FIRE-N-SMOKE BBQ

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

Power ranking

#3030

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1504

peak 1514 · rated over 9 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-06-07

latest 2015-11-06

Best ToY finish

#879

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 9 contests

Avg finish

top 56%

overall standings

Best overall

689.6344 / 720

Master · Hog Happnin'

Perfect 180s

Current form

661.57 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 655.42 (+6.16)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7144

Brisket · Hog Happnin'

Consistency

±19.33

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 167.10 · weakest Brisket (159.83)

Road miles

467

mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 57 mi

Schedule strength

33%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1544)

Master avg

655.42 / 720

9 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (6 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.

They almost always walk

67% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 6 of 9 contests

A top-10 category call in 67% of their 9 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

689.6344 career-best overall

95.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 689.6344 at Hog Happnin' — 95.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-10-31

A tough matchup

8–1 behind in the head-to-head

TWO OLD MEN AND A GRILL ahead in 89% of their meetings

TWO OLD MEN AND A GRILL has come out ahead in 8 of their 9 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.3 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.27 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 44%.

Brisket avg 159.83
Pork Ribs avg 167.10
1 calls in 9 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of King's Cooking in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

6 of 9 shared pork ribs entries lost

TWO OLD MEN AND A GRILL ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, TWO OLD MEN AND A GRILL has out-cooked them in 6 of 9 shared pork ribs entries.

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.

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

QMEISTERS

#3023 of the rated field

1505 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 62
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1587

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to FIRE-N-SMOKE BBQ)

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

rated over 62 contests
last seen 2026-07-09

⚔ Head-to-head

BLUE CLOUD BBQ

#3028 of the rated field

1505 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1505

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2019-05-03

⚔ Head-to-head

GOLDEN TOAD

#3021 of the rated field

1505 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1528

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2022-05-06

⚔ Head-to-head

Bailey Acres BBQ

#3045 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 8 years after FIRE-N-SMOKE BBQ did, first appearing in 2021.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2025-08-29

⚔ Head-to-head

NEW RIVER BOYS

#3043 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1516

No shared contest yet.

Level with FIRE-N-SMOKE BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2022-11-12

⚔ Head-to-head

STEVO'S BBQ

#3033 of the rated field

1504 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1504

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2020-08-14

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
TWO OLD MEN AND A GRILL	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
SMOKE THIS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
PICKIN' PORKERS	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
MIDNIGHT BURN	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
WHO CARES BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
SMOKING BUTT HEADS	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
K & D SMOKERS	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
BS PITMEISTERS	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
CONTAGIOUS Q	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKE IN THE MOUNTAINS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	2	0	173.1200	156.4912	166.25	top 52%
Pork Ribs	9	4	2	177.7028	146.8572	167.10	top 38%
Pork	9	1	1	170.2854	143.9084	162.24	top 60%
Brisket	9	1	1	177.7144	149.0628	159.83	top 64%

“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
Medium (20–39)	3	0	top 53%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 57%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
* Hog Happnin'	3	3	0	top 44%	2015-11-06
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	3	14	0	top 53%	2015-06-05

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 2.4 yrs 2013-06-07 → 2015-11-06

Busiest season 2013 4 contests

Contests a season 3 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NC 9 of 9 contests

Contests visited 5 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 9 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 167.10 · weakest Brisket (159.83)

Walk rate 67% a top-10 call in 6 of 9 contests

Overall top-10 rate 11% 1 of 9 contests

Master average 655.42 out of 720 · 9 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 224 194–225 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 467 9 mapped stops · furthest 57 mi

Schedule strength 1544 average field rating faced — tougher than 33% of rated contests

Power rating 1504 peak 1514 · #3030 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Jun 7 First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Jun 7 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Aug 9 First overall past 90% of a perfect score671.2800 Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show
2014
Oct 31 First overall top-10 Hog Happnin'
Oct 31 First overall podium Hog Happnin'
Oct 31 Career-best overall score689.6344 Hog Happnin'
Oct 31 Career-best single call (Brisket)177.7144 Hog Happnin'
2015
Jun 5 Peak power rating (1514) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Nov 6 Most recent contest * Hog Happnin'

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.9	Hog Happnin'	2014-10-31
+4.1	Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show	2013-08-09
+3.8	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2014-06-13
+2	Hog Happnin'	2013-11-01
+1.7	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2015-06-05

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.1	WNC Barbeque Festival	2013-07-26
-5.3	* Hog Happnin'	2015-11-06
-4	WNC BBQ Festival	2015-07-24
-1.7	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2013-06-07

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2015	3	0	67%	top 66%	93%	91.1%
2014	2	1	100%	top 26%	95.8%	93%
2013	4	0	50%	top 63%	93.2%	90%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2015-11-06	* Hog Happnin' Shelby, NC	45 / 60 (649.5428)	49 (159.9540)	4 (174.8572)	48 (160.5028)	52 (154.2288)
2015-07-24	WNC BBQ Festival Maggie Valley, NC	34 / 49 (648.9712)	32 (164.5484)	25 (165.6916)	28 (165.6684)	41 (153.0628)
2015-06-05	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Asheville, NC	16 / 30 (669.6228)	16 (170.2628)	2 (177.7028)	22 (163.4172)	27 (158.2400)
2014-10-31	Hog Happnin' Shelby, NC	3 / 61 (689.6344)	11 (173.1200)	6 (174.8572)	35 (163.9428)	2 (177.7144)
2014-06-13	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Asheville, NC	14 / 30 (650.1028)	9 (168.5372)	2 (171.4172)	16 (161.0856)	27 (149.0628)
2013-11-01	Hog Happnin' Shelby, NC	38 / 75 (659.8856)	35 (167.9656)	45 (161.7144)	47 (163.3828)	30 (166.8228)
2013-08-09	Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show Franklin, NC	22 / 49 (671.2800)	10 (173.1200)	30 (166.2400)	22 (167.9656)	28 (163.9544)
2013-07-26	WNC Barbeque Festival Maggie Valley, NC	47 / 48 (617.4396)	46 (156.4912)	21 (164.5372)	48 (143.9084)	41 (152.5028)
2013-06-07	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Asheville, NC	15 / 26 (642.2850)	14 (162.2856)	24 (146.8572)	3 (170.2854)	11 (162.8568)

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
2015 ↗	Master	#1259 (220 pts)	#1328 (220 pts)	#727 (525 pts)	#1472 (190 pts)	#1480 (175 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#909 (360 pts)	#1148 (285 pts)	#821 (445 pts)	#1563 (175 pts)	#997 (330 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#879 (338 pts)	#806 (403 pts)	#1043 (298 pts)	#720 (463 pts)	#897 (343 pts)