The heartbreaker
0.5256
points from the title
Came within 0.5256 points of the Grand Championship at When Pigs Fly South (Nov 15, 2013).
United Pork Smokers
United Pork Smokers is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2023. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the When Pigs Fly South (2014), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1971 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1539
peak 1553 · rated over 11 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
Jan 25, 2013
latest Apr 14, 2023 · 10.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
1 reserve · wins it all 8% of the time
Category wins
0
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
25% of 12 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 40%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
651.98 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 660.35 (-8.37)
Walk rate
42%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.02
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 166.21 · weakest Brisket (163.42)
Road miles
1,911
across 12 mapped stops · furthest 665 mi
Schedule strength
31%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1542)
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
660.35 / 720
12 Master contests · 1 GC
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1146 (248 pts) | #1228 (248 pts) | #1259 (243 pts) | #1189 (273 pts) | #1083 (288 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to United Pork Smokers, 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.
#1,965 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 31%
- Peak
- 1550
Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,962 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1551
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 17% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,964 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1558
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careers#1,969 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1539
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,978 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1539
Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 8 years before United Pork Smokers's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,980 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 64%
- Peak
- 1539
Level with United Pork Smokers 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAMP BOYS | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| SWINOS | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| The BBQ Shack | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Two Crackers Cooking | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG JOHN'S TEXAS BAR-B-QUE | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN BLUE Q FL | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT WACHULA'S | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Shanty Town BBQ | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Slimz | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| KATHLEEN ROADKILL | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Pig In or Pig Out | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| THE REAL SMOKING BUTTS | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE SHACK BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Butts on the Barbie | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| J-MACK COOKERS | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 174.2972 | 158.2056 | 166.21 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 174.2744 | 157.1088 | 165.02 | top 44% |
| Pork | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 176 | 155.4286 | 165.70 | top 45% |
| Brisket | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.2972 | 144 | 163.42 | top 43% |
“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) | 4 | 0 | top 60% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 1 | top 30% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 3 | 17 | 0 | top 38% | Jan 29, 2016 |
| When Pigs Fly South | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 22% | Nov 6, 2015 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2015
3 contests
Contests a season
2
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
FL
10 of 12 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
9
2 of them more than once
First title
Nov 7, 2014
When Pigs Fly South
Opponents faced
364
finished ahead 400 times, behind 216
Longest layoff
6.2 yrs
Jan 27, 2017 → Apr 14, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20231 milestone
- Most recent contest 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ
20161 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
20151 milestone
- Peak power rating (1553) Lakeland Pig Festival
20143 milestones
- First Grand Championship When Pigs Fly South
- Biggest field won (42 teams) When Pigs Fly South
- Career-best single call (Pork)176 Plant City Pig Jam
20137 milestones
- First tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
- First call Lakeland Pig Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score668.5484 Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)
- First overall top-10 When Pigs Fly South
- First overall podium When Pigs Fly South
- First Reserve Championship When Pigs Fly South
- Career-best overall score683.4288 When Pigs Fly South
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.3 | When Pigs Fly South | Nov 7, 2014 |
| +15.9 | When Pigs Fly South | Nov 15, 2013 |
| +8.2 | Plant City Pig Jam | Nov 21, 2014 |
| +7.9 | The Tiger Town Pig Festival | Jan 23, 2014 |
| +7.1 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 29, 2016 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.2 | Florida Heritage BBQ Classic | Mar 26, 2015 |
| -6.3 | 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ | Apr 14, 2023 |
| -2.7 | Lakeland Pig Festival | Jan 27, 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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 62% | 90.1% | 90.1% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 29% | 92.7% | 92.7% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 57% | 91.8% | 90.3% |
| 2014 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 18% | 94.7% | 93.2% |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 27% | 94.9% | 92.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2023 | 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ 🏅 Somerville, TN | 21 / 25 (654.6744) | 24 (158.2516) | 20 (163.9428) | 20 (166.2400) | 16 (166.2400) |
| Jan 27, 2017 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 37 / 60 (648.9484) | 45 (160.5028) | 41 (159.3944) | 44 (159.3828) | 18 (169.6684) |
| Jan 29, 2016 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 17 / 58 (667.3828) | 34 (164.5256) | 23 (165.6916) | 20 (167.4400) | 11 (169.7256) |
| Nov 6, 2015 | When Pigs Fly South Lakeland, FL | 14 / 35 (643.9776) | 13 (163.4172) | 23 (157.1088) | 17 (159.4516) | 11 (164) |
| Mar 26, 2015 | Florida Heritage BBQ Classic Kissimmee, FL | 21 / 23 (644.9372) | 21 (158.2056) | 12 (166.8460) | 12 (167.9656) | 21 (151.9200) |
| Jan 30, 2015 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 24 / 62 (661.0744) | 31 (167.3828) | 37 (162.2744) | 39 (162.2744) | 19 (169.1428) |
| Nov 21, 2014 | Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL | 9 / 39 (671.3712) | 11 (169.1084) | 11 (165.7028) | 3 (176) | 22 (160.5600) |
| Nov 7, 2014 | When Pigs Fly South Lakeland, FL | 1 / 42 (681.6800) | 15 (167.9772) | 3 (174.2744) | 4 (174.8456) | 18 (164.5828) |
| Jan 23, 2014 | The Tiger Town Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 19 / 69 (659.3260) | 7 (171.9772) | 35 (159.3716) | 42 (157.6800) | 10 (170.2972) |
| Nov 15, 2013 | When Pigs Fly South Lakeland, FL | 2 / 49 (683.4288) | 2 (174.2972) | 7 (171.9888) | 2 (176) | 19 (161.1428) |
| Oct 25, 2013 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 30 / 97 (668.5484) | 40 (167.4056) | 47 (165.6800) | 42 (165.7372) | 17 (169.7256) |
| Jan 25, 2013 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | 33 / 70 (638.8570) | 4 (171.4286) | 7 (167.9998) | 45 (155.4286) | 58 (144) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.