Top Hat Smoking BBQ MD
Rating
1525
peak 1528 · rated over 5 contests
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
2019-08-09
latest 2025-10-10
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 43%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
327.99
last 4 Backyard vs avg 327.99 (+0.00)
Walk rate
60%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±4.31
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.94 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.56)
Road miles
0
mi across 5 mapped stops
Schedule strength
21%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1516)
Purse competed for
$63K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 5 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
327.99 / 360
4 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Capt. Blue BBQ has come out ahead in 4 of their 5 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Bone Suckin' Good BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 5 of 30 at their very first tracked contest, Maryland State BBQ Bash (2019-08-09).
🔁 The comeback
Off the trail for 2.2 years, then back at Maryland State BBQ Bash (2021-10-15).
Teams like this (closest power rating, MD first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone Suckin' Good BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Pig Kahunas | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Team Meat Coma | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| HARCO LOCO BBQ | 5 | 2 | 1 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 177.7028 | 156.5832 | 165.94 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 164.5944 | 156.5372 | 159.56 | top 63% |
| Pork | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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.
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland State BBQ Bash | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 27% | 2023-10-13 |
| MD State BBQ Bash | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 66% | 2025-10-10 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (1 contest)
- Cooks mostly in MD (5 of 5 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (5 entries)
- Average Backyard overall score: 327.99 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2019-08-09 — First tracked contest · Maryland State BBQ Bash
- 📣 2019-08-09 — First call · Maryland State BBQ Bash
- ⭐ 2023-10-13 — Career-best overall score (334.2400) · Maryland State BBQ Bash
- 📈 2023-10-13 — Peak power rating (1528) · Maryland State BBQ Bash
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.1 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | 2019-08-09 |
| +10.7 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | 2023-10-13 |
| +5.5 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | 2021-10-15 |
| +2.5 | MD State BBQ Bash | 2025-10-10 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -6.1 | MD State BBQ Bash | 2024-10-11 |
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)
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 52% | 90% | 90% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 90% | 90% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 22% | 92.8% | 92.8% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 44% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 17% | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-10 | MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 15 / 29 (323.9660) | 13 (167.3944) | 25 (156.5716) | — | — |
| 2024-10-11 | MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 21 / 26 (323.9888) | 25 (159.3944) | 16 (164.5944) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD | 5 / 23 (334.2400) | 1 (177.7028) | 22 (156.5372) | — | — |
| 2021-10-15 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD | 11 / 25 (329.7716) | 7 (168.6172) | 14 (161.1544) | — | — |
| 2019-08-09 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD | 5 / 30 (315.5204) | 13 (156.5832) | 5 (158.9372) | — | — |