OLY SMOKES

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

Power ranking

#1961

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1539

peak 1558 · rated over 12 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-08-23

latest 2021-08-13

Best ToY finish

#816

Master 2014

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 12 contests

Avg finish

top 45%

overall standings

Best overall

685.7144 / 720

Master · Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest

Perfect 180s

Current form

647.90 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 662.19 (-14.29)

Walk rate

75%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

177.7372

Chicken · Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest

Consistency

±14.96

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 169.60 · weakest Brisket (161.15)

Road miles

1,385

mi across 12 mapped stops · furthest 697 mi

Schedule strength

53%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1568)

Purse competed for

$18K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

662.19 / 720

12 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (12 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.

The heartbreaker

0.6628 points from the title

Came within 0.6628 points of the Grand Championship at Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest (2013-08-23).

They almost always walk

75% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 9 of 12 contests

A top-10 category call in 75% of their 12 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

685.7144 career-best overall

95.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 685.7144 at Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest — 95.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
2013-08-23

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

2 CASE BBQ has finished one call ahead of OLY SMOKES 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 28%.

3 contests
2 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 28%

A tough matchup

7–1 behind in the head-to-head

LUCKY'S Q ahead in 88% of their meetings

LUCKY'S Q has come out ahead in 7 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.45 points below their pork, and turns into a call 17% of the time against 58%.

Brisket avg 161.15
Pork avg 169.60
2 calls in 12 entries

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN BIG DAWGS in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The comeback

1.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at Milliken BBQ Beef N Bean Day (2021-08-13).

last seen 2019-10-18
back 2021-08-13

Announced themselves early

2nd at their very first contest

Finished 2 of 17 at their very first tracked contest, Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest (2013-08-23).

2013-08-23
17-team field

The metronome

±2.08% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.08% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.0% of a perfect score
12 contests

A standing appointment

6 years running at one contest

They've cooked BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! every year from 2014 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

6 visits in all
best finish 8th

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.

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

Grills of Mississippi

#1958 of the rated field

1539 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1550

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2023-04-28

⚔ Head-to-head

MUSIC CITY SMOKE

#1956 of the rated field

1540 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1551

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2023-03-17

⚔ Head-to-head

2-CAN-Q

#1974 of the rated field

1539 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 58%
Peak: 1552

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2022-03-19

⚔ Head-to-head

BRINGINGTHEHEATBBQ

#1979 of the rated field

1539 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1539

No shared contest yet.

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 2019-10-04

⚔ Head-to-head

Slingin' Q

#1980 of the rated field

1539 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 55%
Peak: 1543

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-03-20

⚔ Head-to-head

United Pork Smokers

#1967 of the rated field

1539 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1553

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2023-04-14

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
BIG CHAIN BBQ GANG	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN BIG DAWGS	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
MEADOW VALLEY BBQ CO.	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
MARK'S SMOKIN QUE	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
BLACK DOG BBQ IA	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
NECTAR OF THE HOGS	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
2 CASE BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
DRY 2 DA BONE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
LTS BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
BIG T'Z Q CRU	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	4	1	2	177.7372	154.2972	167.13	top 46%
Pork Ribs	12	3	0	1	173.1544	158.2744	164.31	top 49%
Pork	12	7	1	3	176.5600	162.2744	169.60	top 33%
Brisket	12	2	0	0	167.9656	151.3372	161.15	top 54%

“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
IA	9	top 40%
CO	2	top 69%
MN	1	top 39%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 12%
Medium (20–39)	7	top 43%
Large (40+)	4	top 57%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	6	8	0	top 45%	2019-07-19

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

On the trail 8 yrs 2013-08-23 → 2021-08-13

Busiest season 2014 3 contests

Contests a season 1.5 across 8 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IA 9 of 12 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 12 entries · 1 win · 4 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 169.60 · weakest Brisket (161.15)

Walk rate 75% a top-10 call in 9 of 12 contests

Overall top-10 rate 33% 4 of 12 contests

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 662.19 out of 720 · 12 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 254 227–193 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,385 12 mapped stops · furthest 697 mi

Schedule strength 1568 average field rating faced — tougher than 53% of rated contests

Purse competed for $18,100 listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 3 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.8 yrs 2019-10-18 → 2021-08-13

Power rating 1539 peak 1558 · #1961 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Aug 23 First tracked contest Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest
Aug 23 First call Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest
Aug 23 First category win (Chicken) Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest
Aug 23 First overall top-10 Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest
Aug 23 First overall podium Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest
Aug 23 First Reserve Championship Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest
Aug 23 First overall past 90% of a perfect score685.7144 Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest
Aug 23 Career-best overall score685.7144 Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest
Aug 23 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7372 Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest
2018
Jul 20 Peak power rating (1558) BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!
2019
Jul 19 10th tracked contest BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!
2021
Aug 13 Most recent contest Milliken BBQ Beef N Bean Day

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.1	Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest	2013-08-23
+11.5	Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge	2014-06-21
+10.6	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	2014-07-18
+8.4	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too	2016-07-15
+4.2	Big Island BBQ	2014-08-22

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.9	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	2019-07-19
-6.1	Meat Scream BBQ Competition	2019-10-18
-4.3	Milliken BBQ Beef N Bean Day	2021-08-13

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2021	1	0	0	100%	top 67%	90%	90%
2019	2	0	0	0%	top 75%	90%	88.9%
2018	1	0	0	0%	top 52%	91.9%	91.9%
2017	1	0	0	100%	top 48%	90.2%	90.2%
2016	1	1	0	100%	top 28%	93.1%	93.1%
2015	2	0	0	100%	top 48%	92.1%	92%
2014	3	2	1	100%	top 28%	94.8%	93.8%
2013	1	1	1	100%	top 12%	95.2%	95.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2021-08-13	Milliken BBQ Beef N Bean Day 🏅 Milliken, CO	28 / 42 (647.8744)	8 (173.1428)	28 (161.1200)	26 (162.2744)	32 (151.3372)
2019-10-18	Meat Scream BBQ Competition 🏅 Westminster, CO	33 / 46 (632.4916)	42 (154.2972)	34 (158.2744)	26 (164.5488)	35 (155.3712)
2019-07-19	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! 🏅 Waterloo, IA	26 / 33 (647.8856)	22 (166.2628)	25 (158.8000)	24 (165.1200)	25 (157.7028)
2018-07-20	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA	22 / 42 (661.6688)	30 (164.0116)	24 (164.5600)	19 (166.8344)	18 (166.2628)
2017-07-14	*BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA	16 / 33 (649.5656)	25 (157.0856)	14 (162.2628)	8 (169.6800)	16 (160.5372)
2016-07-15	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too Waterloo, IA	9 / 32 (670.2172)	19 (166.8344)	18 (161.1544)	3 (174.2628)	12 (167.9656)
2015-07-17	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	17 / 39 (661.5772)	14 (169.1200)	16 (163.9656)	5 (170.2744)	23 (158.2172)
2015-06-27	Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge Davenport, IA	17 / 32 (663.2568)	3 (173.1428)	21 (160.5028)	18 (165.0856)	15 (164.5256)
2014-08-22	Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	21 / 54 (668.4344)	12 (172.5600)	23 (167.9772)	1 (176.5600)	45 (151.3372)
2014-07-18	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	8 / 37 (675.3028)	25 (159.9428)	6 (171.9772)	2 (175.4172)	12 (167.9656)
2014-06-21	Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge Davenport, IA	6 / 25 (682.2628)	7 (171.4056)	8 (168.0000)	4 (175.4172)	7 (167.4400)
2013-08-23	Nevada Kiwanis BBQ Contest Nevada, IA	2 / 17 (685.7144)	1 (177.7372)	3 (173.1544)	5 (169.7028)	7 (165.1200)

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	#1581 (118 pts)	#1515 (133 pts)	#1673 (118 pts)	#1562 (123 pts)	#1637 (118 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1870 (75 pts)	#2012 (60 pts)	#1976 (65 pts)	#1870 (90 pts)	#1825 (95 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1968 (103 pts)	#2817 (58 pts)	#1992 (113 pts)	#1637 (153 pts)	#2018 (103 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1663 (142 pts)	#2203 (87 pts)	#2184 (92 pts)	#1368 (232 pts)	#1829 (122 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1316 (197 pts)	#979 (347 pts)	#1465 (182 pts)	#1180 (277 pts)	#1473 (177 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#816 (417 pts)	#983 (357 pts)	#898 (407 pts)	#503 (762 pts)	#937 (357 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1132 (242 pts)	#1117 (267 pts)	#1304 (217 pts)	#1480 (167 pts)	#1575 (147 pts)