The heartbreaker
3.4284
points from the title
Came within 3.4284 points of the Grand Championship at First State BBQ Bash (Sep 25, 2026).
Hot Thang
Hot Thang is a competition barbecue team with 5 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record in 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 16 at the First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) (2026), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #1648 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1555
peak 1555 · rated over 5 contests
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
Jul 11, 2026
latest Sep 27, 2026
Grand champs
0
2 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
80% of 5 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 27%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
100%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.46
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 174.70 · weakest Pork Ribs (165.57)
Road miles
143
across 5 mapped stops · furthest 79 mi
Schedule strength
76%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1598)
Purse competed for
$6,090
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
339.95 / 360
5 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here. Still inside their first twelve months: see what a first season usually looks like.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Hot Thang, each with one reason worth a look.
36 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,646 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1555
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,645 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1555
Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 11 years before Hot Thang's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,650 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1555
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 7 contests, alongside a 57% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,651 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1555
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,647 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1555
They were already cooking in 2015, 11 years before Hot Thang's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,643 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1555
Level with Hot Thang on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tame the Flame BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Oink N' Doink BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Rough Cut Q | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 177.7028 | 173.1200 | 174.70 | top 12% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 175.4172 | 151.9544 | 165.57 | 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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 30% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 14% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 49% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 9% | Sep 27, 2026 |
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 36% | Jul 25, 2026 |
More numbers
Most contests held in
PA
3 of 5 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
3
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
5 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls
Opponents faced
116
finished ahead 159 times, behind 65
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
202611 milestones
- First tracked contest K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score326.2172 K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium First State BBQ Bash
- First Reserve Championship First State BBQ Bash
- Career-best overall score348.5372 First State BBQ Bash
- First category win (Chicken) First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7028 First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY)
- Peak power rating (1555) First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY)
- Most recent contest First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18.3 | First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) | Sep 27, 2026 |
| +17.5 | First State BBQ Bash | Sep 25, 2026 |
| +11.7 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | Jul 25, 2026 |
| +5.1 | K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jul 11, 2026 |
| +2.3 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | Jul 24, 2026 |
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)
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2026 | First State BBQ Bash (BACKYARD SUNDAY) Milford, DE | 2 / 16 (346.8344) | 1 (177.7028) | 6 (169.1316) | — | — |
| Sep 25, 2026 | First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 2 / 39 (348.5372) | 4 (173.1200) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 9 / 39 (343.9312) | — | 10 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 21 / 43 (334.2400) | 8 (173.7028) | 29 (160.5372) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2026 | K.S. Que (BACKYARD ONLY) Kennett Square, PA | 7 / 15 (326.2172) | 2 (174.2628) | 14 (151.9544) | — | — |