Hoosier BBQ

Hoosier BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 18 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 24 at the Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) (2026), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1681 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,681

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1553

peak 1553 · rated over 16 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Sep 14, 2018

latest Oct 2, 2026 · 8 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#41

Backyard 2026 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

61% of 18 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s, still running

Avg finish

top 45%

overall standings

Best overall

666.7540 / 720

Master · Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana

Perfect 180s

Current form

345.46 ▲

last 5 Backyard vs avg 342.66 (+2.79)

Walk rate

78%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Chicken · Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1)

Consistency

±5.30

spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 171.80 · weakest Brisket (156.26)

Road miles

1,498

across 18 mapped stops · furthest 208 mi

Schedule strength

35%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1547)

Purse competed for

$63K

listed at 17 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 5 state-championship entries

Master avg

592.03 / 720

5 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

342.66 / 360

11 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 (11 found in their record)

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

Riding a hot streak

6 straight overall top-10s

Currently on a 6-contest overall top-10 run.

career best 6

On the rise

+41 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 41 points across 8 contests since Apr 17, 2026 — from 1512 up to 1553.

8 contests since Apr 17, 2026
now 1553

Happy hunting ground

Top 18% average finish here

Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) is their spot: an average finish in the top 18% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 2nd
average top 18%

They almost always walk

78% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 14 of 18 contests

A top-10 category call in 78% of their 18 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

666.7540 career-best overall

92.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 666.7540 at Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana — 92.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 15, 2026

A tough matchup

5–2 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKIN E'S BBQ ahead in 71% of their meetings

SMOKIN E'S BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 7 shared contests.

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Wapatui Smokers in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Show 4 more storylines

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at Smokin' For Garrett (Sep 16, 2022).

last seen Sep 13, 2019
back Sep 16, 2022

Pork Ribs nemesis

5 of 8 shared pork ribs entries lost

SMOKIN E'S BBQ ahead 63% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN E'S BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 8 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Tankerbelle BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±11.67% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±11.67% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 91.1% of a perfect score
best 97.8%

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
2026 ↗	Backyard	#41 (944 pts)	#60 (784 pts)	#49 (898 pts)	—	—
2026 ↗	Master	#846 (120 pts)	#617 (275 pts)	#480 (459 pts)	#863 (120 pts)	#872 (120 pts)
2025 ↗	Backyard	#166 (310 pts)	#153 (355 pts)	#200 (245 pts)	—	—
2019 ↗	Master	#1754 (90 pts)	#2049 (60 pts)	#1846 (90 pts)	#2029 (60 pts)	#1385 (155 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Hoosier BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ

#1,683 of the rated field

1553 power rating

Contests: 57
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1581

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Hoosier BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Hoosier BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 53 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Velvet Swine

#1,674 of the rated field

1554 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1554

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

GRILL OF HIS DREAMS

#1,687 of the rated field

1553 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1553

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 12 years before Hoosier BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 13 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Steamboat BBQ

#1,676 of the rated field

1553 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1553

Careers of much the same size, 21 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Sep 20, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

Meadow Creek BBQ

#1,684 of the rated field

1553 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 58%
Peak: 1578

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 58% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

3 GUYS WITH WOOD

#1,675 of the rated field

1554 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1585

They were already cooking in 2013, 5 years before Hoosier BBQ's first contest.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Porkasaurus Rex BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
RedHog BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN E'S BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Jughead's BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
VanHoozen BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
Skinny Pig BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
BBQ MIKE	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Sermerstout BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Rudes BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	16	8	3	178.8572	160.5600	169.69	top 45%
Pork Ribs	16	12	1	176.5600	165.6800	171.80	top 34%
Pork	4	0	0	165.7144	159.9428	162.83	top 80%
Brisket	4	1	0	170.3200	142.7772	156.26	top 78%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	6	top 38%
Medium (20–39)	8	top 41%
Large (40+)	2	top 81%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IN	6	top 44%
MI	6	top 47%
IL	4	top 44%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1)	2	2	top 18%	Aug 28, 2026
Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	8	top 59%	Aug 8, 2026
Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	4	top 23%	Jul 19, 2025
Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	4	top 24%	Jun 14, 2024

More numbers

Busiest season 2026 10 contests

Contests a season 2.6 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IN 8 of 18 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 12 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 283 finished ahead 212 times, behind 246

Longest layoff 3 yrs Sep 13, 2019 → Sep 16, 2022

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

20267 milestones

May 15 10th tracked contest Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS)
May 15 Career-best overall score666.7540 Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana
Aug 28 First overall podium Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1)
Aug 28 First Reserve Championship Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1)
Aug 28 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8572 Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1)
Oct 2 Peak power rating (1553) Octoberfest (BACKYARD ONLY)
Oct 2 Most recent contest Octoberfest (BACKYARD ONLY)

20231 milestone

Jun 16 First overall top-10 Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)

20192 milestones

Sep 13 First call Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival
Sep 13 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.0972 Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival

20181 milestone

Sep 14 First tracked contest Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.7	Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1)	Aug 28, 2026
+12.2	Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	Jun 16, 2023
+10.9	Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	Jul 19, 2025
+10.9	Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	Jul 20, 2024
+10.2	Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2)	Aug 28, 2026

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.3	GLBBQA Spring Fling	Apr 17, 2026
-9.7	Smokin' For Garrett	Sep 16, 2022
-7.6	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana	May 15, 2026
-5.5	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	Sep 14, 2018
-4.2	Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival	Sep 13, 2019

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)
2026	10	6	80%	top 45%	97.8%	94.6%
2025	2	2	100%	top 40%	96.2%	95%
2024	2	2	100%	top 25%	96.5%	95.1%
2023	1	1	100%	top 19%	94.3%	94.3%
2022	1	0	0%	top 89%	89.2%	89.2%
2019	1	0	100%	top 54%	91.3%	91.3%
2018	1	0	0%	top 73%	46.7%	46.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 2, 2026	Octoberfest (BACKYARD ONLY) Argos, IN	4 / 19 (344.5372)	6 (170.8228)	5 (173.7144)	—	—
Sep 19, 2026	Paxton Swine n Dine (BACKYARD ONLY) Paxton, IL	9 / 18 (338.2516)	12 (161.6916)	4 (176.5600)	—	—
Sep 11, 2026	September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI	3 / 16 (345.6916)	7 (170.2744)	2 (175.4172)	—	—
Aug 28, 2026	Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) Cherry Valley, IL	2 / 24 (351.9772)	2 (178.8572)	10 (173.1200)	—	—
Aug 28, 2026	Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) Cherry Valley, IL	7 / 25 (346.8228)	13 (170.8228)	7 (176)	—	—
Aug 8, 2026	Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN	8 / 13 (334.2172)	9 (165.6800)	7 (168.5372)	—	—
May 15, 2026	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana 🏅 Warsaw, IN	28 / 35 (666.7540)	18 (171.9884)	6 (174.2628)	30 (162.8000)	33 (157.7028)
May 15, 2026	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Warsaw, IN	—	11 (171.9772)	—	—	—
May 15, 2026	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN	—	—	4 (175.4172)	—	—
Apr 17, 2026	GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Coldwater, MI	43 / 48 (657.6116)	39 (166.8112)	22 (170.8344)	38 (165.7144)	46 (154.2516)
Aug 9, 2025	Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN	10 / 18 (337.6572)	8 (171.4172)	12 (166.2400)	—	—
Jul 19, 2025	Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI	4 / 17 (346.2400)	3 (174.2628)	8 (171.9772)	—	—
Jul 20, 2024	Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI	5 / 23 (347.3944)	3 (175.4172)	5 (171.9772)	—	—
Jun 14, 2024	Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN	8 / 28 (337.1088)	14 (165.0972)	4 (172.0116)	—	—
Jun 16, 2023	Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN	4 / 21 (339.3828)	4 (168.5600)	5 (170.8228)	—	—
Sep 16, 2022	Smokin' For Garrett 🏅 Mt. Carmel, IL	24 / 27 (642.1372)	14 (170.8228)	16 (165.6800)	23 (162.8572)	27 (142.7772)
Sep 13, 2019	Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival 🏅 Mears, MI	19 / 35 (657.0972)	28 (160.5600)	19 (166.2744)	25 (159.9428)	8 (170.3200)
Sep 14, 2018	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	35 / 48 (336.5488)	—	—	—	—

Hoosier BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

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 (11 found in their record)

Riding a hot streak

On the rise

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

Boom or bust

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)