The comeback
2.8 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2.8 years, then back at Hoosier BBQ Classic (ONE MEAT RIBS) (Jun 9, 2023).
- last seen Aug 14, 2020
- back Jun 9, 2023
The Bearded Pig
The Bearded Pig is a competition barbecue team with 5 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2020 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 14th of 18 at the Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025).
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1479
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 3
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
Aug 14, 2020
latest Aug 9, 2025 · 5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 86%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
40%
contests with a top-10 call
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 161.68 · weakest Brisket (158.53)
Road miles
583
across 5 mapped stops · furthest 462 mi
Schedule strength
79%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1602)
Purse competed for
$19K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
638.70 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
329.66 / 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 ↗ | Master | — | — | #753 (116 pts) | — | — |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to The Bearded Pig, each with one reason worth a look.
The Bearded Pig has 3 rated contests, short of the five a power ranking needs, so its rating is still close to the 1500 every team starts on and 137 rated teams sit within a point of it.
#4,227 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1511
They've been 1511 at their best, 33 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#4,191 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 4 years before The Bearded Pig's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,211 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1479
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,218 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1479
They were already cooking in 2013, 7 years before The Bearded Pig's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#4,193 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1479
Level with The Bearded Pig on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,210 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1479
Their last contest in the data was back in 2013, 12 years before The Bearded Pig's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.8228 | 159.3944 | 161.49 | top 88% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 170.2628 | 152.5372 | 161.68 | top 75% |
| Pork | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2284 | 155.9772 | 159.10 | top 90% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 161.0972 | 155.9544 | 158.53 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 78% |
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 95% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 85% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2023
2 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IN
3 of 5 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
3
a different one every time
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
5 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls
Opponents faced
108
finished ahead 14 times, behind 94
Longest layoff
2.8 yrs
Aug 14, 2020 → Jun 9, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20252 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)170.2628 Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)
20205 milestones
- First tracked contest Front Porch Rib Fest
- First call Front Porch Rib Fest
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.6856 BBQ & Fly in on the River
- Career-best overall score650.6856 BBQ & Fly in on the River
- Peak power rating (1494) BBQ & Fly in on the River
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.8 | Hoosier BBQ Classic #1 | Jun 9, 2023 |
| -6.3 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 9, 2025 |
| -6 | BBQ & Fly in on the River | Aug 14, 2020 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 78% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 87% | 87% |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 85% | 90.4% | 90.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2025 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN | 14 / 18 (329.6572) | 16 (159.3944) | 7 (170.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Hoosier BBQ Classic #1 🏅 Franklin, IN | 36 / 38 (626.7088) | 33 (162.2400) | 37 (152.5372) | 34 (155.9772) | 35 (155.9544) |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Hoosier BBQ Classic (ONE MEAT RIBS) Franklin, IN | — | — | 15 (155.9428) | — | — |
| Aug 14, 2020 | BBQ & Fly in on the River 🏅 Excelsior Springs, MO | 47 / 55 (650.6856) | 48 (162.8228) | 43 (164.5372) | 50 (162.2284) | 37 (161.0972) |
| Jul 5, 2020 | Front Porch Rib Fest Kansas City, MO | — | — | 10 (165.0972) | — | — |