The Johnny Pig

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

Power ranking

#4929

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1464

peak 1464 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2017-05-12

latest 2023-06-30

Best ToY finish

#1722

Master 2017

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 6 contests

Avg finish

top 81%

overall standings

Best overall

668.9944 / 720

Master · 8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition

Perfect 180s

Current form

632.73 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 629.62 (+3.10)

Walk rate

33%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.1200

Brisket · 8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition

Consistency

±22.85

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 159.40 · weakest Pork Ribs (153.94)

Road miles

102

mi across 6 mapped stops

Schedule strength

65%

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

Purse competed for

$15K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

629.62 / 720

6 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 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.

High-water mark

668.9944 career-best overall

92.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 668.9944 at 8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition — 92.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
2019-05-31

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.5 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.45 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 17%.

Pork Ribs avg 153.94
Pork avg 159.40
0 calls in 6 entries

The comeback

4.1 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 4.1 years, then back at Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ (2023-06-30).

last seen 2019-05-31
back 2023-06-30

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Sitt 'n Smoke has landed one call behind them 2 times.

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.

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

Rigby Roo’s BBQ

#4950 of the rated field

1463 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1463

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2026-08-21

⚔ Head-to-head

Bone Suckin' Good BBQ

#4943 of the rated field

1464 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1464

No shared contest yet.

Level with The Johnny Pig on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2025-10-10

⚔ Head-to-head

Firehouse BBQ

#4918 of the rated field

1464 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1506

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1506 at their best, 42 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2023-08-05

⚔ Head-to-head

TEAM FAITH-HOLY SMOKERS

#4941 of the rated field

1464 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1464

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 7 years before The Johnny Pig's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 6 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Not Bad BBQ

#4930 of the rated field

1464 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1464

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 8 years after The Johnny Pig did, first appearing in 2025.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2026-08-07

⚔ Head-to-head

Jay Miller and the Experience

#4925 of the rated field

1464 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1464

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2025-08-22

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
TEAM BREW & QUE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
WHEN PIGS DIE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	6	0	161.6684	151.9200	157.57	top 84%
Pork Ribs	6	0	163.9772	145.6344	153.94	top 85%
Pork	6	1	172.5600	145.0972	159.40	top 65%
Brisket	6	2	173.1200	146.7424	158.72	top 61%

“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	GCs	Avg finish
IA	3	0	top 87%
NE	3	0	top 75%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	4	0	top 76%
Large (40+)	2	0	top 91%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
*BBQ in the Bluffs	2	30	0	top 83%	2018-05-11

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 6.1 yrs 2017-05-12 → 2023-06-30

Busiest season 2018 2 contests

Contests a season 1.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IA 3 of 6 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 5 1 of them cooked more than once

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

Strongest meat Pork averages 159.40 · weakest Pork Ribs (153.94)

Walk rate 33% a top-10 call in 2 of 6 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 6 contests

Master average 629.62 out of 720 · 6 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 124 44–178 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 102 6 mapped stops

Schedule strength 1581 average field rating faced — tougher than 65% of rated contests

Purse competed for $15,010 listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 2 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 4.1 yrs 2019-05-31 → 2023-06-30

Power rating 1464 peak 1464 · #4929 of 6,413 rated

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

2017
May 12 First tracked contest BBQ in the Bluffs
May 12 Peak power rating (1491) BBQ in the Bluffs
2019
May 31 First call 8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition
May 31 First overall past 90% of a perfect score668.9944 8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition
May 31 Career-best overall score668.9944 8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition
May 31 Career-best single call (Brisket)173.1200 8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition
2023
Jun 30 Most recent contest Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+6.6	8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition	2019-05-31

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.5	Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ	2023-06-30
-9.5	7th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition	2018-05-18
-9.2	BBQ in the Bluffs	2017-05-12
-8.7	6th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition	2017-05-19
-5	*BBQ in the Bluffs	2018-05-11

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	1	100%	top 95%	87.5%	87.5%
2019	1	100%	top 44%	92.9%	92.9%
2018	2	0%	top 86%	89.4%	86.1%
2017	2	0%	top 88%	86.7%	86%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2023-06-30	Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ 🏅 Council Bluffs, IA	21 / 22 (630.1032)	21 (156.5028)	22 (145.6344)	16 (162.8344)	9 (165.1316)
2019-05-31	8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition 🏅 Valley, NE	17 / 39 (668.9944)	28 (160.5144)	29 (162.8000)	8 (172.5600)	7 (173.1200)
2018-05-18	7th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE	40 / 42 (596.2624)	40 (151.9200)	36 (152.5028)	42 (145.0972)	38 (146.7424)
2018-05-11	*BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	30 / 39 (643.8512)	32 (161.6684)	25 (163.9772)	14 (167.4056)	34 (150.8000)
2017-05-19	6th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE	41 / 47 (624.4228)	35 (158.8344)	43 (150.8228)	31 (161.6800)	38 (153.0856)
2017-05-12	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	35 / 39 (614.1144)	33 (155.9772)	36 (147.9200)	37 (146.8000)	18 (163.4172)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1954 (60 pts)	#2012 (60 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#1754 (115 pts)	#1990 (60 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1722 (120 pts)	#1802 (120 pts)	#1822 (120 pts)	#1799 (120 pts)	#1623 (155 pts)