JUNIORS UP IN SMOKE

JUNIORS UP IN SMOKE is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 8th of 59 at the Best of the Basin Barbeque Championship (2013). They are ranked #2445 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,445

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1522

peak 1531 · rated over 10 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Mar 22, 2013

latest Aug 25, 2017 · 4.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1377

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

18% of 11 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 49%

overall standings

Best overall

668.4576 / 720

Master · Horse Town Brew n Que Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.06 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 641.05 (+5.01)

Walk rate

55%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5714

Pork Ribs · Best of the Basin Barbeque Championship

Consistency

±16.30

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 163.77 · weakest Brisket (156.63)

Road miles

3,982

across 11 mapped stops · furthest 1,002 mi

Schedule strength

15%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1521)

Master avg

641.05 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (6 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

668.4576 career-best overall

92.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 668.4576 at Horse Town Brew n Que Festival — 92.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 3, 2016

A tough matchup

6–1 behind in the head-to-head

BUTCHER BBQ ahead in 86% of their meetings

BUTCHER BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.1 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.14 points below their pork, and turns into a call 9% of the time against 36%.

Brisket avg 156.63
Pork avg 163.77
1 call in 11 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Rooster's Rebel BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The long haul

3,982 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,982 miles across 11 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,002 miles to Horse Town Brew n Que Festival.

11 mapped stops
furthest 1,002 mi

The metronome

±2.26% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.26% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.0% of a perfect score
11 contests

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
2014 ↗	Master	#1486 (172 pts)	#1546 (177 pts)	#1495 (187 pts)	#1256 (252 pts)	#1456 (192 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1377 (170 pts)	#2073 (75 pts)	#1029 (300 pts)	#1793 (125 pts)	#1803 (115 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to JUNIORS UP IN SMOKE, each with one reason worth a look.

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

TEX'S SMOKE

#2,455 of the rated field

1522 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1522

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to JUNIORS UP IN SMOKE)

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen Jun 4, 2021

⚔ Head-to-head

S&S Pit Crew

#2,451 of the rated field

1522 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1535

0–3 in 3 shared contests (0% to JUNIORS UP IN SMOKE)

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 26 contests to 11.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Oct 15, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKERS PURGATORY

#2,449 of the rated field

1522 power rating

Contests: 131
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1703

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to JUNIORS UP IN SMOKE)

They've been 1703 at their best, 181 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 129 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

GUYS IN A TRUCK BBQ

#2,448 of the rated field

1522 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1526

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 11 contests, alongside a 36% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Jun 13, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

LIVESPARKS

#2,446 of the rated field

1522 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1522

Level with JUNIORS UP IN SMOKE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Jul 27, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

BUTTS AND GUTS

#2,434 of the rated field

1523 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1523

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 Jun 22, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BUTCHER BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
Big Daddy G's BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
ROCK BOTTOM BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Smokin Hot J's	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
CIRCLE R COOKERS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
CAN'T SMOKE THIS	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	2	0	1	176	145.1426	160.39	top 53%
Pork Ribs	11	1	1	1	176.5714	151.9544	160.24	top 58%
Pork	11	4	0	1	173.1200	151.3484	163.77	top 43%
Brisket	11	1	1	1	173.7028	140.4684	156.63	top 55%

“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)	1	0	top 68%
Large (40+)	10	0	top 47%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
TX	8	top 39%
MO	2	top 92%
CA	1	top 45%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship	2	24	top 54%	Aug 25, 2017
Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship	2	12	top 26%	Apr 17, 2015
City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	2	10	top 33%	Aug 30, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2014 5 contests

Contests a season 2.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in TX 8 of 11 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 8 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 926 finished ahead 419 times, behind 812

Longest layoff 1.1 yrs Apr 17, 2015 → Jun 3, 2016

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

20171 milestone

Aug 25 Most recent contest Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship

20163 milestones

Jun 3 Career-best overall score668.4576 Horse Town Brew n Que Festival
Aug 26 10th tracked contest Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship
Aug 26 Peak power rating (1531) Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship

20136 milestones

Mar 22 First tracked contest Best of the Basin Barbeque Championship
Mar 22 First call Best of the Basin Barbeque Championship
Mar 22 First category win (Pork Ribs) Best of the Basin Barbeque Championship
Mar 22 First overall top-10 Best of the Basin Barbeque Championship
Mar 22 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5714 Best of the Basin Barbeque Championship
Aug 31 First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.3144 City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.5	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	Aug 31, 2013
+12.2	Best of the Basin Barbeque Championship	Mar 22, 2013
+7.8	Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship	Apr 25, 2014
+7.1	Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship	Apr 17, 2015
+5.5	Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship	Aug 26, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.9	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	Oct 2, 2014
-8.3	Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship	Aug 25, 2017
-5.1	NBBQA BBQ Bash Cook Off	Mar 7, 2014
-1.9	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival	Aug 30, 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)
2017	1	0	0	0%	top 75%	87.6%	87.6%
2016	2	0	0	50%	top 39%	92.8%	92.5%
2015	1	0	1	100%	top 27%	90.5%	90.5%
2014	5	0	0	40%	top 66%	88.5%	87.2%
2013	2	2	1	100%	top 12%	91%	90.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 25, 2017	Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship Lubbock, TX	33 / 44 (630.6860)	20 (166.8572)	36 (154.8000)	27 (158.2400)	37 (150.7888)
Aug 26, 2016	Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship Lubbock, TX	24 / 72 (663.9316)	2 (176)	45 (160.5260)	56 (157.1428)	15 (170.2628)
Jun 3, 2016	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival Norco, CA	26 / 58 (668.4576)	38 (166.8344)	20 (169.6916)	28 (166.8344)	28 (165.0972)
Apr 17, 2015	Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship Midland, TX	12 / 44 (651.8972)	34 (150.8116)	26 (154.8228)	3 (172.5600)	1 (173.7028)
Oct 2, 2014	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	479 / 552 (615.3144)	453 (155.3828)	456 (154.2516)	429 (156.5256)	471 (149.1544)
Oct 2, 2014	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational unrated Kansas City, MO	160 / 165 (625.5884)	161 (155.3828)	134 (160.5944)	114 (164.5484)	161 (145.0628)
Aug 30, 2014	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX	42 / 76 (637.0860)	23 (166.2400)	54 (154.8572)	8 (170.9144)	69 (145.0744)
Apr 25, 2014	Bynum Schools Best of the Basin BBQ Championship Midland, TX	15 / 62 (634.7884)	9 (164.5828)	19 (162.8800)	7 (166.8572)	45 (140.4684)
Mar 7, 2014	NBBQA BBQ Bash Cook Off San Marcos, TX	15 / 22 (625.0168)	16 (150.2744)	12 (161.7256)	18 (151.3484)	11 (161.6684)
Aug 31, 2013	City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX	10 / 89 (655.3144)	16 (166.8344)	70 (151.9544)	4 (173.1200)	19 (163.4056)
Mar 22, 2013	Best of the Basin Barbeque Championship Midland, TX	8 / 59 (643.4284)	44 (145.1426)	1 (176.5714)	15 (163.4286)	17 (158.2858)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

JUNIORS UP IN SMOKE

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 (6 found in their record)

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The long haul

The metronome

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)