THE GREAT HAMBINO

THE GREAT HAMBINO is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 9th of 27 at the Esperanza Bonanza (2021). They are ranked #5358 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,358

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1454

peak 1454 · rated over 9 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Sep 28, 2013

latest Oct 10, 2025 · 12 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1106

Master 2024 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

11% of 9 contests

Avg finish

top 81%

overall standings

Best overall

651.8628 / 720

Master · MD State BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Current form

622.21 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 601.35 (+20.86)

Walk rate

33%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4172

Chicken · MD State BBQ Bash

Consistency

±47.06

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 154.52 · weakest Chicken (143.19)

Road miles

1,889

across 9 mapped stops · furthest 816 mi

Schedule strength

31%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1542)

Purse competed for

$60K

listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 5 state-championship entries

Master avg

601.35 / 720

8 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

317.14 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

Storylines (5 found in their record)

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

A tough matchup

7–0 behind in the head-to-head

Team Meat Coma ahead in 100% of their meetings

Team Meat Coma has come out ahead in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

The weak link

−11.3 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 11.33 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 13% of the time against 0%.

Chicken avg 143.19
Pork Ribs avg 154.52
1 call in 8 entries

The comeback

5.2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 5.2 years, then back at Maryland State BBQ Bash (Oct 15, 2021).

last seen Aug 12, 2016
back Oct 15, 2021

Pork Ribs nemesis

6 of 7 shared pork ribs entries lost

Team Meat Coma ahead 86% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Team Meat Coma has out-cooked them in 6 of 7 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Pig Kahunas has landed one call behind them 2 times.

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
2025 ↗	Master	#1461 (54 pts)	#1156 (79 pts)	#1555 (54 pts)	#1474 (54 pts)	#1469 (54 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#1106 (76 pts)	#850 (166 pts)	#1154 (101 pts)	#1550 (51 pts)	#1179 (66 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#1653 (55 pts)	#1341 (60 pts)	#1698 (55 pts)	#1654 (55 pts)	#1654 (55 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2225 (60 pts)	#2214 (60 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2084 (75 pts)	#2167 (75 pts)	#2161 (75 pts)	#2172 (75 pts)	#2148 (75 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#2713 (51 pts)	#2709 (51 pts)	#1931 (96 pts)	#2056 (81 pts)	#1887 (101 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to THE GREAT HAMBINO, 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.

Pig Kahunas

#5,363 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to THE GREAT HAMBINO)

These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — THE GREAT HAMBINO ahead 3–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Oct 10, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

RGDBBQ

#5,368 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 37
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1519

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to THE GREAT HAMBINO)

They've been 1519 at their best, 65 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 37 contests
last seen Oct 7, 2022

⚔ Head-to-head

Holy Smokes BBQ

#5,372 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1454

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Aug 28, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

The Dogs Liked It

#5,340 of the rated field

1455 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1455

They turned up 10 years after THE GREAT HAMBINO did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

SHARK BITE BBQ

#5,338 of the rated field

1455 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1455

Level with THE GREAT HAMBINO on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Oct 4, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

Triple Ace's Bbq

#5,357 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

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 Apr 5, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Behind	Win rate
Team Meat Coma	7	7	0%	⚔ compare
FAT MAXINE'S BBQ	6	6	0%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	5	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	8	1	175.4172	20	143.19	top 71%
Pork Ribs	9	0	167.9656	138.7316	154.52	top 72%
Pork	9	2	167.4172	145.1084	154.25	top 76%
Brisket	8	0	155.3600	144.5256	150.44	top 80%

“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)	6	0	top 81%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 81%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MD	7	top 86%
AR	1	top 33%
CT	1	top 96%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
MD State BBQ Bash	2	20	0	top 85%	Oct 10, 2025
Maryland State BBQ Bash	2	23	0	top 94%	Oct 14, 2022

More numbers

Busiest season 2021 2 contests

Contests a season 1.1 across 8 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MD 7 of 9 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 7 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 304 finished ahead 113 times, behind 342

Longest layoff 5.2 yrs Aug 12, 2016 → Oct 15, 2021

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

20251 milestone

Oct 10 Most recent contest MD State BBQ Bash

20243 milestones

Oct 11 First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.8628 MD State BBQ Bash
Oct 11 Career-best overall score651.8628 MD State BBQ Bash
Oct 11 Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4172 MD State BBQ Bash

20212 milestones

Oct 15 First call Maryland State BBQ Bash
Oct 22 First overall top-10 Esperanza Bonanza

20132 milestones

Sep 28 First tracked contest The Best BBQ Chef Competition
Sep 28 Peak power rating (1486) The Best BBQ Chef Competition

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+6.4	Esperanza Bonanza	Oct 22, 2021

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.2	The Best BBQ Chef Competition	Sep 28, 2013
-10.5	MD State BBQ Bash, Presented by Mars Super Markets	Aug 8, 2014
-8	Maryland State BBQ Bash	Aug 12, 2016
-6.7	Maryland State BBQ Bash	Oct 14, 2022
-5.5	MD State BBQ Bash	Oct 10, 2025

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)
2025	1	0	0%	top 93%	86.8%	86.8%
2024	1	0	100%	top 77%	90.5%	90.5%
2022	1	0	0%	top 97%	84.3%	84.3%
2021	2	1	100%	top 63%	88.1%	86.3%
2016	1	0	0%	top 88%	85.9%	85.9%
2015	1	0	0%	top 67%	87%	87%
2014	1	0	0%	top 89%	81.6%	81.6%
2013	1	0	0%	top 96%	67.5%	67.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 10, 2025	MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD	27 / 29 (624.9256)	20 (169.1200)	28 (149.6456)	27 (152.5372)	25 (153.6228)
Oct 11, 2024	MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD	20 / 26 (651.8628)	6 (175.4172)	15 (167.9656)	25 (154.2400)	22 (154.2400)
Oct 14, 2022	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	29 / 30 (607.1428)	24 (160.5372)	29 (138.7316)	26 (158.7884)	28 (149.0856)
Oct 22, 2021	Esperanza Bonanza 🏅 Marion, AR	9 / 27 (317.1428)	—	11 (156)	5 (161.1428)	—
Oct 15, 2021	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	23 / 25 (608.4000)	25 (139.9312)	21 (154.8344)	10 (167.4172)	22 (146.2172)
Aug 12, 2016	Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	37 / 42 (618.7316)	25 (165.1084)	32 (160)	38 (147.3944)	38 (146.2288)
Aug 14, 2015	14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	31 / 46 (626.7312)	27 (162.8228)	26 (162.8800)	44 (145.6684)	27 (155.3600)
Aug 8, 2014	MD State BBQ Bash, Presented by Mars Super Markets Bel Air, MD	48 / 54 (587.3484)	44 (152.5600)	44 (145.1544)	47 (145.1084)	44 (144.5256)
Sep 28, 2013	The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT	25 / 26 (485.6572)	25 (20)	16 (155.4400)	19 (155.9772)	15 (154.2400)

THE GREAT HAMBINO

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Storylines (5 found in their record)

A tough matchup

The weak link

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

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)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

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)