Hammer & Tongs

Hammer & Tongs is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2019. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Regahfest (2015). They are ranked #3174 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,174

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1501

peak 1530 · rated over 11 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 9, 2015

latest Sep 7, 2019 · 4.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1658

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 9% of the time

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

18% of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 52%

overall standings

Best overall

672.6860 / 720

Master · Regahfest

Perfect 180s

Current form

633.13 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 638.53 (-5.39)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.1656

Pork · 2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015

Consistency

±15.08

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 164.01 · weakest Brisket (157.34)

Road miles

1,338

across 11 mapped stops · furthest 414 mi

Schedule strength

15%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1521)

Master avg

638.53 / 720

11 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (12 found in their record)

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

Against the odds

30-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 70 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Regahfest (Aug 29, 2015) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 30-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, SWAMP BOYS.

Giant slayer

30 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 30-team field at Regahfest.

Aug 29, 2015

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 8 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

672.6860 career-best overall

93.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 672.6860 at Regahfest — 93.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 29, 2015

Their season

2015 1 Grand Championship

2015 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 36%.

6 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 36%

A tough matchup

10–1 behind in the head-to-head

BUNCH OF SWINES ahead in 91% of their meetings

BUNCH OF SWINES has come out ahead in 10 of their 11 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.7 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.67 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 27% of the time against 45%.

Brisket avg 157.34
Chicken avg 164.01
3 calls in 11 entries

Show 5 more storylines

The drought

8 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Regahfest on Aug 29, 2015 — 8 contests and 11.1 years ago.

last GC Aug 29, 2015
11.1 years ago

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of TEAM ANONIEM in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The comeback

2.4 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.4 years, then back at Smoke on the Waters (Sep 7, 2019).

last seen Apr 29, 2017
back Sep 7, 2019

Chicken nemesis

9 of 11 shared chicken entries lost

BUNCH OF SWINES ahead 82% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BUNCH OF SWINES has out-cooked them in 9 of 11 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±2.09% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.09% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 88.7% of a perfect score
11 contests

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
2017 ↗	Master	#1658 (132 pts)	#1689 (142 pts)	#1477 (187 pts)	#1970 (112 pts)	#1698 (142 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2274 (60 pts)	#2353 (60 pts)	#2349 (60 pts)	#2326 (60 pts)	#1406 (210 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Hammer & Tongs, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Social Smokers

#3,169 of the rated field

1501 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1517

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Hammer & Tongs)

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

rated over 8 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Stumpy Coals BBQ

#3,168 of the rated field

1501 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1536

They've been 1536 at their best, 35 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Aug 25, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

Smokin Under the Bridge

#3,171 of the rated field

1501 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1502

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Oct 11, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

TIMOTHY T & THE BBQ HI-ROLLERS

#3,180 of the rated field

1501 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1507

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 3 years before Hammer & Tongs's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 10 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Grillzwolds BBQ Team

#3,167 of the rated field

1501 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1505

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 8% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jun 12, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Northlands Pitmasters

#3,190 of the rated field

1501 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1504

Level with Hammer & Tongs on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Sep 2, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BUNCH OF SWINES	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
ROKENDE REGAHS	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
BBQ+	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
LOW AND SLOW MEISTER	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
PUREBBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
IRON BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
The Smokey Bandits	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
LETZQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
LOWLAND SMOKERS	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
DE VLIEGENDE HOLLANDER BBQ-TEAM	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
Serial Grillaz	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
Turnpike Smokers	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
SEA SIDE SMOKERS	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
SOUTHERN DUTCH BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
BBQ LONGHORN RANCH HANDS	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	5	1	169.1656	159.4860	164.01	top 43%
Pork Ribs	11	4	0	165.7372	146.8228	157.35	top 55%
Pork	11	5	1	173.1656	145.0628	159.83	top 50%
Brisket	11	3	0	173.1200	138.7772	157.34	top 50%

“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)	2	0	top 73%
Medium (20–39)	5	1	top 48%
Large (40+)	4	0	top 46%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition	2	16	0	top 52%	May 14, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 6 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 2.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NL 3 of 11 contests

Contests visited 10 1 of them more than once

First title Aug 29, 2015 Regahfest

Opponents faced 207 finished ahead 222 times, behind 197

Longest layoff 2.4 yrs Apr 29, 2017 → Sep 7, 2019

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

20191 milestone

Sep 7 Most recent contest Smoke on the Waters

20171 milestone

Apr 29 10th tracked contest Q Fest

201510 milestones

May 9 First tracked contest Beers, Fries & BBQ II - The Belgian Championship Low & Slow BBQ
May 23 First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.9656 Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition
Aug 29 First call Regahfest
Aug 29 First overall top-10 Regahfest
Aug 29 First overall podium Regahfest
Aug 29 First Grand Championship Regahfest
Aug 29 Biggest field won (30 teams) Regahfest
Aug 29 Career-best overall score672.6860 Regahfest
Sep 25 Career-best single call (Pork)173.1656 2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015
Sep 25 Peak power rating (1530) 2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17	Regahfest	Aug 29, 2015
+9.3	Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition	May 23, 2015
+7.3	2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015	Sep 25, 2015
+1	Grillstock	Sep 5, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.9	Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition	May 14, 2016
-7	Smoke on the Waters	Sep 7, 2019
-4.3	Beers, Fries & BBQ II - The Belgian Championship Low & Slow BBQ	May 9, 2015
-4.2	Meat the East	Mar 19, 2016
-3.8	Q Fest	Apr 29, 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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	0	100%	top 80%	87.8%	87.8%
2017	1	0	1	100%	top 67%	85.7%	85.7%
2016	3	0	0	67%	top 68%	89.3%	88.7%
2015	6	1	1	67%	top 36%	93.4%	89.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 7, 2019	Smoke on the Waters Devon	12 / 15 (631.9656)	8 (162.8684)	10 (159.4172)	8 (158.8456)	14 (150.8344)
Apr 29, 2017	Q Fest Bishopsteignton, Devon	8 / 12 (617.2684)	7 (159.4860)	4 (157.1884)	10 (147.4512)	7 (153.1428)
May 14, 2016	Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition Hoofddorp Netherlands, NL	52 / 65 (633.6000)	44 (160.5600)	53 (154.8572)	64 (145.0628)	4 (173.1200)
Apr 23, 2016	Baseball & BBQ Cookoff II Hoofdorp, NL	21 / 34 (642.8800)	6 (169.1656)	30 (150.8572)	24 (159.9656)	14 (162.8916)
Mar 19, 2016	Meat the East Enschede, NL	21 / 33 (639.9540)	16 (164.5828)	16 (162.8456)	15 (162.2856)	26 (150.2400)
Oct 10, 2015	3rd Annual BBQ Society Cook Off Hoofddorp Netherlands	22 / 42 (636.5372)	15 (165.1428)	39 (146.8228)	9 (167.4172)	21 (157.1544)
Sep 25, 2015	2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015 Herten, NRW	18 / 67 (650.3316)	31 (164.5600)	41 (156.0344)	2 (173.1656)	35 (156.5716)
Sep 5, 2015	Grillstock London	12 / 26 (621.5652)	2 (169.1312)	10 (155.9428)	14 (157.7140)	22 (138.7772)
Aug 29, 2015	Regahfest Den Haag, Zuid-Holland	1 / 30 (672.6860)	5 (167.4400)	6 (165.7372)	4 (170.3200)	4 (169.1888)
May 23, 2015	Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition Hoofddorp Netherlands	16 / 68 (651.9656)	39 (160.5600)	16 (164.5600)	29 (162.8456)	13 (164)
May 9, 2015	Beers, Fries & BBQ II - The Belgian Championship Low & Slow BBQ Kapermolenpark / Hasselt / Bel	25 / 38 (625.0396)	23 (160.5828)	19 (156.5484)	26 (153.0856)	19 (154.8228)

Hammer & Tongs

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (12 found in their record)

Against the odds

Giant slayer

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

The drought

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

The metronome

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

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)