Hardwood BBQ, Inc.

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

Power ranking

#3594

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1491

peak 1491 · rated over 12 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-02-21

latest 2020-03-06

Best ToY finish

#454

Master 2020

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

685.7144 / 720

Master · Plant City Pig Jam

Perfect 180s

Current form

631.33 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 640.50 (-9.17)

Walk rate

69%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4172

Chicken · Lakeland Pig Festival

Consistency

±42.56

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 163.75 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.32)

Road miles

273

mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 39 mi

Schedule strength

33%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1544)

Purse competed for

$52K

listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

640.50 / 720

12 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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

69% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 9 of 13 contests

A top-10 category call in 69% of their 13 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

685.7144 career-best overall

95.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 685.7144 at Plant City Pig Jam — 95.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
2019-11-22

A tough matchup

12–0 behind in the head-to-head

SWAMP BOYS ahead in 100% of their meetings

SWAMP BOYS has come out ahead in 12 of their 12 shared contests.

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKE SHACK BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

9 of 11 shared brisket entries lost

SWAMP BOYS ahead 82% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SWAMP BOYS has out-cooked them in 9 of 11 shared brisket entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BGE PIT CREW has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A November team

Top 45% average finish in November

Something about November: average finish in the top 45% across 6 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.

6 November contests
top 60% the rest of the year

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.

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

Sons of Hamarchy

#3611 of the rated field

1491 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1491

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Hardwood BBQ, Inc.)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Hardwood BBQ, Inc. has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2026-07-11

⚔ Head-to-head

ROCK RIVER BBQ

#3582 of the rated field

1491 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1491

3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to Hardwood BBQ, Inc.)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 3 years before Hardwood BBQ, Inc.'s most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 7 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

HAWG HEAVEN

#3593 of the rated field

1491 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1506

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2024-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

BUILDERS BBQ

#3577 of the rated field

1491 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1526 at their best, 35 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2023-03-24

⚔ Head-to-head

Camo Cookers

#3626 of the rated field

1490 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1490

No shared contest yet.

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 8% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2022-06-10

⚔ Head-to-head

BROKE ASS BAR-B-QUE CO.

#3602 of the rated field

1491 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1504

No shared contest yet.

Level with Hardwood BBQ, Inc. on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2017-08-04

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SWAMP BOYS	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
HOT WACHULA'S	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN BLUE Q FL	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN ACES BBQ - FL	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
SWINOS	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Accutech BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Uncle Kenny's Take-Away	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
Morgan-Que	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
Florida Boys	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
AWESOME Q	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
WHISKEY BENT BBQ - FL	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKE SHACK BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
POPPELL INSURANCE BBQ TEAM	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
PLANT CITY SECOND HAND SMOKE BBQ TEAM	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
BGE PIT CREW	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	3	1	175.4172	150.7656	163.44	top 58%
Pork Ribs	12	3	0	174.2744	145.6800	163.32	top 50%
Pork	12	3	0	170.2972	153.0972	163.64	top 55%
Brisket	11	3	0	174.2628	149.0628	163.75	top 46%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	7	0	top 57%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 65%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Plant City Pig Jam	3	3	top 40%	2019-11-22
Lakeland Pig Festival	2	48	top 86%	2020-01-24
Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam	2	19	top 49%	2018-11-16

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 6 yrs 2014-02-21 → 2020-03-06

Busiest season 2020 2 contests

Contests a season 1.6 across 8 seasons in the data

Cooks most in FL 13 of 13 contests

Contests visited 8 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 12 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 163.75 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.32)

Walk rate 69% a top-10 call in 9 of 13 contests

Overall top-10 rate 8% 1 of 13 contests

Master average 640.50 out of 720 · 12 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 296 207–316 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 273 13 mapped stops · furthest 39 mi

Schedule strength 1544 average field rating faced — tougher than 33% of rated contests

Purse competed for $51,800 listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2018-11-16 → 2019-11-22

Power rating 1491 peak 1491 · #3594 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Nov 22 First tracked contest Plant City Pig Jam
2014
Feb 21 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
2015
Nov 20 First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.3144 Plant City Pig Jam - State Championship BBQ Contest
2018
Nov 16 10th tracked contest Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam
2019
Nov 22 First overall top-10 Plant City Pig Jam
Nov 22 First overall podium Plant City Pig Jam
Nov 22 Career-best overall score685.7144 Plant City Pig Jam
Nov 22 Peak power rating (1499) Plant City Pig Jam
2020
Jan 24 Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4172 Lakeland Pig Festival
Mar 6 Most recent contest Fire it up Frostproof!

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15	Plant City Pig Jam	2019-11-22
+5.2	Fire it up Frostproof!	2020-03-06
+5.1	Plant City Pig Jam	2016-11-18
+4.4	Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam	2017-11-17
+3.7	Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam	2018-11-16

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.4	Lakeland Pig Festival	2020-01-24
-7.7	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2015-02-20
-7.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2014-02-21
-5.6	Lakeland Pig Festival	2018-01-26
-5.2	Old Town Barbecue Throwdown	2017-05-26

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2020	2	0	50%	top 68%	93.7%	82.4%
2019	1	1	100%	top 8%	95.2%	95.2%
2018	2	0	50%	top 66%	92.1%	89.1%
2017	2	0	50%	top 61%	90.9%	90.3%
2016	1	0	100%	top 42%	92.3%	92.3%
2015	2	0	100%	top 67%	91%	90.3%
2014	2	0	100%	top 73%	88.2%	87.8%
2013	1	0	0%	—	—	—

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2020-03-06	Fire it up Frostproof! 🏅 Frostproof, FL	14 / 32 (674.7428)	18 (165.6800)	11 (171.4172)	11 (169.6800)	12 (167.9656)
2020-01-24	Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL	49 / 53 (512.4916)	4 (175.4172)	12 (170.8344)	28 (166.2400)	—
2019-11-22	Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL	3 / 39 (685.7144)	3 (174.8572)	12 (168.5944)	10 (170.2972)	5 (171.9656)
2018-11-16	Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL	23 / 44 (663.3376)	35 (159.9660)	5 (174.2744)	31 (161.6800)	17 (167.4172)
2018-01-26	Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL	48 / 60 (620.3544)	53 (155.3600)	52 (147.3716)	20 (168.5256)	47 (149.0972)
2017-11-17	Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL	19 / 42 (654.6972)	24 (163.4172)	22 (164.5372)	30 (160.5028)	13 (166.2400)
2017-05-26	Old Town Barbecue Throwdown Kissimmee, FL	17 / 22 (645.5316)	11 (166.2400)	8 (169.1316)	21 (153.0972)	19 (157.0628)
2016-11-18	Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL	16 / 38 (664.4568)	26 (162.7884)	10 (170.2628)	19 (165.7256)	15 (165.6800)
2015-11-20	Plant City Pig Jam - State Championship BBQ Contest 🏅 Plant City, FL	26 / 49 (655.3144)	38 (157.7144)	27 (163.3944)	32 (159.9428)	6 (174.2628)
2015-02-20	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Kissimmee, FL	18 / 22 (645.0404)	20 (161.0972)	17 (160.5832)	21 (153.6800)	8 (169.6800)
2014-11-21	Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL	27 / 39 (635.3028)	34 (150.7656)	30 (153.7028)	9 (168.0116)	21 (162.8228)
2014-02-21	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Tampa, FL	16 / 21 (628.9600)	6 (167.9772)	19 (145.6800)	9 (166.2400)	17 (149.0628)
2013-11-22	Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL	—	—	—	—	—

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
2020 ↗	Master	#454 (235 pts)	#484 (235 pts)	#693 (125 pts)	#652 (135 pts)	#554 (185 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1074 (235 pts)	#1115 (235 pts)	#1542 (125 pts)	#1496 (135 pts)	#1260 (185 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1476 (130 pts)	#1598 (120 pts)	#1150 (245 pts)	#1492 (145 pts)	#1445 (160 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1461 (177 pts)	#1487 (182 pts)	#1376 (217 pts)	#1767 (127 pts)	#1421 (197 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2020 (105 pts)	#2353 (60 pts)	#1790 (135 pts)	#2166 (90 pts)	#2059 (110 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1568 (142 pts)	#1709 (132 pts)	#1661 (147 pts)	#1751 (127 pts)	#1029 (317 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1564 (155 pts)	#1323 (225 pts)	#1768 (140 pts)	#1158 (280 pts)	#1573 (170 pts)