PIG IRON

PIG IRON is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2015. Their best overall finish is 4th of 21 at the Warren County All American BBQ Festival (2014). They are ranked #1755 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,755

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1550

peak 1564 · rated over 12 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 28, 2013

latest Jul 10, 2015 · 2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#544

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

7 podiums

Overall top-10s

42% of 12 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 36%

overall standings

Best overall

663.4744 / 720

Master · Oinktoberfest

Perfect 180s

Current form

644.51 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 648.42 (-3.91)

Walk rate

83%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.0572

Chicken · Oinktoberfest

Consistency

±14.02

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.76 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.07)

Road miles

731

across 12 mapped stops · furthest 131 mi

Schedule strength

12%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1517)

Master avg

648.42 / 720

12 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

Happy hunting ground

Top 9% average finish here

Oinktoberfest is their spot: an average finish in the top 9% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 6th
average top 9%

They almost always walk

83% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 10 of 12 contests

A top-10 category call in 83% of their 12 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

663.4744 career-best overall

92.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 663.4744 at Oinktoberfest — 92.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 20, 2013

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

JACK9 BBQ has finished one call ahead of PIG IRON 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 20%.

3 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 20%

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

Priorville ahead in 100% of their meetings

Priorville has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−11.7 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 11.69 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 17% of the time against 58%.

Pork Ribs avg 156.07
Chicken avg 167.76
2 calls in 12 entries

Show 4 more storylines

A strong matchup

8–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of KISS MY BBQ in 8 of their 10 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

6 of 7 shared chicken entries lost

FATTY MAC BARBECUE ahead 86% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, FATTY MAC BARBECUE has out-cooked them in 6 of 7 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SMOKIN' AIN'T EASY has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±1.95% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.95% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.1% of a perfect score
12 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
2015 ↗	Master	#851 (394 pts)	#726 (509 pts)	#1026 (329 pts)	#754 (494 pts)	#744 (494 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#544 (702 pts)	#494 (787 pts)	#857 (427 pts)	#620 (622 pts)	#493 (767 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#643 (485 pts)	#562 (580 pts)	#793 (415 pts)	#863 (380 pts)	#761 (425 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to PIG IRON, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Nickel City Smokers

#1,764 of the rated field

1549 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1549

3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to PIG IRON)

These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — PIG IRON ahead 3–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Sep 22, 2018

⚔ Head-to-head

Slogies butt hutt BBQ

#1,760 of the rated field

1550 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1550

1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to PIG IRON)

Fewer contests behind them than PIG IRON has cooked, 5 to 12, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Sep 20, 2013

⚔ Head-to-head

Thin Blue Smoke MS

#1,762 of the rated field

1550 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1550

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Apr 24, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Ro-Ro's Smokehouse

#1,743 of the rated field

1550 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 54%
Peak: 1550

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 54% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jul 11, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

THE SHED BBQ

#1,763 of the rated field

1550 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1550

Level with PIG IRON on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKIN K

#1,746 of the rated field

1550 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1554

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Jun 17, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
KISS MY BBQ	10	8	2	80%	⚔ compare
THE GOOD CUE CREW	9	8	1	89%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' AIN'T EASY	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
THREE DOGS BBQ	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
Big Pappa's Smokin' BBQ	9	6	3	67%	⚔ compare
RED VALLEY BBQ	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
Q'N CANUCKS	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
THE 5TH ARTERY	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
TEAM EATAPEDIA	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
BLACK DAWG BBQ	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
LA PORKSTRA NOSTRA	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
TRANQUIL CARNIVORES	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
BEHIND BBQ	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	7	4	176.0572	158.2972	167.76	top 26%
Pork Ribs	12	2	0	167.4288	137.1316	156.07	top 60%
Pork	12	3	1	169.1084	154.8000	162.16	top 42%
Brisket	12	4	2	172.5600	144.5716	162.42	top 35%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 72%
Medium (20–39)	4	top 30%
Large (40+)	7	top 34%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
NY	10	top 34%
ON	1	top 72%
PA	1	top 19%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que	2	13	top 45%	Jun 19, 2015
Roc City Rib Fest	2	28	top 58%	May 23, 2015
Oinktoberfest	2	6	top 9%	Sep 20, 2014
Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival	2	11	top 38%	Aug 8, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2014 5 contests

Contests a season 4 across 3 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NY 10 of 12 contests · 3 states and provinces in all

Contests visited 8 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 214 finished ahead 356 times, behind 184

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

20153 milestones

May 15 Peak power rating (1564) Salt City BBQ Festival
May 23 10th tracked contest Roc City Rib Fest
Jul 10 Most recent contest Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festval

20136 milestones

Jun 28 First tracked contest Boston Hill BBQ Fest
Jun 28 First call Boston Hill BBQ Fest
Jun 28 First overall top-10 Boston Hill BBQ Fest
Jun 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.8574 Boston Hill BBQ Fest
Sep 20 Career-best overall score663.4744 Oinktoberfest
Sep 20 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.0572 Oinktoberfest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.7	Oinktoberfest	Sep 20, 2013
+12.2	Boston Hill BBQ Fest	Jun 28, 2013
+12.1	Oinktoberfest	Sep 20, 2014
+11.2	Warren County All American BBQ Festival	Jul 18, 2014
+7.6	Salt City BBQ Festival	May 15, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.6	Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festval	Jul 10, 2015
-5.7	Roc City Rib Fest	May 24, 2014
-5.7	Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que	Jun 19, 2015
-0.6	Roc City Rib Fest	May 23, 2015

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2015	4	1	75%	top 52%	90.5%	88.9%
2014	5	2	80%	top 33%	91.8%	90.4%
2013	3	2	100%	top 20%	92.1%	91.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 10, 2015	Drayton Kinsmen Smoke and Sounds Festval Drayton, ON	13 / 18 (642.2628)	9 (166.8800)	15 (157.1200)	14 (158.2856)	11 (159.9772)
Jun 19, 2015	Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que Wilson, NY	29 / 47 (621.6688)	25 (158.2972)	46 (137.1316)	3 (167.4172)	17 (158.8228)
May 23, 2015	Roc City Rib Fest Rochester, NY	28 / 57 (646.1596)	17 (168.5484)	32 (159.3944)	44 (155.9540)	28 (162.2628)
May 15, 2015	Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY	5 / 21 (651.3712)	3 (168.5140)	11 (158.2400)	14 (156.5828)	3 (168.0344)
Sep 20, 2014	Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY	6 / 66 (661.0968)	8 (169.7028)	43 (152)	11 (167.4056)	4 (171.9884)
Aug 8, 2014	Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival N. Tonawanda, NY	16 / 39 (656.4912)	17 (166.2856)	21 (159.9772)	7 (169.1084)	16 (161.1200)
Jul 18, 2014	Warren County All American BBQ Festival Pittsfield, PA	4 / 21 (658.8000)	3 (171.4284)	10 (160.0116)	15 (154.8000)	3 (172.5600)
Jun 13, 2014	Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que Wilson, NY	13 / 47 (654.7772)	9 (168.0116)	32 (155.9428)	12 (166.2400)	12 (164.5828)
May 24, 2014	Roc City Rib Fest Rochester, NY	57 / 86 (621.5772)	13 (167.4056)	60 (151.9544)	50 (157.6456)	78 (144.5716)
Sep 20, 2013	Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY	7 / 71 (663.4744)	2 (176.0572)	13 (164.5716)	10 (166.2628)	31 (156.5828)
Aug 9, 2013	Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival N. Tonawanda, NY	11 / 31 (640.5140)	3 (172.5828)	30 (149.1200)	14 (159.4056)	11 (159.4056)
Jun 28, 2013	Boston Hill BBQ Fest Hamburg, NY	7 / 49 (662.8574)	25 (159.4286)	4 (167.4288)	16 (166.8572)	4 (169.1428)

PIG IRON

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

Master avg

Storylines (11 found in their record)

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

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

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)