HOWLING HOG BARBECUE

HOWLING HOG BARBECUE is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 21 at the Riverside Blues & BBQ Festival (2013). They are ranked #1910 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,910

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1543

peak 1545 · rated over 11 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 1, 2013

latest Sep 9, 2017 · 4.3 years on the trail

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

18% of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 40%

overall standings

Best overall

675.4280 / 720

Master · Smokin @ the Ballpark BBQ Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

652.76

last 5 Master vs avg 652.42 (+0.33)

Walk rate

100%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.8572

Chicken · Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ, Beer Fest

Consistency

±11.72

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.15 · weakest Pork Ribs (158.43)

Road miles

860

across 11 mapped stops · furthest 112 mi

Schedule strength

23%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1532)

Master avg

652.42 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

They almost always walk

100% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 11 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 100% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

675.4280 career-best overall

93.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 675.4280 at Smokin @ the Ballpark BBQ Festival — 93.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 21, 2013

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 27%.

4 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 27%

A tough matchup

9–2 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA ahead in 82% of their meetings

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has come out ahead in 9 of their 11 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.7 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.72 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 27% of the time against 73%.

Pork Ribs avg 158.43
Chicken avg 168.15
3 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

8–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 89% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of CIDER BOYS BBQ in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

The comeback

1.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.9 years, then back at Green Mountain BBQ Championship (Sep 9, 2017).

last seen Oct 9, 2015
back Sep 9, 2017

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±1.63% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.63% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.6% of a perfect score
11 contests

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to HOWLING HOG BARBECUE, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Small Batch BBQ MD

#1,907 of the rated field

1543 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1561

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jun 27, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

Bumpy Pickle BBQ

#1,912 of the rated field

1543 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1543

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Mar 20, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

BEER MEETS GRILL

#1,905 of the rated field

1543 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1550

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Jun 9, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

PURPLEVOODOO BBQ

#1,911 of the rated field

1543 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1543

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 7% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Sep 10, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

THESMOKERING.COM

#1,917 of the rated field

1543 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1545

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 3 years before HOWLING HOG BARBECUE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 8 contests

⚔ Compare careers

2 Men and a Pig

#1,908 of the rated field

1543 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1544

Level with HOWLING HOG BARBECUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
CIDER BOYS BBQ	9	8	1	89%	⚔ compare
THE BASIC BBQ TEAM	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
INSANE SWINE BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
QUE AND A HALF MEN	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
Rogue Hog BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
HUMPHREY'S BBQ	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
BOAR-N-Q	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Smokin Aces	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
A MAZIE Q	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
MEAT @ SLIMS	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
CAN U SMELL MY PITS BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
SQUEELS ON WHEELS	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
Smokin' Bulldogs	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
Bone Daddy's BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	8	2	174.8572	154.8228	168.15	top 32%
Pork Ribs	11	3	0	169.1888	146.8570	158.43	top 60%
Pork	11	3	0	170.2856	155.3944	163.89	top 44%
Brisket	11	5	0	174.2856	144.5028	161.95	top 39%

“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)	8	0	top 44%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 29%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
VT	4	top 56%
NH	3	top 29%
MA	2	top 35%
ME	2	top 30%

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 4 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in VT 4 of 11 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 11 a different one every time

Opponents faced 164 finished ahead 221 times, behind 129

Longest layoff 1.9 yrs Oct 9, 2015 → Sep 9, 2017

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

20171 milestone

Sep 9 Most recent contest Green Mountain BBQ Championship

20152 milestones

May 29 Peak power rating (1545) Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ Fest
Oct 9 10th tracked contest Riverside Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival

20141 milestone

May 31 Career-best single call (Chicken)174.8572 Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ, Beer Fest

20136 milestones

Jun 1 First tracked contest Monadnock Up In Smoke BBQ Fest
Jun 1 First call Monadnock Up In Smoke BBQ Fest
Jun 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.1424 Monadnock Up In Smoke BBQ Fest
Jun 21 First overall top-10 Smokin @ the Ballpark BBQ Festival
Jun 21 First overall podium Smokin @ the Ballpark BBQ Festival
Jun 21 Career-best overall score675.4280 Smokin @ the Ballpark BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14	Smokin @ the Ballpark BBQ Festival	Jun 21, 2013
+12.5	Riverside Blues & BBQ Festival	Oct 11, 2013
+8	Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ, Beer Fest	May 31, 2014
+6.9	Monadnock Up In Smoke BBQ Fest	Jun 1, 2013
+6.6	Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ Fest	May 29, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-6.1	Green Mountain BBQ Championship	Jun 27, 2015
-4	Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ	Jul 25, 2014
-1.8	Riverside Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival	Oct 9, 2015
-0.3	The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ	Jul 26, 2013

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	1	0	100%	top 38%	92.9%	92.9%
2015	3	0	100%	top 52%	91.7%	90.4%
2014	3	0	100%	top 47%	90.5%	89.1%
2013	4	2	100%	top 27%	93.8%	91.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 9, 2017	Green Mountain BBQ Championship Randolph, VT	12 / 32 (668.6288)	13 (167.4400)	5 (169.1888)	15 (166.8572)	15 (165.1428)
Oct 9, 2015	Riverside Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival Greenfield, MA	14 / 25 (642.7540)	9 (169.6800)	13 (163.9884)	12 (164.5828)	19 (144.5028)
Jun 27, 2015	Green Mountain BBQ Championship Waterbury, VT	16 / 23 (650.1712)	10 (170.8456)	7 (168)	16 (160)	19 (151.3256)
May 29, 2015	Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ Fest Swanzey, NH	15 / 49 (660.5716)	10 (170.3088)	35 (157.1200)	21 (165.1428)	10 (168)
Aug 8, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Scarborough, ME	14 / 28 (641.6572)	15 (161.1316)	18 (155.4056)	13 (161.1428)	7 (163.9772)
Jul 25, 2014	Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT	22 / 34 (632.4568)	29 (154.8228)	27 (151.3828)	8 (164.5712)	18 (161.6800)
May 31, 2014	Monadnock Up in Smoke BBQ, Beer Fest Swanzey, NH	12 / 48 (651.4288)	2 (174.8572)	36 (152.5372)	19 (163.4400)	14 (160.5944)
Oct 11, 2013	Riverside Blues & BBQ Festival Greenfield, MA	3 / 21 (655.9428)	5 (165.1200)	7 (163.4400)	11 (163.4172)	6 (163.9656)
Jul 26, 2013	The Harpoon Championships of New England BBQ Windsor, VT	16 / 31 (648.4572)	6 (169.1428)	26 (155.3828)	24 (155.3944)	4 (168.5372)
Jun 21, 2013	Smokin @ the Ballpark BBQ Festival Old Orchard Beach, ME	3 / 28 (675.4280)	3 (173.7142)	19 (159.4284)	5 (167.9998)	4 (174.2856)
Jun 1, 2013	Monadnock Up In Smoke BBQ Fest Swanzey, NH	13 / 43 (649.1424)	4 (172.5714)	36 (146.8570)	7 (170.2856)	17 (159.4284)

HOWLING HOG BARBECUE

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

The metronome

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)