HOG HAMMER BBQ

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

Power ranking

#765

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1631

peak 1631 · rated over 20 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-07-17

latest 2021-09-16

Best ToY finish

#306

Master 2017

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

8 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 22 contests

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

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

179.4400

Pork · Riverfest Community Festival

Consistency

±40.45

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 169.49 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.86)

Road miles

2,002

mi 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 🏅

GCs in 6 state-championship entries

Master avg

665.80 / 720

22 Master contests · 2 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (11 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

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) (2017-04-29) 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 2021-08-13 — from 1607 up to 1631.

3 contests since 2021-08-13
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).

2017-04-29

A multi-meat day

1 contests 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) (2017-04-29).

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
2019-09-06

State champions

1 state championships won

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

6 state-championship entries

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.

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

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.

SMOKIN' HART'S

#764 of the rated field

1631 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 35
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1640

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 35 contests
last seen 2019-02-15

⚔ Head-to-head

BRISKET BURNERS

#761 of the rated field

1632 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 39
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1668

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1668 at their best, 37 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 39 contests
last seen 2019-07-26

⚔ Head-to-head

SIZZLIN' BONES BBQ

#762 of the rated field

1631 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 47
GCs: 4
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1682

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 3 years before HOG HAMMER BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 46 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

DE FILOUS

#763 of the rated field

1631 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 60
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1667

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 60 contests, alongside a 53% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 57 contests
last seen 2021-08-14

⚔ Head-to-head

THE TWISTED TAIL

#751 of the rated field

1632 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 63%
Peak: 1634

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to HOG HAMMER BBQ)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — HOG HAMMER BBQ ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2018-10-26

⚔ Head-to-head

LAZY BACON BBQ

#772 of the rated field

1630 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 39
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1652

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

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

rated over 39 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

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	148.0000	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 state / province

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%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	10	2	top 37%
Large (40+)	12	0	top 35%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring 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%	2017-04-29
GOBS Que (DAY 2)	2	3	0	top 23%	2021-08-14
Central Plains Ribfest	2	6	0	top 30%	2018-06-15
*BBQ in the Bluffs	2	30	0	top 94%	2018-05-11
38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	2	52	0	top 32%	2017-09-01

The story so far (20 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 6.2 yrs 2015-07-17 → 2021-09-16

Busiest season 2017 9 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 3.1 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NE 11 of 22 contests · 5 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 17 5 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 22 entries · 1 win · 8 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 169.49 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.86)

Walk rate 64% a top-10 call in 14 of 22 contests

Overall top-10 rate 41% 9 of 22 contests

Wins it all 9% 2 Grand Championships · 0 reserve

First title 2017-04-29 Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)

Best top-10 run 4 straight contests

Master average 665.80 out of 720 · 22 contests · 2 GCs

Opponents faced 924 1,339–515 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,002 22 mapped stops · furthest 246 mi

Schedule strength 1600 average field rating faced — tougher than 77% of rated contests

Purse competed for $119,275 listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 1 from 6 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2018-08-24 → 2019-09-06

Power rating 1631 peak 1631 · #765 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
Jul 17 First tracked contest RiverFest Red White and Que
2017
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)
2019
Sep 6 First state championship Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll
Sep 6 Career-best overall score702.2400 Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll
2021
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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+20.2	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)	2017-04-29
+18.1	Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll	2019-09-06
+15.5	Omaha Steaks Nebraska BBQ Championship Day -2	2017-08-05
+14.1	Riverfest Community Festival	2017-07-21
+13.9	GOBS Que (DAY 2)	2021-08-14

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15.8	*BBQ in the Bluffs	2018-05-11
-9.6	BBQ in the Bluffs	2016-05-13
-6.2	RiverFest Red White and Que	2015-07-17
-1.9	11th Annual Big Island BBQ	2018-08-24

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	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
2021-09-16	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)
2021-09-16	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)
2021-08-14	GOBS Que (DAY 2) 🏅 Arlington, NE	3 / 25 (696.5256)	6 (173.7028)	4 (173.1200)	7 (173.7028)	6 (176.0000)
2021-08-13	GOBS Que (DAY 1) 🏅 Arlington, NE	9 / 26 (677.6112)	7 (171.9656)	12 (167.4172)	14 (168.5256)	6 (169.7028)
2020-09-11	Ribs, Rod and Rock N Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	7 / 29 (681.0744)	13 (169.1200)	20 (166.8344)	14 (168.5372)	1 (176.5828)
2019-09-06	Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	1 / 29 (702.2400)	4 (176.5716)	8 (171.9656)	2 (177.1428)	4 (176.5600)
2018-08-24	11th Annual Big Island BBQ Alberta Lea, MN	28 / 49 (656.4456)	27 (167.9656)	44 (155.3944)	23 (165.1200)	17 (167.9656)
2018-06-15	Central Plains Ribfest Holdrege, NE	13 / 35 (681.0628)	13 (170.2744)	12 (171.4172)	24 (166.2284)	4 (173.1428)
2018-05-18	7th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE	7 / 42 (681.1200)	8 (171.9772)	6 (173.7144)	16 (168.0228)	15 (167.4056)
2018-05-11	*BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	38 / 39 (507.3828)	1 (176.5600)	18 (166.2972)	—	20 (164.5256)
2018-04-20	Q for a Cause Papillion, NE	19 / 41 (663.9316)	9 (170.8456)	21 (163.4288)	20 (166.2744)	21 (163.3828)
2017-09-01	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)
2017-08-31	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)
2017-08-05	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)
2017-08-04	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)
2017-07-21	Riverfest Community Festival Bellevue, NE	6 / 46 (683.4628)	16 (168.5828)	4 (172.5944)	1 (179.4400)	19 (162.8456)
2017-06-16	Central Plains Ribfest Holdrege, NE	6 / 27 (669.6112)	7 (170.8228)	10 (164.5600)	13 (165.6800)	5 (168.5484)
2017-05-19	6th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE	15 / 47 (668.5140)	34 (160.5256)	16 (167.4516)	7 (171.4056)	12 (169.1312)
2017-04-29	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)
2017-04-28	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)
2016-05-13	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	30 / 33 (609.6112)	27 (157.7028)	28 (155.9428)	31 (148.0000)	30 (147.9656)
2015-07-17	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	34 / 45 (627.3824)	34 (154.2856)	34 (157.1200)	36 (154.2512)	23 (161.7256)

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
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 (1178 pts)	#403 (933 pts)	#298 (1153 pts)	#254 (1263 pts)	#384 (993 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2225 (60 pts)	#2141 (70 pts)