Smoke N Poke BBQ IA
Rating
1586
peak 1586 · rated over 12 contests
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
2026-01-30
latest 2026-08-15
Best ToY finish
#19
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
0
2 reserve
Category wins
2
6 podiums
Overall top-10s
9
of 12 contests
Avg finish
top 34%
overall standings
Best overall
682.8004 / 360
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
340.52 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 372.57 (-32.05)
Walk rate
75%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
and counting
Consistency
±98.32
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 170.93 · weakest Brisket (153.94)
Road miles
1491
mi across 12 mapped stops · furthest 283 mi
Schedule strength
78%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1578)
Purse competed for
$67K
listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
640.35 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
372.57 / 360
11 Backyard contests · 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.
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.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Rudes BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 6 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Chester's Twisted Que in 7 of their 9 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2) is their spot: an average finish in the top 13% across 2 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 1.1084 points of the Grand Championship at Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2) (2026-07-10).
😤 Pork Ribs nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, Rudes BBQ has out-cooked them in 4 of 6 shared pork ribs entries.
📅 A July team
Something about July: average finish in the top 22% across 5 contests, versus top 34% the rest of the year.
📈 Riding a hot streak
Currently on a 4-contest overall top-10 run.
Teams like this (closest power rating, IA first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester's Twisted Que | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bros Barbecue | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| East Bow Que | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| DAWGS BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Rudes BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Reds Backyard BBQ | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Pit Bros | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Family Tradition BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Bramble BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 177.7144 | 161.6456 | 170.44 | top 39% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 178.8800 | 162.8000 | 170.93 | top 34% |
| 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 | 6 | 0 | top 34% |
| MO | 3 | 0 | top 17% |
| IL | 2 | 0 | top 27% |
| NE | 1 | 0 | top 97% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 17% |
| Medium (20–39) | 8 | 0 | top 34% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 76% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 27% | 2026-08-15 |
| Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 26% | 2026-07-18 |
| Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 13% | 2026-07-10 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (12 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IA (6 of 12 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (12 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 640.35 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 372.57 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2026-01-30 — First tracked contest · SJV Winter Rub
- 📣 2026-03-20 — First call · American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- ⭐ 2026-05-01 — Career-best overall score (682.8004) · SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL)
- 📈 2026-08-15 — Peak power rating (1586) · Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.1 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2) | 2026-07-10 |
| +14.9 | Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-06-26 |
| +14.8 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 2026-07-18 |
| +12.5 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) | 2026-07-10 |
| +11.3 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | 2026-03-20 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.9 | SJV Winter Rub | 2026-01-30 |
| -6.5 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | 2026-04-03 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 75% | top 34% | 189.7% | 102.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-15 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) 🏅 Troy, IL | 6 / 32 (341.6572) | 4 (173.1200) | 11 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 1) 🏅 Troy, IL | 9 / 26 (333.6228) | 9 (166.2400) | 10 (167.3828) | — | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Cruisin' and BBQin' 🏅 Hampton, IA | 9 / 26 (336.5028) | 11 (163.9428) | 5 (172.5600) | — | — |
| 2026-07-18 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 3 / 28 (351.4172) | 10 (173.1200) | 2 (178.2972) | — | — |
| 2026-07-17 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 11 / 27 (339.3828) | 16 (168.5256) | 13 (170.8572) | — | — |
| 2026-07-10 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2) Cameron, MO | 2 / 16 (348.5600) | 10 (169.6800) | 1 (178.8800) | — | — |
| 2026-07-10 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) 🏅 Cameron, MO | 5 / 37 (343.9544) | 3 (175.4172) | 6 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 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) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #19 (1037 pts) | #16 (1067 pts) | #14 (1159 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #894 (60 pts) | #974 (60 pts) | #1013 (60 pts) | #929 (60 pts) | #917 (60 pts) |