SMOLDERING Q

SMOLDERING Q is a competition barbecue team with 27 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 8th of 35 at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival (2019). They are ranked #3133 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,133

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1502

peak 1524 · rated over 26 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 21, 2013

latest Sep 24, 2021 · 8.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#902

Master 2018 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

7% 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

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 161.81 · weakest Chicken (159.51)

Road miles

3,131

across 26 mapped stops · furthest 208 mi

Schedule strength

66%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1584)

Purse competed for

$52K

listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 6 state-championship entries

Master avg

644.84 / 720

26 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

304.07 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master 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.

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

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
Sep 13, 2019

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 win
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.

Show 1 more storyline

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

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
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)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMOLDERING Q, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Kalamazoo Pit Posse

#3,139 of the rated field

1502 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1580

1–8 in 9 shared contests (11% to SMOLDERING Q)

These two have cooked 9 of the same contests — Kalamazoo Pit Posse ahead 8–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 38 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

ARMED AND HAMMERED BBQ

#3,131 of the rated field

1502 power rating

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

They've been 1547 at their best, 45 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Apr 14, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

Matt's Backyard BBQ

#3,140 of the rated field

1502 power rating

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

Careers of much the same size, 34 contests to 27, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 34 contests
last seen Aug 15, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

EF-Q

#3,136 of the rated field

1502 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1533

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 24% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Oct 18, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

BBQ MEESTERS

#3,126 of the rated field

1503 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1528

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

rated over 14 contests
last seen Oct 23, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

BADCAT'S BBQ TEAM

#3,115 of the rated field

1503 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1512

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 4 years before SMOLDERING Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 14 contests

⚔ Compare careers

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 field size and state

By contest size

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

By state / province (where the contests were held)

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

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

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

More numbers

Busiest season 2018 5 contests

Contests a season 2.7 across 10 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MI 16 of 27 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 22 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 399 finished ahead 457 times, behind 610

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

20211 milestone

Sep 24 Most recent contest Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com

20201 milestone

Jul 17 25th tracked contest Bordertown BBQ Brawl

20192 milestones

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

20181 milestone

May 25 Career-best single call (Brisket)176.6400 RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1)

20171 milestone

Sep 8 First category win (Brisket) Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival

20161 milestone

Apr 29 10th tracked contest Masters in May

20151 milestone

Jun 19 First overall top-10 7th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off

20142 milestones

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

—1 milestone

First tracked contest Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13	The Masters In May (also Big Green Egg challenge)	May 5, 2017
+11.4	7th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off	Jun 19, 2015
+8.7	Masters in May- The Classic	Apr 30, 2016
+8.4	Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival	Sep 13, 2019
+7.3	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	Sep 8, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

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

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	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
Sep 24, 2021	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)
Sep 25, 2020	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)
Jul 17, 2020	Bordertown BBQ Brawl 🏅 Sault Ste Marie, MI	26 / 31 (633.6116)	24 (158.8572)	19 (161.1088)	30 (150.7884)	16 (162.8572)
Sep 13, 2019	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)
Jul 13, 2019	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)
Jul 12, 2019	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)	9 (170.2972)
Sep 14, 2018	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	18 / 48 (661.0856)	23 (158.2284)	22 (162.2972)	11 (170.8572)	10 (169.7028)
Jul 14, 2018	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)
Jul 13, 2018	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)
May 26, 2018	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)
May 25, 2018	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)
Sep 8, 2017	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Silver Lake, MI	11 / 28 (664.5024)	22 (159.4056)	15 (163.9884)	14 (167.4056)	1 (173.7028)
Jul 21, 2017	BBQ & BREWS Birch Run, MI	17 / 37 (646.7656)	31 (158.2400)	10 (165.7028)	27 (156.5600)	8 (166.2628)
May 6, 2017	Master In May-The Classic Appleton, WI	31 / 50 (647.8856)	46 (153.6228)	24 (163.4516)	28 (161.0856)	11 (169.7256)
May 5, 2017	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)
Jun 24, 2016	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)
Apr 30, 2016	Masters in May- The Classic Appleton, WI	21 / 58 (661.0972)	34 (162.8456)	15 (168.5600)	6 (169.1544)	34 (160.5372)
Apr 29, 2016	Masters in May Appleton, WI	33 / 59 (647.8856)	42 (160.5256)	4 (172.5944)	53 (151.9200)	25 (162.8456)
Sep 11, 2015	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	19 / 34 (653.0976)	20 (163.9772)	10 (168.0344)	7 (172.5716)	29 (148.5144)
Jul 17, 2015	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)
Jun 19, 2015	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)
Sep 12, 2014	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	20 / 43 (651.3716)	19 (165.1544)	27 (159.3944)	13 (169.1200)	27 (157.7028)
Jul 4, 2014	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)
Jun 20, 2014	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)
Sep 13, 2013	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	41 / 47 (593.4860)	47 (138.8000)	23 (157.0744)	33 (153.1200)	36 (144.4916)
Jun 21, 2013	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)	—	—

SMOLDERING Q

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

Backyard avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Brisket nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

The long haul

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)