MARK'S SMOKIN QUE

MARK'S SMOKIN QUE is a competition barbecue team with 18 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 9th of 33 at the BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! (2019). They are ranked #4296 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,296

of 6,485 rated · rankings

Rating

1477

peak 1522 · rated over 18 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 19, 2013

latest Aug 9, 2019 · 6.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1076

Master 2018 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

6% of 18 contests

Avg finish

top 65%

overall standings

Best overall

678.8004 / 720

Master · BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!

Perfect 180s

Current form

647.22 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 649.23 (-2.01)

Walk rate

61%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7144

Pork · BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!

Consistency

±17.92

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.63 · weakest Pork (157.39)

Road miles

1,325

across 18 mapped stops · furthest 115 mi

Schedule strength

65%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1582)

Purse competed for

$18K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

649.23 / 720

18 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

61% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 11 of 18 contests

A top-10 category call in 61% of their 18 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

678.8004 career-best overall

94.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 678.8004 at BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! — 94.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 19, 2019

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO. has finished one call ahead of MARK'S SMOKIN QUE 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

15–0 behind in the head-to-head

LUCKY'S Q ahead in 100% of their meetings

LUCKY'S Q has come out ahead in 15 of their 15 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.2 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.24 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 28%.

Pork avg 157.39
Chicken avg 166.63
2 calls in 18 entries

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN BIG DAWGS in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

12 of 15 shared chicken entries lost

LUCKY'S Q ahead 80% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LUCKY'S Q has out-cooked them in 12 of 15 shared chicken entries.

Show 4 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 57% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 57% across 13 contests, versus top 65% the rest of the year.

13 July contests
top 65% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.49% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.49% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.2% of a perfect score
18 contests

A standing appointment

7 years running at one contest

They've cooked BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! every year from 2013 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

7 visits in all
best finish 9th

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1161 (203 pts)	#1474 (143 pts)	#935 (323 pts)	#929 (318 pts)	#1400 (153 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1076 (244 pts)	#994 (314 pts)	#1211 (234 pts)	#969 (324 pts)	#991 (304 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1577 (153 pts)	#1415 (203 pts)	#1282 (243 pts)	#1694 (138 pts)	#1436 (193 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1364 (202 pts)	#944 (387 pts)	#1586 (177 pts)	#1500 (197 pts)	#1258 (247 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1239 (225 pts)	#1198 (255 pts)	#939 (375 pts)	#1537 (175 pts)	#932 (370 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1409 (192 pts)	#1139 (287 pts)	#1269 (242 pts)	#1574 (172 pts)	#1249 (242 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1124 (245 pts)	#770 (425 pts)	#783 (425 pts)	#1726 (135 pts)	#1174 (245 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to MARK'S SMOKIN QUE, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Herkys Hot Box BBQ

#4,278 of the rated field

1477 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1477

0–3 in 3 shared contests (0% to MARK'S SMOKIN QUE)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — Herkys Hot Box BBQ ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Jul 29, 2022

⚔ Head-to-head

Jurassic Pork

#4,270 of the rated field

1477 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1477

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

CAJUN JAX BBQ

#4,306 of the rated field

1477 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1477

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 3 years before MARK'S SMOKIN QUE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 18 contests

⚔ Compare careers

The 28th Amendment

#4,316 of the rated field

1477 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1477

Careers of much the same size, 19 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

RANCH HOUSE KITCHEN

#4,282 of the rated field

1477 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1502

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 19 contests, alongside a 21% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Angry Cock BBQ

#4,292 of the rated field

1477 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1477

They turned up 10 years after MARK'S SMOKIN QUE did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Aug 15, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LUCKY'S Q	15	0	15	0%	⚔ compare
BLACK DOG BBQ IA	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
DRY 2 DA BONE	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO.	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
Pig Skin BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
BIG T'Z Q CRU	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
Chick Hooven Swine BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
Hogline	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
MYASSIS SMOKIN	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
NECTAR OF THE HOGS	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	18	5	1	174.2972	154.2400	166.63	top 47%
Pork Ribs	18	6	1	173.1200	148.5144	163.30	top 50%
Pork	18	2	1	177.7144	143.9084	157.39	top 74%
Brisket	18	4	0	173.1200	138.8000	161.91	top 53%

“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
Medium (20–39)	9	0	top 56%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 74%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
IA	15	0	top 60%
MN	3	0	top 87%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	7	9	top 51%	Jul 19, 2019
Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	6	16	top 67%	Sep 28, 2018
Mankato Cookout (Day 2)	2	36	top 84%	Jun 9, 2018

More numbers

Busiest season 2018 4 contests

Contests a season 2.6 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IA 15 of 18 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 6 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 294 finished ahead 265 times, behind 471

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

20194 milestones

Jul 19 First overall top-10 BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!
Jul 19 Career-best overall score678.8004 BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!
Jul 19 Career-best single call (Pork)177.7144 BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!
Aug 9 Most recent contest 16th Annual UP IN SMOKE BBQ Bash

20161 milestone

Jul 22 10th tracked contest Up in Smoke BBQ Bash

20141 milestone

Jul 18 Peak power rating (1522) BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!

20133 milestones

Jul 19 First tracked contest BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!
Jul 19 First call BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!
Jul 19 First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.3488 BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.7	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	Jul 19, 2019
+9.2	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	Jul 26, 2013
+7.3	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	Jul 19, 2013
+5.7	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	Jul 18, 2014
+1.9	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!	Jul 14, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.8	Smokin in Steele	Jun 3, 2016
-8.4	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	Jul 21, 2017
-8.3	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash	Jul 22, 2016
-7.6	16th Annual UP IN SMOKE BBQ Bash	Aug 9, 2019
-5.8	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!	Jul 20, 2018

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)
2019	2	1	50%	top 57%	94.3%	91.7%
2018	4	0	25%	top 83%	91.3%	89.3%
2017	2	0	100%	top 70%	90%	89.4%
2016	3	0	33%	top 81%	91.5%	88%
2015	3	0	67%	top 61%	91.1%	90.5%
2014	2	0	100%	top 48%	91.8%	91.7%
2013	2	0	100%	top 29%	93.2%	92.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 9, 2019	16th Annual UP IN SMOKE BBQ Bash 🏅 Mason City, IA	33 / 38 (642.1944)	20 (167.9772)	14 (165.7144)	31 (158.8228)	35 (149.6800)
Jul 19, 2019	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! 🏅 Waterloo, IA	9 / 33 (678.8004)	27 (163.4288)	4 (173.1200)	2 (177.7144)	18 (164.5372)
Sep 28, 2018	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	23 / 29 (620.4460)	20 (158.8572)	25 (148.5144)	22 (158.2400)	22 (154.8344)
Jul 20, 2018	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA	35 / 42 (638.7200)	21 (166.8800)	29 (161.6456)	39 (154.2400)	33 (155.9544)
Jun 9, 2018	Mankato Cookout (Day 2) Mankato, MN	36 / 42 (655.9432)	34 (164.0344)	33 (163.9544)	39 (157.6572)	14 (170.2972)
Jun 8, 2018	Mankato Cookout (Day 1) Mankato, MN	36 / 44 (657.0404)	18 (170.2744)	40 (155.9660)	10 (173.1200)	38 (157.6800)
Jul 21, 2017	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	42 / 49 (639.3028)	42 (154.2400)	35 (159.3944)	46 (154.2628)	10 (171.4056)
Jul 14, 2017	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA	18 / 33 (647.9664)	9 (169.7144)	5 (170.2744)	21 (157.7372)	26 (150.2404)
Jul 22, 2016	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	41 / 47 (644.4460)	13 (172.0344)	36 (161.0972)	47 (147.9200)	30 (163.3944)
Jul 15, 2016	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too Waterloo, IA	20 / 32 (658.7540)	4 (173.1428)	25 (157.0972)	21 (160.5140)	11 (168)
Jun 3, 2016	Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN	49 / 53 (596.8912)	27 (164.5600)	48 (149.6228)	51 (143.9084)	51 (138.8000)
Jul 31, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Des Moines, IA	19 / 30 (651.3028)	18 (162.8684)	19 (161.0972)	28 (154.2172)	6 (173.1200)
Jul 24, 2015	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	36 / 54 (647.9312)	50 (155.9428)	7 (171.4172)	47 (154.8456)	22 (165.7256)
Jul 17, 2015	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	21 / 39 (655.9884)	16 (168.5600)	12 (165.7144)	29 (155.4168)	12 (166.2972)
Jul 25, 2014	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	30 / 52 (659.3256)	9 (174.2972)	10 (170.8572)	49 (154.2284)	35 (159.9428)
Jul 18, 2014	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	14 / 37 (661.0056)	12 (167.3828)	19 (160.5372)	18 (160.5256)	7 (172.5600)
Jul 26, 2013	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	16 / 66 (670.7656)	6 (173.1200)	6 (172)	44 (161.0972)	22 (164.5484)
Jul 19, 2013	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	12 / 35 (659.3488)	3 (172)	3 (171.4172)	28 (148.5144)	8 (167.4172)

MARK'S SMOKIN QUE

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (11 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

The metronome

A standing appointment

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)