Smoke N Poke BBQ IA
Rating
1519
peak 1519
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
2026-01-30
latest 2026-06-26
Best ToY finish
#53
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 48%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
468.70
last 5 vs career avg 468.70 (+0.00)
Walk rate
60%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
and counting
Consistency
±158.19
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.05 · weakest Brisket (153.94)
Road miles
520
mi across 5 mapped stops · furthest 202 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Low Eye Que has finished one call ahead of Smoke N Poke BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 1.1656 points of the Grand Championship at Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026-06-26).
Teams like this (closest power rating, IA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 177.7144 | 161.6456 | 171.05 | top 42% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 177.7372 | 162.8000 | 169.23 | top 47% |
| Pork | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 159.3712 | 167.11 | top 69% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 155.3944 | 152.4916 | 153.94 | top 128% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA | 3 | 0 | top 39% |
| MO | 1 | 0 | top 24% |
| NE | 1 | 0 | top 97% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 20% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 61% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 76% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (5 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IA (3 of 5 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (5 entries)
- All-time average overall score: 468.70
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 682.8004 | 468.70 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA | 2 / 19 (346.2400) | 3 (173.1084) | 4 (173.1316) | — | — |
| 2026-05-01 | SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL) Cambridge, IA | 5 / 17 (682.8004) | 2 (177.7144) | 1 (177.7372) | 7 (174.8572) | 27 (152.4916) |
| 2026-04-03 | Iowa State BBQ Championship Altoona, IA | 32 / 42 (327.8856) | 31 (165.0856) | 29 (162.8000) | — | — |
| 2026-03-20 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 8 / 33 (346.2400) | 5 (177.7028) | 18 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2026-01-30 | SJV Winter Rub Omaha, NE | 37 / 38 (640.3540) | 36 (161.6456) | 32 (163.9428) | 37 (159.3712) | 37 (155.3944) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #53 (583 pts) | #37 (718 pts) | #56 (628 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #791 (60 pts) | #866 (60 pts) | #903 (60 pts) | #823 (60 pts) | #814 (60 pts) |