High-water mark
673.1430
career-best overall
93.5% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 673.1430 at Grilling on the River '13 — 93.5% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Apr 12, 2013
Sultans of Smoke
Sultans of Smoke is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 11th of 31 at the Grilling on the River '13 (2013). They are ranked #4298 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1477
peak 1505 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Mar 15, 2013
latest Jul 30, 2021 · 8.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 61%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
649.82 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 650.56 (-0.75)
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.18
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 165.70 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.22)
Road miles
833
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 276 mi
Schedule strength
16%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1523)
Purse competed for
$21K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
650.56 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
487.93 / 540
1 Backyard (3-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Sultans of Smoke, 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.
#4,294 of the rated field
- Contests
- 50
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 2%
- Peak
- 1542
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Sultans of Smoke)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Sultans of Smoke has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,276 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1477
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#4,279 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1477
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,286 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 3 years before Sultans of Smoke's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,297 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1477
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 10 contests, alongside a 10% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#4,299 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1477
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KILLER HOGS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| HOTTY TOTTY BBQ CREW | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| CRITTER SMOKIN' FOOLS | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG ED'S MSU BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| SOUTHERN SMOKED SWINE | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG WHIT AND THE BOYS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HEAVENLY MANNA BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| CUZ'S CUSTOM COOKING | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 174.2858 | 150.8564 | 165.51 | top 48% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.2858 | 149.7140 | 159.22 | top 68% |
| Pork | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.4172 | 153.6572 | 160.48 | top 70% |
| Brisket | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 174.2858 | 152.5716 | 165.70 | top 47% |
“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) | 4 | 0 | top 52% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 69% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2013
6 contests
Contests a season
3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MS
8 of 9 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
9
a different one every time
Opponents faced
339
finished ahead 192 times, behind 295
Longest layoff
7.3 yrs
Mar 14, 2014 → Jun 18, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20211 milestone
- Most recent contest GBC Summer Showdown
20136 milestones
- First tracked contest Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score652.5714 Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel
- First call Grilling on the River '13
- Career-best overall score673.1430 Grilling on the River '13
- Peak power rating (1505) Grilling on the River '13
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.2858 The Desoto Shrine Club 5th Annual 2013 BBQ Cookoff
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +5.8 | Grilling on the River '13 | Apr 12, 2013 |
| +4.2 | GBC Summer Showdown | Jul 30, 2021 |
| +2.7 | Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Benefiting Link Centre | Mar 14, 2014 |
| +0.1 | Roast n' Boast | Aug 23, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.3 | Mississippi Springfest | May 10, 2013 |
| -10.2 | Stand By Your Grill | Aug 16, 2013 |
| -8 | DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off | Jun 18, 2021 |
| -6.8 | The Desoto Shrine Club 5th Annual 2013 BBQ Cookoff | Jun 14, 2013 |
| -0.6 | Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel | Mar 15, 2013 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 59% | 90.4% | 89.2% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 47% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2013 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 64% | 93.5% | 90.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2021 | GBC Summer Showdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 13 / 39 (487.9316) | 13 (162.8344) | 18 (153.6800) | 4 (171.4172) | — |
| Jun 18, 2021 | DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Nesbit, MS | 41 / 48 (633.5200) | 40 (160.5484) | 44 (156.5144) | 46 (153.6572) | 35 (162.8000) |
| Mar 14, 2014 | Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Benefiting Link Centre Tupelo, MS | 45 / 95 (654.7888) | 19 (170.8688) | 64 (158.2744) | 82 (155.9428) | 24 (169.7028) |
| Aug 23, 2013 | Roast n' Boast Columbus, MS | 15 / 27 (667.2568) | 16 (166.8228) | 20 (166.2284) | 23 (162.2284) | 7 (171.9772) |
| Aug 16, 2013 | Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS | 54 / 62 (642.0916) | 51 (161.6688) | 54 (155.9544) | 55 (158.2284) | 35 (166.2400) |
| Jun 14, 2013 | The Desoto Shrine Club 5th Annual 2013 BBQ Cookoff Hernando, MS | 29 / 40 (651.4282) | 4 (174.2858) | 28 (158.8570) | 29 (161.1426) | 31 (157.1428) |
| May 10, 2013 | Mississippi Springfest Ashland, MS | 24 / 29 (629.7132) | 27 (150.8564) | 26 (149.7140) | 24 (154.8570) | 3 (174.2858) |
| Apr 12, 2013 | Grilling on the River '13 Columbus, MS | 11 / 31 (673.1430) | 3 (174.2858) | 21 (163.4286) | 17 (164.5714) | 9 (170.8572) |
| Mar 15, 2013 | Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Tupelo, MS | 52 / 100 (652.5714) | 38 (167.4284) | 16 (170.2858) | 52 (162.2856) | 81 (152.5716) |