Hammer & Tongs

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

Power ranking

#3146

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1501

peak 1530 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-05-09

latest 2019-09-07

Best ToY finish

#1658

Master 2017

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

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

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 164.01 · weakest Brisket (157.34)

Road miles

1,338

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 414 mi

Schedule strength

15%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1522)

Master avg

638.53 / 720

11 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (12 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.

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 (2015-08-29) 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.

2015-08-29

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
2015-08-29

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-10s
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

The drought

8 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Regahfest on 2015-08-29 — 8 contests and 11 years ago.

last GC 2015-08-29
11 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 (2019-09-07).

last seen 2017-04-29
back 2019-09-07

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

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.

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

GENERAL JOE'S BBQ

#3144 of the rated field

1501 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1511

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2018-06-23

⚔ Head-to-head

Stumpy Coals BBQ

#3155 of the rated field

1501 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

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 2023-08-25

⚔ Head-to-head

Smokin Under the Bridge

#3145 of the rated field

1501 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2019-10-11

⚔ Head-to-head

ALL-STAR BBQ

#3152 of the rated field

1501 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1501

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2017-05-05

⚔ Head-to-head

TIMOTHY T & THE BBQ HI-ROLLERS

#3159 of the rated field

1501 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

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

⚔ Head-to-head

Grillzwolds BBQ Team

#3139 of the rated field

1501 ▲ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2026-06-12

⚔ Head-to-head

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 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%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring 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%	2016-05-14

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

On the trail 4.3 yrs 2015-05-09 → 2019-09-07

Busiest season 2015 6 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 2.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NL 3 of 11 contests

Contests visited 10 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 11 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 164.01 · weakest Brisket (157.34)

Walk rate 73% a top-10 call in 8 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 18% 2 of 11 contests

Wins it all 9% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2015-08-29 Regahfest

Master average 638.53 out of 720 · 11 contests · 1 GC

Opponents faced 213 222–197 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,338 11 mapped stops · furthest 414 mi

Schedule strength 1522 average field rating faced — tougher than 15% of rated contests

Longest layoff 2.4 yrs 2017-04-29 → 2019-09-07

Power rating 1501 peak 1530 · #3146 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
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
2017
Apr 29 10th tracked contest Q Fest
2019
Sep 7 Most recent contest Smoke on the Waters

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17	Regahfest	2015-08-29
+9.3	Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition	2015-05-23
+7.2	2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015	2015-09-25
+1	Grillstock	2015-09-05

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.9	Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition	2016-05-14
-7	Smoke on the Waters	2019-09-07
-4.3	Beers, Fries & BBQ II - The Belgian Championship Low & Slow BBQ	2015-05-09
-4.1	Meat the East	2016-03-19
-3.8	Q Fest	2017-04-29

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	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
2019-09-07	Smoke on the Waters Devon, EX37 9HZ	12 / 15 (631.9656)	8 (162.8684)	10 (159.4172)	8 (158.8456)	14 (150.8344)
2017-04-29	Q Fest Bishopsteignton, Devon, TQ149TD	8 / 12 (617.2684)	7 (159.4860)	4 (157.1884)	10 (147.4512)	7 (153.1428)
2016-05-14	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)
2016-04-23	Baseball & BBQ Cookoff II Hoofdorp, NL	21 / 34 (642.8800)	6 (169.1656)	30 (150.8572)	24 (159.9656)	14 (162.8916)
2016-03-19	Meat the East Enschede, NL	21 / 33 (639.9540)	16 (164.5828)	16 (162.8456)	15 (162.2856)	26 (150.2400)
2015-10-10	3rd Annual BBQ Society Cook Off Hoofddorp Netherlands, 61515DE	22 / 42 (636.5372)	15 (165.1428)	39 (146.8228)	9 (167.4172)	21 (157.1544)
2015-09-25	2nd Ruhrpott BBQ 2015 Herten, NRW,	18 / 67 (650.3316)	31 (164.5600)	41 (156.0344)	2 (173.1656)	35 (156.5716)
2015-09-05	Grillstock London,	12 / 26 (621.5652)	2 (169.1312)	10 (155.9428)	14 (157.7140)	22 (138.7772)
2015-08-29	Regahfest Den Haag, Zuid-Holland,	1 / 30 (672.6860)	5 (167.4400)	6 (165.7372)	4 (170.3200)	4 (169.1888)
2015-05-23	Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition Hoofddorp Netherlands,	16 / 68 (651.9656)	39 (160.5600)	16 (164.5600)	29 (162.8456)	13 (164.0000)
2015-05-09	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)

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
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)