SMOLDERING Q

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

Power ranking

#3122

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1502

peak 1524 · rated over 26 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-06-21

latest 2021-09-24

Best ToY finish

#902

Master 2018

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 27 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

675.3828 / 720

Master · Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

650.88 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 644.84 (+6.04)

Walk rate

48%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.6400

Brisket · *RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1)

Consistency

±22.71

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 161.81 · weakest Chicken (159.51)

Road miles

3,131

mi across 26 mapped stops · furthest 208 mi

Schedule strength

66%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1583)

Purse competed for

$52K

listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 6 state-championship entries

Master avg

644.84 / 720

26 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

304.07 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs

Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 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

675.3828 career-best overall

93.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 675.3828 at Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival — 93.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2019-09-13

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

DETROIT PIGSKIN BARBEQUE has finished one call ahead of SMOLDERING Q 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2017 their best year

2017 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 43%.

4 contests
0 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 43%

A tough matchup

21–1 behind in the head-to-head

THE REAL SMOKIN ACES ahead in 95% of their meetings

THE REAL SMOKIN ACES has come out ahead in 21 of their 22 shared contests.

A strong matchup

6–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 86% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Smokin Good Time BBQ in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

19 of 22 shared brisket entries lost

THE REAL SMOKIN ACES ahead 86% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, THE REAL SMOKIN ACES has out-cooked them in 19 of 22 shared brisket entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

RACK MASTERS BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The long haul

3,131 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,131 miles across 26 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 208 miles to Bordertown BBQ Brawl.

26 mapped stops
furthest 208 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.

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

BIRD DAWG BBQ

#3111 of the rated field

1503 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 26 contests to 27, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2024-06-14

⚔ Head-to-head

Evening Wood

#3128 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1553

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1553 at their best, 51 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2025-09-26

⚔ Head-to-head

THE BEARDED ONE BBQ

#3127 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1522

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 21 contests, alongside a 5% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2022-10-22

⚔ Head-to-head

ARMED AND HAMMERED BBQ

#3119 of the rated field

1502 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1547

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2023-04-14

⚔ Head-to-head

Matt's Backyard BBQ

#3124 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 34
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1509

No shared contest yet.

Level with SMOLDERING Q on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 34 contests
last seen 2026-08-15

⚔ Head-to-head

JOBEAZ BLAZIN' BUTTS AND WINGS

#3132 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 39
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1545

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1545 at their best, 43 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 39 contests
last seen 2019-06-14

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
THE REAL SMOKIN ACES	22	1	21	5%	⚔ compare
iBQ'n	20	1	19	5%	⚔ compare
Mac Attack BBQ	17	3	14	18%	⚔ compare
BIG BROTHERS BBQ	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
BIG "E" BBQ	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
FIREHOUSE SMOKE	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' IN THE D	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
AWW HELL	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
T-MAC SMOKIN	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
HOLY SMOKERS MI	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
Littles BBQ Co	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO.	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
DETROIT PIGSKIN BARBEQUE	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	27	2	0	1	172.0344	138.8000	159.51	top 67%
Pork Ribs	27	7	0	1	173.1660	125.1428	161.47	top 51%
Pork	26	3	0	0	172.5716	145.7028	161.40	top 58%
Brisket	26	6	1	2	176.6400	143.9998	161.81	top 51%

“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	Avg finish
MI	16	top 62%
WI	8	top 58%
IL	3	top 55%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	16	0	top 62%
Large (40+)	11	0	top 57%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	3	19	top 63%	2015-09-11
Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay-Heat 2	2	30	top 78%	2019-07-13
*Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	2	11	top 38%	2018-09-14
*RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2)	2	33	top 62%	2018-05-26

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

On the trail 8.3 yrs 2013-06-21 → 2021-09-24

Busiest season 2018 5 contests

Contests a season 2.7 across 10 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MI 16 of 27 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 22 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 27 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 161.81 · weakest Chicken (159.51)

Walk rate 48% a top-10 call in 13 of 27 contests

Overall top-10 rate 7% 2 of 27 contests

Master average 644.84 out of 720 · 26 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 304.07 out of 360 · 1 contest · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 406 457–610 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 3,131 26 mapped stops · furthest 208 mi

Schedule strength 1583 average field rating faced — tougher than 66% of rated contests

Purse competed for $52,475 listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 6 state-championship entries

Power rating 1502 peak 1524 · #3122 of 6,413 rated

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

First tracked contest Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
2014
Jun 20 First call 6th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-Off
Sep 12 First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.3716 Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
2015
Jun 19 First overall top-10 7th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off
2016
Apr 29 10th tracked contest Masters in May
2017
Sep 8 First category win (Brisket) *Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival
2018
May 25 Career-best single call (Brisket)176.6400 *RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1)
2019
Sep 13 Career-best overall score675.3828 Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival
Sep 13 Peak power rating (1524) Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival
2020
Jul 17 25th tracked contest Bordertown BBQ Brawl
2021
Sep 24 Most recent contest Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13	*The Masters In May (also Big Green Egg challenge)	2017-05-05
+11.5	7th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off	2015-06-19
+8.7	Masters in May- The Classic	2016-04-30
+8.3	Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival	2019-09-13
+7.2	*Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	2017-09-08

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.7	5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off	2013-06-21
-10.4	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	2013-09-13
-8.6	8th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cookoff	2016-06-24
-8	Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com	2020-09-25
-7.7	Bordertown BBQ Brawl	2020-07-17

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
—	1	0	0	0%	top 41%	84.5%	84.5%
2021	1	0	0	0%	top 82%	90.7%	90.7%
2020	2	0	0	0%	top 87%	90.7%	89.4%
2019	3	1	0	67%	top 53%	93.8%	91.2%
2018	5	0	0	60%	top 62%	91.8%	90.2%
2017	4	0	1	75%	top 43%	93.3%	91.4%
2016	3	0	0	67%	top 60%	91.8%	88.7%
2015	3	1	0	67%	top 51%	92.6%	90.7%
2014	3	0	0	33%	top 55%	90.5%	89.7%
2013	2	0	0	0%	top 92%	82.4%	80.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2021-09-24	Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com 🏅 Grand Haven, MI	23 / 28 (652.9936)	26 (161.0856)	23 (162.2284)	22 (163.9656)	14 (165.7140)
2020-09-25	Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com 🏅 Grand Haven, MI	25 / 28 (653.1428)	28 (158.2628)	12 (168.0116)	20 (162.2856)	18 (164.5828)
2020-07-17	Bordertown BBQ Brawl 🏅 Sault Ste Marie, MI	26 / 31 (633.6116)	24 (158.8572)	19 (161.1088)	30 (150.7884)	16 (162.8572)
2019-09-13	Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival 🏅 Mears, MI	8 / 35 (675.3828)	24 (165.1200)	10 (170.2856)	8 (168.5600)	7 (171.4172)
2019-07-13	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay-Heat 2 🏅 Green Bay, WI	30 / 36 (639.2456)	32 (156.5372)	33 (152.5028)	16 (166.8228)	23 (163.3828)
2019-07-12	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay-Heat 1 🏅 Green Bay, WI	20 / 37 (654.8228)	25 (160.5484)	29 (159.9772)	19 (164.0000)	9 (170.2972)
2018-09-14	*Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	18 / 48 (661.0856)	23 (158.2284)	22 (162.2972)	11 (170.8572)	10 (169.7028)
2018-07-14	*Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay-Heat 2 Green Bay, WI	36 / 49 (651.3600)	35 (161.6684)	7 (173.1660)	47 (151.3828)	28 (165.1428)
2018-07-13	*Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay-Heat1 Green Bay, WI	41 / 54 (632.4688)	21 (165.6800)	37 (159.4516)	34 (159.9544)	50 (147.3828)
2018-05-26	*RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2) Westmont, IL	34 / 60 (656.4228)	33 (166.2628)	48 (153.6688)	25 (168.5256)	20 (167.9656)
2018-05-25	*RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1) Westmont, IL	33 / 49 (647.4172)	32 (163.9656)	31 (161.1088)	49 (145.7028)	2 (176.6400)
2017-09-08	*Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Silver Lake, MI	11 / 28 (664.5024)	22 (159.4056)	15 (163.9884)	14 (167.4056)	1 (173.7028)
2017-07-21	*BBQ & BREWS Birch Run, MI	17 / 37 (646.7656)	31 (158.2400)	10 (165.7028)	27 (156.5600)	8 (166.2628)
2017-05-06	*Master In May-The Classic APPLETON, WI	31 / 50 (647.8856)	46 (153.6228)	24 (163.4516)	28 (161.0856)	11 (169.7256)
2017-05-05	*The Masters In May (also Big Green Egg challenge) APPLETON, WI	14 / 56 (671.9200)	23 (167.3828)	4 (170.8572)	24 (166.2744)	22 (167.4056)
2016-06-24	8th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cookoff Auburn Hills, MI	26 / 30 (607.2912)	29 (141.0628)	19 (158.8800)	17 (160.5828)	27 (146.7656)
2016-04-30	Masters in May- The Classic Appleton, WI	21 / 58 (661.0972)	34 (162.8456)	15 (168.5600)	6 (169.1544)	34 (160.5372)
2016-04-29	Masters in May Appleton, WI	33 / 59 (647.8856)	42 (160.5256)	4 (172.5944)	53 (151.9200)	25 (162.8456)
2015-09-11	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	19 / 34 (653.0976)	20 (163.9772)	10 (168.0344)	7 (172.5716)	29 (148.5144)
2015-07-17	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Auburn Hills, MI	20 / 28 (638.6968)	27 (153.6456)	19 (161.1428)	11 (166.2284)	24 (157.6800)
2015-06-19	7th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off Auburn Hills, MI	8 / 32 (666.8344)	7 (170.3200)	3 (172.5600)	12 (166.2400)	22 (157.7144)
2014-09-12	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	20 / 43 (651.3716)	19 (165.1544)	27 (159.3944)	13 (169.1200)	27 (157.7028)
2014-07-04	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Traverse City, MI	14 / 21 (642.7768)	15 (158.2284)	14 (161.7144)	15 (159.4284)	11 (163.4056)
2014-06-20	6th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-Off Auburn Hills, MI	16 / 31 (642.7656)	2 (172.0344)	23 (151.3484)	22 (158.2628)	15 (161.1200)
2013-09-13	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	41 / 47 (593.4860)	47 (138.8000)	23 (157.0744)	33 (153.1200)	36 (144.4916)
2013-06-21	5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off Auburn Hills, MI	29 / 30 (571.4280)	19 (156.5714)	30 (125.1428)	27 (145.7140)	24 (143.9998)
	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	16 / 39 (304.0688)	22 (148.6172)	14 (155.4516)	—	—

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	#902 (335 pts)	#958 (330 pts)	#830 (420 pts)	#881 (370 pts)	#612 (600 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1467 (175 pts)	#1745 (130 pts)	#1195 (275 pts)	#1773 (125 pts)	#1391 (205 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1702 (135 pts)	#2029 (115 pts)	#1475 (195 pts)	#1225 (270 pts)	#2015 (115 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1228 (230 pts)	#1341 (215 pts)	#1055 (315 pts)	#1270 (245 pts)	#1699 (130 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#2650 (55 pts)	#2000 (85 pts)	#2656 (55 pts)	#2655 (55 pts)	#2597 (60 pts)