High-water mark
667.9200
career-best overall
92.8% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 667.9200 at When Pigs Fly South — 92.8% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Dec 2, 2016
Hardwood BBQ
Hardwood BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 16th of 36 at the When Pigs Fly South (2016). They are ranked #5339 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1455
peak 1504 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
16
in the data
First seen
Dec 2, 2016
latest May 1, 2026 · 9.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 16 contests
Avg finish
top 71%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
624.11 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 637.82 (-13.71)
Walk rate
31%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±29.37
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 161.95 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.37)
Road miles
6,297
across 16 mapped stops · furthest 1,063 mi
Schedule strength
49%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)
Purse competed for
$137K
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
637.82 / 720
13 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Hardwood BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
131 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,344 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1455
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Hardwood BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Hardwood BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,348 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1455
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,351 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1510
Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,329 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1455
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#5,349 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1455
Level with Hardwood BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,356 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1455
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.5944 | 151.9428 | 161.95 | top 63% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.2856 | 126.8228 | 156.37 | top 73% |
| Pork | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 137.6800 | 160.10 | top 64% |
| Brisket | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 170.2856 | 140.5144 | 159.39 | top 62% |
“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) | 7 | 0 | top 64% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 79% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2 | 475 | 0 | top 98% | Sep 27, 2023 |
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 2 | 30 | 0 | top 55% | Jan 25, 2019 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2018
3 contests
Contests a season
2
across 8 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
6 of 16 contests · 7 states in all
Contests visited
11
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,030
finished ahead 206 times, behind 1,274
Longest layoff
3 yrs
Sep 20, 2019 → Sep 29, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Bear-B-Q
20191 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Tri City BBQ Fest
20181 milestone
- Career-best single call (Chicken)172.5944 McLouth BBQ Blowout 27th Annual ( JUDGES FULL)
20171 milestone
- Peak power rating (1504) Lakeland Pig Festival
20164 milestones
- First tracked contest City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
- First call When Pigs Fly South
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score667.9200 When Pigs Fly South
- Career-best overall score667.9200 When Pigs Fly South
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +3.6 | McLouth BBQ Blowout 27th Annual ( JUDGES FULL) | Jun 1, 2018 |
| +3.2 | When Pigs Fly South | Dec 2, 2016 |
| +2.4 | Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out | Sep 14, 2018 |
| +1.6 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 25, 2019 |
| +0.3 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 27, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.9 | Smokin in The Hills (Limited to the first 25 teams) | Sep 22, 2017 |
| -11.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST | Sep 29, 2022 |
| -10.7 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 27, 2023 |
| -9 | Buckeye BBQ Classic | Jul 18, 2025 |
| -7.7 | Smokin in The Hills | Sep 21, 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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 69% | 92.5% | 92.5% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 86.4% | 86.4% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 98% | 82.2% | 82.2% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 98% | 80.7% | 80.7% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 58% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 60% | 92.3% | 89.9% |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 74% | 90.2% | 88.1% |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 44% | 92.8% | 92.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2026 | Bear-B-Q 🏅 New Bern, NC | 18 / 26 (665.6464) | 20 (166.8344) | 15 (169.6916) | 25 (159.4288) | 13 (169.6916) |
| Jul 18, 2025 | Buckeye BBQ Classic 🏅 Hillsboro, OH | 38 / 40 (622.0800) | 36 (151.9428) | 37 (157.0972) | 33 (161.0972) | 38 (151.9428) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 475 / 487 (591.9088) | 452 (152.5828) | 483 (137.6688) | 466 (150.2400) | 446 (151.4172) |
| Oct 1, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 493 / 505 (581.0400) | 473 (151.9772) | 497 (146.2856) | 492 (142.2628) | 487 (140.5144) |
| Sep 20, 2019 | Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 22 / 34 (659.8628) | 15 (167.9772) | 7 (170.2856) | 11 (172.5600) | 32 (149.0400) |
| Jan 25, 2019 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 30 / 58 (659.8284) | 30 (164.5372) | 41 (162.2284) | 31 (165.0972) | 27 (167.9656) |
| Sep 21, 2018 | Smokin in The Hills Hillsboro, OH | 24 / 30 (612.4340) | 24 (153.6572) | 30 (126.8228) | 14 (163.9656) | 10 (167.9884) |
| Sep 14, 2018 | Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO | 18 / 35 (664.4112) | 24 (164.5372) | 22 (167.9772) | 9 (169.6684) | 21 (162.2284) |
| Jun 1, 2018 | McLouth BBQ Blowout 27th Annual ( JUDGES FULL) McLouth, KS | 17 / 36 (664.5488) | 7 (172.5944) | 24 (161.1316) | 25 (161.7144) | 9 (169.1084) |
| Sep 29, 2017 | Smoke On the Trails Gardner, KS | 46 / 64 (642.1144) | 35 (162.8572) | 41 (161.0972) | 29 (166.8228) | 55 (151.3372) |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Smokin in The Hills (Limited to the first 25 teams) Hillsboro, OH | 23 / 25 (610.2060) | 18 (158.8456) | 22 (150.8232) | 25 (137.6800) | 11 (162.8572) |
| Jan 27, 2017 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 35 / 60 (649.6000) | 30 (167.3828) | 34 (162.8344) | 33 (161.6800) | 35 (157.7028) |
| Dec 2, 2016 | When Pigs Fly South Lakeland, FL | 16 / 36 (667.9200) | 10 (169.6800) | 24 (158.8460) | 12 (169.1084) | 9 (170.2856) |
| Sep 3, 2016 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | — | — | — | — | — |