They almost always walk
60%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 15 of 25 contests
A top-10 category call in 60% of their 25 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
ELKHAWG SMOKERS
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1488
peak 1509 · rated over 21 contests ⓘ
Contests
25
in the data
First seen
2015-06-19
latest 2022-09-09
Best ToY finish
#745
Master 2019
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
5
of 25 contests
Avg finish
top 64%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
632.83 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 653.15 (-20.32)
Walk rate
60%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±36.61
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 166.38 · weakest Brisket (164.02)
Road miles
2,184
mi across 25 mapped stops · furthest 108 mi
Schedule strength
71%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1589)
Purse competed for
$60K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
653.15 / 720
21 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (10 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
686.2288
career-best overall
95.3% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 686.2288 at Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cookoff — 95.3% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2016-10-14
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
BRINGIN' THE HEAT has finished one call ahead of ELKHAWG SMOKERS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2019
their best year
2019 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 53%.
- 5 contests
- 2 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 53%
A tough matchup
17–1
behind in the head-to-head
BLUE CHIP BBQ ahead in 94% of their meetings
BLUE CHIP BBQ has come out ahead in 17 of their 18 shared contests.
A strong matchup
5–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 83% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Loaded Barrel BBQ in 5 of their 6 shared contests.
Pork Ribs nemesis
11 of 18
shared pork ribs entries lost
BLUE CHIP BBQ ahead 61% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, BLUE CHIP BBQ has out-cooked them in 11 of 18 shared pork ribs entries.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
WeQ4U has landed one call behind them 2 times.
An October team
Top 55%
average finish in October
Something about October: average finish in the top 55% across 6 contests, versus top 64% the rest of the year.
- 6 October contests
- top 64% the rest of the year
A standing appointment
4
years running at one contest
They've cooked Bands & BBQ at the Point every year from 2016 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.
- 6 visits in all
- best finish 10th
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.
136 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3773 of the rated field
- Contests
- 22
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1551
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1551 at their best, 63 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3759 of the rated field
- Contests
- 23
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1533
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 23 contests to 25, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3752 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1488
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 5 years before ELKHAWG SMOKERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#3786 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1487
No shared contest yet.
14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 14% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#3749 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1516
No shared contest yet.
Level with ELKHAWG SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#3754 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1517
No shared contest yet.
Fewer contests behind them than ELKHAWG SMOKERS has cooked, 12 to 25, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE CHIP BBQ | 18 | 1 | 17 | 6% | ⚔ compare |
| MEAT MISTERS | 16 | 3 | 13 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| WeQ4U | 15 | 3 | 12 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HOGTOWN BARBECUE | 14 | 8 | 6 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| BULLHEADED BBQ | 13 | 9 | 4 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| Extra Mile BBQ | 13 | 3 | 10 | 23% | ⚔ compare |
| PARADISE BBQ | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| BUTTS-N-RACKS BBQ, LLC | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| ACME BBQ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| HARLAN CO. COAL BURNERS | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE ON THIS | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| GREY STREET BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.0000 | 153.0972 | 164.60 | top 68% |
| Pork Ribs | 21 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 174.2972 | 146.2400 | 166.38 | top 54% |
| Pork | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 176.0000 | 153.6684 | 166.25 | top 57% |
| Brisket | 24 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 173.1656 | 152.5372 | 164.02 | 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 contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 59% |
| Medium (20–39) | 16 | 0 | top 65% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 62% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bands & BBQ at the Point | 6 | 10 | 0 | top 62% | 2022-09-09 |
| Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off | 3 | 17 | 0 | top 66% | 2019-10-18 |
| Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival | 3 | 20 | 0 | top 80% | 2019-06-14 |
| *Fire on the Mountain | 3 | 7 | 0 | top 65% | 2018-07-27 |
| Fire on the Mountain | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 56% | 2020-07-24 |
The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
7.2 yrs
2015-06-19 → 2022-09-09
Busiest season
2017
6 contests
Contests a season
3.1
across 8 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
KY
25 of 25 contests
Contests visited
10
5 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Brisket
24 entries · 0 wins · 9 calls
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
averages 166.38 · weakest Brisket (164.02)
Walk rate
60%
a top-10 call in 15 of 25 contests
Overall top-10 rate
20%
5 of 25 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight contests
Master average
653.15
out of 720 · 21 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
269
225–421 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
2,184
25 mapped stops · furthest 108 mi
Schedule strength
1589
average field rating faced — tougher than 71% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$60,000
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 7 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
1.1 yrs
2020-07-24 → 2021-09-10
Power rating
1488
peak 1509 · #3771 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2015
- First tracked contest Bourbon City BBQ Festival
- 2016
- First call Fire on the Mountain
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.1372 Bands & BBQ at the Point
- Career-best overall score686.2288 Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cookoff
- 2017
- First overall top-10 *Fire on the Mountain
- 10th tracked contest *Fire on the Mountain
- 2019
- Career-best single call (Pork)176.0000 Fire on the Mountain
- Peak power rating (1509) Fire on the Mountain
- 2022
- 25th tracked contest Bands & BBQ at the Point
- Most recent contest Bands & BBQ at the Point
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +11.3 | Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cookoff | 2016-10-14 |
| +11.2 | Fire on the Mountain | 2019-07-26 |
| +10.8 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | 2017-09-15 |
| +7.7 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | 2018-09-14 |
| +4.7 | *Fire on the Mountain | 2018-07-27 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.7 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | 2021-09-10 |
| -9.2 | Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival | 2016-06-17 |
| -8.5 | Fire on the Mountain | 2016-07-01 |
| -7.7 | Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival | 2015-06-19 |
| -6.2 | Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival | 2017-06-16 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 93.4% | 93.4% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 100% | 69.7% | 69.7% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 80% | 91.2% | 91.2% |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 80% | top 53% | 94.3% | 93.2% |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 80% | top 55% | 93.2% | 92.3% |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50% | top 62% | 93.4% | 91.1% |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 72% | 95.3% | 90.9% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 88% | 89.3% | 89.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-09-09 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 17 / 32 (672.4456) | 16 (169.6684) | 17 (169.1316) | 12 (170.2628) | 20 (163.3828) |
| 2021-09-10 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 28 / 28 (501.6572) | — | 11 (169.1200) | 5 (173.1200) | 20 (159.4172) |
| 2020-07-24 | Fire on the Mountain 🏅 Leburn, KY | 24 / 30 (656.5832) | 24 (159.4516) | 10 (169.7372) | 28 (160.5716) | 19 (166.8228) |
| 2019-10-18 | Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Munfordville, KY | 17 / 31 (678.7428) | 16 (168.5372) | 17 (169.6800) | 21 (167.4056) | 10 (173.1200) |
| 2019-10-04 | Kentucky's Fort Harrod Beef Festival Grill-Off (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Harrodsburg, KY | 5 / 12 (664.4912) | — | — | — | 8 (162.8228) |
| 2019-09-13 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 19 / 28 (654.7200) | 12 (170.2628) | 16 (166.2400) | 15 (165.6800) | 22 (152.5372) |
| 2019-07-26 | Fire on the Mountain 🏅 Leburn, KY | 8 / 25 (678.2284) | 12 (169.6800) | 20 (161.1200) | 4 (176.0000) | 6 (171.4284) |
| 2019-06-14 | Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival 🏅 Barbourville, KY | 20 / 30 (673.6684) | 27 (166.8112) | 25 (161.7144) | 9 (171.9772) | 5 (173.1656) |
| 2018-10-19 | Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off Munfordville, KY | 21 / 29 (653.0400) | 26 (153.0972) | 11 (167.9772) | 12 (170.2628) | 19 (161.7028) |
| 2018-10-05 | Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY | 23 / 42 (666.7884) | 14 (172.0000) | 7 (174.2972) | 39 (153.6684) | 21 (166.8228) |
| 2018-09-14 | Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY | 11 / 27 (670.7544) | 18 (165.0972) | 9 (169.1200) | 4 (171.9772) | 17 (164.5600) |
| 2018-07-27 | *Fire on the Mountain Leburn, KY | 7 / 13 (669.0512) | 13 (157.1200) | 2 (173.7028) | 6 (170.8228) | 6 (167.4056) |
| 2018-06-08 | *Kentucky's Fort Harrod Beef Festival Grill-Off (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Harrodsburg, KY | — | — | — | — | 3 (168.5256) |
| 2017-10-20 | *Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-off Munfordville, KY | 26 / 36 (650.1028) | 31 (158.2172) | 17 (166.2628) | 29 (162.8000) | 21 (162.8228) |
| 2017-09-15 | Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY | 10 / 33 (672.4568) | 24 (163.3828) | 5 (173.1428) | 9 (171.9656) | 13 (163.9656) |
| 2017-07-28 | *Fire on the Mountain Leburn, KY | 7 / 13 (654.8116) | 8 (165.1316) | 5 (169.1660) | 13 (156.5256) | 6 (163.9884) |
| 2017-06-16 | Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival Barbourville, KY | 26 / 31 (640.9488) | 25 (159.3600) | 22 (162.2516) | 28 (156.5028) | 18 (162.8344) |
| 2017-06-09 | *Kentucky's Fort Harrod Beef Festival Grill-Off (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Harrodsburg, KY | — | — | — | — | 5 (166.2628) |
| 2017-04-07 | First Annual Operation Stand Down KY BBQ Smoke Off(TEAMS FULL) Bowling Green, KY | 28 / 40 (660.4228) | 14 (170.8228) | 29 (167.4172) | 29 (165.1200) | 35 (157.0628) |
| 2016-10-14 | Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cookoff Munfordville, KY | 11 / 34 (686.2288) | 20 (168.5716) | 10 (172.5600) | 8 (175.4172) | 18 (169.6800) |
| 2016-09-16 | Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY | 24 / 31 (658.1372) | 19 (169.7028) | 21 (165.6800) | 27 (161.0972) | 21 (161.6572) |
| 2016-07-01 | Fire on the Mountain Leburn, KY | 13 / 15 (633.0628) | 11 (161.6800) | 14 (146.2400) | 9 (160.5600) | 7 (164.5828) |
| 2016-06-17 | Barbourville BBQ Cookoff & Festival Barbourville, KY | 29 / 32 (641.4968) | 24 (167.9656) | 30 (157.6800) | 28 (162.7884) | 30 (153.0628) |
| 2015-06-19 | Barbourville BBQ Cook-Off & Festival Barbourville, KY | 22 / 25 (642.7316) | 24 (155.3600) | 23 (161.6916) | 15 (166.8228) | 21 (158.8572) |
| 2015-06-05 | Bourbon City BBQ Festival Bardstown, KY | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1163 (97 pts) | #1188 (102 pts) | #1264 (97 pts) | #1040 (122 pts) | #1246 (82 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1564 (53 pts) | — | #1017 (123 pts) | #791 (178 pts) | #1182 (78 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #856 (60 pts) | #896 (60 pts) | #678 (130 pts) | #1117 (55 pts) | #819 (85 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #745 (404 pts) | #831 (389 pts) | #933 (324 pts) | #644 (519 pts) | #623 (544 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #801 (409 pts) | #919 (354 pts) | #565 (664 pts) | #689 (534 pts) | #828 (409 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #824 (452 pts) | #913 (427 pts) | #698 (577 pts) | #913 (417 pts) | #773 (502 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #954 (347 pts) | #1021 (342 pts) | #1000 (362 pts) | #958 (392 pts) | #943 (372 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #2127 (65 pts) | #2779 (55 pts) | #2209 (60 pts) | #2011 (100 pts) | #2141 (70 pts) |