SALT CREEK SMOKERS

SALT CREEK SMOKERS is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 16th of 37 at The Dodge City Days Smokin Saddles BBQ Contest (2016). They are ranked #4017 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,017

of 6,485 rated · rankings

Rating

1483

peak 1483 · rated over 9 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 23, 2013

latest Jul 30, 2021 · 7.9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#2397

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 9 contests

Avg finish

top 63%

overall standings

Best overall

677.6000 / 720

Master · Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 1

Perfect 180s

Current form

637.21 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 638.74 (-1.53)

Walk rate

22%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Pork · 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open

Consistency

±45.22

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 166.97 · weakest Pork Ribs (149.51)

Road miles

1,801

across 9 mapped stops · furthest 546 mi

Schedule strength

47%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1561)

Purse competed for

$24K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

638.74 / 720

9 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

677.6000 career-best overall

94.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 677.6000 at Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 1 — 94.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 30, 2021

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

CLARK CREW BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

CLARK CREW BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−17.5 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 17.47 points below their pork, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 11%.

Pork Ribs avg 149.51
Pork avg 166.97
1 call in 9 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DUSTY ROADS BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 1 (Jul 30, 2021).

last seen Jul 26, 2019
back Jul 30, 2021

Pork nemesis

7 of 8 shared pork entries lost

CLARK CREW BBQ ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, CLARK CREW BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

ROCKIN' D BARBEQUE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Show 1 more storyline

An October team

Top 54% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 54% across 3 contests, versus top 63% the rest of the year.

3 October contests
top 63% the rest of the year

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
2013 ↗	Master	#2397 (71 pts)	#2446 (71 pts)	#2436 (71 pts)	#2452 (71 pts)	#2440 (71 pts)

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SALT CREEK SMOKERS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

BONES BRIGADE

#4,019 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1483

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to SALT CREEK SMOKERS)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SALT CREEK SMOKERS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 10 contests
last seen May 24, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

Three Little Pigs

#4,027 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1483

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to SALT CREEK SMOKERS)

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 Nov 5, 2021

⚔ Head-to-head

Midwest Meat Masters

#4,020 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1483

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to SALT CREEK SMOKERS)

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

rated over 5 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Lefties BBQ

#4,025 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1508

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SALT CREEK SMOKERS)

Fewer contests behind them than SALT CREEK SMOKERS has cooked, 5 to 9, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Oct 2, 2014

⚔ Head-to-head

PIG'N & CHIK'N

#4,006 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1483

Level with SALT CREEK SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Oct 18, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

GRILL-BILLY_BBQ

#4,028 of the rated field

1483 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1501

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Jun 8, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
CLARK CREW BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
CHIP ON OUR SHOULDER	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
Smoke-A-Holics	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN ELVISES	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	0	169.7372	158.7768	165.07	top 57%
Pork Ribs	9	1	175.4172	20	149.51	top 51%
Pork	9	1	176.5600	156.5600	166.97	top 49%
Brisket	9	0	169.6800	140	157.18	top 68%

“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 56%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 68%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
KS	6	top 62%
MO	2	top 52%
IL	1	top 87%

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 2 contests

Contests a season 1.3 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in KS 6 of 9 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 9 a different one every time

Opponents faced 1,181 finished ahead 857 times, behind 1,094

Longest layoff 2 yrs Jul 26, 2019 → Jul 30, 2021

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

20212 milestones

Jul 30 Career-best overall score677.6000 Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 1
Jul 30 Most recent contest Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 1

20162 milestones

Jul 29 First call The Dodge City Days Smokin Saddles BBQ Contest
Oct 29 Peak power rating (1497) 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)

20142 milestones

Oct 2 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.6344 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
Oct 2 Career-best single call (Pork)176.5600 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open

20131 milestone

Aug 23 First tracked contest Up In Smoke on the Square

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+4.9	The Dodge City Days Smokin Saddles BBQ Contest	Jul 29, 2016
+2	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	Oct 2, 2014
+1.9	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open	Oct 3, 2015
+0.4	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	Oct 29, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.9	Dodge City Days National Beef Smokin' Saddles BBQ Contest	Jul 28, 2017
-10.4	Up In Smoke on the Square	Aug 23, 2013
-1.8	Dodge City Days Barbeque Cook-Off	Jul 24, 2015
-1.7	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 1	Jul 30, 2021
-1.5	Dodge City Days Smokin Saddles BBQ Competition	Jul 26, 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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2021	1	0%	top 63%	94.1%	94.1%
2019	1	100%	top 54%	93%	93%
2017	1	0%	top 93%	72.5%	72.5%
2016	2	50%	top 51%	92.8%	91.5%
2015	2	0%	top 58%	90.3%	90.2%
2014	1	0%	top 51%	90.8%	90.8%
2013	1	0%	top 87%	84.7%	84.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 30, 2021	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 1 🏅 Dodge City, KS	17 / 27 (677.6000)	19 (169.6916)	14 (171.9656)	21 (166.2628)	15 (169.6800)
Jul 26, 2019	Dodge City Days Smokin Saddles BBQ Competition 🏅 Dodge City, KS	21 / 39 (669.6916)	17 (169.7372)	5 (173.1544)	20 (169.1084)	27 (157.6916)
Jul 28, 2017	Dodge City Days National Beef Smokin' Saddles BBQ Contest Dodge City, KS	40 / 43 (521.6688)	31 (164.0116)	42 (20)	18 (170.2744)	21 (167.3828)
Oct 29, 2016	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	324 / 557 (649.0972)	163 (168.5600)	101 (170.8800)	426 (158.2972)	455 (151.3600)
Jul 29, 2016	The Dodge City Days Smokin Saddles BBQ Contest Dodge City, KS	16 / 37 (667.9888)	23 (161.7256)	14 (170.8344)	8 (172.5828)	20 (162.8460)
Oct 3, 2015	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	319 / 606 (650.2856)	325 (163.4056)	27 (175.4172)	333 (162.8572)	509 (148.6056)
Jul 24, 2015	Dodge City Days Barbeque Cook-Off Dodge City, KS	22 / 35 (648.5260)	15 (167.4400)	31 (150.2516)	11 (170.2628)	19 (160.5716)
Oct 2, 2014	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	283 / 552 (653.6344)	341 (162.2972)	381 (158.2516)	15 (176.5600)	368 (156.5256)
Aug 23, 2013	Up In Smoke on the Square Lincoln, IL	40 / 46 (610.1600)	36 (158.7768)	36 (154.8232)	39 (156.5600)	44 (140)

SALT CREEK 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 (8 found in their record)

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

An October team

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

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)

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)