HOG HAMMER BBQ

HOG HAMMER BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 22 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2021. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll (2019). They are ranked #769 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#769

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1631

peak 1631 · rated over 20 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 17, 2015

latest Sep 16, 2021 · 6.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#306

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 9% of the time

Category wins

8 podiums

Overall top-10s

41% of 22 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 36%

overall standings

Best overall

702.2400 / 720

Master · Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll

Perfect 180s

Current form

686.00 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 665.80 (+20.20)

Walk rate

64%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Pork · Riverfest Community Festival

Consistency

±40.45

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 169.49 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.86)

Road miles

2,002

across 22 mapped stops · furthest 246 mi

Schedule strength

77%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1600)

Purse competed for

$119K

listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

won from 6 state-championship entries

Master avg

665.80 / 720

22 Master contests · 2 GCs

Storylines (12 found in their record)

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

Against the odds

9-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 91 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2) (Apr 29, 2017) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 9-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, PORKY BUTTS BBQ.

On the rise

+25 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 25 points across 3 contests since Aug 13, 2021 — from 1607 up to 1631.

3 contests since Aug 13, 2021
now 1631

Giant slayer

35 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 35-team field at Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2).

Apr 29, 2017

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 Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2) (Apr 29, 2017).

Pork 1st
Brisket 1st

They almost always walk

64% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 14 of 22 contests

A top-10 category call in 64% of their 22 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

702.2400 career-best overall

97.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 702.2400 at Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll — 97.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 6, 2019

State champions

1 state championship won

They've taken 1 state championship from 6 entries at contests carrying the title.

6 state-championship entries

Show 5 more storylines

A tough matchup

11–3 behind in the head-to-head

PORKY BUTTS BBQ ahead in 79% of their meetings

PORKY BUTTS BBQ has come out ahead in 11 of their 14 shared contests.

A strong matchup

8–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BLAIR'S BIGFOOT BBQ in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

10 of 15 shared chicken entries lost

DIRT ROAD BBQ ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, DIRT ROAD BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 15 shared chicken entries.

Boom or bust

±13.86% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±13.86% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 89.8% of a perfect score
best 97.5%

A September team

Top 17% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 17% across 5 contests, versus top 36% the rest of the year.

5 September contests
top 36% the rest of the year

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
2021 ↗	Master	#396 (481 pts)	#432 (456 pts)	#469 (436 pts)	#489 (381 pts)	#397 (506 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#583 (159 pts)	#763 (114 pts)	#866 (79 pts)	#783 (109 pts)	#424 (279 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#963 (279 pts)	#1218 (204 pts)	#1432 (149 pts)	#1071 (254 pts)	#1209 (204 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#689 (495 pts)	#476 (765 pts)	#676 (535 pts)	#966 (325 pts)	#625 (585 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#306 (1,178 pts)	#403 (933 pts)	#298 (1,153 pts)	#254 (1,263 pts)	#384 (993 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2225 (60 pts)	#2141 (70 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to HOG HAMMER BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

BLUE BUCKET BBQ

#772 of the rated field

1631 power rating

Contests: 51
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1657

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to HOG HAMMER BBQ)

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

rated over 51 contests
last seen Oct 15, 2021

⚔ Head-to-head

HABITUAL SMOKERS

#766 of the rated field

1632 power rating

Contests: 72
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1740

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to HOG HAMMER BBQ)

They've been 1740 at their best, 108 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 72 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

JACKED UP BBQ

#771 of the rated field

1631 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 48%
Peak: 1633

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 5 years before HOG HAMMER BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 29 contests

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKIN' HART'S

#768 of the rated field

1631 power rating

Contests: 35
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1641

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 35 contests to 22.

rated over 35 contests
last seen Feb 15, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

DAD BOD BARBEQUE

#767 of the rated field

1632 power rating

Contests: 40
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 57%
Peak: 1655

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 40 contests, alongside a 57% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 36 contests
last seen Aug 7, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Q-JITSU

#765 of the rated field

1632 power rating

Contests: 59
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1668

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2015.

rated over 55 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WHEN PIGS DIE	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare
HELPING U BBQ	15	5	10	33%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	15	4	11	27%	⚔ compare
PORKY BUTTS BBQ	14	2	11	14%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	13	7	6	54%	⚔ compare
RUB MY RACK	12	7	5	58%	⚔ compare
TEAM BREW & QUE	11	8	3	73%	⚔ compare
SIN CIRCLE BBQ	11	6	5	55%	⚔ compare
HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	22	8	1	2	176.5716	154.2856	169.49	top 38%
Pork Ribs	22	7	0	1	177.7028	155.3944	167.86	top 40%
Pork	21	5	2	3	179.4400	148	168.20	top 42%
Brisket	22	7	2	2	177.7028	147.9656	167.90	top 37%

“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)	10	2	top 37%
Large (40+)	12	0	top 35%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
NE	11	0	top 33%
KS	4	0	top 25%
IA	4	1	top 58%
SD	2	1	top 14%
MN	1	0	top 57%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)	2	1	1	top 22%	Apr 29, 2017
GOBS Que (DAY 2)	2	3	0	top 23%	Aug 14, 2021
Central Plains Ribfest	2	6	0	top 30%	Jun 15, 2018
BBQ in the Bluffs	2	30	0	top 94%	May 11, 2018
38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	2	52	0	top 32%	Sep 1, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 9 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 3.1 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NE 11 of 22 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 17 5 of them more than once

First title Apr 29, 2017 Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)

Opponents faced 921 finished ahead 1,339 times, behind 515

Longest layoff 1 yrs Aug 24, 2018 → Sep 6, 2019

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

20212 milestones

Sep 16 Peak power rating (1631) American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST
Sep 16 Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST

20192 milestones

Sep 6 First state championship Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll
Sep 6 Career-best overall score702.2400 Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll

201710 milestones

Apr 28 First call Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1)
Apr 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.2400 Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1)
Apr 29 First category win (Pork) Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)
Apr 29 First overall top-10 Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)
Apr 29 First overall podium Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)
Apr 29 First Grand Championship Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)
Apr 29 First multi-meat day Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)
Apr 29 Biggest field won (35 teams) Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)
Jul 21 Career-best single call (Pork)179.4400 Riverfest Community Festival
Aug 31 10th tracked contest 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL)

20151 milestone

Jul 17 First tracked contest RiverFest Red White and Que

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+20.3	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)	Apr 29, 2017
+18.1	Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll	Sep 6, 2019
+15.6	Omaha Steaks Nebraska BBQ Championship Day -2	Aug 5, 2017
+14.1	Riverfest Community Festival	Jul 21, 2017
+13.9	GOBS Que (DAY 2)	Aug 14, 2021

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15.8	BBQ in the Bluffs	May 11, 2018
-9.6	BBQ in the Bluffs	May 13, 2016
-6.2	RiverFest Red White and Que	Jul 17, 2015
-1.9	11th Annual Big Island BBQ	Aug 24, 2018

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)
2021	4	0	2	0	50%	top 20%	96.7%	95.4%
2020	1	0	1	1	100%	top 24%	94.6%	94.6%
2019	1	1	1	0	100%	top 3%	97.5%	97.5%
2018	5	0	1	1	80%	top 51%	94.6%	88.6%
2017	9	1	4	3	67%	top 28%	96.4%	94%
2016	1	0	0	0	0%	top 91%	84.7%	84.7%
2015	1	0	0	0	0%	top 76%	87.1%	87.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 16, 2021	American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	30 / 467 (687.3944)	56 (173.7144)	141 (169.7144)	93 (171.4056)	62 (172.5600)
Sep 16, 2021	American Royal World Series of Barbecue-INVITATIONAL CONTEST 🏅 unrated Kansas City, KS	52 / 185 (687.4172)	22 (176.5600)	72 (172.5600)	173 (161.1428)	14 (177.1544)
Aug 14, 2021	GOBS Que (DAY 2) 🏅 Arlington, NE	3 / 25 (696.5256)	6 (173.7028)	4 (173.1200)	7 (173.7028)	6 (176)
Aug 13, 2021	GOBS Que (DAY 1) 🏅 Arlington, NE	9 / 26 (677.6112)	7 (171.9656)	12 (167.4172)	14 (168.5256)	6 (169.7028)
Sep 11, 2020	Ribs, Rod and Rock N Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	7 / 29 (681.0744)	13 (169.1200)	20 (166.8344)	14 (168.5372)	1 (176.5828)
Sep 6, 2019	Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	1 / 29 (702.2400)	4 (176.5716)	8 (171.9656)	2 (177.1428)	4 (176.5600)
Aug 24, 2018	11th Annual Big Island BBQ Alberta Lea, MN	28 / 49 (656.4456)	27 (167.9656)	44 (155.3944)	23 (165.1200)	17 (167.9656)
Jun 15, 2018	Central Plains Ribfest Holdrege, NE	13 / 35 (681.0628)	13 (170.2744)	12 (171.4172)	24 (166.2284)	4 (173.1428)
May 18, 2018	7th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE	7 / 42 (681.1200)	8 (171.9772)	6 (173.7144)	16 (168.0228)	15 (167.4056)
May 11, 2018	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	38 / 39 (507.3828)	1 (176.5600)	18 (166.2972)	—	20 (164.5256)
Apr 20, 2018	Q for a Cause Papillion, NE	19 / 41 (663.9316)	9 (170.8456)	21 (163.4288)	20 (166.2744)	21 (163.3828)
Sep 1, 2017	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	100 / 407 (677.6228)	195 (166.8572)	81 (171.9772)	189 (166.8228)	72 (171.9656)
Aug 31, 2017	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) unrated Kansas City, KS	52 / 129 (685.5996)	76 (170.8112)	67 (170.2744)	29 (175.4056)	71 (169.1084)
Aug 5, 2017	Omaha Steaks Nebraska BBQ Championship Day -2 Omaha, NE	9 / 50 (686.1828)	3 (175.4172)	3 (177.7028)	17 (171.4172)	41 (161.6456)
Aug 4, 2017	Omaha Steaks Nebraska BBQ Championship Day -1 Omaha, NE	31 / 54 (661.0284)	29 (167.3828)	20 (167.4172)	17 (170.8800)	45 (155.3484)
Jul 21, 2017	Riverfest Community Festival Bellevue, NE	6 / 46 (683.4628)	16 (168.5828)	4 (172.5944)	1 (179.4400)	19 (162.8456)
Jun 16, 2017	Central Plains Ribfest Holdrege, NE	6 / 27 (669.6112)	7 (170.8228)	10 (164.5600)	13 (165.6800)	5 (168.5484)
May 19, 2017	6th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE	15 / 47 (668.5140)	34 (160.5256)	16 (167.4516)	7 (171.4056)	12 (169.1312)
Apr 29, 2017	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2) Boone, IA	1 / 35 (694.2400)	18 (169.6800)	11 (169.1200)	1 (177.7372)	1 (177.7028)
Apr 28, 2017	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1) Boone, IA	13 / 31 (662.2400)	16 (167.4056)	9 (166.8688)	17 (165.1316)	21 (162.8340)
May 13, 2016	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	30 / 33 (609.6112)	27 (157.7028)	28 (155.9428)	31 (148)	30 (147.9656)
Jul 17, 2015	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	34 / 45 (627.3824)	34 (154.2856)	34 (157.1200)	36 (154.2512)	23 (161.7256)

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

HOG HAMMER 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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (12 found in their record)

Against the odds

On the rise

Giant slayer

A multi-meat day

They almost always walk

High-water mark

State champions

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Boom or bust

A September team

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)