STL-High on the Hog

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

Power ranking

#1289

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1579

peak 1579 · rated over 9 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2025-03-21

latest 2026-08-14

Best ToY finish

#229

Master 2026

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 31%

overall standings

Best overall

700.5488 / 720

Master · Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke

Perfect 180s

Current form

692.03 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 692.69 (-0.66)

Walk rate

55%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Pork Ribs · Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1)

Consistency

±6.48

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 176.40 · weakest Brisket (169.30)

Road miles

1,595

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 470 mi

Schedule strength

87%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1618)

Purse competed for

$77K

listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

GCs in 9 state-championship entries

Master avg

692.69 / 720

9 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ 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.

Against the odds

11-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 89 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke (2026-04-17) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 11-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, JANKY LEG BBQ.

On the rise

+62 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 62 points across 7 contests since 2025-08-16 — from 1517 up to 1579.

7 contests since 2025-08-16
now 1579

High-water mark

700.5488 career-best overall

97.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 700.5488 at Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke — 97.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
2026-04-17

State champions

1 state championships won

They've taken 1 state championship from 9 entries at contests carrying the title.

9 state-championship entries

A tough matchup

5–1 behind in the head-to-head

TRIPLE H BBQ ahead in 83% of their meetings

TRIPLE H BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.1 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.09 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 60%.

Brisket avg 169.30
Pork Ribs avg 176.40
1 calls in 9 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BALD BEAUTIES BBQ in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

They cook the hard rooms

1618 average field rating faced

A tougher draw than 87% of rated fields

The fields they enter average a 1618 power rating — a tougher draw than 87% of every rated contest in the data.

9 rated contests

The metronome

±0.90% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±0.90% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 96.2% of a perfect score
11 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.

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

R2-BQ

#1290 of the rated field

1579 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 64%
Peak: 1579

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2017-06-03

⚔ Head-to-head

Cove of Craziness

#1294 of the rated field

1579 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1579

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before STL-High on the Hog's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 8 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

HOGAHOLICS

#1293 of the rated field

1579 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1584

No shared contest yet.

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 16 contests to 11.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2017-07-07

⚔ Head-to-head

MUDHOLE BBQ

#1292 of the rated field

1579 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1588

No shared contest yet.

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 35% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2016-10-29

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG DADDY QUE

#1287 of the rated field

1579 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1579

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2014, 11 years before STL-High on the Hog's first contest.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2017-08-25

⚔ Head-to-head

MadChad's BBQ

#1295 of the rated field

1579 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 32
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1594

No shared contest yet.

Level with STL-High on the Hog on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 31 contests
last seen 2026-07-10

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Take It Easy BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
TEAM CRAWFORD	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
MAN MEAT BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
TRIPLE H BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
JANKY LEG BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
Can Country Outlaw BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	2	0	0	176.5600	169.6800	173.29	top 42%
Pork Ribs	10	6	2	3	178.8572	171.9772	176.40	top 16%
Pork	9	2	0	0	176.5600	166.2400	173.45	top 37%
Brisket	9	1	0	0	174.8572	163.3828	169.30	top 52%

“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	GCs	Avg finish
MO	5	1	top 23%
IL	2	0	top 47%
TN	1	0	top 45%
KS	1	0	top 24%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	5	1	top 35%
Large (40+)	4	0	top 25%

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

On the trail 1.4 yrs 2025-03-21 → 2026-08-14

Busiest season 2026 7 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 5.5 across 2 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MO 5 of 11 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 9 0 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 10 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 176.40 · weakest Brisket (169.30)

Walk rate 55% a top-10 call in 6 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 27% 3 of 11 contests

Wins it all 9% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2026-04-17 Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke

Master average 692.69 out of 720 · 9 contests · 1 GC

Opponents faced 385 359–225 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,595 11 mapped stops · furthest 470 mi

Schedule strength 1618 average field rating faced — tougher than 87% of rated contests

Purse competed for $76,640 listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 1 from 9 state-championship entries

Power rating 1579 peak 1579 · #1289 of 6,413 rated

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

2025
Mar 21 First tracked contest 7th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship
Mar 21 First call 7th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship
Mar 21 First overall past 90% of a perfect score692.5600 7th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship
Jul 26 First category win (Pork Ribs) Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
Oct 31 First overall top-10 Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1)
2026
Apr 17 First overall podium Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke
Apr 17 First Grand Championship Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke
Apr 17 First state championship Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke
Apr 17 Career-best overall score700.5488 Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke
Jul 10 10th tracked contest Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1)
Jul 10 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1)
Aug 14 Peak power rating (1579) BBQ & Fly-In on the River
Aug 14 Most recent contest BBQ & Fly-In on the River

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+20.4	Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke	2026-04-17
+17.6	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1)	2025-10-31
+13.1	7th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship	2025-03-21
+13	BBQ & Fly-In on the River	2026-08-14
+11	Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1)	2026-07-10

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-0.7	Smoke N for the Kids	2025-08-16
-0.2	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship	2026-03-20
-0.2	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest	2026-04-24

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)
2026	7	1	2	1	29%	top 29%	97.3%	96.1%
2025	4	0	1	1	100%	top 33%	97%	96.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-08-14	BBQ & Fly-In on the River 🏅 Excelsior Springs, MO	14 / 83 (696.4912)	23 (175.4056)	23 (174.8456)	36 (171.9772)	11 (174.2628)
2026-07-10	Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) 🏅 Cameron, MO	6 / 37 (698.2172)	8 (175.4172)	2 (178.8572)	5 (176.5600)	20 (167.3828)
2026-04-24	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	17 / 28 (678.7084)	13 (170.8112)	12 (171.9772)	20 (166.2400)	12 (169.6800)
2026-04-17	Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke 🏅 Edina, MO	1 / 25 (700.5488)	11 (172.5716)	1 (178.8572)	5 (174.2628)	5 (174.8572)
2026-03-20	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN	56 / 125 (686.1712)	45 (174.2628)	33 (173.7144)	40 (174.2628)	98 (163.9312)
2026-03-20	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN	—	30 (173.1200)	—	—	—
2026-03-20	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN	—	—	19 (174.2744)	—	—
2025-10-31	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO	8 / 53 (698.2172)	25 (173.1200)	5 (177.7028)	11 (176.5600)	31 (170.8344)
2025-08-16	Smoke N for the Kids 🏅 Troy, IL	17 / 32 (691.9316)	20 (171.9772)	5 (177.7144)	15 (174.2628)	25 (167.9772)
2025-07-26	Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL	13 / 32 (691.3716)	27 (169.6800)	1 (178.8572)	21 (171.4172)	16 (171.4172)
2025-03-21	7th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	17 / 70 (692.5600)	8 (176.5600)	6 (177.1544)	11 (175.4628)	53 (163.3828)

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
2026 ↗	Master	#229 (718 pts)	#308 (578 pts)	#207 (873 pts)	#300 (558 pts)	#301 (568 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#426 (469 pts)	#563 (354 pts)	#319 (824 pts)	#456 (444 pts)	#595 (279 pts)