BUILDING SMOKE

BUILDING SMOKE is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2016. Their best overall finish is 7th of 78 at the Smokin' on the Summit (2015). They are ranked #1599 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,599

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1558

peak 1558 · rated over 14 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 7, 2013

latest Jul 29, 2016 · 3.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#698

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

7% of 14 contests

Avg finish

top 41%

overall standings

Best overall

681.6800 / 720

Master · 2016 Smokin in the Wood BBQ Competition

Perfect 180s

Current form

667.79 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 656.80 (+10.98)

Walk rate

57%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7028

Pork Ribs · Smokin on the Summit

Consistency

±20.54

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 165.77 · weakest Brisket (161.00)

Road miles

254

across 14 mapped stops · furthest 46 mi

Schedule strength

32%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1543)

State championships

0 🏅

won from 1 state-championship entry

Master avg

656.80 / 720

14 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

681.6800 career-best overall

94.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 681.6800 at 2016 Smokin in the Wood BBQ Competition — 94.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 13, 2016

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

−4.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.78 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 14% of the time against 21%.

Brisket avg 161.00
Pork Ribs avg 165.77
2 calls in 14 entries

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ALL FORKED UP FOR Q in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

8 of 9 shared pork ribs entries lost

DIRT ROAD BBQ ahead 89% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, DIRT ROAD BBQ has out-cooked them in 8 of 9 shared pork ribs entries.

A June team

Top 22% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 22% across 4 contests, versus top 41% the rest of the year.

4 June contests
top 41% the rest of the year

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
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2152 (70 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#1577 (165 pts)	#1763 (120 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#698 (513 pts)	#926 (388 pts)	#504 (788 pts)	#910 (398 pts)	#670 (553 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1970 (75 pts)	#2073 (75 pts)	#1437 (180 pts)	#2080 (75 pts)	#2034 (75 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BUILDING SMOKE, each with one reason worth a look.

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

MADE WITH RUB

#1,606 of the rated field

1558 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 45%
Peak: 1558

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BUILDING SMOKE)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BUILDING SMOKE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Oct 14, 2016

⚔ Head-to-head

WANNA B'S

#1,607 of the rated field

1558 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1565

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BUILDING SMOKE)

Careers of much the same size, 19 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Apr 5, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

MasterQue

#1,596 of the rated field

1558 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1560

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BUILDING SMOKE)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 23 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 23 contests
last seen Mar 7, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

Meat Church

#1,602 of the rated field

1558 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1558

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BUILDING SMOKE)

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

rated over 6 contests
last seen Mar 11, 2016

⚔ Head-to-head

OINK, MOO & COCK-A-DOODLE DOO

#1,604 of the rated field

1558 power rating

Contests: 41
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1562

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to BUILDING SMOKE)

41 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 5% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 41 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKEAHOLICS KS

#1,605 of the rated field

1558 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 64%
Peak: 1573

Their last contest in the data was back in 2013, 3 years before BUILDING SMOKE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 11 contests

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Theslabs.com	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
SMOOTH SMOKE	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
THUMP & STRUM BBQ	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
Sons of a Brisket	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
PELLET ENVY	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
BURNT FINGER BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
WALDO BBQ	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
NICKLE BOYS BBQ	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
Go Pig or Go Home	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
ROADKILL BBQ	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
MAN VS QUE	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	14	2	0	1	177.1544	138.1712	164.63	top 44%
Pork Ribs	14	3	1	1	177.7028	150.7656	165.77	top 38%
Pork	14	2	0	0	173.7028	153.6800	165.40	top 40%
Brisket	14	2	0	0	171.4056	146.8344	161.00	top 48%

“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 43%
Large (40+)	13	0	top 41%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MO	13	0	top 40%
KS	1	0	top 53%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin' on the Summit	3	7	0	top 24%	Jun 5, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2014 5 contests

Contests a season 3.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 13 of 14 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 12 1 of them more than once

Opponents faced 1,247 finished ahead 1,105 times, behind 1,257

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

20163 milestones

May 13 Career-best overall score681.6800 2016 Smokin in the Wood BBQ Competition
Jul 29 Peak power rating (1558) Racing for the BBQ
Jul 29 Most recent contest Racing for the BBQ

20152 milestones

Jun 5 First overall top-10 Smokin' on the Summit
Sep 11 10th tracked contest Independence Fire & Ice BBQ

20143 milestones

Jun 6 First category win (Pork Ribs) Smokin on the Summit
Jun 6 First overall past 90% of a perfect score663.8856 Smokin on the Summit
Jun 6 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.7028 Smokin on the Summit

20132 milestones

Jun 7 First tracked contest SMOKIN on the Summit
Jun 7 First call SMOKIN on the Summit

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.6	Smokin' on the Summit	Jun 5, 2015
+11	Racing for the BBQ	Jul 25, 2014
+10.4	Smokin on the Summit	Jun 6, 2014
+10.3	Smokin' on the Summit BBQ	Jun 3, 2016
+5.6	Racing for the BBQ	Jul 29, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.3	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	Oct 3, 2013
-0.6	Smokin On Big Creek - Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief	Apr 4, 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)
2016	3	0	0	67%	top 32%	94.7%	94.2%
2015	4	1	0	50%	top 39%	94.2%	91.5%
2014	5	0	1	60%	top 39%	92.8%	91.3%
2013	2	0	0	50%	top 63%	88.8%	86%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 29, 2016	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	20 / 54 (677.0400)	23 (169.7144)	11 (174.2628)	14 (172.5484)	40 (160.5144)
Jun 3, 2016	Smokin' on the Summit BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	11 / 67 (675.9084)	2 (177.1544)	41 (161.6800)	23 (167.9656)	11 (169.1084)
May 13, 2016	2016 Smokin in the Wood BBQ Competition Greenwood, MO	13 / 30 (681.6800)	9 (170.8456)	12 (169.7144)	10 (173.7028)	15 (167.4172)
Oct 3, 2015	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	301 / 606 (652.4684)	181 (168.5256)	306 (163.4056)	90 (171.4172)	501 (149.1200)
Sep 11, 2015	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	34 / 76 (651.8284)	19 (169.7028)	65 (150.7656)	15 (170.8228)	38 (160.5372)
Jun 5, 2015	Smokin' on the Summit Lee's Summit, MO	7 / 78 (678.2168)	18 (169.1656)	13 (169.6800)	14 (167.9656)	9 (171.4056)
Apr 17, 2015	VFW Post 846 7th Annual BBQ Challenge Overland Park, KS	25 / 47 (652.5144)	23 (165.1428)	43 (150.8116)	7 (168.5600)	13 (168)
Oct 2, 2014	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	282 / 552 (653.6688)	240 (166.2744)	80 (172.0228)	196 (166.8572)	485 (148.5144)
Sep 5, 2014	Bates County Barbecue State Championship & Festival 🏅 Butler, MO	18 / 43 (657.6456)	21 (164)	16 (165.1200)	30 (159.4056)	6 (169.1200)
Jul 25, 2014	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	11 / 54 (668.4340)	42 (161.6572)	4 (172.5484)	19 (166.8456)	16 (167.3828)
Jun 6, 2014	Smokin on the Summit Lee's Summit, MO	17 / 79 (663.8856)	26 (164.5372)	1 (177.7028)	46 (157.6456)	20 (164)
Apr 4, 2014	Smokin On Big Creek - Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief Pleasant Hill, MO	45 / 75 (643.2916)	63 (156.5144)	41 (161.0972)	36 (163.9656)	35 (161.7144)
Oct 3, 2013	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	454 / 535 (599.2572)	521 (138.1712)	230 (160.5716)	399 (153.6800)	441 (146.8344)
Jun 7, 2013	SMOKIN on the Summit Lees Summit, MO	33 / 81 (639.4280)	28 (163.4284)	7 (171.4286)	62 (154.2854)	61 (150.2856)

BUILDING SMOKE

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (6 found in their record)

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork Ribs nemesis

A June team

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)