HOOSIER FAVORITE BBQ

HOOSIER FAVORITE BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 24 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2016. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff (2015), and finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #850 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#850

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1622

peak 1622 · rated over 23 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 4, 2013

latest Sep 2, 2016 · 3.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#318

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

2 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time

Category wins

15 podiums

Overall top-10s

42% of 24 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 35%

overall standings

Best overall

691.9888 / 720

Master · 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

680.17 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 663.55 (+16.62)

Walk rate

83%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Pork · Ohio Veteran Battle of the Barbecue

Consistency

±37.89

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.59 · weakest Pork (163.72)

Road miles

2,186

across 24 mapped stops · furthest 287 mi

Schedule strength

33%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1544)

Master avg

663.55 / 720

24 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (15 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

1.6912 points from the title

Came within 1.6912 points of the Grand Championship at St. Leon BBQ Smokefest (Sep 19, 2013).

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

18-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 82 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff (Jul 10, 2015) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 18-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N.

On the rise

+29 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 29 points across 6 contests since Oct 23, 2015 — from 1593 up to 1622.

6 contests since Oct 23, 2015
now 1622

Giant slayer

39 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 39-team field at 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff.

Jul 10, 2015

A multi-meat day

1 contest with 2+ category wins

They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff (Jul 10, 2015).

Pork 1st
Brisket 1st

They almost always walk

83% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 20 of 24 contests

A top-10 category call in 83% of their 24 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

Show 8 more storylines

High-water mark

691.9888 career-best overall

96.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 691.9888 at 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff — 96.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 10, 2015

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ has finished one call ahead of HOOSIER FAVORITE BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

The weak link

−4.9 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.87 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 58% of the time against 42%.

Pork avg 163.72
Chicken avg 168.59
14 calls in 24 entries

A strong matchup

13–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 81% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Extra Mile BBQ in 13 of their 16 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

10 of 16 shared chicken entries lost

BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ ahead 63% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 16 shared chicken entries.

Announced themselves early

4th at their very first contest

Finished 4 of 37 at their very first tracked contest, Smokin' on the Water (May 4, 2013).

May 4, 2013
37-team field

A September team

Top 23% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 23% across 5 contests, versus top 35% the rest of the year.

5 September contests
top 35% the rest of the year

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Smokin on the Water every year from 2013 to 2016 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 4th

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
2016 ↗	Master	#827 (432 pts)	#652 (632 pts)	#801 (497 pts)	#648 (622 pts)	#1421 (207 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#879 (375 pts)	#1419 (195 pts)	#1776 (120 pts)	#866 (420 pts)	#886 (400 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#946 (336 pts)	#1266 (246 pts)	#918 (396 pts)	#927 (386 pts)	#906 (376 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#318 (965 pts)	#339 (900 pts)	#375 (825 pts)	#368 (845 pts)	#285 (1,040 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to HOOSIER FAVORITE BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

SWEET PEPPERS

#853 of the rated field

1622 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 79%
Peak: 1622

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Jul 2, 2016

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FROZEN TOQUE BBQ

#849 of the rated field

1622 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 63%
Peak: 1624

Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 24, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 28 contests
last seen Oct 14, 2022

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Salt City Barbecue

#847 of the rated field

1622 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1629

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 19 contests, alongside a 53% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Sep 9, 2022

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PORKYLICIOUS

#848 of the rated field

1622 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1622

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

rated over 38 contests
last seen May 13, 2022

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MOON RIVER BARBEQUE

#852 of the rated field

1622 power rating

Contests: 46
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1630

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 46 contests
last seen Mar 8, 2019

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SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS

#846 of the rated field

1622 power rating

Contests: 52
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 46%
Peak: 1622

3 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.

rated over 49 contests
last seen Oct 2, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WeQ4U	18	10	8	56%	⚔ compare
Extra Mile BBQ	16	13	3	81%	⚔ compare
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ	16	4	12	25%	⚔ compare
THUNDER HOG BBQ	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
BLUE CHIP BBQ	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE	11	11	0	100%	⚔ compare
ACME BBQ	11	9	2	82%	⚔ compare
YELLOW RIVER BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
HISTORIC BBQ	10	7	3	70%	⚔ compare
Smitty's Real Pit BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
FOWL BUTT BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
GREY STREET BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
One2BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
BONEHEAD BBQ	9	9	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	24	10	2	5	178.8572	157.0856	168.59	top 40%
Pork Ribs	24	9	1	2	173.7144	142.2060	164.81	top 46%
Pork	24	14	3	6	180 🔥	20	163.72	top 33%
Brisket	24	9	1	2	178.2972	153.6456	166.43	top 39%

“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 11%
Medium (20–39)	14	1	top 28%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 50%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
IN	17	0	top 30%
OH	3	1	top 18%
TN	2	0	top 83%
KY	2	0	top 55%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin on the Water	4	4	0	top 25%	Apr 29, 2016
Smokin on the Water 2	2	8	0	top 32%	Apr 30, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 11 contests

Contests a season 6 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IN 17 of 24 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 20 2 of them more than once

First title Jul 10, 2015 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff

Opponents faced 479 finished ahead 609 times, behind 407

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

20162 milestones

Sep 2 Peak power rating (1622) Homecoming 2016
Sep 2 Most recent contest Homecoming 2016

20154 milestones

Jul 10 First Grand Championship 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 10 First multi-meat day 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 10 Biggest field won (39 teams) 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 10 Career-best overall score691.9888 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff

20139 milestones

May 4 First tracked contest Smokin' on the Water
May 4 First call Smokin' on the Water
May 4 First category win (Pork) Smokin' on the Water
May 4 First overall top-10 Smokin' on the Water
May 4 First overall past 90% of a perfect score678.8572 Smokin' on the Water
Sep 19 First overall podium St. Leon BBQ Smokefest
Sep 19 First Reserve Championship St. Leon BBQ Smokefest
Sep 27 First perfect 180 (Pork) Ohio Veteran Battle of the Barbecue
Oct 4 10th tracked contest Jim Beam BBQ Classic

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14	9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff	Jul 10, 2015
+13.5	Smokin' on the Water	May 4, 2013
+13.5	Ohio Veteran Battle of the Barbecue	Sep 27, 2013
+12.8	St. Leon BBQ Smokefest	Sep 19, 2013
+11.8	Thunder in the Park	Aug 31, 2013

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-6.9	Jim Beam BBQ Classic	Oct 4, 2013
-4.2	Thunder in the Park BBQ	Aug 30, 2014
-3.3	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)	Oct 23, 2015
-1	PigMaina Lima	May 27, 2016

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)
2016	5	0	3	1	80%	top 28%	95.2%	94.5%
2015	5	1	1	3	100%	top 35%	96.1%	94%
2014	3	0	1	0	67%	top 44%	93.1%	92.2%
2013	11	0	5	3	82%	top 37%	94.7%	90.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 2, 2016	Homecoming 2016 Vernon, IN	6 / 26 (683.4060)	2 (174.8800)	11 (167.4172)	5 (174.2744)	8 (166.8344)
Aug 19, 2016	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval Madison, IN	17 / 63 (679.3484)	11 (173.7028)	12 (173.1200)	47 (159.3828)	13 (173.1428)
May 27, 2016	PigMaina Lima Lima, OH	13 / 29 (669.0628)	18 (166.8228)	2 (172.5600)	3 (174.2628)	27 (155.4172)
Apr 30, 2016	Smokin on the Water 2 Liberty, IN	8 / 35 (685.6572)	1 (178.8572)	23 (164.5600)	5 (174.2628)	18 (167.9772)
Apr 29, 2016	Smokin on the Water Liberty, IN	7 / 33 (683.3832)	2 (178.2972)	6 (171.9772)	4 (176.5600)	27 (156.5488)
Oct 23, 2015	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN	62 / 93 (663.3140)	82 (161.7028)	49 (167.9656)	2 (177.7028)	78 (155.9428)
Aug 21, 2015	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	19 / 64 (674.1712)	33 (166.2628)	33 (163.9772)	10 (173.1200)	14 (170.8112)
Jul 10, 2015	9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff Kettering, OH	1 / 39 (691.9888)	10 (172)	25 (163.9772)	1 (177.7144)	1 (178.2972)
May 2, 2015	Smokin' on the Water Liberty, IN	12 / 36 (677.6572)	11 (172)	10 (169.6800)	14 (170.8344)	24 (165.1428)
May 1, 2015	Smokin on the Water 2 Liberty, IN	15 / 37 (676.4456)	1 (178.8572)	29 (160.5372)	16 (169.6684)	16 (167.3828)
Sep 12, 2014	St. Leon BBQ Smoke Fest and Chili Cook Off St. Leon, IN	10 / 29 (670.2288)	27 (158.2744)	10 (169.1200)	4 (173.1544)	5 (169.6800)
Aug 30, 2014	Thunder in the Park BBQ Connersville, IN	18 / 29 (654.7768)	27 (158.2740)	7 (169.7144)	13 (169.1084)	20 (157.6800)
May 3, 2014	Smokin' On The Water Liberty, IN	15 / 43 (666.8112)	11 (171.4056)	17 (166.2744)	26 (165.1656)	15 (163.9656)
Oct 25, 2013	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN	97 / 97 (490.1488)	78 (157.0856)	92 (142.2060)	97 (20)	13 (170.8572)
Oct 4, 2013	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	28 / 41 (651.2800)	31 (160.5372)	39 (154.8000)	25 (161.6800)	6 (174.2628)
Sep 27, 2013	Ohio Veteran Battle of the Barbecue Xenia, OH	2 / 35 (677.1200)	6 (170.8572)	30 (153.6800)	1 (180)	5 (172.5828)
Sep 19, 2013	St. Leon BBQ Smokefest St. Leon, IN	2 / 18 (678.2288)	8 (167.9772)	1 (173.7144)	3 (168.5600)	2 (167.9772)
Sep 6, 2013	Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY	14 / 34 (664.5372)	21 (164.6172)	8 (170.8344)	24 (159.3828)	7 (169.7028)
Aug 31, 2013	Thunder in the Park Connersville, IN	4 / 27 (681.6112)	6 (174.2628)	4 (173.1084)	9 (167.9656)	10 (166.2744)
Aug 16, 2013	Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues Madison, IN	24 / 60 (654.7088)	2 (177.1544)	54 (149.6460)	42 (156.5028)	12 (171.4056)
Jul 19, 2013	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	24 / 57 (649.0056)	20 (165.6800)	21 (163.4172)	15 (166.2628)	41 (153.6456)
Jun 21, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Indianapolis, IN	8 / 29 (662.2854)	5 (170.8572)	14 (161.1426)	8 (168)	18 (162.2856)
Jun 14, 2013	Smokin' on the River Jeffersonville, IN	21 / 52 (661.1426)	21 (166.2854)	33 (160)	9 (170.8572)	23 (164)
May 4, 2013	Smokin' on the Water Liberty, IN	4 / 37 (678.8572)	18 (159.4286)	4 (171.9998)	1 (174.8572)	4 (172.5716)

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

HOOSIER FAVORITE BBQ

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

Master avg

Storylines (15 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

On the rise

Giant slayer

A multi-meat day

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Announced themselves early

A September team

A standing appointment

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 — 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)