The heartbreaker
4.0344
points from the title
Came within 4.0344 points of the Grand Championship at I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Sep 3, 2021).
The Pig's Pajamas
The Pig's Pajamas is a competition barbecue team with 42 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2023. They have won 4 Grand Championships, most recently at the Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (2022), and finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #565 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1664
peak 1664 · rated over 38 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
42
in the data
First seen
May 20, 2016
latest Jun 24, 2023 · 7.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
4
2 reserve · wins it all 10% of the time
Category wins
7
14 podiums
Overall top-10s
18
43% of 42 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 40%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
677.88 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 657.88 (+20.00)
Walk rate
81%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±30.25
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 168.00 · weakest Pork (162.93)
Road miles
7,771
across 42 mapped stops · furthest 1,045 mi
Schedule strength
62%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1579)
Purse competed for
$153K
listed at 22 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
3 🏅
won from 22 state-championship entries
Master avg
657.88 / 720
39 Master contests · 4 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #833 (159 pts) | #751 (219 pts) | #775 (244 pts) | #957 (129 pts) | #916 (149 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #127 (1,387 pts) | #158 (1,247 pts) | #123 (1,390 pts) | #175 (1,152 pts) | #183 (1,127 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #145 (1,193 pts) | #200 (943 pts) | #188 (1,048 pts) | #185 (1,008 pts) | #167 (1,068 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #309 (366 pts) | #340 (366 pts) | #393 (311 pts) | #318 (391 pts) | #286 (421 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #241 (1,172 pts) | #235 (1,162 pts) | #341 (937 pts) | #609 (557 pts) | #191 (1,297 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #613 (552 pts) | #558 (672 pts) | #550 (687 pts) | #579 (647 pts) | #658 (562 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1075 (295 pts) | #854 (460 pts) | #1111 (310 pts) | #975 (380 pts) | #1122 (295 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1305 (216 pts) | #915 (401 pts) | #1235 (261 pts) | #1472 (206 pts) | #1232 (256 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to The Pig's Pajamas, each with one reason worth a look.
#566 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 72%
- Peak
- 1664
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 24 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#567 of the rated field
- Contests
- 39
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1675
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before The Pig's Pajamas's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#564 of the rated field
- Contests
- 34
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1681
Careers of much the same size, 34 contests to 42, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#569 of the rated field
- Contests
- 37
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 49%
- Peak
- 1670
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 37 contests, alongside a 49% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#562 of the rated field
- Contests
- 48
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1678
Level with The Pig's Pajamas on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#568 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1667
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2016.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 27 | 12 | 15 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| PADDY MCQ'S | 21 | 9 | 12 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS | 20 | 5 | 15 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| INSANE SWINE BBQ | 19 | 3 | 16 | 16% | ⚔ compare |
| Top Gun Barbecue | 18 | 5 | 13 | 28% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 17 | 6 | 11 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| Rogue Hog BBQ | 17 | 3 | 14 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| BOGGS HOG BBQ | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| GOOD SMOKE BBQ | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| A MAZIE Q | 14 | 6 | 8 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG RAZ BBQ | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE DOWN BELOW | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| MILLER'S BACKYARD BBQ | 13 | 4 | 9 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 13 | 3 | 10 | 23% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 12 | 6 | 6 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 39 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 179.4400 | 149.6800 | 168.00 | top 36% |
| Pork Ribs | 41 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 177.1428 | 128.5144 | 164.28 | top 42% |
| Pork | 39 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 177.7028 | 133.0512 | 162.93 | top 46% |
| Brisket | 39 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 177.7028 | 130.7544 | 163.07 | top 41% |
“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) | 5 | 0 | top 49% |
| Medium (20–39) | 18 | 1 | top 46% |
| Large (40+) | 16 | 3 | top 29% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Masters) (JUDGING FULL) | 4 | 2 | 0 | top 41% | Sep 2, 2022 |
| New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 24% | Apr 23, 2022 |
| Smoke in the Grove (Day 2) | 3 | 7 | 0 | top 24% | Jul 30, 2022 |
| New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | 3 | 9 | 0 | top 41% | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Salt City BBQ Festival | 3 | 16 | 0 | top 67% | May 18, 2018 |
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 4% | May 13, 2022 |
| Hudson Valley Ribfest | 2 | 16 | 0 | top 35% | Aug 16, 2019 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
12 contests · 2 GCs
Contests a season
5.3
across 8 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NY
17 of 42 contests · 8 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
26
7 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
41 entries · 0 wins · 19 calls
First title
May 25, 2019
Capital BBQ Festival
Opponents faced
994
finished ahead 1,357 times, behind 839
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20232 milestones
- Peak power rating (1664) Frog Alley BREW-B-QUE Cookoff
- Most recent contest Frog Alley BREW-B-QUE Cookoff
20221 milestone
- Career-best single call (Chicken)179.4400 Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
20215 milestones
- First state championship Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- 25th tracked contest Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- Biggest field won (46 teams) Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- First Reserve Championship I Love Barbecue & Music Festival
- Career-best overall score695.4284 I Love Barbecue & Music Festival
20192 milestones
- First overall podium Capital BBQ Festival
- First Grand Championship Capital BBQ Festival
20183 milestones
- First overall top-10 Ayr Charity BBQ
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.1372 Hudson Valley Ribfest
- 10th tracked contest Hudson Valley Ribfest
20171 milestone
- First category win (Chicken) Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues
20162 milestones
- First tracked contest Salt City BBQ Festival
- First call Finger Lakes Fire & Smoke
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18.1 | Capital BBQ Festival | May 25, 2019 |
| +17.8 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival | Jul 5, 2019 |
| +14.8 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Apr 23, 2022 |
| +13.8 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke | May 14, 2021 |
| +13.4 | New Jersey KnoQ-out CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Apr 27, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.7 | Salt City BBQ Festival | May 20, 2016 |
| -11.5 | Finger Lakes Fire & Smoke | Sep 3, 2016 |
| -10.1 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival | Jul 6, 2018 |
| -9.3 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | Apr 22, 2022 |
| -4 | Smoke in the Grove (Day 2) | Jul 30, 2022 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 32% | 95.4% | 95.4% |
| 2022 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 75% | top 30% | 96.6% | 94.4% |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 100% | top 23% | 96.6% | 93.9% |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 48% | 93.6% | 92.6% |
| 2019 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 86% | top 22% | 93.7% | 92.7% |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 67% | top 63% | 90.9% | 87.6% |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 50% | 88.5% | 87.4% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 86% | 85.1% | 82.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2023 | Frog Alley BREW-B-QUE Cookoff Schenectady, NY | 6 / 19 (686.8112) | 3 (174.8456) | 2 (173.1428) | 9 (168.5372) | 7 (170.2856) |
| Oct 1, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 161 / 505 (678.1940) | 165 (170.8228) | 20 (177.1428) | 257 (167.3712) | 300 (162.8572) |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST unrated Kansas City, KS | 158 / 249 (677.0512) | 85 (173.1428) | 119 (170.8572) | 72 (173.1200) | 232 (159.9312) |
| Sep 2, 2022 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival (Masters) (JUDGING FULL) Lake Placid, NY | 10 / 22 (661.0744) | 4 (172.5716) | 13 (157.6916) | 13 (158.8228) | 4 (171.9884) |
| Jul 30, 2022 | Smoke in the Grove (Day 2) 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 19 / 42 (686.2744) | 12 (176.5600) | 37 (161.7144) | 7 (176) | 12 (172) |
| Jul 29, 2022 | Smoke in the Grove (Day 1) 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 7 / 54 (682.2056) | 5 (177.1428) | 4 (174.2628) | 14 (169.6800) | 34 (161.1200) |
| Jun 4, 2022 | Granite State BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Merrimack, NH | 1 / 37 (691.3712) | 1 (179.4400) | 7 (170.8228) | 4 (173.1428) | 14 (167.9656) |
| May 13, 2022 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 2 / 39 (690.7884) | 7 (174.8456) | 13 (167.9772) | 14 (170.2628) | 1 (177.7028) |
| Apr 23, 2022 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 1 / 41 (695.4056) | 15 (173.7028) | 3 (174.8572) | 5 (174.2628) | 7 (172.5828) |
| Apr 23, 2022 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - Master of Ribs - Saturday Night Blairstown, NJ | — | — | 5 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Apr 22, 2022 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 30 / 48 (657.6112) | 36 (161.6456) | 28 (163.9772) | 10 (173.1084) | 32 (158.8800) |
| Apr 22, 2022 | New Jersey KnoQ-out - Master of Ribs - Friday Night Blairstown, NJ | — | — | 4 (170.8456) | — | — |
| Sep 25, 2021 | Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown 🏅 Southwick, MA | 9 / 26 (663.3372) | 7 (166.2744) | 10 (163.3944) | 8 (170.2628) | 11 (163.4056) |
| Sep 3, 2021 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival 🏅 Lake Placid, NY | 2 / 15 (695.4284) | 1 (178.2972) | 6 (170.8456) | 3 (177.7028) | 6 (168.5828) |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Smoke in the Grove 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 7 / 54 (676.5488) | 26 (168) | 3 (174.2744) | 14 (171.4172) | 23 (162.8572) |
| Jun 12, 2021 | Granite State BBQ Championship 🏅 Hancock, NH | 11 / 32 (667.3716) | 12 (170.2744) | 10 (167.9772) | 13 (165.7144) | 19 (163.4056) |
| May 14, 2021 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 1 / 46 (688.5716) | 5 (170.2856) | 4 (172.0116) | 6 (169.6916) | 1 (176.5828) |
| Apr 24, 2021 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 12 / 40 (672.4912) | 18 (169.7144) | 15 (167.9656) | 22 (165.7028) | 7 (169.1084) |
| Apr 23, 2021 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 14 / 40 (668.5144) | 31 (161.6684) | 21 (163.4172) | 7 (172.5716) | 5 (170.8572) |
| Jul 31, 2020 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 9 / 35 (671.3256) | 11 (171.4172) | 25 (161.0856) | 7 (170.2628) | 10 (168.5600) |
| Jul 31, 2020 | New Jersey KnoQ-out: DAY 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 11 / 28 (674.1596) | 8 (171.9656) | 7 (170.2628) | 11 (167.3712) | 17 (164.5600) |
| Jul 30, 2020 | "Last Chance" KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Blairstown, NJ | 14 / 18 (654.1600) | 16 (166.2972) | 15 (158.2284) | 13 (160.5144) | 4 (169.1200) |
| Sep 21, 2019 | Oinktoberfest 🏅 Clarence, NY | 10 / 43 (663.9432) | 9 (167.9772) | 18 (163.4172) | 28 (157.1316) | 2 (175.4172) |
| Sep 7, 2019 | Green Mountain BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Braintree, VT | 13 / 31 (658.7544) | 12 (170.8228) | 17 (160.5600) | 20 (159.3944) | 10 (167.9772) |
| Aug 16, 2019 | Hudson Valley Ribfest 🏅 New Paltz, NY | 16 / 53 (659.9200) | 17 (167.4172) | 14 (166.2744) | 26 (162.2400) | 17 (163.9884) |
| Jul 20, 2019 | Ribs and Rhythm & Blues 🏅 Auburn, NY | 8 / 34 (671.9888) | 5 (170.8572) | 11 (170.8572) | 17 (162.8572) | 5 (167.4172) |
| Jul 5, 2019 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival 🏅 Lake Placid, NY | 3 / 32 (668.5600) | 9 (167.9772) | 8 (163.4744) | 19 (161.6456) | 1 (175.4628) |
| May 25, 2019 | Capital BBQ Festival Ottawa, ON | 1 / 43 (674.8800) | 1 (172.5828) | 7 (169.1544) | 17 (163.4056) | 6 (169.7372) |
| Apr 27, 2019 | New Jersey KnoQ-out CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ | 9 / 43 (673.6800) | 5 (173.1544) | 5 (171.4172) | 23 (159.3712) | 7 (169.7372) |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Bay State BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) Monson, MA | 20 / 26 (649.5428) | 13 (167.4056) | 23 (157.0972) | 18 (164.5256) | 20 (160.5144) |
| Sep 14, 2018 | Tunes, Brews & BBQ's Penn Yan, NY | 9 / 14 (633.6232) | 2 (170.8344) | 8 (160.0344) | 12 (148.5144) | 8 (154.2400) |
| Aug 17, 2018 | Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY | 23 / 58 (654.1372) | 47 (155.3600) | 20 (166.2628) | 7 (169.7144) | 19 (162.8000) |
| Jul 6, 2018 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY | 37 / 39 (585.0060) | 33 (149.6800) | 34 (146.2400) | 39 (138.2516) | 22 (150.8344) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | Ayr Charity BBQ Ayr Ontario | 10 / 18 (631.2112) | 15 (152.4912) | 4 (164.5256) | 7 (162.8344) | 9 (151.3600) |
| May 18, 2018 | Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY | 16 / 34 (629.5768) | 15 (158.8228) | 8 (161.7028) | 20 (155.3828) | 25 (153.6684) |
| Jul 28, 2017 | The Great Adirondack BBQ Old Forge, NY | 16 / 30 (637.0740) | 11 (163.4284) | 10 (162.8916) | 9 (162.8112) | 22 (147.9428) |
| Jul 15, 2017 | Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues Auburn, NY | 11 / 25 (627.3376) | 1 (172.5944) | 11 (161.6684) | 20 (144.5144) | 14 (148.5604) |
| May 19, 2017 | Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY | 22 / 41 (623.3716) | 27 (157.6916) | 34 (144.5028) | 7 (161.7256) | 13 (159.4516) |
| Sep 3, 2016 | Finger Lakes Fire & Smoke Geneva, NY | 33 / 35 (602.8000) | 4 (172.5828) | 12 (162.9028) | 35 (136.5600) | 35 (130.7544) |
| Jul 29, 2016 | The Great Adirondack BBQ Festival Old Forge, NY | 15 / 24 (612.4568) | 14 (159.9656) | 19 (147.9884) | 17 (154.8228) | 14 (149.6800) |
| May 20, 2016 | Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY | 32 / 32 (560.8684) | 19 (151.3484) | 31 (128.5144) | 32 (133.0512) | 18 (147.9544) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.