STEEL N SMOKE

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

Power ranking

#5999

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1432

peak 1432 · rated over 10 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-17

latest 2017-06-09

Best ToY finish

#1409

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 83%

overall standings

Best overall

642.9028 / 720

Master · Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship

Perfect 180s

Current form

636.27 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 615.88 (+20.39)

Walk rate

30%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7144

Chicken · *California Honey Harvest Festival & BBQ Championship

Consistency

±30.53

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 157.41 · weakest Brisket (146.82)

Road miles

2,027

mi across 10 mapped stops · furthest 311 mi

Schedule strength

38%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1550)

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

615.88 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (4 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

THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ ahead in 100% of their meetings

THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−10.6 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 10.59 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 20%.

Brisket avg 146.82
Chicken avg 157.41
0 calls in 10 entries

Chicken nemesis

8 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ has out-cooked them in 8 of 8 shared chicken entries.

A May team

Top 66% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 66% across 3 contests, versus top 83% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 83% the rest of the year

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.

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

RIBANATOR RUB BBQ TEAM

#6000 of the rated field

1432 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1432

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

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

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2016-11-11

⚔ Head-to-head

LORD OF THE RIBS

#5989 of the rated field

1433 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1433

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to STEEL N SMOKE)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2018-07-13

⚔ Head-to-head

PIG PIRATES BBQ

#5993 of the rated field

1433 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1433

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2025-10-24

⚔ Head-to-head

BUGHOUSE BBQ

#5988 of the rated field

1433 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1433

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2019-05-31

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG BEE'S BBQ

#6002 of the rated field

1432 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1432

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2018-08-24

⚔ Head-to-head

SWAMPCAT BBQ

#5990 of the rated field

1433 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1433

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2015-08-28

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
ZZYZX BAR.B.Q	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
LEFT COAST Q	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
BOWLING OVER PIGS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
PIGGY D'S BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
ROYAL SMOKIN' HOT	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Porterhouse BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BIG AL'S BIG TIME BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
PORKCHOP & BUBBAS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
TROPICAL HEAT BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	2	173.7144	135.4286	157.41	top 70%
Pork Ribs	10	1	171.4172	137.1430	156.07	top 69%
Pork	10	0	168.0000	138.8572	155.59	top 73%
Brisket	10	0	158.8344	126.8570	146.82	top 84%

“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
CA	7	0	top 78%
NV	3	0	top 92%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	4	0	top 89%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 78%

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.1 yrs 2013-05-17 → 2017-06-09

Busiest season 2015 3 contests

Contests a season 2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CA 7 of 10 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 10 0 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 10 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 157.41 · weakest Brisket (146.82)

Walk rate 30% a top-10 call in 3 of 10 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 10 contests

Master average 615.88 out of 720 · 10 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 263 86–359 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,027 10 mapped stops · furthest 311 mi

Schedule strength 1550 average field rating faced — tougher than 38% of rated contests

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.1 yrs 2015-09-11 → 2016-10-27

Power rating 1432 peak 1432 · #5999 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 17 First tracked contest Bakersfield's Biggest Baddest BBQ Championship
May 17 Peak power rating (1487) Bakersfield's Biggest Baddest BBQ Championship
2014
May 16 First call Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship
May 16 Career-best overall score642.9028 Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship
2017
Jun 9 10th tracked contest *California Honey Harvest Festival & BBQ Championship
Jun 9 Career-best single call (Chicken)173.7144 *California Honey Harvest Festival & BBQ Championship
Jun 9 Most recent contest *California Honey Harvest Festival & BBQ Championship

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+4	Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship	2014-05-16

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.6	Bakersfield's Biggest Baddest BBQ Championship	2013-05-17
-10.7	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships	2013-06-28
-10.3	The Great Vegas Gridiron Grill-Off	2014-09-05
-8.9	USA Barbecue Championship	2016-10-27
-8.3	California Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship	2015-06-12

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)
2017	1	100%	top 87%	86.9%	86.9%
2016	1	0%	top 94%	88.2%	88.2%
2015	3	33%	top 78%	89.1%	88.9%
2014	2	50%	top 73%	89.3%	86.7%
2013	3	0%	top 88%	84.5%	80%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-06-09	*California Honey Harvest Festival & BBQ Championship Fillmore, CA	34 / 39 (625.7032)	8 (173.7144)	36 (150.3316)	34 (151.9656)	33 (149.6916)
2016-10-27	USA Barbecue Championship Laughlin, NV	34 / 36 (634.6856)	26 (165.6684)	31 (157.1316)	31 (158.2284)	32 (153.6572)
2015-09-11	The Outlets @ Lake Elsinore BBQ State Championship 🏅 Lake Elsinore, CA	24 / 28 (638.2284)	24 (165.6684)	19 (165.1544)	27 (152.0112)	26 (155.3944)
2015-06-12	California Honey Harvest Festival and BBQ Championship Fillmore, CA	23 / 26 (641.6456)	24 (162.8456)	16 (166.3200)	22 (162.8228)	24 (149.6572)
2015-05-15	Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship Bakersfield, CA	32 / 53 (641.1088)	42 (153.1544)	5 (171.4172)	18 (168.0000)	38 (148.5372)
2014-09-05	The Great Vegas Gridiron Grill-Off Las Vegas, NV	41 / 42 (605.5884)	41 (149.6228)	36 (157.2000)	41 (147.4056)	40 (151.3600)
2014-05-16	Bakersfield's Biggest, Baddest BBQ Championship Bakersfield, CA	27 / 56 (642.9028)	10 (168.5828)	28 (156.5940)	33 (158.8916)	24 (158.8344)
2013-08-31	Smokin in Mesquite BBQ Championship Mesquite, NV	46 / 54 (608.3996)	28 (160.5484)	49 (147.9312)	36 (157.1084)	48 (142.8116)
2013-06-28	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA	49 / 56 (560.0000)	53 (135.4286)	51 (137.1430)	19 (160.5714)	53 (126.8570)
2013-05-17	Bakersfield's Biggest Baddest BBQ Championship Bakersfield, CA	59 / 65 (560.5716)	57 (138.8572)	39 (151.4286)	56 (138.8572)	56 (131.4286)

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
2015 ↗	Master	#1409 (179 pts)	#1538 (174 pts)	#955 (364 pts)	#1395 (214 pts)	#1514 (169 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1702 (142 pts)	#1382 (217 pts)	#1753 (142 pts)	#1767 (142 pts)	#1725 (147 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1970 (75 pts)	#2073 (75 pts)	#2043 (75 pts)	#2080 (75 pts)	#2034 (75 pts)