THE HOG MAFIA

THE HOG MAFIA is a competition barbecue team with 30 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2023. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (2021). They are ranked #2119 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,119

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1534

peak 1553 · rated over 29 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Feb 1, 2019

latest Jul 6, 2023 · 4.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#144

Master 2021 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 3% of the time

Category wins

9 podiums

Overall top-10s

20% of 30 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 56%

overall standings

Best overall

702.3084 / 720

Master · Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

609.95 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 663.04 (-53.08)

Walk rate

57%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Pork · Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ

Consistency

±58.58

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.47 · weakest Pork (164.01)

Road miles

4,237

across 30 mapped stops · furthest 436 mi

Schedule strength

75%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1596)

Purse competed for

$256K

listed at 20 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

won from 28 state-championship entries

Master avg

663.04 / 720

30 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (15 found in their record)

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

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork.

Pork ×1

Against the odds

6-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 94 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (Aug 13, 2021) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 6-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, GETTIN' BASTED.

Giant slayer

49 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 49-team field at Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ.

Aug 13, 2021

High-water mark

702.3084 career-best overall

97.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 702.3084 at Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ — 97.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 13, 2021

State champions

1 state championship won

They've taken 1 state championship from 28 entries at contests carrying the title.

28 state-championship entries

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

ROCKIN' PIG BBQ has finished one call ahead of THE HOG MAFIA 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2021 1 Grand Championship

2021 was the year it came together: 12 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 42%.

12 contests
5 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 42%

Show 8 more storylines

A tough matchup

16–1 behind in the head-to-head

ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN ahead in 94% of their meetings

ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN has come out ahead in 16 of their 17 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.5 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.46 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 27% of the time against 13%.

Pork avg 164.01
Chicken avg 168.47
8 calls in 30 entries

The drought

11 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ on Aug 13, 2021 — 11 contests and 5.1 years ago.

last GC Aug 13, 2021
5.1 years ago

Chicken nemesis

16 of 21 shared chicken entries lost

HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ ahead 76% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ has out-cooked them in 16 of 21 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

BARREL FEVER BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.

Boom or bust

±8.14% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±8.14% 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 92.1% of a perfect score
best 97.5%

A September team

Top 41% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 41% across 4 contests, versus top 56% the rest of the year.

4 September contests
top 56% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,237 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,237 miles across 30 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 436 miles to Lakeland Pig Festival.

30 mapped stops
furthest 436 mi

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
2023 ↗	Master	#1255 (60 pts)	#1319 (60 pts)	#1432 (60 pts)	#1287 (60 pts)	#1296 (60 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#591 (323 pts)	#647 (303 pts)	#458 (548 pts)	#848 (183 pts)	#562 (368 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#144 (1,195 pts)	#177 (1,039 pts)	#133 (1,278 pts)	#90 (1,517 pts)	#160 (1,090 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#215 (550 pts)	#263 (470 pts)	#178 (640 pts)	#154 (740 pts)	#232 (505 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1070 (238 pts)	#1106 (238 pts)	#928 (328 pts)	#998 (288 pts)	#1120 (238 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to THE HOG MAFIA, each with one reason worth a look.

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

SWEET SMOKE BBQ

#2,123 of the rated field

1534 power rating

Contests: 65
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1603

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to THE HOG MAFIA)

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

rated over 61 contests
last seen May 24, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

Smokin Aces

#2,130 of the rated field

1533 power rating

Contests: 90
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1646

0–3 in 3 shared contests (0% to THE HOG MAFIA)

They've been 1646 at their best, 112 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 89 contests
last seen May 25, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

BANJOMAN'S BBQ

#2,129 of the rated field

1533 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1545

Careers of much the same size, 28 contests to 30, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 28 contests
last seen May 13, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

MUST B SMOKIN' SOMETHING

#2,118 of the rated field

1534 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1558

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before THE HOG MAFIA's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 21 contests

⚔ Compare careers

G-QUE KY

#2,121 of the rated field

1534 power rating

Contests: 43
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1544

43 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 16% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 41 contests
last seen Sep 17, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

2 ROLLING BONES

#2,133 of the rated field

1533 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1556

Level with THE HOG MAFIA on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Aug 25, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ	21	7	14	33%	⚔ compare
ELITE BBQ SMOKERS	20	7	13	35%	⚔ compare
Bald Hawg BBQ	18	4	14	22%	⚔ compare
MAYA JANE BBQ CO.	17	5	12	29%	⚔ compare
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN	17	1	16	6%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare
Under the Radar	16	2	14	13%	⚔ compare
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
Smoke Central BBQ	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
BARREL FEVER BBQ	14	10	4	71%	⚔ compare
SMOKE SHOW MAFIA	14	1	13	7%	⚔ compare
COOL HAND QUE	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN SKULLIES	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
PIG ON FIRE	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
Willingham's	11	7	4	64%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	30	4	0	1	178.8800	159.9196	168.47	top 59%
Pork Ribs	30	9	0	3	178.8572	20	166.21	top 40%
Pork	30	8	2	3	180 🔥	20	164.01	top 50%
Brisket	30	6	1	2	178.8572	148.4684	164.35	top 60%

“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 59%
Medium (20–39)	15	0	top 56%
Large (40+)	14	1	top 56%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
GA	13	0	top 57%
SC	10	0	top 64%
NC	4	0	top 43%
TN	1	0	top 70%
FL	1	0	top 47%
AL	1	1	top 2%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
South Carolina Festival of Discovery	2	52	top 83%	Jul 6, 2023
Sip & Swine BBQ Festival	2	33	top 47%	Mar 4, 2022
BBQ Boogie & Blues	2	7	top 58%	Sep 24, 2021
SC Festival of Discovery	2	11	top 36%	Jul 9, 2021

More numbers

Busiest season 2021 12 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 6 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in GA 13 of 30 contests · 6 states in all

Contests visited 26 4 of them more than once

First title Aug 13, 2021 Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ

Opponents faced 744 finished ahead 735 times, behind 1,013

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

20231 milestone

Jul 6 Most recent contest South Carolina Festival of Discovery

20221 milestone

Jan 28 25th tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival

20217 milestones

Aug 13 First overall podium Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Aug 13 First Grand Championship Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Aug 13 First state championship Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Aug 13 First perfect 180 (Pork) Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Aug 13 Biggest field won (49 teams) Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Aug 13 Career-best overall score702.3084 Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Nov 19 Peak power rating (1553) GBC Throwdown

20203 milestones

Sep 11 10th tracked contest Swine At the Shrine
Sep 25 First category win (Pork) Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Murphy
Sep 25 First overall top-10 Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Murphy

20193 milestones

Feb 1 First tracked contest Brasstown Valley Resort BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL)
Feb 1 First call Brasstown Valley Resort BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL)
Mar 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.1828 Sip & Swine BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.5	Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ	Aug 13, 2021
+13.2	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Murphy	Sep 25, 2020
+12.7	Shelby's BBQ Extravaganza Day 2	Oct 30, 2021
+12.4	GBC Throwdown	Nov 19, 2021
+12.1	SC Festival of Discovery	Jul 9, 2021

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.7	South Carolina Festival of Discovery	Jul 7, 2022
-11.8	BBQ Boogie & Blues	Apr 26, 2019
-9.5	Hawgin On Lanier	Aug 2, 2019
-8.8	Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown	Nov 20, 2020
-8.3	Brasstown Valley Resort BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL)	Feb 1, 2019

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	1	0	0	0	0%	top 68%	92.1%	92.1%
2022	5	0	0	0	60%	top 63%	94.9%	85.1%
2021	12	1	5	2	75%	top 42%	97.5%	94.6%
2020	7	0	1	1	57%	top 57%	96.4%	94.2%
2019	5	0	0	0	20%	top 79%	91.4%	90.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 6, 2023	South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	52 / 76 (663.3032)	55 (163.3944)	25 (171.4288)	35 (168.5256)	60 (159.9544)
Oct 14, 2022	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN	58 / 83 (668.5256)	12 (175.4172)	41 (170.8456)	41 (169.7256)	82 (152.5372)
Jul 7, 2022	South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	89 / 92 (358.1716)	66 (162.2516)	90 (20)	92 (20)	70 (155.9200)
Mar 18, 2022	Mission Farm's King of the Farm 🏅 Iron Station, NC	19 / 33 (676.4460)	28 (166.2400)	5 (175.4172)	21 (169.6800)	21 (165.1088)
Mar 4, 2022	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA	33 / 73 (683.3260)	24 (171.9772)	3 (178.8572)	61 (160.5144)	21 (171.9772)
Jan 28, 2022	Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL	28 / 60 (677.5996)	44 (166.2284)	5 (176.5600)	11 (174.8456)	46 (159.9656)
Nov 19, 2021	GBC Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA	4 / 28 (693.0744)	5 (175.4172)	2 (177.7144)	23 (162.8000)	3 (177.1428)
Oct 30, 2021	Shelby's BBQ Extravaganza Day 2 🏅 Shelby, NC	8 / 27 (693.0860)	14 (171.9772)	16 (169.6800)	9 (174.8572)	4 (176.5716)
Oct 29, 2021	Shelby's BBQ Extravaganza Day 1 🏅 Shelby, NC	18 / 33 (676.4804)	27 (164.5372)	15 (168.5488)	5 (175.4172)	17 (167.9772)
Oct 1, 2021	Squealin on the Square 🏅 Laurens, SC	10 / 17 (673.5652)	14 (159.9196)	2 (176.5600)	10 (167.9772)	7 (169.1084)
Sep 24, 2021	BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA	7 / 27 (687.8740)	16 (170.8228)	17 (170.8228)	2 (175.4056)	9 (170.8228)
Aug 13, 2021	Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL	1 / 49 (702.3084)	2 (178.8800)	7 (174.2628)	1 (180)	20 (169.1656)
Jul 9, 2021	SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	11 / 81 (687.9888)	43 (167.4172)	4 (176.5716)	48 (165.1428)	1 (178.8572)
Jun 11, 2021	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Roebuck 🏅 Roebuck, SC	21 / 28 (668.9944)	22 (167.3828)	4 (173.1200)	25 (162.8000)	23 (165.6916)
Apr 16, 2021	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Pine Ridge 🏅 Roebuck, SC	21 / 27 (672.9596)	12 (173.1084)	25 (163.9428)	20 (167.3828)	17 (168.5256)
Mar 12, 2021	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Pirateland 🏅 Myrtle Beach, SC	18 / 39 (675.8628)	29 (165.0856)	17 (169.6916)	13 (171.9656)	17 (169.1200)
Mar 5, 2021	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA	40 / 81 (666.6972)	15 (173.1200)	34 (167.9772)	64 (161.6572)	54 (163.9428)
Feb 5, 2021	Brasstown Valley BBQ Throwdown (TEAMS & JUDGES FULL) Young Harris, GA	17 / 31 (675.8976)	25 (165.1088)	12 (172.5832)	8 (170.8228)	15 (167.3828)
Nov 20, 2020	Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA	32 / 40 (669.5884)	24 (169.6684)	19 (171.4172)	10 (174.2628)	39 (154.2400)
Sep 25, 2020	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Murphy 🏅 Murphy, NC	7 / 22 (689.6228)	20 (168.5256)	12 (169.6800)	1 (178.8572)	11 (172.5600)
Sep 11, 2020	Swine At the Shrine 🏅 Savannah, GA	12 / 38 (694.2288)	10 (175.4172)	13 (174.2744)	21 (170.8228)	10 (173.7144)
Sep 5, 2020	Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival 🏅 Augusta, GA	40 / 54 (679.9316)	36 (171.9772)	5 (177.7028)	26 (170.8228)	52 (159.4288)
Aug 28, 2020	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Roebuck 🏅 Roebuck, SC	27 / 34 (662.2288)	27 (164.5372)	20 (166.2744)	14 (169.6800)	26 (161.7372)
Aug 14, 2020	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Aiken 🏅 Aiken, SC	24 / 34 (667.8968)	23 (166.2628)	21 (169.6800)	15 (167.9656)	24 (163.9884)
Jul 31, 2020	Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Cumming, GA	19 / 55 (683.3372)	22 (171.9772)	26 (169.1200)	16 (173.1200)	23 (169.1200)
Aug 2, 2019	Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Gainesville, GA	39 / 45 (654.6972)	34 (165.6916)	14 (171.9656)	40 (161.6456)	42 (155.3944)
Jul 12, 2019	SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	48 / 83 (650.6972)	52 (161.6684)	29 (168.5488)	47 (163.9656)	56 (156.5144)
Apr 26, 2019	BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA	30 / 33 (637.0056)	30 (159.9884)	18 (166.8572)	20 (159.9656)	30 (150.1944)
Mar 1, 2019	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA	39 / 62 (658.1828)	40 (166.2400)	25 (168.5828)	20 (167.9772)	52 (155.3828)
Feb 1, 2019	Brasstown Valley Resort BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL) 🏅 Young Harris, GA	26 / 27 (641.5544)	10 (173.7144)	24 (157.7260)	24 (161.6456)	27 (148.4684)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

THE HOG MAFIA

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

Storylines (15 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

Giant slayer

High-water mark

State champions

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

The drought

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

Boom or bust

A September team

The long haul

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)