TARHEEL SMOKERS

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

Power ranking

#3117

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1502

peak 1517 · rated over 13 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-17

latest 2019-05-17

Best ToY finish

#855

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 56%

overall standings

Best overall

669.6800 / 720

Master · Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

Perfect 180s

Current form

649.95 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 645.43 (+4.51)

Walk rate

69%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

174.2628

Pork · Brasstown Valley's BBQ Throwdown (GBC Qualifier)- TEAMS FULL & JUDGES FULL

Consistency

±17.15

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 162.65 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.77)

Road miles

3,154

mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 303 mi

Schedule strength

37%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1549)

Purse competed for

$10K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

645.43 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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

69% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 9 of 13 contests

A top-10 category call in 69% of their 13 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

669.6800 career-best overall

93.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 669.6800 at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour — 93.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-06-06

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 39%.

3 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 39%

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA ahead in 100% of their meetings

THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

A strong matchup

5–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of CAROLINA SMOKE in 5 of their 6 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival (2019-05-17).

last seen 2017-05-19
back 2019-05-17

Chicken nemesis

7 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

SMOKIN SKULLIES ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN SKULLIES has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

COASTAL SMOKE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The long haul

3,154 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,154 miles across 13 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 303 miles to Brasstown Valley's BBQ Throwdown (GBC Qualifier)- TEAMS FULL & JUDGES FULL.

13 mapped stops
furthest 303 mi

The metronome

±2.38% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.38% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.6% of a perfect score
13 contests

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.

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

ARMED AND HAMMERED BBQ

#3119 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1547

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to TARHEEL SMOKERS)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team TARHEEL SMOKERS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2023-04-14

⚔ Head-to-head

APPLEWAY BBQ

#3130 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1512

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to TARHEEL SMOKERS)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 5 years before TARHEEL SMOKERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 8 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

GEORGIA JO'S SMOKIN Q

#3126 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2016-03-04

⚔ Head-to-head

Slow & Easy

#3125 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1530

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

BSA

#3109 of the rated field

1503 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 62%
Peak: 1504

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2020-10-30
on a 5-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

EF-Q

#3114 of the rated field

1502 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1533

No shared contest yet.

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 24% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2019-10-18

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN SKULLIES	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
CAROLINA SMOKE	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
FatHeads bbq	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	4	0	173.7028	145.7142	162.65	top 54%
Pork Ribs	13	3	1	173.1772	148.5488	159.77	top 58%
Pork	13	5	0	174.2628	142.2628	162.21	top 48%
Brisket	13	3	0	170.8800	141.1088	160.81	top 49%

“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	Avg finish
NC	6	top 64%
VA	4	top 43%
SC	2	top 57%
GA	1	top 63%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	9	0	top 57%
Large (40+)	4	0	top 55%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival	3	19	0	top 69%	2019-05-17
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	8	0	top 57%	2015-06-12

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 6 yrs 2013-05-17 → 2019-05-17

Busiest season 2016 3 contests

Contests a season 2.2 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NC 6 of 13 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 10 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 13 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 162.65 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.77)

Walk rate 69% a top-10 call in 9 of 13 contests

Overall top-10 rate 23% 3 of 13 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 645.43 out of 720 · 13 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 336 214–270 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 3,154 13 mapped stops · furthest 303 mi

Schedule strength 1549 average field rating faced — tougher than 37% of rated contests

Purse competed for $10,000 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 2 yrs 2017-05-19 → 2019-05-17

Power rating 1502 peak 1517 · #3117 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 17 First tracked contest Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
May 17 First call Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
May 17 First overall top-10 Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off
2014
Jun 6 First overall past 90% of a perfect score669.6800 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Jun 6 Career-best overall score669.6800 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Aug 22 Peak power rating (1517) VA BBQ Championships
2016
Feb 5 Career-best single call (Pork)174.2628 Brasstown Valley's BBQ Throwdown (GBC Qualifier)- TEAMS FULL & JUDGES FULL
May 20 10th tracked contest Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival
2019
May 17 Most recent contest Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.5	VA BBQ Championships	2014-08-22
+9.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2014-06-06
+9.4	Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off	2013-05-17
+5.1	Beak Week BBQ Challenge	2015-09-11
+2.5	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival	2019-05-17

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.2	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2015-06-12
-8.4	Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival	2017-05-19
-7.8	WNC Barbeque Festival	2013-07-26
-6.1	BBQ Jamboree	2014-05-09
-4.4	Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival	2016-05-20

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)
2019	1	0	100%	top 53%	91%	91%
2017	1	0	0%	top 83%	87.6%	87.6%
2016	3	0	100%	top 65%	92%	90.9%
2015	2	0	50%	top 65%	92.2%	89.7%
2014	3	2	100%	top 39%	93%	89.6%
2013	3	1	33%	top 52%	89.5%	88.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-05-17	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival 🏅 Ayden, NC	19 / 36 (655.3144)	35 (157.6572)	26 (158.8572)	9 (168.5372)	6 (170.2628)
2017-05-19	Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival Ayden, NC	30 / 36 (630.6744)	33 (157.0628)	24 (158.8688)	12 (164.5372)	33 (150.2056)
2016-08-12	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Richmond, VA	17 / 28 (654.7888)	5 (172.5828)	12 (166.2744)	25 (155.3944)	14 (160.5372)
2016-05-20	Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival Ayden, NC	21 / 30 (646.1944)	4 (172.5828)	28 (148.5488)	17 (163.3828)	15 (161.6800)
2016-02-05	Brasstown Valley's BBQ Throwdown (GBC Qualifier)- TEAMS FULL & JUDGES FULL Young Harris, GA	22 / 35 (662.7544)	9 (173.7028)	33 (153.1088)	8 (174.2628)	28 (161.6800)
2015-09-11	Beak Week BBQ Challenge Goldsboro, NC	14 / 32 (663.9088)	22 (160.5372)	6 (166.2744)	9 (170.8228)	12 (166.2744)
2015-06-12	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour N. Charleston, SC	25 / 29 (628.4228)	11 (168.5256)	22 (157.6800)	18 (161.1084)	29 (141.1088)
2014-08-22	VA BBQ Championships Hampton, VA	7 / 43 (658.2172)	16 (157.6456)	2 (173.1772)	9 (163.3944)	12 (164.0000)
2014-06-06	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour N. Charleston, SC	8 / 28 (669.6800)	15 (165.6800)	17 (165.1544)	8 (167.9656)	7 (170.8800)
2014-05-09	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	46 / 64 (606.6968)	10 (164.5256)	43 (152.5600)	58 (142.2628)	46 (147.3484)
2013-10-11	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down Rocky Mount, NC	30 / 55 (637.0400)	37 (157.6800)	45 (151.9428)	13 (165.6800)	25 (161.7372)
2013-07-26	WNC Barbeque Festival Maggie Valley, NC	37 / 48 (644.3884)	42 (160.5028)	25 (161.6456)	44 (152.5256)	12 (169.7144)
2013-05-17	Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cook-off Chesapeake, VA	8 / 34 (632.5712)	29 (145.7142)	7 (162.8572)	17 (158.8570)	4 (165.1428)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1754 (90 pts)	#2049 (60 pts)	#2026 (60 pts)	#1453 (145 pts)	#1322 (175 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2271 (65 pts)	#1773 (125 pts)	#2266 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2175 (75 pts)	#1736 (145 pts)	#2349 (60 pts)	#1720 (155 pts)	#2345 (60 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1470 (166 pts)	#1417 (196 pts)	#1264 (241 pts)	#1334 (231 pts)	#1476 (176 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#855 (396 pts)	#961 (366 pts)	#841 (436 pts)	#942 (376 pts)	#920 (366 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#954 (302 pts)	#1306 (207 pts)	#995 (312 pts)	#1012 (307 pts)	#766 (422 pts)