Pig Kahunas

Pig Kahunas is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 18th of 30 at the Maryland State BBQ Bash (2019). They are ranked #5363 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “PIG KAHUNA'S”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,363

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1454

peak 1454 · rated over 9 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 23, 2013

latest Oct 10, 2025 · 12.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1996

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

0% of 12 contests

Avg finish

top 85%

overall standings

Best overall

666.1600 / 720

Master · Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)

Perfect 180s

Walk rate

25%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

172

Chicken · Maryland State BBQ Bash

Consistency

±4.05

spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 167.42 · weakest Pork Ribs (149.82)

Road miles

653

across 12 mapped stops · furthest 595 mi

Schedule strength

24%

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

Purse competed for

$75K

listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 6 state-championship entries

Master avg

645.77 / 720

3 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

310.71 / 360

5 Backyard contests · 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 (7 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

666.1600 career-best overall

92.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 666.1600 at Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) — 92.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 22, 2014

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

THE GREAT HAMBINO has finished one call ahead of Pig Kahunas 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

Capt. Blue BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

Capt. Blue BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−17.6 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 17.60 points below their brisket, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 33%.

Pork Ribs avg 149.82
Brisket avg 167.42
0 calls in 8 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Smoke Rings Barbecue in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The comeback

2.2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.2 years, then back at Maryland State BBQ Bash (Oct 15, 2021).

last seen Aug 9, 2019
back Oct 15, 2021

An August team

Top 63% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 63% across 3 contests, versus top 85% the rest of the year.

3 August contests
top 85% the rest of the year

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
2014 ↗	Master	#1996 (90 pts)	#2556 (70 pts)	#2560 (70 pts)	#1908 (125 pts)	#1836 (130 pts)

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Pig Kahunas, each with one reason worth a look.

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

THE GREAT HAMBINO

#5,358 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1454

1–3 in 4 shared contests (25% to Pig Kahunas)

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 Pig Kahunas)

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 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Aug 28, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Triple Ace's Bbq

#5,357 of the rated field

1454 power rating

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

They turned up 9 years after Pig Kahunas did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Apr 5, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

BLIND SWINE BBQ

#5,364 of the rated field

1454 power rating

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

Level with Pig Kahunas on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jul 11, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

Swine & Steer BBQ

#5,379 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Pig Kahunas's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 8 contests

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Bone Suckin' Good BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
Capt. Blue BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
HARCO LOCO BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Team Meat Coma	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Estancia	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Oink N' Doink BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Blue Line BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
Pool Crew BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
Make BBQ Great Again	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
Sticky Bones BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
LAKEVIEW BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
FAT MAXINE'S BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
Hair of the Hog	5	0	4	0%	⚔ compare
Barrel Proof BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
Top Hat Smoking BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	8	2	1	172	147.3716	162.63	top 61%
Pork Ribs	8	0	0	159.9544	139.9428	149.82	top 101%
Pork	3	0	0	169.6800	151.9544	163.01	top 58%
Brisket	3	1	0	171.4056	160.5600	167.42	top 41%

“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 92%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 69%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MD	6	0	top 92%
GA	3	0	top 69%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Maryland State BBQ Bash	4	18	top 87%	Oct 13, 2023
MD State BBQ Bash	2	28	top 102%	Oct 10, 2025
Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2	21	top 65%	Aug 22, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 2 contests

Contests a season 1.1 across 11 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MD 9 of 12 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 4 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 331 finished ahead 151 times, behind 406

Longest layoff 2.2 yrs Aug 9, 2019 → Oct 15, 2021

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

20251 milestone

Oct 10 Most recent contest MD State BBQ Bash

20232 milestones

Oct 13 10th tracked contest Maryland State BBQ Bash
Oct 13 Career-best single call (Chicken)172 Maryland State BBQ Bash

20141 milestone

Aug 22 Career-best overall score666.1600 Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)

20134 milestones

Aug 23 First tracked contest Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
Aug 23 First call Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
Aug 23 Peak power rating (1490) Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
Nov 15 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.5884 The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+3.3	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)	Aug 22, 2014
+1.4	Maryland State BBQ Bash	Aug 9, 2019

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.7	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)	Aug 23, 2013
-9.6	MD State BBQ Bash	Oct 11, 2024
-7.7	Maryland State BBQ Bash	Oct 13, 2023
-6.9	MD State BBQ Bash	Oct 10, 2025
-6.3	Maryland State BBQ Bash	Oct 15, 2021

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2025	1	0%	top 97%	88.1%	88.1%
2024	1	100%	top 108%	85.9%	85.9%
2023	1	100%	top 109%	86.7%	86.7%
2022	1	0%	top 83%	86.3%	86.3%
2021	1	0%	top 96%	84.6%	84.6%
2019	1	0%	top 60%	83.8%	83.8%
2018	1	0%	—	—	—
2017	1	0%	—	—	—
2016	1	0%	—	—	—
2014	1	0%	top 47%	92.5%	92.5%
2013	2	50%	top 81%	91.3%	88.3%

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	28 / 29 (317.0972)	22 (159.4172)	23 (157.6800)	—	—
Oct 11, 2024	MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD	28 / 26 (309.0856)	10 (169.1428)	32 (139.9428)	—	—
Oct 13, 2023	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD	25 / 23 (311.9656)	3 (172)	32 (139.9656)	—	—
Oct 14, 2022	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	25 / 30 (310.8000)	20 (161.0972)	32 (149.7028)	—	—
Oct 15, 2021	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	24 / 25 (304.6172)	23 (156.6172)	30 (148)	—	—
Aug 9, 2019	Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD	18 / 30 (301.6684)	—	—	—	—
Aug 10, 2018	Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	—	—	—	—	—
Aug 11, 2017	Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	—	—	—	—	—
Aug 12, 2016	Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	—	—	—	—	—
Aug 22, 2014	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA	21 / 45 (666.1600)	27 (165.1200)	29 (159.9544)	14 (169.6800)	13 (171.4056)
Nov 15, 2013	The National BBQ Cup (GBC Qualifier) Cumming, GA	62 / 79 (657.5884)	40 (170.2512)	68 (159.3828)	45 (167.3944)	62 (160.5600)
Aug 23, 2013	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA	45 / 54 (613.5548)	50 (147.3716)	50 (143.9316)	47 (151.9544)	8 (170.2972)

Pig Kahunas

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

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Storylines (7 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

An August team

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

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)