TRAVELIN' SMOKE BBQ

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

Power ranking

#2718

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1513

peak 1513 · rated over 29 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-09-13

latest 2018-06-08

Best ToY finish

#416

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 29 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

686.9372 / 720

Master · *Harper County Bullseye BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

659.90 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 649.69 (+10.21)

Walk rate

34%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Pork Ribs · *Derby BBQ Festival

Consistency

±23.62

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 164.83 · weakest Chicken (159.64)

Road miles

3,084

mi across 29 mapped stops · furthest 205 mi

Schedule strength

59%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)

Master avg

649.69 / 720

29 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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

686.9372 career-best overall

95.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 686.9372 at *Harper County Bullseye BBQ — 95.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-10-14

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Outhouse BBQ has finished one call ahead of TRAVELIN' SMOKE BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 10 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 49%.

10 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 49%

A tough matchup

18–1 behind in the head-to-head

BUTCHER BBQ ahead in 95% of their meetings

BUTCHER BBQ has come out ahead in 18 of their 19 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.2 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.19 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 7% of the time against 14%.

Chicken avg 159.64
Pork Ribs avg 164.83
2 calls in 29 entries

A strong matchup

6–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of EVIL MONKEY BBQ in 6 of their 8 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

14 of 19 shared pork ribs entries lost

BUTCHER BBQ ahead 74% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BUTCHER BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 19 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Rise N Swine has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An October team

Top 34% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 34% across 3 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.

3 October contests
top 60% the rest of the year

The long haul

3,084 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,084 miles across 29 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 205 miles to Fire On the Frontier BBQ Classic.

29 mapped stops
furthest 205 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.

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

RED BARN BBQ

#2741 of the rated field

1512 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1530

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to TRAVELIN' SMOKE BBQ)

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

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2019-04-26

⚔ Head-to-head

POK N DA RIBS

#2706 of the rated field

1513 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1527

1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to TRAVELIN' SMOKE BBQ)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 3 years before TRAVELIN' SMOKE BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 10 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Smok'n Louie

#2704 of the rated field

1513 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1515

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to TRAVELIN' SMOKE BBQ)

Fewer contests behind them than TRAVELIN' SMOKE BBQ has cooked, 7 to 29, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2015-08-07

⚔ Head-to-head

Poker Porkers

#2705 of the rated field

1513 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1545 at their best, 32 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 28 contests
last seen 2021-09-24

⚔ Head-to-head

BONSAIS WILD BBQ

#2713 of the rated field

1513 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1515

No shared contest yet.

26 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 27% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2022-07-23

⚔ Head-to-head

SCRUM DOWN SMOKERS

#2726 of the rated field

1513 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1532

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2020-08-21

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Rise N Swine	20	5	15	25%	⚔ compare
BUTCHER BBQ	19	1	18	5%	⚔ compare
Three Hog Night Smokers	19	1	18	5%	⚔ compare
BUFFALO'S BBQ	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
GREAT PLAINS BBQ	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
CLARK CREW BBQ	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
Smoke-A-Holics	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
SMOKE N HOGS BBQ KS	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
WICHITA SWINEMEN	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
BARRY & ERICA	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
DR. NORDY'S BBQ	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
BIG BUTTS NEED RUBBIN TOO	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
Lucky D's BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
NAUGHTY NURSES BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	29	2	170.2972	142.8228	159.64	top 71%
Pork Ribs	29	4	176.5600	146.2288	164.83	top 51%
Pork	29	5	174.2744	129.6684	164.68	top 52%
Brisket	29	3	174.2628	129.0972	160.54	top 59%

“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
OK	15	0	top 66%
KS	14	0	top 54%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	18	0	top 61%
Large (40+)	11	0	top 59%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
*Harper County Bullseye BBQ	3	9	top 34%	2016-10-14
*Derby BBQ Festival	2	12	top 38%	2018-06-08
*Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off	2	17	top 58%	2017-09-15
Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ	2	18	top 37%	2017-04-21
Firelake BBQ Cook Off(Day 2)	2	61	top 84%	2017-03-25
CASA's Grab, Root and Growl BBQ	2	16	top 66%	2016-08-12
Firelake BBQ Cook Off	2	35	top 70%	2016-03-25
*Derby BBQ Festival	2	20	top 73%	2015-09-11

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

On the trail 4.7 yrs 2013-09-13 → 2018-06-08

Busiest season 2016 10 contests

Contests a season 4.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in OK 15 of 29 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 20 8 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 29 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 164.83 · weakest Chicken (159.64)

Walk rate 34% a top-10 call in 10 of 29 contests

Overall top-10 rate 10% 3 of 29 contests

Master average 649.69 out of 720 · 29 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 513 510–721 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 3,084 29 mapped stops · furthest 205 mi

Schedule strength 1575 average field rating faced — tougher than 59% of rated contests

Power rating 1513 peak 1513 · #2718 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Sep 13 First tracked contest Cherokee Strip Cook-Off
Sep 13 First call Cherokee Strip Cook-Off
2014
Sep 12 First overall past 90% of a perfect score656.5028 Derby BBQ Festival
Oct 17 First overall top-10 Harper County Bullseye BBQ
2015
Sep 18 10th tracked contest Cherokee Strip BBQ Cookoff
2016
Sep 9 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5600 *Derby BBQ Festival
Oct 14 Career-best overall score686.9372 *Harper County Bullseye BBQ
Oct 14 Peak power rating (1513) *Harper County Bullseye BBQ
2017
Apr 21 25th tracked contest Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ
2018
Jun 8 Most recent contest *Derby BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.4	*Harper County Bullseye BBQ	2016-10-14
+11.6	Fire On the Frontier BBQ Classic	2016-06-10
+9.7	*Derby BBQ Festival	2016-09-09
+9.5	Harper County Bullseye BBQ	2014-10-17
+8.9	Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ	2016-04-15

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11	Cherokee Strip Cook-Off	2013-09-13
-9.6	Cowley County BBQ Contest	2014-07-11
-8.6	Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 1)	2017-03-24
-8.6	Firelake BBQ Cook Off	2015-03-27
-5.7	*Derby BBQ Festival	2015-09-11

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	1	0	100%	top 45%	92%	92%
2017	7	0	14%	top 64%	93.2%	91.2%
2016	10	2	50%	top 49%	95.4%	92%
2015	6	0	0%	top 70%	92%	88.9%
2014	4	1	50%	top 62%	91.2%	88.4%
2013	1	0	100%	top 91%	78.9%	78.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-06-08	*Derby BBQ Festival Derby, KS	18 / 40 (662.1600)	30 (160.5256)	23 (164.5256)	18 (166.8344)	5 (170.2744)
2017-09-15	*Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off Ponca City, OK	17 / 38 (665.5996)	11 (169.1084)	15 (167.4056)	19 (163.9656)	21 (165.1200)
2017-08-11	*Casa Grab, Root & Growl Woodward, OK	20 / 25 (658.2288)	21 (161.7144)	21 (161.1088)	18 (167.4400)	15 (167.9656)
2017-04-28	*Chisholm Trail BBQ Cook Off Wellington, KS	25 / 32 (642.1140)	27 (159.3828)	21 (163.9428)	28 (157.1084)	22 (161.6800)
2017-04-21	Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	18 / 47 (671.3948)	32 (159.9544)	6 (174.8688)	21 (170.2972)	21 (166.2744)
2017-04-07	Smoke in the Spring (WFC Quilfyer) Osage City, KS	41 / 100 (669.6572)	72 (162.2860)	30 (169.6800)	20 (172.5828)	42 (165.1084)
2017-03-25	Firelake BBQ Cook Off(Day 2) Shawnee, OK	61 / 77 (655.8744)	71 (156.5372)	18 (173.7028)	51 (166.8344)	59 (158.8000)
2017-03-24	Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) Shawnee, OK	78 / 87 (635.8860)	85 (151.3828)	75 (158.2632)	74 (159.3944)	49 (166.8456)
2016-10-14	*Harper County Bullseye BBQ Harper, KS	9 / 38 (686.9372)	24 (167.9884)	15 (172.5944)	6 (172.5944)	4 (173.7600)
2016-09-16	Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off Ponca City, OK	31 / 43 (646.1372)	22 (166.8456)	17 (167.3944)	38 (153.6572)	28 (158.2400)
2016-09-09	*Derby BBQ Festival Derby, KS	12 / 38 (679.3372)	35 (154.8000)	4 (176.5600)	4 (174.2744)	11 (173.7028)
2016-08-12	CASA's Grab, Root and Growl BBQ Woodward, OK	16 / 29 (641.5772)	26 (148.5372)	12 (165.6800)	16 (164.5600)	16 (162.8000)
2016-07-29	Smokin Hot Cars & BBQ Iola, KS	28 / 36 (644.4684)	32 (152.5600)	28 (158.8456)	15 (166.8344)	15 (166.2284)
2016-07-01	Hutchfest BBQ Cook-off Hutchinson, KS	24 / 38 (660.4460)	29 (164.5372)	33 (159.3716)	8 (171.4172)	22 (165.1200)
2016-06-17	*Eureka BBQ Bash Eureka, KS	15 / 26 (657.0972)	14 (166.2856)	16 (162.2860)	9 (167.9884)	17 (160.5372)
2016-06-10	Fire On the Frontier BBQ Classic Hays, KS	8 / 31 (676.5144)	10 (168.5488)	14 (165.7028)	15 (168.0000)	4 (174.2628)
2016-04-15	Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	22 / 63 (668.5028)	39 (162.2744)	14 (169.1544)	19 (168.5484)	22 (168.5256)
2016-03-25	Firelake BBQ Cook Off Shawnee, OK	35 / 66 (666.1600)	48 (162.7884)	39 (165.1088)	14 (173.7372)	45 (164.5256)
2015-10-16	Harper County Bullseye BBQ Harper, KS	16 / 34 (662.3200)	12 (170.2972)	16 (166.8800)	30 (159.4400)	15 (165.7028)
2015-09-18	Cherokee Strip BBQ Cookoff Ponca City, OK	26 / 32 (630.6396)	25 (154.7540)	19 (161.6800)	17 (163.4284)	28 (150.7772)
2015-09-11	*Derby BBQ Festival Derby, KS	20 / 26 (631.3144)	22 (154.8228)	22 (154.2400)	11 (162.8344)	18 (159.4172)
2015-08-07	CASA's Grab, Root and Growl BBQ Woodward, OK	20 / 26 (620.4804)	22 (153.1316)	20 (160.5944)	16 (164.5712)	24 (142.1832)
2015-04-17	10th Annual Roberts Ranch Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	38 / 75 (660.5484)	32 (167.4056)	48 (160.5828)	37 (167.3828)	34 (165.1772)
2015-03-27	Firelake BBQ Cook Off Shawnee, OK	45 / 52 (634.2632)	49 (150.2628)	25 (167.4516)	45 (160.5600)	45 (155.9888)
2014-10-17	Harper County Bullseye BBQ Harper, KS	9 / 30 (647.4516)	9 (164.5600)	5 (170.8916)	19 (155.9884)	18 (156.0116)
2014-09-19	28th Annual Cherokee Strip Cookoff Ponca City, OK	25 / 41 (629.5088)	23 (163.9772)	29 (157.0744)	13 (167.3828)	34 (141.0744)
2014-09-12	Derby BBQ Festival Derby, KS	26 / 38 (656.5028)	34 (158.8228)	11 (172.0000)	13 (170.3084)	32 (155.3716)
2014-07-11	Cowley County BBQ Contest Winfield, KS	18 / 20 (611.8748)	18 (152.5600)	18 (146.2288)	10 (168.0000)	19 (145.0860)
2013-09-13	Cherokee Strip Cook-Off Ponca City, OK	30 / 33 (567.8856)	32 (142.8228)	8 (166.2972)	32 (129.6684)	32 (129.0972)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1784 (95 pts)	#2012 (60 pts)	#1950 (70 pts)	#1846 (95 pts)	#1310 (185 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#742 (507 pts)	#792 (497 pts)	#631 (647 pts)	#780 (517 pts)	#760 (512 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#416 (941 pts)	#552 (731 pts)	#359 (1041 pts)	#266 (1256 pts)	#329 (1116 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#905 (357 pts)	#938 (367 pts)	#935 (377 pts)	#910 (397 pts)	#930 (372 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#929 (349 pts)	#980 (359 pts)	#797 (459 pts)	#811 (454 pts)	#1088 (294 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#2603 (58 pts)	#2618 (58 pts)	#1566 (153 pts)	#2616 (58 pts)	#2629 (58 pts)