The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
12 BAR BLUES CUE has finished one call ahead of THE PIG MECHANIC'S 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
THE PIG MECHANIC'S
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1469
peak 1469 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
2017-06-16
latest 2019-09-27
Best ToY finish
#1338
Master 2019
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 77%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
628.05
last 5 Master vs avg 628.41 (-0.36)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.92
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 163.24 · weakest Brisket (152.34)
Road miles
371
mi across 6 mapped stops · furthest 37 mi
Schedule strength
52%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)
Purse competed for
$10K
listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
628.41 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (4 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.
A tough matchup
5–0
behind in the head-to-head
PAPA'S PIT CREW ahead in 100% of their meetings
PAPA'S PIT CREW has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
The weak link
−10.9
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 10.90 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 33%.
- Brisket avg 152.34
- Chicken avg 163.24
- 0 calls in 6 entries
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
12 BAR BLUES CUE has landed one call behind them 2 times.
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.
146 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4628 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1470
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#4655 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1469
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 5 years after THE PIG MECHANIC'S did, first appearing in 2022.
⚔ Head-to-head#4677 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1469
No shared contest yet.
Level with THE PIG MECHANIC'S on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#4671 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1503 at their best, 35 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#4654 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1469
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#4630 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1504
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1504 at their best, 34 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 BAR BLUES CUE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| PAPA'S PIT CREW | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SPITFIRE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Grate Expectations | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.0116 | 154.2972 | 163.24 | top 57% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 161.1088 | 149.6916 | 155.40 | top 77% |
| Pork | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8456 | 149.1200 | 157.43 | top 69% |
| Brisket | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 157.1544 | 149.6572 | 152.34 | top 84% |
“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.
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ In The Badlands | 3 | 18 | 0 | top 82% | 2019-09-27 |
The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
2.3 yrs
2017-06-16 → 2019-09-27
Busiest season
2019
2 contests
Contests a season
2
across 3 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
MT
6 of 6 contests
Contests visited
4
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
6 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 163.24 · weakest Brisket (152.34)
Walk rate
50%
a top-10 call in 3 of 6 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 6 contests
Master average
628.41
out of 720 · 6 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
81
36–116 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
371
6 mapped stops · furthest 37 mi
Schedule strength
1566
average field rating faced — tougher than 52% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$10,250
listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 2 state-championship entries
Power rating
1469
peak 1469 · #4647 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2017
- First tracked contest Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
- Peak power rating (1497) Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
- First call BBQ in the Badlands
- Career-best single call (Chicken)172.0116 BBQ in the Badlands
- 2019
- Career-best overall score640.5488 Miles City Cowtown Cook Off
- Most recent contest BBQ In The Badlands
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.5 | BBQ in the Badlands | 2017-09-29 |
| -6.9 | BBQ in the Badlands | 2018-09-28 |
| -5.1 | Miles City Cowtown Cook Off | 2018-06-15 |
| -4.2 | Miles City Cowtown Cook Off | 2019-06-14 |
| -2.7 | Miles City Cowtown Cookoff | 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 74% | 89% | 88.4% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 81% | 87.5% | 86.5% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 77% | 87.5% | 87% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-09-27 | BBQ In The Badlands 🏅 Glendive, MT | 18 / 25 (631.9200) | 19 (155.9884) | 18 (155.4288) | 5 (170.8456) | 21 (149.6572) |
| 2019-06-14 | Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 🏅 Miles City, MT | 21 / 28 (640.5488) | 22 (161.6912) | 18 (161.1088) | 20 (160.5944) | 22 (157.1544) |
| 2018-09-28 | BBQ in the Badlands Glendive, MT | 22 / 26 (630.2288) | 8 (170.3200) | 21 (157.6688) | 24 (150.8228) | 23 (151.4172) |
| 2018-06-15 | Miles City Cowtown Cook Off Miles City, MT | 21 / 27 (615.3252) | 21 (154.2972) | 21 (157.1312) | 21 (152.0000) | 22 (151.8968) |
| 2017-09-29 | BBQ in the Badlands Glendive, MT | 23 / 26 (622.2060) | 8 (172.0116) | 22 (151.3828) | 25 (149.1200) | 23 (149.6916) |
| 2017-06-16 | Miles City Cowtown Cookoff Miles City, MT | 17 / 26 (630.2288) | 13 (165.1200) | 21 (149.6916) | 14 (161.1884) | 21 (154.2288) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1338 (158 pts) | #1450 (148 pts) | #1339 (173 pts) | #1074 (253 pts) | #1455 (138 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1445 (138 pts) | #1226 (218 pts) | #1516 (143 pts) | #1562 (128 pts) | #1551 (128 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1580 (152 pts) | #1235 (257 pts) | #1725 (137 pts) | #1617 (157 pts) | #1736 (132 pts) |