BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG IA
Rating
1561
peak 1561
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
2019-07-19
latest 2025-08-22
Best ToY finish
#41
Master 2014
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
3
5 podiums
Overall top-10s
7
of 14 contests
Avg finish
top 39%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
646.21 ▼
last 5 vs career avg 663.31 (-17.10)
Walk rate
79%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
3
and counting
Consistency
±44.09
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 169.69 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.65)
Road miles
2006
mi across 14 mapped stops · furthest 195 mi
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Hogline has come out ahead in 7 of their 8 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of SMOKEHOUSE 72 in 5 of their 6 shared contests.
Teams like this (closest power rating, IA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 14 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 177.1544 | 159.9656 | 169.53 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 14 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 174.8916 | 157.6456 | 167.65 | top 42% |
| Pork | 13 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 176.5828 | 159.9772 | 168.47 | top 47% |
| Brisket | 14 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 177.7028 | 160.5372 | 169.69 | top 35% |
“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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA | 7 | 0 | top 36% |
| WI | 4 | 0 | top 48% |
| MN | 3 | 0 | top 31% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 56% |
| Medium (20–39) | 11 | 0 | top 37% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 41% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2021 (5 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IA (7 of 14 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (14 entries)
- All-time average overall score: 663.31
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 681.0744 | 681.07 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 672.5144 | 672.51 |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 683.9084 | 596.20 |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 692.5028 | 682.69 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 669.6224 | 669.62 |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 670.7428 | 664.32 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-22 | Cruisin' and BBQin' Hampton, IA | 10 / 18 (681.0744) | 13 (170.2744) | 7 (171.4172) | 14 (165.1200) | 5 (174.2628) |
| 2023-06-02 | Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN | 9 / 29 (672.5144) | 24 (161.1200) | 4 (171.9888) | 23 (161.7028) | 3 (177.7028) |
| 2022-10-14 | King of the Corn Ottumwa, IA | 5 / 36 (683.9084) | 12 (172.5600) | 20 (166.8228) | 10 (172.5600) | 4 (171.9656) |
| 2022-09-02 | Smokin' in the Bogs Warrens, WI | 22 / 23 (508.4912) | 9 (168.5256) | 5 (169.7028) | — | 9 (170.2628) |
| 2021-09-24 | Ottumwa 4th Annual Smoketoberfest Ottumwa, IA | 9 / 35 (685.0396) | 5 (175.4172) | 24 (165.1084) | 11 (171.4056) | 7 (173.1084) |
| 2021-09-17 | Tri City BBQ Fest Denison, IA | 4 / 20 (692.5028) | 1 (176.5716) | 8 (168.5600) | 8 (173.1084) | 9 (174.2628) |
| 2021-09-03 | Smokin' in the Bogs Warrens, WI | 3 / 25 (681.6572) | 1 (177.1544) | 10 (167.3828) | 1 (176.5828) | 14 (160.5372) |
| 2021-07-30 | 5th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest Emmetsburg, IA | 13 / 35 (668.5372) | 8 (173.1544) | 16 (166.8572) | 25 (162.8456) | 15 (165.6800) |
| 2021-07-16 | KTD Smokin' Gobbler Cook-off Worthington, MN | 7 / 33 (685.6916) | 8 (174.2628) | 3 (174.8916) | 6 (174.8572) | 26 (161.6800) |
| 2020-10-16 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 West Salem, WI | 16 / 40 (669.6224) | 14 (169.1084) | 25 (162.8228) | 22 (168.5484) | 16 (169.1428) |
| 2019-08-30 | Smokin in the Bogs Warrens, WI | 17 / 38 (665.6456) | 20 (167.9656) | 15 (167.4288) | 21 (165.7028) | 20 (164.5484) |
| 2019-08-23 | Big Island BBQ Alberta Lea, MN | 21 / 50 (667.9084) | 29 (166.2284) | 6 (173.1428) | 42 (159.9772) | 11 (168.5600) |
| 2019-08-09 | 16th Annual UP IN SMOKE BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 23 / 38 (652.9824) | 32 (159.9656) | 30 (157.6456) | 18 (165.7028) | 11 (169.6684) |
| 2019-07-19 | BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA | 14 / 33 (670.7428) | 30 (161.0856) | 22 (163.3944) | 7 (172.0000) | 7 (174.2628) |
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #926 (118 pts) | #1062 (103 pts) | #933 (148 pts) | #1069 (98 pts) | #802 (168 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #880 (139 pts) | #1579 (59 pts) | #856 (204 pts) | #1278 (64 pts) | #721 (229 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #798 (185 pts) | #1034 (125 pts) | #1306 (85 pts) | #996 (135 pts) | #784 (210 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #225 (848 pts) | #178 (1038 pts) | #312 (668 pts) | #252 (778 pts) | #360 (568 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1001 (263 pts) | #1337 (178 pts) | #964 (308 pts) | #936 (318 pts) | #776 (423 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1175 (210 pts) | #1949 (70 pts) | #1433 (165 pts) | #1610 (120 pts) | #1100 (260 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #200 (1476 pts) | #260 (1226 pts) | #90 (1851 pts) | #421 (906 pts) | #266 (1281 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #291 (1193 pts) | #482 (838 pts) | #354 (1048 pts) | #443 (928 pts) | #269 (1243 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #139 (1833 pts) | #124 (1673 pts) | #264 (1243 pts) | #228 (1298 pts) | #48 (2138 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #41 (2424 pts) | #40 (2262 pts) | #85 (1918 pts) | #57 (2048 pts) | #88 (1969 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #465 (659 pts) | #484 (664 pts) | #746 (444 pts) | #439 (734 pts) | #427 (739 pts) |