A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
All About the Wood ahead in 100% of their meetings
All About the Wood has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
Santo Smokes
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1462
peak 1462 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
2025-07-25
latest 2026-05-16
Best ToY finish
#191
Backyard 2025
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 81%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
319.12
last 5 Backyard vs avg 319.12 (+0.00)
Walk rate
13%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.36
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 159.55 · weakest Brisket (144.54)
Road miles
214
mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 106 mi
Schedule strength
72%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1591)
Purse competed for
$43K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
620.43 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
319.12 / 360
5 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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.
Storylines (3 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.
Going the wrong way
-28
rating points in a year
The rating has slipped 28 points across 6 contests since 2025-07-25 — from 1490 down to 1462.
- 6 contests since 2025-07-25
- now 1462
The metronome
±1.86%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.86% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 88.2% of a perfect score
- 8 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.
125 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4990 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1462
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Santo Smokes's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#4976 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1505
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1505 at their best, 42 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#5007 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1462
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#5004 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1462
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2013, 12 years before Santo Smokes's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#5011 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1462
No shared contest yet.
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 17% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#4985 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1463
No shared contest yet.
Level with Santo Smokes on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All About the Wood | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Backwooder BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Yardogs BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| UP IN SMOKERS | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HotMess BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2856 | 151.9200 | 159.06 | top 76% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.2516 | 154.2744 | 159.55 | top 74% |
| Pork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 154.2172 | 154.2172 | 154.22 | top 93% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 144.5372 | 144.5372 | 144.54 | top 89% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA | 4 | 0 | top 97% |
| NJ | 2 | 0 | top 51% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 106% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 76% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 95% | 2026-05-16 |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 2 | 13 | 0 | top 51% | 2025-10-25 |
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 98% | 2025-07-26 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
0.8 yrs
2025-07-25 → 2026-05-16
Busiest season
2025
6 contests
Contests a season
4
across 2 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
PA
4 of 8 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
3
3 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
7 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
averages 159.55 · weakest Brisket (144.54)
Walk rate
13%
a top-10 call in 1 of 8 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 8 contests
Master average
620.43
out of 720 · 1 contest · 0 GCs
Backyard average
319.12
out of 360 · 5 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
128
49–242 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
214
8 mapped stops · furthest 106 mi
Schedule strength
1591
average field rating faced — tougher than 72% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$42,575
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 6 state-championship entries
Power rating
1462
peak 1462 · #4994 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2025
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score325.6456 Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Peak power rating (1490) Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
- Career-best overall score620.4344 Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- First call Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1)
- 2026
- Career-best single call (Chicken)166.2856 Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1)
- Most recent contest Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +3.8 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) | 2025-10-24 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.3 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2025-07-26 |
| -10 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | 2026-05-16 |
| -10 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | 2025-07-25 |
| -8.7 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) | 2026-05-15 |
| -2.6 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 2025-10-25 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 89.8% | 89.5% |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17% | top 74% | 90.5% | 87.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-16 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 18 / 17 (323.3260) | 17 (158.2288) | 13 (165.0972) | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 21 / 25 (321.0628) | 14 (166.2856) | 20 (154.7772) | — | — |
| 2025-10-25 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 19 / 32 (307.3944) | 18 (153.1200) | 19 (154.2744) | — | — |
| 2025-10-25 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (One Meat Ribs) Jackson, NJ | — | — | 17 (154.7772) | — | — |
| 2025-10-24 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (One Meat Chicken) Jackson, NJ | — | 17 (158.2516) | — | — | — |
| 2025-10-24 | Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Jackson, NJ | 13 / 31 (318.1716) | 16 (151.9200) | 8 (166.2516) | — | — |
| 2025-07-26 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 26 / 27 (620.4344) | 22 (161.6800) | 23 (160.0000) | 25 (154.2172) | 24 (144.5372) |
| 2025-07-25 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 30 / 30 (325.6456) | 27 (163.9656) | 29 (161.6800) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #210 (146 pts) | #193 (186 pts) | #208 (176 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #191 (237 pts) | #166 (309 pts) | #162 (355 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1470 (52 pts) | #884 (149 pts) | #940 (145 pts) | #1485 (52 pts) | #1427 (57 pts) |