SMOKE & FIRE BBQ

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

Power ranking

#6073

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1428

peak 1428 · rated over 13 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-17

latest 2017-08-18

Best ToY finish

#1035

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 79%

overall standings

Best overall

663.3368 / 720

Master · Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

Perfect 180s

Current form

635.80 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 627.99 (+7.81)

Walk rate

15%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4172

Pork · Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival

Consistency

±24.06

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 161.29 · weakest Brisket (153.23)

Road miles

5,322

mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 1091 mi

Schedule strength

36%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1548)

Master avg

627.99 / 720

13 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.

High-water mark

663.3368 career-best overall

92.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 663.3368 at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour — 92.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-09-02

A tough matchup

7–0 behind in the head-to-head

HUG HOGS ahead in 100% of their meetings

HUG HOGS has come out ahead in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.1 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.06 points below their pork, and turns into a call 8% of the time against 8%.

Brisket avg 153.23
Pork avg 161.29
1 calls in 13 entries

Pork nemesis

7 of 7 shared pork entries lost

GREY STREET BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GREY STREET BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 7 shared pork entries.

The long haul

5,322 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,322 miles across 13 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,091 miles to Leadville BBQ and Brew Festival.

13 mapped stops
furthest 1,091 mi

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.

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

BBEEQ

#6072 of the rated field

1428 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1428

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2017-09-01

⚔ Head-to-head

Mercer BBQ

#6074 of the rated field

1427 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1427

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-04-10

⚔ Head-to-head

Rubbed the Right Way

#6069 of the rated field

1428 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1428

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2022-11-04

⚔ Head-to-head

Tommy Boy Grillin

#6080 of the rated field

1427 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1427

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 12 years after SMOKE & FIRE BBQ did, first appearing in 2025.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-08-14

⚔ Head-to-head

4 MEAT SAKES

#6075 of the rated field

1427 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1427

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2023-06-16

⚔ Head-to-head

Why Not Smoke

#6071 of the rated field

1428 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1501 at their best, 73 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2025-09-26

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Bluedog BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
HUG HOGS	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
GREY STREET BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
YELLOW RIVER BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BARK BROTHERS BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BLUE CHIP BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
ACME BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
WeQ4U	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
FOWL BUTT BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
FRIENDS OF OBR	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
CHARCOAL & MORE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	0	0	170.8684	132.5144	154.23	top 84%
Pork Ribs	13	0	0	172.5600	146.8232	159.23	top 66%
Pork	13	1	0	175.4172	154.2284	161.29	top 65%
Brisket	13	1	1	171.9772	127.4172	153.23	top 73%

“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	Avg finish
IN	5	top 88%
OH	3	top 75%
KY	1	top 95%
MI	1	top 60%
SC	1	top 39%
CO	1	top 100%
NY	1	top 72%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	7	0	top 71%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 89%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Buckeye State BBQ Championship	2	22	0	top 77%	2015-05-15

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.3 yrs 2013-05-17 → 2017-08-18

Busiest season 2015 6 contests

Contests a season 2.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IN 5 of 13 contests · 7 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 12 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 13 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 161.29 · weakest Brisket (153.23)

Walk rate 15% a top-10 call in 2 of 13 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 13 contests

Master average 627.99 out of 720 · 13 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 357 106–445 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 5,322 13 mapped stops · furthest 1,091 mi

Schedule strength 1548 average field rating faced — tougher than 36% of rated contests

Power rating 1428 peak 1428 · #6073 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 17 First tracked contest Buckeye State BBQ Championship
May 17 Peak power rating (1496) Buckeye State BBQ Championship
2015
Oct 16 First call Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
Oct 16 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.1944 Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
Oct 16 Career-best single call (Pork)175.4172 Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
2016
Aug 19 10th tracked contest Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval
Sep 2 Career-best overall score663.3368 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
2017
Aug 18 Most recent contest Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+7.5	Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown	2015-11-13
+2.8	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2016-09-02

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14	Leadville BBQ and Brew Festival	2015-06-26
-11.2	Buckeye State BBQ Championship	2015-05-15
-10.1	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	2015-07-17
-8.9	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval	2016-08-19
-7.8	Jim Beam BBQ Classic	2016-09-30

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	0%	top 91%	84.8%	84.8%
2016	3	0%	top 82%	92.1%	88.6%
2015	6	33%	top 80%	90.9%	86.8%
2014	2	0%	top 74%	88.4%	87.7%
2013	1	0%	top 63%	87.4%	87.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-08-18	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	50 / 55 (610.5944)	49 (157.0744)	49 (147.9316)	37 (158.2056)	50 (147.3828)
2016-09-30	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	41 / 43 (638.6744)	40 (159.9312)	33 (164.5372)	34 (162.2744)	40 (151.9316)
2016-09-02	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Ypsilanti, MI	18 / 30 (663.3368)	14 (170.8684)	12 (166.2628)	14 (163.9656)	20 (162.2400)
2016-08-19	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval Madison, IN	58 / 63 (611.6796)	61 (146.2056)	47 (159.3828)	42 (161.6340)	61 (144.4572)
2015-11-13	Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown Mount Pleasant, SC	11 / 28 (654.7084)	21 (157.0628)	17 (158.8228)	12 (166.8456)	3 (171.9772)
2015-10-16	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH	25 / 36 (654.1944)	33 (153.1084)	12 (172.5600)	6 (175.4172)	31 (153.1088)
2015-08-21	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	52 / 64 (630.0800)	50 (160.5028)	26 (166.2744)	56 (154.2284)	53 (149.0744)
2015-07-17	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	43 / 44 (623.8172)	43 (148.4684)	35 (162.2860)	43 (157.6456)	40 (155.4172)
2015-06-26	Leadville BBQ and Brew Festival Leadville, CO	27 / 27 (564.4576)	27 (132.5144)	20 (146.8232)	16 (157.7028)	27 (127.4172)
2015-05-15	Buckeye State BBQ Championship West Chester, OH	33 / 36 (620.4232)	35 (147.3716)	24 (160.5600)	30 (159.9888)	31 (152.5028)
2014-08-08	Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival N. Tonawanda, NY	28 / 39 (626.1828)	29 (158.8228)	30 (153.7144)	23 (161.7028)	29 (151.9428)
2014-04-03	2nd Annual Parkinson's Smoke Out Evansville, IN	49 / 64 (636.5260)	62 (152.5372)	42 (159.4172)	47 (158.8688)	20 (165.7028)
2013-05-17	Buckeye State BBQ Championship West Chester, OH	22 / 35 (629.1424)	19 (160.5712)	30 (151.4286)	22 (158.2856)	16 (158.8570)

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	#1624 (150 pts)	#1632 (170 pts)	#1542 (180 pts)	#1637 (170 pts)	#1729 (140 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1035 (292 pts)	#1094 (292 pts)	#914 (387 pts)	#811 (452 pts)	#1071 (292 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1726 (139 pts)	#1801 (139 pts)	#1781 (139 pts)	#1723 (149 pts)	#1606 (164 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1970 (75 pts)	#1974 (90 pts)	#2584 (60 pts)	#2080 (75 pts)	#1867 (105 pts)