A tough matchup
11–0
behind in the head-to-head
SWAMP BOYS ahead in 100% of their meetings
SWAMP BOYS has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.
Tarheel Cookers
Tarheel Cookers is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 20th of 25 at the Plant City Pig Jam (2022). They are ranked #6369 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1398
peak 1398 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
Jan 25, 2013
latest Nov 21, 2025 · 12.8 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 12 contests
Avg finish
top 86%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
632.61 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 629.60 (+3.01)
Walk rate
17%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.82
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 163.07 · weakest Brisket (150.47)
Road miles
62
across 12 mapped stops
Schedule strength
26%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1535)
Purse competed for
$118K
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
629.60 / 720
12 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #1342 (56 pts) | #1392 (56 pts) | #1434 (56 pts) | #1352 (56 pts) | #1344 (56 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #878 (120 pts) | #934 (135 pts) | #979 (130 pts) | #773 (195 pts) | #1011 (110 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #893 (135 pts) | #741 (225 pts) | #1084 (130 pts) | #964 (125 pts) | #937 (140 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #2158 (60 pts) | #2209 (60 pts) | #1737 (130 pts) | #2225 (60 pts) | #2214 (60 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #1471 (150 pts) | #1551 (150 pts) | #1571 (150 pts) | #1560 (150 pts) | #1506 (150 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Tarheel Cookers, each with one reason worth a look.
#6,370 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1398
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#6,371 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1398
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 28 contests to 12.
⚔ Compare careers#6,368 of the rated field
- Contests
- 31
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1398
31 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#6,373 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1397
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careers#6,374 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1397
Level with Tarheel Cookers on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#6,366 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1399
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Tarheel Cookers's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAMP BOYS | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN ACES BBQ - FL | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Accutech BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT WACHULA'S | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Poppell Insurance BBQ Team | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| K & E's Little Smokers | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Ain't EZ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Florida Boys | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| SWINOS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Tillman's BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| KEEPIN IT SMOKIN BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Nuts & Butts | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Belly Bustin Bistro | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQmyway | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.2744 | 147.3944 | 163.07 | top 64% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.1656 | 148.5712 | 158.78 | top 76% |
| Pork | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8344 | 148.5372 | 157.29 | top 79% |
| Brisket | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2400 | 138.7884 | 150.47 | top 86% |
“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) | 5 | 0 | top 88% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 85% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant City Pig Jam | 6 | 20 | 0 | top 87% | Nov 21, 2025 |
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 3 | 45 | 0 | top 91% | Jan 26, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
2 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
FL
12 of 12 contests
Contests visited
5
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
412
finished ahead 95 times, behind 686
Longest layoff
6.2 yrs
Nov 20, 2015 → Jan 28, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest Plant City Pig Jam
20241 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
20231 milestone
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.2744 Lakeland Pig Festival
20223 milestones
- First call Plant City Pig Jam
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.1488 Plant City Pig Jam
- Career-best overall score658.1488 Plant City Pig Jam
20132 milestones
- First tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
- Peak power rating (1495) Lakeland Pig Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.5 | Plant City Pig Jam | Nov 17, 2023 |
| -10.9 | Plant City Pig Jam | Nov 22, 2024 |
| -10.3 | Plant City Pig Jam | Nov 21, 2025 |
| -10.1 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 26, 2024 |
| -9.7 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 28, 2022 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 87.5% | 87.5% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 98% | 88% | 86.8% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 90% | 89.3% | 89.1% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 84% | 91.4% | 89.8% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 88% | 85.5% | 85.5% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 76% | 88.5% | 85.8% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 75% | 86.7% | 86.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 2025 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 31 / 31 (630.0912) | 25 (165.1200) | 30 (153.0856) | 27 (163.9428) | 31 (147.9428) |
| Nov 22, 2024 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 26 / 26 (615.7604) | 14 (167.9772) | 26 (154.8116) | 26 (149.0516) | 26 (143.9200) |
| Jan 26, 2024 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 59 / 61 (633.5428) | 39 (170.2744) | 49 (165.1200) | 60 (150.2400) | 60 (147.9084) |
| Nov 17, 2023 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 23 / 25 (640.9716) | 20 (160.5256) | 21 (157.6800) | 9 (170.8344) | 25 (151.9316) |
| Jan 27, 2023 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 45 / 51 (642.6632) | 19 (174.2744) | 35 (164.5372) | 46 (154.8116) | 47 (149.0400) |
| Nov 18, 2022 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 20 / 25 (658.1488) | 9 (171.9888) | 21 (161.0972) | 22 (162.8228) | 19 (162.2400) |
| Jan 28, 2022 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 53 / 60 (635.2228) | 51 (161.6800) | 55 (158.7884) | 56 (158.2172) | 53 (156.5372) |
| Nov 20, 2015 | Plant City Pig Jam - State Championship BBQ Contest 🏅 Plant City, FL | 43 / 49 (615.3140) | 48 (147.9196) | 11 (169.1656) | 46 (148.5372) | 39 (149.6916) |
| Nov 21, 2014 | Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL | 26 / 39 (636.9832) | 16 (165.1200) | 20 (162.8344) | 23 (159.3944) | 31 (149.6344) |
| Jan 23, 2014 | The Tiger Town Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 59 / 69 (598.6512) | 63 (147.3944) | 39 (158.8112) | 50 (153.6572) | 62 (138.7884) |
| Nov 22, 2013 | Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL | 44 / 53 (624.3996) | 27 (163.9428) | 47 (150.8112) | 31 (160.5256) | 43 (149.1200) |
| Jan 25, 2013 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 47 / 70 (623.4278) | 38 (160.5714) | 61 (148.5712) | 47 (155.4282) | 31 (158.8570) |