SMOKIN JAKE'S SWEET BBQ

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

Power ranking

#4422

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1474

peak 1474 · rated over 8 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-04-19

latest 2018-08-10

Best ToY finish

#1564

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 8 contests

Avg finish

top 66%

overall standings

Best overall

650.8228 / 720

Master · 14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Current form

620.56 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 615.78 (+4.78)

Walk rate

25%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

168.5828

Brisket · 14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash

Consistency

±19.07

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 158.13 · weakest Chicken (149.39)

Road miles

326

mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 79 mi

Schedule strength

14%

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

Master avg

615.78 / 720

8 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 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.

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

APORKALYPSE NOW ahead in 100% of their meetings

APORKALYPSE NOW has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.7 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.74 points below their brisket, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 25%.

Chicken avg 149.39
Brisket avg 158.13
0 calls in 8 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BACKYARD BURNERS in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Maryland State BBQ Bash (2017-08-11).

last seen 2015-08-14
back 2017-08-11

Brisket nemesis

7 of 8 shared brisket entries lost

APORKALYPSE NOW ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, APORKALYPSE NOW has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared brisket entries.

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.

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

Pancho, Cisco, The Kid, and Company

#4416 of the rated field

1474 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1503

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

Paw Paw's Chuckwagon

#4413 of the rated field

1474 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1508

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1508 at their best, 34 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

THE PIGS NEXT DOOR BBQ COOKING TEAM

#4439 of the rated field

1474 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1503

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2021-04-23

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG TASTY BBQ

#4427 of the rated field

1474 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1474

No shared contest yet.

Level with SMOKIN JAKE'S SWEET BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2016-08-19

⚔ Head-to-head

Country Hoggs

#4435 of the rated field

1474 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1474

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2025-10-17

⚔ Head-to-head

Silence of the Hams BBQ

#4449 of the rated field

1474 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1474

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2024-10-30

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
APORKALYPSE NOW	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BOHEMIAN BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
FLYING PORKERS	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
3 EYZ BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Team Meat Coma	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
HAWG NATION BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	8	0	158.2854	142.2858	149.39	top 81%
Pork Ribs	8	0	159.4284	142.2858	152.42	top 70%
Pork	8	0	166.8572	138.8570	155.83	top 59%
Brisket	8	2	168.5828	149.0856	158.13	top 45%

“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
MD	6	0	top 62%
DE	2	0	top 77%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	1	0	top 68%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 66%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Maryland State BBQ Bash	2	26	0	top 79%	2018-08-10

The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.3 yrs 2013-04-19 → 2018-08-10

Busiest season 2013 5 contests

Contests a season 2 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MD 6 of 8 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 8 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 158.13 · weakest Chicken (149.39)

Walk rate 25% a top-10 call in 2 of 8 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 8 contests

Master average 615.78 out of 720 · 8 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 350 186–355 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 326 8 mapped stops · furthest 79 mi

Schedule strength 1521 average field rating faced — tougher than 14% of rated contests

Longest layoff 2 yrs 2015-08-14 → 2017-08-11

Power rating 1474 peak 1474 · #4422 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Apr 19 First tracked contest Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival
Apr 19 Peak power rating (1497) Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival
Jun 14 First call Central MD Swinetastic BBQ Festival
2015
Aug 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.8228 14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash
Aug 14 Career-best overall score650.8228 14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash
Aug 14 Career-best single call (Brisket)168.5828 14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash
2018
Aug 10 Most recent contest Maryland State BBQ Bash

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+1.6	14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash	2015-08-14
+1	Central MD Swinetastic BBQ Festival	2013-06-14
+0.5	12th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash	2013-08-09

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.9	Middletown BBQ Cook Off	2013-05-17
-9.7	Maryland State BBQ Bash	2017-08-11
-4.6	Hogs & Hops Dover	2013-09-20
-2.9	Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival	2013-04-19
-1.2	Maryland State BBQ Bash	2018-08-10

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)
2018	1	0%	top 68%	85.8%	85.8%
2017	1	0%	top 89%	83.8%	83.8%
2015	1	100%	top 54%	90.4%	90.4%
2013	5	20%	top 63%	87.6%	84.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-08-10	Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	26 / 38 (617.6120)	27 (156.5604)	33 (153.1200)	35 (147.3716)	23 (160.5600)
2017-08-11	Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	42 / 47 (603.2228)	44 (143.3372)	39 (151.9772)	31 (158.8228)	36 (149.0856)
2015-08-14	14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	25 / 46 (650.8228)	35 (156.5256)	29 (158.8572)	16 (166.8572)	9 (168.5828)
2013-09-20	Hogs & Hops Dover Dover, DE	31 / 45 (614.7084)	42 (146.7540)	26 (155.4516)	17 (163.4056)	27 (149.0972)
2013-08-09	12th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	32 / 60 (616.4456)	52 (144.5372)	43 (150.8344)	31 (154.7884)	11 (166.2856)
2013-06-14	Central MD Swinetastic BBQ Festival Frederick, MD	31 / 63 (630.8568)	60 (142.2858)	27 (159.4284)	22 (161.7140)	10 (167.4286)
2013-05-17	Middletown BBQ Cook Off Middletown, DE	48 / 56 (580.0000)	47 (146.8572)	46 (142.2858)	54 (138.8570)	30 (152.0000)
2013-04-19	Pork in the Park Barbeque Festival Salisbury, MD	63 / 106 (612.5706)	48 (158.2854)	79 (147.4282)	64 (154.8568)	59 (152.0002)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1954 (60 pts)	#2012 (60 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1939 (70 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#2266 (60 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#1985 (105 pts)	#1629 (145 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1564 (145 pts)	#1617 (145 pts)	#1651 (145 pts)	#1392 (185 pts)	#1586 (145 pts)