SMOKIN RETURNS

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

Power ranking

#2501

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1520

peak 1522 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-04-05

latest 2019-09-12

Best ToY finish

#1471

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 47%

overall standings

Best overall

680.5484 / 720

Master · 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open

Perfect 180s

Current form

647.52 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 654.09 (-6.57)

Walk rate

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.0000

Pork Ribs · 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open

Consistency

±11.57

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.11 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.11)

Road miles

161

mi across 11 mapped stops

Schedule strength

47%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1560)

Purse competed for

$68K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

654.09 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 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.

High-water mark

680.5484 career-best overall

94.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 680.5484 at 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open — 94.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
2013-10-03

A tough matchup

9–0 behind in the head-to-head

BURNT FINGER BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

BURNT FINGER BBQ has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.0 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.99 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.

Pork Ribs avg 161.11
Chicken avg 167.11
0 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of T'S SMOKIN PIT in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The comeback

1.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.9 years, then back at Independence Fire & Ice BBQ (2015-09-11).

last seen 2013-10-03
back 2015-09-11

Chicken nemesis

7 of 9 shared chicken entries lost

BURNT FINGER BBQ ahead 78% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BURNT FINGER BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 9 shared chicken entries.

An October team

Top 30% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 30% across 3 contests, versus top 47% the rest of the year.

3 October contests
top 47% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.61% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.61% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.8% of a perfect score
11 contests

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.

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

LOS HERMANOS DE CARNE

#2511 of the rated field

1519 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1519

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to SMOKIN RETURNS)

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

SLABS OF APPROVAL

#2512 of the rated field

1519 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1543

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to SMOKIN RETURNS)

Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2017-08-18

⚔ Head-to-head

M & K BBQ

#2505 of the rated field

1520 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1533

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to SMOKIN RETURNS)

20 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 15% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2025-10-17

⚔ Head-to-head

EMERALD BUFFALO

#2499 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1544

1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to SMOKIN RETURNS)

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

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2018-08-03

⚔ Head-to-head

TORNADO ALLEY

#2500 of the rated field

1520 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1520

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to SMOKIN RETURNS)

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

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

JACK'S OLD SOUTH

#2496 of the rated field

1520 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 115
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1697

3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to SMOKIN RETURNS)

They've been 1697 at their best, 177 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 109 contests
last seen 2025-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Theslabs.com	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
PIG NEWTON	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
50 SHADES OF QUE	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
BURNT FINGER BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Bare Bones BBQ Team	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
SMOOTH SMOKE	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
ROADKILL BBQ	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
HI-TECH SMOKERS	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
S&S BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	172.0000	159.4400	167.11	top 40%
Pork Ribs	11	176.0000	143.8400	161.11	top 57%
Pork	11	174.2628	158.8000	163.25	top 58%
Brisket	11	171.4056	157.6916	162.62	top 50%

“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	GCs	Avg finish
MO	8	0	top 48%
KS	3	0	top 45%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ and Fly In on the River	2	31	0	top 58%	2016-08-19

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 6.4 yrs 2013-04-05 → 2019-09-12

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 2.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MO 8 of 11 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 10 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 11 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 167.11 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.11)

Walk rate 0% a top-10 call in 0 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 11 contests

Master average 654.09 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 1,603 1,722–1,300 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 161 11 mapped stops

Schedule strength 1560 average field rating faced — tougher than 47% of rated contests

Purse competed for $68,425 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.9 yrs 2013-10-03 → 2015-09-11

Power rating 1520 peak 1522 · #2501 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Apr 5 First tracked contest Smokin' On Big Creek
Aug 16 First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.4572 BBQ and Fly In on the River
Oct 3 Career-best overall score680.5484 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
2015
Oct 3 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.0000 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open
Oct 3 Peak power rating (1522) 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open
2018
Sep 15 10th tracked contest 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
2019
Sep 12 Most recent contest 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.2	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	2013-10-03
+8.6	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST	2019-09-12
+6.4	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ	2015-09-11
+3	BBQ and Fly In on the River	2013-08-16
+1.3	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open	2015-10-03

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-4.9	Smokin' On Big Creek	2013-04-05
-4.8	*Independence Fire & Ice BBQ	2016-09-09
-3.4	BBQ and Fly In on the River	2016-08-19
-2.2	Racing for the BBQ	2016-07-29
-0.4	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN)	2016-10-29

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0%	top 17%	—	—
2018	1	0%	top 60%	90.9%	90.9%
2016	4	0%	top 66%	91.7%	90.2%
2015	2	0%	top 32%	92.6%	92.2%
2013	3	0%	top 39%	94.5%	91.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-09-12	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	80 / 468 (490.8112)	353 (159.4400)	284 (163.3828)	275 (163.3828)	286 (160.5144)
2018-09-15	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	278 / 467 (654.1712)	226 (166.8456)	318 (161.6800)	267 (162.8572)	265 (162.7884)
2016-10-29	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN) Kansas City, KS	328 / 557 (648.5144)	78 (172.0000)	372 (159.9656)	414 (158.8572)	355 (157.6916)
2016-09-09	*Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	55 / 76 (640.3084)	30 (167.3828)	74 (143.8400)	50 (163.9656)	34 (165.1200)
2016-08-19	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	39 / 56 (647.9084)	35 (164.5944)	42 (162.8228)	45 (160.5484)	37 (159.9428)
2016-07-29	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	35 / 54 (659.9200)	31 (168.0000)	17 (169.1428)	48 (158.8000)	29 (163.9772)
2015-10-03	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	169 / 606 (666.8340)	187 (168.0000)	19 (176.0000)	408 (159.9884)	284 (162.8456)
2015-09-11	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	27 / 76 (661.0512)	21 (167.9656)	18 (169.1200)	39 (161.1200)	33 (162.8456)
2013-10-03	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	16 / 535 (680.5484)	46 (171.4284)	180 (163.4516)	21 (174.2628)	40 (171.4056)
2013-08-16	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	31 / 66 (648.4572)	29 (163.9656)	54 (153.1316)	15 (169.7028)	31 (161.6572)
2013-04-05	Smokin' On Big Creek Pleasant Hill, MO	49 / 74 (640.5708)	21 (168.5712)	66 (149.7142)	50 (162.2854)	45 (160.0000)

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
2016 ↗	Master	#1775 (120 pts)	#1883 (120 pts)	#1884 (120 pts)	#1872 (120 pts)	#1839 (120 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2031 (90 pts)	#2225 (60 pts)	#2214 (60 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1471 (150 pts)	#1458 (170 pts)	#1571 (150 pts)	#1332 (200 pts)	#1506 (150 pts)