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SMOKIN VAN NORMAN

SMOKIN VAN NORMAN is a competition barbecue team with 23 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 107 at the Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque (2018), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #910 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Smokin' Van Norman”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#910
of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1615
peak 1615 · rated over 22 contests

Contests

23
in the data

First seen

Sep 27, 2013
latest Mar 19, 2021 · 7.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#635
Master 2019 · every season

Grand champs

0
1 reserve

Category wins

0
2 podiums

Overall top-10s

5
22% of 23 contests

Best top-10 run

2
straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 35%
overall standings

Best overall

703.9544 / 720
Master · Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque

Perfect 180s

0

Current form

679.80 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 666.57 (+13.23)

Walk rate

48%
contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.2972
Brisket · Border War Barbeque

Consistency

±22.11
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs
avg 167.34 · weakest Brisket (166.13)

Road miles

711
across 23 mapped stops · furthest 67 mi

Schedule strength

43%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1557)

Purse competed for

$104K
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅
won from 15 state-championship entries

Master avg

666.57 / 720
22 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

913 BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMOKIN VAN NORMAN 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2018 their best year

2018 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 14%.

  • 3 contests
  • 2 overall top-10s
  • 0 category wins
  • average top 14%

A strong matchup

9–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ALMOST FLAMOUS BARBEQUE in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

11 of 16 shared pork ribs entries lost

913 BBQ ahead 69% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, 913 BBQ has out-cooked them in 11 of 16 shared pork ribs entries.

Show 2 more storylines

A September team

Top 19% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 19% across 9 contests, versus top 35% the rest of the year.

  • 9 September contests
  • top 35% the rest of the year

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship every year from 2013 to 2016 — the contest they never miss.

  • 5 visits in all
  • best finish 9th

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

YearSeriesOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
2021 ↗ Master #1236 (60 pts) #1286 (60 pts) #1309 (60 pts) #855 (155 pts) #1245 (60 pts)
2020 ↗ Master #842 (65 pts) #680 (125 pts) #612 (166 pts) #757 (115 pts) #883 (60 pts)
2019 ↗ Master #635 (515 pts) #773 (425 pts) #632 (540 pts) #697 (475 pts) #614 (550 pts)
2018 ↗ Master #648 (530 pts) #854 (390 pts) #1026 (305 pts) #930 (345 pts) #709 (505 pts)
2017 ↗ Master #1467 (175 pts) #1631 (155 pts) #1559 (175 pts) #2260 (60 pts) #2197 (70 pts)
2016 ↗ Master #1644 (145 pts) #2353 (60 pts) #2081 (110 pts) #2024 (115 pts) #2086 (105 pts)
2015 ↗ Master #1676 (120 pts) #1629 (150 pts) #1326 (225 pts) #1790 (120 pts) #1245 (235 pts)
2014 ↗ Master #2084 (75 pts) #2167 (75 pts) #2161 (75 pts) #2172 (75 pts) #2148 (75 pts)
2013 ↗ Master #1970 (75 pts) #2073 (75 pts) #2043 (75 pts) #2080 (75 pts) #1625 (140 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMOKIN VAN NORMAN, each with one reason worth a look.

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

TEAM BREW & QUE
#911 of the rated field
1615 power rating
Contests
46
GCs
0
Top-10s
22%
Peak
1617
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SMOKIN VAN NORMAN)

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

  • rated over 46 contests
  • last seen Sep 30, 2026
⚔ Head-to-head
DAY OF THE PIG BBQ
#912 of the rated field
1615 power rating
Contests
22
GCs
0
Top-10s
18%
Peak
1615

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 22 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

  • rated over 22 contests
  • last seen Feb 21, 2020
⚔ Compare careers
Bubba Grills
#908 of the rated field
1615 power rating
Contests
25
GCs
1
Top-10s
36%
Peak
1615

Careers of much the same size, 25 contests to 23, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

  • rated over 24 contests
  • last seen Jul 25, 2025
⚔ Compare careers
House of Que
#913 of the rated field
1615 power rating
Contests
45
GCs
2
Top-10s
42%
Peak
1632

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 45 contests, alongside a 42% overall top-10 rate.

  • rated over 38 contests
  • last seen Jul 18, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
NEW REVOLUTION Q
#909 of the rated field
1615 power rating
Contests
39
GCs
0
Top-10s
23%
Peak
1620

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 3 years before SMOKIN VAN NORMAN's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

  • rated over 39 contests
⚔ Compare careers
BOWLING OVER PIGS
#907 of the rated field
1616 power rating
Contests
53
GCs
2
Top-10s
30%
Peak
1669

Level with SMOKIN VAN NORMAN on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

  • rated over 52 contests
  • last seen Aug 23, 2019
⚔ Compare careers

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

OpponentMeetingsAheadBehindWin rate
913 BBQ 15 2 13 13% ⚔ compare
SKUNK RIVER BBQ 14 6 8 43% ⚔ compare
Fat&Dumb BBQ 13 9 4 69% ⚔ compare
PIG NEWTON 12 7 5 58% ⚔ compare
HIGH i QUE 12 5 7 42% ⚔ compare
T'S SMOKIN PIT 10 8 2 80% ⚔ compare
OVERLAND PORK BBQ 10 7 3 70% ⚔ compare
KCQ 10 2 8 20% ⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ 10 2 8 20% ⚔ compare
ALMOST FLAMOUS BARBEQUE 9 9 0 100% ⚔ compare
Just Smoked Your Butt 9 8 1 89% ⚔ compare
RUB'N WOOD 9 6 3 67% ⚔ compare
F.O.M.S.B. 9 5 4 56% ⚔ compare
GETTIN' SAUCED 9 4 5 44% ⚔ compare
BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE 9 4 5 44% ⚔ compare

By meat

CategoryEntriesCallsWinsPodiumsBestWorstAverageAvg finish
Chicken 22 2 0 0 175.4172 154.8228 166.53 top 43%
Pork Ribs 23 7 0 0 177.1428 153.6344 167.34 top 39%
Pork 22 5 0 1 176.5600 143.9200 166.30 top 40%
Brisket 22 5 0 1 178.2972 139.9316 166.13 top 36%

“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

FieldContestsGCsAvg finish
Medium (20–39)30top 56%
Large (40+)190top 32%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

WhereContestsGCsAvg finish
KS180top 31%
MO40top 54%

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

ContestVisitsBestGCsAvg finishLast visit
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 5 9 0 top 23% Sep 27, 2019
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque 2 2 0 top 4% Sep 21, 2018
Sugar Mound BBQ Festival 2 52 0 top 78% May 23, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 7 contests
Contests a season 2.6 across 9 seasons in the data
Most contests held in KS 18 of 23 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited 16 3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 23 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls
Opponents faced 1,144 finished ahead 1,679 times, behind 715

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

20212 milestones
  1. Peak power rating (1615) 3rd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship
  2. Most recent contest 3rd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship
20184 milestones
  1. First overall podium Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque
  2. First Reserve Championship Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque
  3. Career-best overall score703.9544 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque
  4. Career-best single call (Brisket)178.2972 Border War Barbeque
20171 milestone
  1. 10th tracked contest Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque
20161 milestone
  1. First overall top-10 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship
20151 milestone
  1. First call The Best Damn BBQ Contest
20132 milestones
  1. First tracked contest Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship
  2. First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.0516 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

SwingContestDate
+16.2Border War BarbequeOct 26, 2018
+14.1Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship BarbequeSep 21, 2018
+13.9Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship BarbequeSep 22, 2017
+13.8Shawnee Great Grillers State ChampionshipSep 23, 2016
+10VFW Post 846 Battle of the PitsApr 5, 2019

📉 Toughest weekends

SwingContestDate
-7.9Holy Smoke BBQ ContestAug 22, 2014
-7.1Sugar Mound BBQ FestivalMay 23, 2015
-4.2Sugar Mound BBQ FestivalMay 24, 2014
-1.6Qlathe BBQ ChampionshipMar 15, 2019

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

SeasonContestsGCsTop-10sCategory winsWalk rateAvg finishBest overall (% of perfect)Avg overall (% of perfect)
20211000 100% top 43% 93.6% 93.6%
20202000 0% top 35% 94.3% 94.3%
20197010 57% top 29% 95.5% 93.9%
20183020 67% top 14% 97.8% 95.8%
20172010 100% top 29% 94.4% 93.2%
20161010 0% top 8% 94% 94%
20153000 67% top 57% 92.1% 90.2%
20143000 0% top 62% 90.9% 87.6%
20131000 0% top 34% 90.1% 90.1%

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

DateEventOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
Mar 19, 2021 3rd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS 30 / 70 (673.5884) 47 (165.0972) 45 (165.6800) 8 (175.4056) 32 (167.4056)
Jul 5, 2020 Front Porch Rib Fest Kansas City, MO — — 12 (161.1316) — —
Mar 13, 2020 2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS 24 / 68 (678.7544) 12 (173.1316) 37 (166.8344) 14 (174.2628) 36 (164.5256)
Sep 27, 2019 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS 10 / 102 (679.9084) 22 (171.4172) 7 (173.7028) 30 (169.7028) 33 (165.0856)
Sep 12, 2019 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS 59 / 468 (683.3944) 46 (174.2972) 125 (169.7144) 241 (165.1200) 52 (174.2628)
Jul 12, 2019 2nd Annual Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off (JUDGES FULL) 🏅 Cameron, MO 12 / 35 (683.3484) 14 (170.2972) 21 (163.9428) 3 (175.4056) 5 (173.7028)
May 10, 2019 Grasshopper '19 🏅 DeSoto, KS 15 / 53 (687.3828) 16 (174.2744) 19 (170.2856) 16 (173.1544) 27 (169.6684)
Apr 12, 2019 The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake 🏅 Smithville, MO 24 / 54 (663.3144) 14 (170.2744) 23 (166.2628) 38 (161.0972) 25 (165.6800)
Apr 5, 2019 VFW Post 846 Battle of the Pits 🏅 Overland Park, KS 11 / 53 (680.4916) 27 (167.4172) 7 (172.5600) 26 (166.2400) 5 (174.2744)
Mar 15, 2019 Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS 33 / 64 (656.5372) 51 (157.1084) 30 (163.9772) 7 (173.7372) 38 (161.7144)
Oct 26, 2018 Border War Barbeque Osawatomie, KS 4 / 56 (693.0972) 13 (171.9772) 28 (170.2628) 15 (172.5600) 2 (178.2972)
Sep 21, 2018 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque 🏅 Shawnee, KS 2 / 107 (703.9544) 4 (175.4172) 5 (176.5600) 6 (176.5600) 5 (175.4172)
Sep 15, 2018 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS 154 / 467 (672.4800) 242 (166.2400) 138 (169.7144) 73 (172.5600) 232 (163.9656)
Sep 22, 2017 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque 🏅 Shawnee, KS 6 / 112 (679.4284) 8 (173.7028) 6 (176) 66 (161.7600) 23 (167.9656)
Jun 10, 2017 Tonganoxie Days BBQ Blowout Tonganoxie, KS 15 / 28 (662.2400) 15 (166.8344) 10 (169.1084) 8 (166.8800) 16 (159.4172)
Sep 23, 2016 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS 9 / 111 (676.5256) 44 (165.1428) 15 (170.8456) 14 (170.8572) 16 (169.6800)
Sep 25, 2015 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS 33 / 112 (663.3484) 86 (155.3944) 7 (177.1428) 74 (156.5256) 6 (174.2856)
May 23, 2015 Sugar Mound BBQ Festival Mound City, KS 52 / 62 (634.0912) 19 (170.8456) 50 (158.2400) 61 (143.9200) 40 (161.0856)
Apr 10, 2015 The Best Damn BBQ Contest Smithville, MO 30 / 52 (651.4288) 45 (154.8456) 9 (170.8800) 29 (164.0116) 23 (161.6916)
Sep 26, 2014 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS 40 / 112 (654.7196) 53 (163.9656) 25 (167.9656) 74 (158.2284) 30 (164.5600)
Aug 22, 2014 Holy Smoke BBQ Contest Liberty, MO 23 / 29 (605.5656) 20 (154.8228) 21 (154.2628) 16 (156.5484) 26 (139.9316)
May 24, 2014 Sugar Mound BBQ Festival Mound City, KS 62 / 87 (631.9660) 61 (160.5716) 51 (160) 61 (158.8572) 65 (152.5372)
Sep 27, 2013 Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS 39 / 114 (649.0516) 60 (160.5144) 83 (153.6344) 37 (165.1656) 12 (169.7372)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

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