KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS

KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2020. Their best overall finish is 19th of 31 at the Red, White and Que (2017). They are ranked #5355 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,355

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1455

peak 1455 · rated over 13 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Sep 21, 2013

latest Oct 17, 2020 · 7.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#735

Master 2020 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

0% 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

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 155.90 · weakest Brisket (151.00)

Road miles

826

across 13 mapped stops · furthest 87 mi

Schedule strength

52%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1567)

Purse competed for

$25K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

616.74 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (6 found in their record)

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

A tough matchup

10–2 behind in the head-to-head

Chicken Chokers ahead in 83% of their meetings

Chicken Chokers has come out ahead in 10 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

3–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DAN'S RIGHTEOUS RIBS in 3 of their 4 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

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
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)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

RGDBBQ

#5,374 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 37
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1519

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 37 contests
last seen Oct 7, 2022

⚔ Head-to-head

Hardwood BBQ

#5,347 of the rated field

1455 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1504

They've been 1504 at their best, 49 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 13 contests
last seen May 1, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

PETE'S MEAT BBQ

#5,369 of the rated field

1454 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1454

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

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jan 24, 2020

⚔ Compare careers

Smokey Woods

#5,350 of the rated field

1455 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1455

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

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Boo Boo Bus BBQ

#5,357 of the rated field

1455 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1510

They turned up 10 years after KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Jun 13, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Dewey Smokem & Howe

#5,356 of the rated field

1455 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1455

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Chicken Chokers	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
PACKANACK LAKE BBQ CLUB	10	3	7	30%	⚔ 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	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
FIRE DOWN BELOW	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
GARDEN STATE PORKWAY	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
MOON RIVER BARBEQUE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
Hot Rod's BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
ACK-QUE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
LOCAL SMOKE BBQ	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 field size and state

By contest size

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

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
NJ	8	0	top 83%
NY	5	0	top 52%

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

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

More numbers

Busiest season 2020 2 contests

Contests a season 1.6 across 8 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NJ 8 of 13 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 6 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 259 finished ahead 178 times, behind 384

Longest layoff 1 yrs Aug 14, 2015 → Aug 19, 2016

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

20201 milestone

Oct 17 Most recent contest Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES

20191 milestone

Aug 16 10th tracked contest Hudson Valley Ribfest

20173 milestones

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

20151 milestone

Aug 14 First call Hudson Valley Ribfest

20141 milestone

Aug 16 Peak power rating (1492) Hudson Valley Ribfest

20131 milestone

Sep 21 First tracked contest Que by the Sea

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+7	Hudson Valley Ribfest	Aug 18, 2017
+4.9	Hudson Valley Ribfest	Aug 16, 2014
+3.3	Hudson Valley Ribfest	Aug 14, 2015
+0.4	Red, White and Que	Sep 30, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.6	Que by the Sea	Sep 21, 2013
-9.4	Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Oct 12, 2019
-9	Red White and Que	Sep 24, 2016
-6.3	Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Oct 17, 2020
-6.1	Hudson Valley Ribfest	Aug 16, 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

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
Oct 17, 2020	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)
Jul 31, 2020	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)
Oct 12, 2019	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)
Aug 16, 2019	Hudson Valley Ribfest 🏅 New Paltz, NY	35 / 53 (629.5544)	52 (149.1200)	42 (153.0972)	7 (169.6800)	29 (157.6572)
Sep 22, 2018	Que by the Sea Seaside Heights, NJ	32 / 43 (627.8516)	38 (155.3484)	27 (155.3944)	34 (155.9772)	15 (161.1316)
Sep 30, 2017	Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ	19 / 31 (639.9084)	29 (147.9772)	1 (171.4400)	14 (163.4056)	18 (157.0856)
Aug 18, 2017	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	23 / 59 (645.0632)	24 (163.9544)	25 (159.9772)	20 (162.3200)	30 (158.8116)
Sep 24, 2016	Red White and Que Cresskill, NJ	36 / 41 (584.9484)	33 (151.9544)	38 (137.6684)	36 (147.3484)	30 (147.9772)
Aug 19, 2016	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	36 / 52 (618.7660)	11 (169.6916)	40 (150.8572)	35 (151.9428)	46 (146.2744)
Aug 14, 2015	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	26 / 57 (622.1716)	35 (154.2516)	6 (169.7372)	38 (151.3828)	40 (146.8000)
Sep 6, 2014	Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ	23 / 31 (605.0972)	23 (157.7028)	12 (156.5944)	24 (149.1200)	25 (141.6800)
Aug 16, 2014	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	24 / 60 (635.9320)	12 (164.6060)	14 (163.9772)	28 (157.0972)	40 (150.2516)
Sep 21, 2013	Que by the Sea Seaside Heights, NJ	45 / 49 (545.2340)	45 (136.5600)	46 (134.8456)	29 (150.3772)	46 (123.4512)

KING COAL AND THE SOUL SMOKERS

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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (6 found in their record)

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork Ribs nemesis

An August team

A standing appointment

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)