Hoosier BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#2161

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1532

peak 1532 · rated over 13 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2018-09-14

latest 2026-08-28

Best ToY finish

#82

Backyard 2026

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 15 contests

Avg finish

top 49%

overall standings

Best overall

666.7540 / 720

Master · Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana

Perfect 180s

Current form

343.38 ▲

last 5 Backyard vs avg 342.60 (+0.78)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.8572

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

Consistency

±5.89

std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 171.01 · weakest Brisket (156.26)

Road miles

994

mi across 15 mapped stops · furthest 208 mi

Schedule strength

38%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1550)

Purse competed for

$55K

listed at 14 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

592.03 / 720

5 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

342.60 / 360

8 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is 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.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

Happy hunting ground

Top 18% average finish here

Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) 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

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 11 of 15 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 15 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
2026-05-15

A tough matchup

5–2 behind in the head-to-head

Porkasaurus Rex BBQ ahead in 71% of their meetings

Porkasaurus Rex 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.

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at Smokin' For Garrett (2022-09-16).

last seen 2019-09-13
back 2022-09-16

Pork Ribs nemesis

4 of 6 shared pork ribs entries lost

RedHog BBQ ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, RedHog BBQ has out-cooked them in 4 of 6 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

±12.76% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±12.76% 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 90.2% of a perfect score
best 97.8%

An August team

Top 38% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 38% across 4 contests, versus top 49% the rest of the year.

4 August contests
top 49% the rest of the year

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

Rib Racks BBQ

#2174 of the rated field

1531 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 69%
Peak: 1531

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2022-10-21
on a 6-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

SQUEALZ ON WHEELZ

#2150 of the rated field

1532 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1544

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Hoosier BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 13 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

SMITTY'S SMOKE PATROL

#2176 of the rated field

1531 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1547

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2016-06-24

⚔ Head-to-head

A & W BBQ COMPANY

#2152 of the rated field

1532 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1532

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2025-10-03

⚔ Head-to-head

JOE'S COOKSHACK

#2171 of the rated field

1532 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1562

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2025-01-09

⚔ Head-to-head

Tennessee Smoke Show

#2163 of the rated field

1532 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1537

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2021-08-27

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Porkasaurus Rex BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
RedHog BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	6	3	178.8572	160.5600	170.17	top 45%
Pork Ribs	13	9	0	176.0000	165.6800	171.01	top 37%
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 state / province

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IN	5	top 49%
MI	5	top 52%
IL	3	top 42%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 47%
Medium (20–39)	8	top 41%
Large (40+)	2	top 81%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2)	2	2	top 18%	2026-08-28
Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	8	top 59%	2026-08-08
Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	4	top 23%	2025-07-19
Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	4	top 24%	2024-06-14

The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 8 yrs 2018-09-14 → 2026-08-28

Busiest season 2026 7 contests

Contests a season 2.1 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IN 7 of 15 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 9 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 13 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 171.01 · weakest Brisket (156.26)

Walk rate 73% a top-10 call in 11 of 15 contests

Overall top-10 rate 53% 8 of 15 contests

Best top-10 run 5 straight contests

Master average 592.03 out of 720 · 5 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 342.60 out of 360 · 8 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 260 165–231 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 994 15 mapped stops · furthest 208 mi

Schedule strength 1550 average field rating faced — tougher than 38% of rated contests

Purse competed for $54,690 listed at 14 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 3 yrs 2019-09-13 → 2022-09-16

Power rating 1532 peak 1532 · #2161 of 6,413 rated

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

2018
Sep 14 First tracked contest *Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
2019
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
2023
Jun 16 First overall top-10 Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
2026
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)
Aug 28 Peak power rating (1532) Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2)
Aug 28 Most recent contest Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2)

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)	2026-08-28
+12.2	Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2023-06-16
+10.9	Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2025-07-19
+10.9	Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2024-07-20
+10.2	Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2)	2026-08-28

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.3	GLBBQA Spring Fling	2026-04-17
-9.7	Smokin' For Garrett	2022-09-16
-7.6	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana	2026-05-15
-5.6	*Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	2018-09-14
-4.3	Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival	2019-09-13

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)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	7	3	71%	top 53%	97.8%	94.2%
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
2026-08-28	Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 2) Cherry Valley, IL	7 / 25 (346.8228)	13 (170.8228)	7 (176.0000)	—	—
2026-08-28	Smokin Ribs for the Kids (BACKYARD ONLY) (Contest 1) Cherry Valley, IL	2 / 24 (351.9772)	2 (178.8572)	10 (173.1200)	—	—
2026-08-08	Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN	8 / 13 (334.2172)	9 (165.6800)	7 (168.5372)	—	—
2026-05-15	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana 🏅 Warsaw, IN	28 / 35 (666.7540)	18 (171.9884)	6 (174.2628)	30 (162.8000)	33 (157.7028)
2026-05-15	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Warsaw, IN	—	11 (171.9772)	—	—	—
2026-05-15	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN	—	—	4 (175.4172)	—	—
2026-04-17	GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Coldwater, MI	43 / 48 (657.6116)	39 (166.8112)	22 (170.8344)	38 (165.7144)	46 (154.2516)
2025-08-09	Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN	10 / 18 (337.6572)	8 (171.4172)	12 (166.2400)	—	—
2025-07-19	Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI	4 / 17 (346.2400)	3 (174.2628)	8 (171.9772)	—	—
2024-07-20	Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI	5 / 23 (347.3944)	3 (175.4172)	5 (171.9772)	—	—
2024-06-14	Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN	8 / 28 (337.1088)	14 (165.0972)	4 (172.0116)	—	—
2023-06-16	Squeal on the Eel Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Logansport, IN	4 / 21 (339.3828)	4 (168.5600)	5 (170.8228)	—	—
2022-09-16	Smokin' For Garrett 🏅 Mt. Carmel, IL	24 / 27 (642.1372)	14 (170.8228)	16 (165.6800)	23 (162.8572)	27 (142.7772)
2019-09-13	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)
2018-09-14	*Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	35 / 48 (336.5488)	—	—	—	—

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

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
2026 ↗	Backyard	#82 (537 pts)	#102 (482 pts)	#119 (422 pts)	—	—
2026 ↗	Master	#755 (120 pts)	#559 (275 pts)	#409 (459 pts)	#779 (120 pts)	#780 (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)