KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS

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

Power ranking

#5895

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1437

peak 1437 · rated over 13 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-09-21

latest 2020-10-17

Best ToY finish

#735

Master 2020

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 71%

overall standings

Best overall

645.0632 / 720

Master · Hudson Valley Ribfest

Perfect 180s

Current form

624.10 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 616.74 (+7.36)

Walk rate

23%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

171.4400

Pork Ribs · *Red, White and Que

Consistency

±27.46

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 155.90 · weakest Brisket (151.00)

Road miles

826

mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 87 mi

Schedule strength

51%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)

Purse competed for

$25K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

616.74 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (6 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

11–1 behind in the head-to-head

Chicken Chokers ahead in 92% of their meetings

Chicken Chokers has come out ahead in 11 of their 12 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.9 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.90 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 15%.

Brisket avg 151.00
Pork Ribs avg 155.90
0 calls in 13 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN' DOUBLE BARRELS in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

8 of 12 shared pork ribs entries lost

Chicken Chokers ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Chicken Chokers has out-cooked them in 8 of 12 shared pork ribs entries.

An August team

Top 52% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 52% across 5 contests, versus top 71% the rest of the year.

5 August contests
top 71% the rest of the year

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Hudson Valley Ribfest every year from 2014 to 2017 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 23rd

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.

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

HERE COME THE JUDGE BBQ TEAM

#5891 of the rated field

1437 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2018-10-05

⚔ Head-to-head

Backwoods Grillin'

#5893 of the rated field

1437 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 3 years before KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 14 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Chubby Cheeks BBQ

#5887 of the rated field

1437 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-08-14

⚔ Head-to-head

Gettin' Piggy With It!

#5900 of the rated field

1437 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-06-12

⚔ Head-to-head

Hickswood BBQ

#5890 of the rated field

1437 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

No shared contest yet.

Level with KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2024-05-04

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN CHEESE HEADS

#5899 of the rated field

1437 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 5 years after KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS did, first appearing in 2018.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2019-07-13

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Chicken Chokers	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
PACKANACK LAKE BBQ CLUB	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
Rogue Hog BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
Dr. Pearl's Medicinal Smoke BBQ Team	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Top Gun Barbecue	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
RIBS WITHIN	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
FIRE DOWN BELOW	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
MOON RIVER BARBEQUE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
ACK-QUE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
GARDEN STATE PORKWAY	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
LOCAL SMOKE BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BEERBEQUE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	0	0	0	169.6916	119.9656	154.04	top 70%
Pork Ribs	13	2	1	1	171.4400	134.8456	155.90	top 58%
Pork	13	1	0	0	169.6800	147.3484	155.80	top 65%
Brisket	13	0	0	0	164.5944	123.4512	151.00	top 70%

“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
NJ	8	0	top 83%
NY	5	0	top 52%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	4	0	top 80%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 67%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Hudson Valley Ribfest	5	23	top 52%	2019-08-16
Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2	29	top 92%	2020-10-17
*Que by the Sea	2	32	top 83%	2018-09-22
*Red, White and Que	2	19	top 68%	2017-09-30

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 7.1 yrs 2013-09-21 → 2020-10-17

Busiest season 2020 2 contests

Contests a season 1.6 across 8 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NJ 8 of 13 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 6 4 of them cooked more than once

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

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 155.90 · weakest Brisket (151.00)

Walk rate 23% a top-10 call in 3 of 13 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 13 contests

Master average 616.74 out of 720 · 13 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 261 135–427 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 826 13 mapped stops · furthest 87 mi

Schedule strength 1566 average field rating faced — tougher than 51% of rated contests

Purse competed for $24,660 listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2015-08-14 → 2016-08-19

Power rating 1437 peak 1437 · #5895 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Sep 21 First tracked contest Que by the Sea
Sep 21 Peak power rating (1487) Que by the Sea
2015
Aug 14 First call Hudson Valley Ribfest
2017
Aug 18 Career-best overall score645.0632 Hudson Valley Ribfest
Sep 30 First category win (Pork Ribs) *Red, White and Que
Sep 30 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)171.4400 *Red, White and Que
2019
Aug 16 10th tracked contest Hudson Valley Ribfest
2020
Oct 17 Most recent contest Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+3.6	Hudson Valley Ribfest	2015-08-14
+1.2	*Red, White and Que	2017-09-30

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.6	Que by the Sea	2013-09-21
-8.8	Hudson Valley Ribfest	2016-08-19
-8.8	Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2019-10-12
-8.4	Red White and Que	2016-09-24
-5.7	Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2020-10-17

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2020	2	0	0%	top 88%	89%	88.4%
2019	2	0	50%	top 81%	87.4%	84.7%
2018	1	0	0%	top 74%	87.2%	87.2%
2017	2	1	50%	top 50%	89.6%	89.2%
2016	2	0	0%	top 79%	85.9%	83.6%
2015	1	0	100%	top 46%	86.4%	86.4%
2014	2	0	0%	top 57%	88.3%	86.2%
2013	1	0	0%	top 92%	75.7%	75.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2020-10-17	Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	35 / 40 (632.4460)	21 (168.5372)	27 (158.2972)	31 (157.1200)	37 (148.4916)
2020-07-31	New Jersey KnoQ-out: DAY 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	25 / 28 (640.4688)	25 (162.8228)	20 (161.1544)	26 (157.6800)	25 (158.8116)
2019-10-12	Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	29 / 30 (590.1716)	30 (119.9656)	26 (153.6916)	29 (151.9200)	17 (164.5944)
2019-08-16	Hudson Valley Ribfest 🏅 New Paltz, NY	35 / 53 (629.5544)	52 (149.1200)	42 (153.0972)	7 (169.6800)	29 (157.6572)
2018-09-22	*Que by the Sea Seaside Heights, NJ	32 / 43 (627.8516)	38 (155.3484)	27 (155.3944)	34 (155.9772)	15 (161.1316)
2017-09-30	*Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ	19 / 31 (639.9084)	29 (147.9772)	1 (171.4400)	14 (163.4056)	18 (157.0856)
2017-08-18	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	23 / 59 (645.0632)	24 (163.9544)	25 (159.9772)	20 (162.3200)	30 (158.8116)
2016-09-24	Red White and Que Cresskill, NJ	36 / 41 (584.9484)	33 (151.9544)	38 (137.6684)	36 (147.3484)	30 (147.9772)
2016-08-19	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	36 / 52 (618.7660)	11 (169.6916)	40 (150.8572)	35 (151.9428)	46 (146.2744)
2015-08-14	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	26 / 57 (622.1716)	35 (154.2516)	6 (169.7372)	38 (151.3828)	40 (146.8000)
2014-09-06	Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ	23 / 31 (605.0972)	23 (157.7028)	12 (156.5944)	24 (149.1200)	25 (141.6800)
2014-08-16	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	24 / 60 (635.9320)	12 (164.6060)	14 (163.9772)	28 (157.0972)	40 (150.2516)
2013-09-21	Que by the Sea Seaside Heights, NJ	45 / 49 (545.2340)	45 (136.5600)	46 (134.8456)	29 (150.3772)	46 (123.4512)

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
2020 ↗	Master	#735 (113 pts)	#659 (133 pts)	#663 (138 pts)	#769 (113 pts)	#756 (113 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1617 (115 pts)	#1702 (115 pts)	#1697 (115 pts)	#1184 (220 pts)	#1385 (155 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1954 (60 pts)	#2012 (60 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1753 (110 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1562 (156 pts)	#1799 (121 pts)	#1047 (341 pts)	#1420 (196 pts)	#1654 (151 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1775 (120 pts)	#1485 (190 pts)	#1884 (120 pts)	#1872 (120 pts)	#1839 (120 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#1511 (175 pts)	#2225 (60 pts)	#2214 (60 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1672 (146 pts)	#1427 (206 pts)	#1240 (251 pts)	#1815 (136 pts)	#1832 (131 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#2354 (74 pts)	#2413 (74 pts)	#2393 (74 pts)	#2408 (74 pts)	#2400 (74 pts)