BACON & WHISKEY

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

Power ranking

#1330

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1576

peak 1577 · rated over 19 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2016-04-22

latest 2021-06-18

Best ToY finish

#452

Master 2017

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 19 contests

Avg finish

top 43%

overall standings

Best overall

691.9544 / 720

Master · Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off

Perfect 180s

Current form

678.52 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 674.14 (+4.39)

Walk rate

74%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

179.4400

Brisket · International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN

Consistency

±11.98

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 169.32 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.49)

Road miles

747

mi across 19 mapped stops · furthest 67 mi

Schedule strength

46%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1559)

Purse competed for

$41K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

674.14 / 720

19 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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

74% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 14 of 19 contests

A top-10 category call in 74% of their 19 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

691.9544 career-best overall

96.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 691.9544 at Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off — 96.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
2017-06-16

Their season

2017 their best year

2017 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 32%.

6 contests
5 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 32%

A tough matchup

8–1 behind in the head-to-head

Swine Life ahead in 89% of their meetings

Swine Life has come out ahead in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

A strong matchup

8–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 89% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HILLTOP HOGGERS in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

The comeback

1.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off (2021-06-18).

last seen 2019-09-06
back 2021-06-18

Chicken nemesis

10 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

KILLER HOGS ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, KILLER HOGS has out-cooked them in 10 of 12 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BLUE COLLAR BBQ MS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±1.66% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.66% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.6% of a perfect score
19 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.

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

BUTTS A'BLAZE BATESVILLE

#1333 of the rated field

1575 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1575

2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to BACON & WHISKEY)

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 25 contests
last seen 2017-10-06

⚔ Head-to-head

AWESOME Q

#1341 of the rated field

1575 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1581

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 3 years before BACON & WHISKEY's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 19 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

RANCH 13 BBQ

#1338 of the rated field

1575 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 47%
Peak: 1580

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 19 contests to 19, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2015-12-11

⚔ Head-to-head

RACK CITY BBQ

#1331 of the rated field

1575 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1575

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2026-05-23

⚔ Head-to-head

JAMBRIE SMOKE BBQ

#1336 of the rated field

1575 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1575

No shared contest yet.

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2015-10-09
on a 3-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

THE GRILL DOCTORS

#1339 of the rated field

1575 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1586

No shared contest yet.

Level with BACON & WHISKEY on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2019-09-21

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN' BUTTS	14	8	6	57%	⚔ compare
HOTTY TOTTY BBQ CREW	12	6	6	50%	⚔ compare
KILLER HOGS	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
BLUE COLLAR BBQ MS	11	6	5	55%	⚔ compare
HILLTOP HOGGERS	9	8	1	89%	⚔ compare
HEAVENLY MANNA BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
RAZORRACKS	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
Swine Life	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
UNCLE POOKIE & THE RIBLETS	8	7	1	88%	⚔ compare
HOGG LEGG SMOKERS	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
Q-BONES BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Porkosaurus	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
UNCLE FEOL'S TENNESSEE STYLE BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Sloppy Hog BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
TENNESSEE MOJO	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	19	6	0	0	174.8572	159.9656	169.32	top 46%
Pork Ribs	19	5	1	1	178.8572	158.2400	167.49	top 46%
Pork	19	7	1	1	176.5600	162.2400	169.29	top 43%
Brisket	19	8	1	1	179.4400	147.8972	168.03	top 45%

“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	Avg finish
MS	12	top 47%
TN	6	top 32%
AR	1	top 62%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 36%
Medium (20–39)	9	top 45%
Large (40+)	9	top 41%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN	3	4	top 21%	2019-09-06
Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off	3	5	top 24%	2019-06-14
Southaven Springfest	3	7	top 39%	2019-04-26

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.2 yrs 2016-04-22 → 2021-06-18

Busiest season 2017 6 contests

Contests a season 3.8 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MS 12 of 19 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 13 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 19 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 169.32 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.49)

Walk rate 74% a top-10 call in 14 of 19 contests

Overall top-10 rate 42% 8 of 19 contests

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 674.14 out of 720 · 19 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 323 394–271 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 747 19 mapped stops · furthest 67 mi

Schedule strength 1559 average field rating faced — tougher than 46% of rated contests

Purse competed for $40,500 listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.8 yrs 2019-09-06 → 2021-06-18

Power rating 1576 peak 1577 · #1330 of 6,413 rated

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

2016
Apr 22 First tracked contest Southaven Springfest
Apr 22 First call Southaven Springfest
Apr 22 First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.7428 Southaven Springfest
2017
Apr 14 First overall top-10 *2017 Smokin' in the Forest
Apr 28 First category win (Pork) Southaven Springfest
Jun 16 Career-best overall score691.9544 Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off
Sep 8 10th tracked contest International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN
Sep 8 Career-best single call (Brisket)179.4400 International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN
2019
Sep 6 Peak power rating (1577) International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN
2021
Jun 18 Most recent contest DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.8	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off	2017-06-16
+13.4	Southaven Springfest	2017-04-28
+12.3	International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN (JUDGES FULL)	2018-09-07
+10.7	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off	2018-06-15
+10.2	International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN	2017-09-08

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8	Hog Wild BBQ Festival	2016-09-29
-5.1	Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest	2016-05-13
-2	DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off	2021-06-18
-1.4	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	2017-06-09
-0.9	Southaven Springfest	2016-04-22

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)
2021	1	0	0	100%	top 54%	93.7%	93.7%
2019	3	1	0	67%	top 36%	94.4%	94%
2018	5	2	1	60%	top 38%	95.9%	93.7%
2017	6	5	2	83%	top 32%	96.1%	94.5%
2016	4	0	0	75%	top 67%	93.7%	91.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2021-06-18	DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Nesbit, MS	26 / 48 (674.7656)	20 (170.8344)	9 (174.2972)	31 (165.1200)	30 (164.5140)
2019-09-06	International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN 🏅 Millington, TN	10 / 32 (675.8856)	26 (160.4912)	5 (174.2744)	17 (164.5600)	4 (176.5600)
2019-06-14	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off 🏅 Hernado, MS	19 / 49 (679.9312)	17 (173.7028)	19 (171.4400)	24 (168.5256)	27 (166.2628)
2019-04-26	Southaven Springfest 🏅 Southaven, MS	12 / 31 (674.7084)	10 (170.2628)	16 (166.2400)	11 (168.5256)	16 (169.6800)
2018-09-07	International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN (JUDGES FULL) Millington, TN	4 / 34 (687.3256)	5 (174.2744)	12 (169.6800)	8 (171.4056)	8 (171.9656)
2018-06-15	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off Hernado, MS	9 / 45 (690.7772)	15 (171.9656)	1 (178.8572)	32 (165.6800)	9 (174.2744)
2018-04-27	Southaven Springfest Southaven, MS	19 / 34 (665.5196)	22 (168.5256)	19 (163.9544)	8 (171.9656)	22 (161.0740)
2018-04-06	Eighth Annual Bull Moose (JUDGE'S FULL) Somerville, TN	20 / 40 (665.5540)	21 (167.9656)	21 (165.0856)	28 (162.8000)	13 (169.7028)
2018-03-16	*Hog Wild BBQ Contest Corinth, MS	18 / 36 (664.3880)	14 (170.8344)	15 (166.8228)	29 (163.3596)	27 (163.3712)
2017-09-08	International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN Millington, TN	9 / 42 (690.2400)	7 (174.8572)	14 (167.4172)	23 (168.5256)	1 (179.4400)
2017-06-16	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off Nesbit, MS	5 / 41 (691.9544)	12 (172.5600)	12 (171.9772)	13 (170.8228)	5 (176.5944)
2017-06-09	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest Wynne, AR	28 / 45 (659.2684)	22 (169.1084)	37 (158.2400)	20 (168.5372)	30 (163.3828)
2017-06-02	*Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash Memphis, TN	10 / 25 (679.9084)	8 (173.1084)	12 (168.0000)	13 (169.1200)	7 (169.6800)
2017-04-28	Southaven Springfest Southaven, MS	7 / 33 (686.7768)	16 (169.6684)	4 (175.4400)	1 (174.8456)	21 (166.8228)
2017-04-14	*2017 Smokin' in the Forest Millington, TN	5 / 14 (674.7884)	8 (163.9540)	6 (162.2744)	4 (173.7028)	5 (174.8572)
2016-09-29	Hog Wild BBQ Festival Corinth, MS	23 / 28 (648.9600)	15 (168.5256)	24 (161.0856)	23 (162.2400)	22 (157.1088)
2016-06-17	The Desoto Shrine Club 8th Annual BBQ Cook Off Hernando, MS	22 / 41 (674.7084)	33 (162.7884)	33 (161.0972)	6 (176.5600)	7 (174.2628)
2016-05-13	Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest Ashland, MS	19 / 26 (656.4116)	5 (173.7028)	21 (159.9544)	4 (174.8572)	23 (147.8972)
2016-04-22	Southaven Springfest Southaven, MS	25 / 41 (666.7428)	35 (159.9656)	26 (166.2628)	5 (175.4172)	23 (165.0972)

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)	#1183 (85 pts)	#935 (145 pts)	#1262 (60 pts)	#1245 (60 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#841 (343 pts)	#979 (288 pts)	#844 (373 pts)	#998 (288 pts)	#852 (368 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#704 (478 pts)	#760 (453 pts)	#859 (403 pts)	#806 (428 pts)	#829 (408 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#452 (841 pts)	#533 (746 pts)	#510 (776 pts)	#453 (856 pts)	#424 (926 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1656 (144 pts)	#1189 (279 pts)	#1838 (129 pts)	#1238 (264 pts)	#1783 (129 pts)