The heartbreaker
1.1544
points from the title
Came within 1.1544 points of the Grand Championship at York County BBQ Festival (Jun 26, 2020).
House of Hawg
House of Hawg is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 53 at the York County BBQ Festival (2020), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #3230 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1500
peak 1511 · rated over 11 contests
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
Jul 28, 2017
latest Jul 28, 2023 · 6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
2
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
17% of 12 contests
Avg finish
top 56%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Walk rate
42%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±9.09
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.16 · weakest Brisket (154.02)
Road miles
352
across 12 mapped stops · furthest 88 mi
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1576)
Purse competed for
$80K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
635.45 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
329.08 / 360
4 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
500.47 / 540
2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #177 (136 pts) | #187 (126 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #58 (171 pts) | #38 (271 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #856 (60 pts) | #896 (60 pts) | #913 (60 pts) | #899 (60 pts) | #883 (60 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1955 (60 pts) | #1763 (105 pts) | #2026 (60 pts) | #2029 (60 pts) | #2010 (60 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1954 (60 pts) | #2012 (60 pts) | #1433 (165 pts) | #2030 (60 pts) | #1990 (60 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2212 (60 pts) | #2286 (60 pts) | #2304 (60 pts) | #2260 (60 pts) | #2136 (80 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to House of Hawg, each with one reason worth a look.
121 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,245 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1522
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to House of Hawg)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team House of Hawg has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,233 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1522
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to House of Hawg)
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 17 contests to 12.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,225 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1507
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before House of Hawg's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,226 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1504
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 17% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#3,241 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1501
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,223 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
Level with House of Hawg on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| SOUTH BOWIE SMOKE | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 BOXERS Q | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| DRILLING & GRILLING | 9 | 2 | 6 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| 3 EYZ BBQ | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG BOB'S SMOKIN QUE | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG DOG BBQ VA | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| GOOD GOOGLY GOO BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Pig Candy Barbeque Co. | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Sasquatch BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| REDNECK SMOKE CLUB | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 180 🔥 | 154.2056 | 165.16 | top 43% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 174.8572 | 152.0460 | 163.32 | top 43% |
| Pork | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5828 | 150.1944 | 158.73 | top 65% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 164.5600 | 147.9772 | 154.02 | 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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 84% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 49% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke in the Grove (Day 2) | 6 | 13 | 0 | top 61% | Jul 30, 2022 |
| York County BBQ Festival | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 43% | Jun 16, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2023
2 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 8 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
PA
11 of 12 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
5
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
294
finished ahead 307 times, behind 419
Longest layoff
2.3 yrs
Apr 10, 2015 → Jul 28, 2017
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20231 milestone
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Rail (Day 1)
20223 milestones
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Smoke in the Grove (Day 1)
- 10th tracked contest Smoke in the Grove (Day 2)
- Peak power rating (1511) Smoke in the Grove (Day 2)
20205 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) York County BBQ Festival
- First overall top-10 York County BBQ Festival
- First overall podium York County BBQ Festival
- First Reserve Championship York County BBQ Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score342.8572 York County BBQ Festival
20191 milestone
- Career-best overall score646.2400 Gettysburg BBQ Festival Day 1
20181 milestone
- First call Smoke in the Grove
20151 milestone
- First tracked contest Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18 | York County BBQ Festival | Jun 26, 2020 |
| +9.8 | Smoke in the Grove (Day 1) | Jul 29, 2022 |
| +8.7 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke | May 14, 2021 |
| +2.2 | Smoke in the Grove | Jul 27, 2018 |
| +1.8 | Smoke in the Grove (Day 2) | Jul 30, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.9 | Smoke in the Grove | Jul 24, 2020 |
| -9.5 | York County BBQ Festival | Jun 16, 2023 |
| -8.9 | Smoke in the Grove | Jul 26, 2019 |
| -4.5 | Gettysburg BBQ Festival Day 1 | May 24, 2019 |
| -3.6 | Smoke in the Grove (JUDGES FULL) | Jul 28, 2017 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 90.6% | 89.3% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 35% | 93.4% | 92.7% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 20% | 91.7% | 91.7% |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 48% | 95.2% | 90.7% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 80% | 89.8% | 89% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 59% | 89.2% | 89.2% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 71% | 87.9% | 87.9% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2023 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 27 / 51 (326.2056) | 14 (168.5256) | 26 (157.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 16, 2023 | York County BBQ Festival 🏅 Delta, PA | 24 / 29 (317.0400) | 25 (154.2056) | 17 (162.8344) | — | — |
| Jul 30, 2022 | Smoke in the Grove (Day 2) 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 19 / 42 (496.4684) | 7 (173.1200) | 18 (163.9656) | 22 (159.3828) | — |
| Jul 29, 2022 | Smoke in the Grove (Day 1) 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 13 / 54 (504.4800) | 1 (180) | 16 (165.6800) | 29 (158.8000) | — |
| May 14, 2021 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 9 / 46 (330.2060) | 8 (166.2516) | 9 (163.9544) | — | — |
| Jul 24, 2020 | Smoke in the Grove 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 55 / 59 (619.8056) | 54 (154.2628) | 27 (163.4172) | 59 (150.1944) | 50 (151.9312) |
| Jun 26, 2020 | York County BBQ Festival 🏅 Delta, PA | 2 / 53 (342.8572) | 5 (168) | 1 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2019 | Smoke in the Grove 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 40 / 53 (635.8972) | 16 (168.5600) | 32 (159.4516) | 37 (158.8000) | 42 (149.0856) |
| May 24, 2019 | Gettysburg BBQ Festival Day 1 🏅 Gettysburg, PA | 28 / 33 (646.2400) | 20 (166.2628) | 22 (163.4172) | 13 (168.5828) | 33 (147.9772) |
| Jul 27, 2018 | Smoke in the Grove Spring Grove, PA | 32 / 54 (642.2628) | 38 (157.0856) | 7 (169.1772) | 34 (159.4400) | 41 (156.5600) |
| Jul 28, 2017 | Smoke in the Grove (JUDGES FULL) Spring Grove, PA | 36 / 51 (633.0632) | 34 (160.5144) | 43 (152.0460) | 39 (155.9428) | 21 (164.5600) |
| Apr 10, 2015 | Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival Harrington, DE | — | — | — | — | — |