HOT SAUCE HOPPE'S BBQ

HOT SAUCE HOPPE'S BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 7th of 42 at the 5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition (2016). They are ranked #1915 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,915

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1542

peak 1544 · rated over 10 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 31, 2013

latest Jun 14, 2019 · 5.8 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#825

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

20% of 10 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 44%

overall standings

Best overall

676.5484 / 720

Master · Septemberfest BBQ & Ribeye Steak Cookoff Challenge

Perfect 180s

Current form

658.49

last 5 Master vs avg 658.74 (-0.25)

Walk rate

60%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.2744

Pork Ribs · 24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska

Consistency

±13.36

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 165.93 · weakest Brisket (162.94)

Road miles

1,192

across 10 mapped stops · furthest 157 mi

Schedule strength

52%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1567)

Purse competed for

$10K

listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 1 state-championship entry

Master avg

658.74 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

They almost always walk

60% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 6 of 10 contests

A top-10 category call in 60% of their 10 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

676.5484 career-best overall

94.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 676.5484 at Septemberfest BBQ & Ribeye Steak Cookoff Challenge — 94.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 31, 2013

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 23%.

3 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 23%

A tough matchup

7–3 behind in the head-to-head

WHEN PIGS DIE ahead in 70% of their meetings

WHEN PIGS DIE has come out ahead in 7 of their 10 shared contests.

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SPICE YOUR LIFE RUB YOUR MEAT in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

7 of 8 shared pork ribs entries lost

PORKY BUTTS BBQ ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, PORKY BUTTS BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared pork ribs entries.

An August team

Top 29% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 29% across 3 contests, versus top 44% the rest of the year.

3 August contests
top 44% the rest of the year

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±1.86% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.86% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.5% of a perfect score
10 contests

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1954 (60 pts)	#2012 (60 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1825 (95 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2155 (85 pts)	#2234 (65 pts)	#2266 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#825 (434 pts)	#857 (439 pts)	#627 (654 pts)	#1105 (319 pts)	#1237 (254 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to HOT SAUCE HOPPE'S BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

The Smokin' Bullies

#1,918 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1553

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Apr 7, 2023

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Outta Left Field BBQ

#1,911 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1542

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Aug 22, 2025

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KGB - KATKA GERGO BARBECUE

#1,917 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1546

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 9 contests, alongside a 44% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Jan 19, 2019

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JARHEAD-Q

#1,921 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1542

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Apr 28, 2017

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THESMOKERING.COM

#1,910 of the rated field

1543 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1545

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 5 years before HOT SAUCE HOPPE'S BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 8 contests

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BELLY RUB'N BBQ

#1,924 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1545

Level with HOT SAUCE HOPPE'S BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Apr 14, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WHEN PIGS DIE	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
PORKY BUTTS BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
KEV'S CHEW CHEW BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
HELPING U BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
PORK PATROL BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
ELWOOD BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
OMAHA'S BLOWIN' SMOKE	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
TEAM BREW & QUE	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
TATTOO BOB'S BAR-B-Q	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	3	0	174.2628	155.9656	164.84	top 52%
Pork Ribs	10	5	2	174.2744	152.5488	165.93	top 38%
Pork	10	2	0	170.8228	159.9428	165.04	top 48%
Brisket	10	1	0	170.2628	152.5484	162.94	top 48%

“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 51%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 36%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
NE	9	0	top 40%
MO	1	0	top 75%

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 3 contests

Contests a season 1.4 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NE 9 of 10 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 10 a different one every time

Opponents faced 229 finished ahead 242 times, behind 156

Longest layoff 1.1 yrs May 18, 2018 → Jun 14, 2019

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

20192 milestones

Jun 14 10th tracked contest Central Plains Ribfest
Jun 14 Most recent contest Central Plains Ribfest

20171 milestone

May 19 Peak power rating (1544) 6th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition

20162 milestones

May 20 First overall top-10 5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition
Aug 5 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.2744 24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska

20134 milestones

Aug 31 First tracked contest Septemberfest BBQ & Ribeye Steak Cookoff Challenge
Aug 31 First call Septemberfest BBQ & Ribeye Steak Cookoff Challenge
Aug 31 First overall past 90% of a perfect score676.5484 Septemberfest BBQ & Ribeye Steak Cookoff Challenge
Aug 31 Career-best overall score676.5484 Septemberfest BBQ & Ribeye Steak Cookoff Challenge

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.2	24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska	Aug 5, 2016
+12.4	5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition	May 20, 2016
+7.2	Septemberfest BBQ & Ribeye Steak Cookoff Challenge	Aug 31, 2013
+5.6	Ak-Sar-Ben's River City Rodeo & Stock Show	Sep 26, 2014
+5	BBQ on the Bricks	Aug 26, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-5.4	Apple Blossom BBQ Contest	May 1, 2015
-1.9	7th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition	May 18, 2018

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	100%	top 57%	91.2%	91.2%
2018	1	0	0%	top 64%	89.3%	89.3%
2017	1	0	0%	top 53%	90.1%	90.1%
2016	3	2	100%	top 23%	93.9%	93.5%
2015	1	0	0%	top 75%	88.7%	88.7%
2014	2	0	50%	top 41%	90.7%	90.6%
2013	1	0	100%	top 34%	94%	94%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 14, 2019	Central Plains Ribfest 🏅 Holdrege, NE	17 / 30 (656.9596)	10 (170.2628)	24 (155.9428)	22 (161.6456)	9 (169.1084)
May 18, 2018	7th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE	27 / 42 (643.2800)	33 (160.5488)	35 (152.5488)	27 (163.3712)	18 (166.8112)
May 19, 2017	6th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE	25 / 47 (649.0056)	36 (158.8340)	20 (166.2744)	24 (163.9544)	27 (159.9428)
Aug 26, 2016	BBQ on the Bricks Kearney, NE	14 / 34 (667.3028)	4 (174.2628)	3 (173.1544)	19 (164.5256)	22 (155.3600)
Aug 5, 2016	24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Omaha, NE	8 / 70 (675.9088)	22 (167.4056)	3 (174.2744)	22 (167.3944)	24 (166.8344)
May 20, 2016	5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition Valley, NE	7 / 42 (675.3256)	8 (170.2856)	5 (170.2744)	8 (170.8228)	14 (163.9428)
May 1, 2015	Apple Blossom BBQ Contest St. Joseph, MO	27 / 36 (638.6852)	33 (155.9656)	27 (159.9656)	23 (159.9428)	20 (162.8112)
Sep 26, 2014	Ak-Sar-Ben's River City Rodeo & Stock Show Omaha, NE	17 / 47 (653.0744)	31 (161.1200)	15 (165.6800)	19 (164.5372)	23 (161.7372)
Apr 25, 2014	Pony Express BBQ Challenge Gothenburg, NE	13 / 28 (651.3596)	14 (163.4172)	9 (167.4400)	8 (167.9540)	21 (152.5484)
Aug 31, 2013	Septemberfest BBQ & Ribeye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE	11 / 32 (676.5484)	19 (166.2856)	4 (173.7144)	18 (166.2856)	11 (170.2628)

HOT SAUCE HOPPE'S BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Pork Ribs nemesis

An August team

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)