Hickswood BBQ

Hickswood BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 11th of 11 at the Hops and Hogs Festival (2019). They are ranked #5946 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,946

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1437

peak 1437 · rated over 12 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 11, 2014

latest May 4, 2024 · 10.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1100

Master 2019 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 12 contests

Avg finish

top 80%

overall standings

Best overall

646.6628 / 720

Master · Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n BBQ Cook-off

Perfect 180s

Current form

630.10 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 626.96 (+3.13)

Walk rate

25%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Brisket · Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n BBQ Cook Off

Consistency

±13.85

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 159.88 · weakest Pork Ribs (154.04)

Road miles

432

across 12 mapped stops · furthest 67 mi

Schedule strength

64%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1581)

Purse competed for

$91K

listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 7 state-championship entries

Master avg

626.96 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

311.36 / 360

2 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 (8 found in their record)

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

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Swedish Bikini BBQ Team has finished one call ahead of Hickswood BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

8–2 behind in the head-to-head

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ ahead in 80% of their meetings

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.8 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.84 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 17% of the time against 0%.

Pork Ribs avg 154.04
Chicken avg 159.88
2 calls in 12 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Trailer Pork Bros in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The comeback

2.4 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.4 years, then back at Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic (Sep 15, 2017).

last seen Apr 10, 2015
back Sep 15, 2017

Chicken nemesis

9 of 10 shared chicken entries lost

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ ahead 90% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, MUTTLEY CREW BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 10 shared chicken entries.

A May team

Top 56% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 56% across 3 contests, versus top 80% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 80% the rest of the year

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±1.77% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.77% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 87.0% of a perfect score
12 contests

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
2022 ↗	Master	#1309 (60 pts)	#1341 (60 pts)	#1404 (60 pts)	#1348 (60 pts)	#1333 (60 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1100 (225 pts)	#1115 (235 pts)	#1162 (225 pts)	#1167 (225 pts)	#1143 (230 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Hickswood 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.

Chubby Cheeks BBQ

#5,962 of the rated field

1437 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Gettin' Piggy With It!

#5,956 of the rated field

1437 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Jun 12, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKIN CHEESE HEADS

#5,953 of the rated field

1437 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 5 years before Hickswood BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

⚔ Compare careers

LTS BBQ

#5,940 of the rated field

1437 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jul 16, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

HERE COME THE JUDGE BBQ TEAM

#5,938 of the rated field

1438 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1438

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

rated over 13 contests
last seen Oct 5, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

Backwoods Grillin'

#5,941 of the rated field

1437 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Oct 20, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
JL Smokers	7	1	5	14%	⚔ compare
HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN SKULLIES	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
SMOKE N BREW	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
CONTAGIOUS Q	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BAYOU POKER SMOKERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKING STUDS BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Q & STEW BEST EVER BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
EB'S BAR-B-QUE	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
SAPONI SMOKERS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED PIG	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	0	0	167.3828	151.4060	159.88	top 72%
Pork Ribs	12	2	1	173.7028	139.8972	154.04	top 75%
Pork	10	0	0	165.6800	147.8972	158.13	top 80%
Brisket	10	2	1	176.5600	138.2060	154.40	top 76%

“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)	1	top 100%
Medium (20–39)	5	top 75%
Large (40+)	6	top 81%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n BBQ Cook Off	2	20	0	top 84%	Oct 13, 2023

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 3 contests

Contests a season 1.5 across 8 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NC 12 of 12 contests

Contests visited 11 1 of them more than once

Opponents faced 256 finished ahead 103 times, behind 382

Longest layoff 2.4 yrs Apr 10, 2015 → Sep 15, 2017

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

20241 milestone

May 4 Most recent contest Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2

20232 milestones

Oct 13 10th tracked contest Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n BBQ Cook Off
Oct 13 Career-best single call (Brisket)176.5600 Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n BBQ Cook Off

20211 milestone

Oct 8 Career-best overall score646.6628 Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n BBQ Cook-off

20143 milestones

Apr 11 First tracked contest Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival
Apr 11 First call Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival
Apr 11 Peak power rating (1496) Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+6.7	Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1	May 3, 2024
+6	Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2	May 4, 2024

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.2	BBQ Capital Cookoff	Apr 25, 2014
-11.6	Bib's Camel City Cookoff (formerly Jammin' Pig)	Apr 10, 2015
-10	Hops and Hogs Festival	Oct 4, 2019
-7.8	Blue Ridge BBQ & Brew Festival	Aug 30, 2019
-7.7	Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n BBQ Cook Off	Oct 13, 2023

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)
2024	2	0%	top 41%	86.8%	86.5%
2023	1	100%	top 92%	88.4%	88.4%
2022	1	0%	top 85%	87.8%	87.8%
2021	1	0%	top 77%	89.8%	89.8%
2019	3	33%	top 94%	87.6%	86.3%
2017	1	0%	top 87%	87.9%	87.9%
2015	1	0%	top 94%	85.1%	85.1%
2014	2	50%	top 79%	88.9%	86.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
May 4, 2024	Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 🏅 Kannapolis, NC	15 / 35 (310.2176)	17 (151.4060)	11 (158.8116)	—	—
May 3, 2024	Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 🏅 Kannapolis, NC	18 / 45 (312.5032)	17 (163.9772)	21 (148.5260)	—	—
Oct 13, 2023	Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Waxhaw, NC	23 / 25 (636.3544)	24 (153.1088)	22 (158.7884)	24 (147.8972)	3 (176.5600)
May 13, 2022	Jiggy With The Piggy 🏅 Kannapolis, NC	39 / 46 (632.4236)	37 (162.2976)	26 (164.5372)	37 (158.8344)	43 (146.7544)
Oct 8, 2021	Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Waxhaw, NC	20 / 26 (646.6628)	13 (167.3828)	23 (154.7888)	18 (162.7884)	13 (161.7028)
Oct 4, 2019	Hops and Hogs Festival Huntersville, NC	11 / 11 (630.7080)	11 (156.5256)	10 (161.1084)	11 (156.5484)	10 (156.5256)
Aug 30, 2019	Blue Ridge BBQ & Brew Festival 🏅 West Jefferson, NC	23 / 24 (604.3432)	21 (158.8116)	24 (147.9544)	23 (155.9772)	24 (141.6000)
Aug 2, 2019	Pigs & Pedals 🏅 Asheboro, NC	34 / 40 (628.3884)	33 (157.0856)	37 (146.7772)	32 (160.5828)	24 (163.9428)
Sep 15, 2017	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC	55 / 63 (632.9832)	46 (164)	60 (153.6572)	51 (158.2400)	46 (157.0860)
Apr 10, 2015	Bib's Camel City Cookoff (formerly Jammin' Pig) Winston-Salem, NC	48 / 51 (612.9944)	30 (165.7144)	51 (139.9544)	40 (158.8112)	50 (148.5144)
Apr 25, 2014	BBQ Capital Cookoff Lexington, NC	57 / 62 (604.9032)	38 (161.1200)	61 (139.8972)	22 (165.6800)	60 (138.2060)
Apr 11, 2014	Jammin' Pig BBQ Musice Festival Winston-Salem, NC	20 / 30 (639.8744)	27 (157.1200)	3 (173.7028)	24 (155.9656)	25 (153.0860)

Hickswood BBQ

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

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

A May team

The metronome

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

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)