THE SMOKING SECTION - NY

THE SMOKING SECTION - NY is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 4th of 35 at the NYC BBQ Cookoff (2016). They are ranked #1367 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,367

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1574

peak 1574 · rated over 17 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 13, 2013

latest Apr 6, 2018 · 4.7 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#664

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

29% of 17 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 42%

overall standings

Best overall

672.5488 / 720

Master · Sun BBQ Fest

Perfect 180s

Current form

652.30 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 637.59 (+14.71)

Walk rate

76%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.8572

Pork · Troy Pig Out

Consistency

±22.50

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 162.03 · weakest Brisket (156.79)

Road miles

1,568

across 17 mapped stops · furthest 130 mi

Schedule strength

35%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1546)

Master avg

637.59 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

76% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 13 of 17 contests

A top-10 category call in 76% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

672.5488 career-best overall

93.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 672.5488 at Sun BBQ Fest — 93.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 3, 2017

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 30%.

4 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 30%

A tough matchup

13–0 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA ahead in 100% of their meetings

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has come out ahead in 13 of their 13 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.2 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.25 points below their pork, and turns into a call 47% of the time against 35%.

Brisket avg 156.79
Pork avg 162.03
8 calls in 17 entries

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of JOHN'S TWISTED Q in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

9 of 13 shared pork entries lost

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA ahead 69% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has out-cooked them in 9 of 13 shared pork entries.

Show 2 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Handsome Devil has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A June team

Top 32% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 32% across 3 contests, versus top 42% the rest of the year.

3 June contests
top 42% the rest of the year

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1748 (105 pts)	#1879 (85 pts)	#1913 (80 pts)	#1803 (105 pts)	#1425 (165 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1277 (210 pts)	#1631 (155 pts)	#1056 (335 pts)	#1579 (165 pts)	#1325 (225 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#694 (549 pts)	#827 (464 pts)	#735 (544 pts)	#867 (449 pts)	#850 (439 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#664 (547 pts)	#889 (402 pts)	#971 (357 pts)	#529 (737 pts)	#582 (647 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1046 (296 pts)	#1064 (316 pts)	#1116 (291 pts)	#779 (476 pts)	#1159 (271 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1109 (250 pts)	#737 (445 pts)	#1238 (235 pts)	#1031 (300 pts)	#1307 (205 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to THE SMOKING SECTION - NY, each with one reason worth a look.

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

InTheRedZoneBBQ

#1,375 of the rated field

1574 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1574

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 17 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

BYG'S BBQ

#1,370 of the rated field

1574 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1574

Careers of much the same size, 20 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Go Ham BBQ

#1,374 of the rated field

1574 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 5
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1594

Their rating is built on 5 Grand Championships in 24 contests, alongside a 38% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

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BUCKY'S BADASS BBQ

#1,369 of the rated field

1574 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1587

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

rated over 20 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2020

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MONKEYS' UNCLES BBQ

#1,376 of the rated field

1574 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1586

Level with THE SMOKING SECTION - NY on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 22 contests
last seen May 31, 2019

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Barton BBQ

#1,368 of the rated field

1574 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1574

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Apr 10, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
Chicken Chokers	12	6	6	50%	⚔ compare
BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
Q HAVEN BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
Rogue Hog BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKOPOLIS BBQ	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
STUBBORN BULL BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
ACK-QUE	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
BEERBEQUE	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
MOON RIVER BARBEQUE	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
5 Alarm BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
QUE AND A HALF MEN	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
INSANE SWINE BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
JOHN'S TWISTED Q	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Handsome Devil	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	7	0	0	168.6172	146.2284	161.09	top 44%
Pork Ribs	17	4	0	2	173.7144	137.6688	157.67	top 51%
Pork	17	6	1	3	174.8572	150.8456	162.03	top 36%
Brisket	17	8	0	0	173.1772	130.8116	156.79	top 43%

“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 41%
Medium (20–39)	10	top 45%
Large (40+)	6	top 36%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
NY	8	top 40%
CT	4	top 35%
NJ	4	top 52%
RI	1	top 41%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Sun BBQ Fest	3	14	top 32%	Jun 3, 2017
NYC BBQ Cookoff	2	16	top 43%	Apr 6, 2018
Red, White and Que	2	18	top 65%	Sep 6, 2014
Troy Pig Out	2	9	top 49%	Jul 19, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NY 8 of 17 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 12 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 324 finished ahead 401 times, behind 253

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

20182 milestones

Apr 6 Peak power rating (1574) NYC BBQ Cookoff
Apr 6 Most recent contest NYC BBQ Cookoff

20171 milestone

Jun 3 Career-best overall score672.5488 Sun BBQ Fest

20152 milestones

Jun 13 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.1660 Sun BBQ Fest
Aug 29 10th tracked contest The Best BBQ Chef Competition

20143 milestones

Jul 19 First category win (Pork) Troy Pig Out
Jul 19 First overall top-10 Troy Pig Out
Jul 19 Career-best single call (Pork)174.8572 Troy Pig Out

20132 milestones

Jul 13 First tracked contest Troy Pig Out
Jul 13 First call Troy Pig Out

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.9	NYC BBQ Cookoff	Apr 8, 2016
+11.6	Red White and Que	Sep 24, 2016
+10.7	8th Annual Smokin at the Maples	Aug 1, 2015
+10	Sun BBQ Fest	Jun 13, 2015
+9.6	Sun BBQ Fest	Jun 3, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-5	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Aug 9, 2013
-4.4	Red, White and Que	Sep 7, 2013
-3.1	Troy Pig Out	Jul 13, 2013
-1	DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship	Oct 3, 2014
-0.6	Red, White and Que	Sep 6, 2014

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	1	0	0	100%	top 44%	88.6%	88.6%
2017	2	0	0	50%	top 31%	93.4%	91%
2016	4	2	0	50%	top 30%	92.1%	91.2%
2015	4	2	0	100%	top 31%	92.4%	89.4%
2014	3	1	1	67%	top 52%	88.3%	86.7%
2013	3	0	0	100%	top 67%	86.4%	84.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Apr 6, 2018	NYC BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY	16 / 36 (638.2060)	20 (161.7260)	21 (155.9656)	16 (158.8344)	7 (161.6800)
Jun 3, 2017	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	14 / 73 (672.5488)	42 (159.9544)	3 (173.7144)	30 (165.7028)	7 (173.1772)
Apr 7, 2017	NYC BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY	18 / 43 (638.2400)	18 (161.7028)	17 (160.5600)	16 (160.5600)	25 (155.4172)
Sep 24, 2016	Red White and Que Cresskill, NJ	7 / 41 (659.8968)	9 (167.9656)	14 (160.0228)	9 (166.8112)	16 (165.0972)
Jul 22, 2016	Rotary Club of Wakefield Rhode Island Kingston, RI	14 / 34 (652.6060)	17 (164.6172)	15 (163.4172)	15 (162.3316)	15 (162.2400)
Jun 11, 2016	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	34 / 69 (650.2856)	17 (168.6172)	42 (160.5828)	36 (161.1200)	38 (159.9656)
Apr 8, 2016	NYC BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY	4 / 35 (663.3832)	13 (162.8344)	2 (169.1316)	10 (164.5600)	7 (166.8572)
Aug 29, 2015	The Best BBQ Chef Competition New London, CT	7 / 17 (658.2632)	8 (163.9888)	10 (161.7260)	3 (166.8572)	5 (165.6912)
Aug 1, 2015	8th Annual Smokin at the Maples Manorville, NY	7 / 32 (630.2284)	9 (159.4284)	27 (145.0972)	3 (168.5828)	6 (157.1200)
Jun 13, 2015	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	15 / 52 (665.1660)	32 (162.2972)	32 (161.7260)	7 (169.1428)	6 (172)
Apr 10, 2015	New York City BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY	11 / 33 (620.3428)	24 (148.4800)	12 (158.2516)	12 (157.6456)	10 (155.9656)
Oct 3, 2014	DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship Atlantic City, NJ	38 / 65 (617.0972)	55 (146.2284)	30 (157.7372)	43 (154.2516)	22 (158.8800)
Sep 6, 2014	Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ	19 / 31 (619.9656)	15 (162.2628)	7 (160.6056)	11 (158.8228)	27 (138.2744)
Jul 19, 2014	Troy Pig Out Troy, NY	9 / 25 (635.9088)	9 (165.6800)	24 (137.6688)	1 (174.8572)	10 (157.7028)
Sep 7, 2013	Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ	18 / 26 (622.1144)	10 (160.5256)	19 (154.2628)	14 (158.8344)	18 (148.4916)
Aug 9, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Medford, NY	19 / 27 (590.7544)	6 (159.4056)	24 (144.4916)	17 (150.8456)	23 (136.0116)
Jul 13, 2013	Troy Pig Out Troy, NY	20 / 32 (603.9660)	8 (162.8800)	17 (155.4516)	16 (154.8228)	28 (130.8116)

THE SMOKING SECTION - NY

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 (9 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A June team

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)