156.5600)

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
2021 ↗	Master	#1236 (60 pts)	#1057 (115 pts)	#1309 (60 pts)	#1262 (60 pts)	#1245 (60 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#856 (60 pts)	#896 (60 pts)	#913 (60 pts)	#899 (60 pts)	#883 (60 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1440 (126 pts)	#1548 (126 pts)	#1569 (121 pts)	#1684 (116 pts)	#1140 (231 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1669 (119 pts)	#1579 (124 pts)	#1725 (119 pts)	#1728 (119 pts)	#1369 (179 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1577 (153 pts)	#1145 (293 pts)	#1674 (148 pts)	#1262 (248 pts)	#1399 (203 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1624 (150 pts)	#1596 (175 pts)	#1692 (155 pts)	#1613 (175 pts)	#1839 (120 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1947 (95 pts)	#1960 (105 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#1311 (235 pts)	#2214 (60 pts)