Riding a hot streak
5
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 5-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 5
Smoke N Poke BBQ
Smoke N Poke BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record in 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 26 at the Tri City BBQ Fest (2026), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #1022 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Smoke'n Poke BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1603
peak 1603 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Jan 30, 2026
latest Sep 18, 2026
Grand champs
0
3 reserve
Category wins
2
8 podiums
Overall top-10s
10
77% of 13 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 32%
overall standings
Best overall
682.8004 / 720
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
342.35
last 5 Backyard vs avg 342.18 (+0.17)
Walk rate
77%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.88
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 171.45 · weakest Brisket (153.94)
Road miles
1,857
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 293 mi
Schedule strength
69%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1588)
Purse competed for
$80K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
640.35 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
342.18 / 360
11 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
682.80 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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. Still inside their first twelve months: see what a first season usually looks like.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smoke N Poke BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#1,024 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1612
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 21 contests to 13.
⚔ Compare careers#1,021 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1612
Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 35 contests, alongside a 40% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,023 of the rated field
- Contests
- 48
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1651
They've been 1651 at their best, 48 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#1,025 of the rated field
- Contests
- 71
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1617
They were already cooking in 2015, 11 years before Smoke N Poke BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,020 of the rated field
- Contests
- 117
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 15%
- Peak
- 1640
Level with Smoke N Poke BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#1,016 of the rated field
- Contests
- 51
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1604
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Smoke N Poke BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Smoke N Poke BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar 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 |
| East Bow Que | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Reds Backyard BBQ | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Pit Bros | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| BUCKSHOT BBQ - TX | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bros Barbecue | 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 |
| Family Tradition BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Bramble BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY D'S WANNABEES | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| TEAM CRAWFORD | 5 | 3 | 1 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 177.7144 | 161.6456 | 170.47 | top 36% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 178.8800 | 162.8000 | 171.45 | top 32% |
| 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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 17% |
| Medium (20–39) | 9 | 0 | top 31% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 76% |
Repeat visits (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% | Aug 15, 2026 |
| Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 26% | Jul 18, 2026 |
| Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 13% | Jul 10, 2026 |
More numbers
Most contests held in
IA
7 of 13 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
10
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
260
finished ahead 300 times, behind 179
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
202612 milestones
- First tracked contest SJV Winter Rub
- First call American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- First overall top-10 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score346.2400 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- First category win (Pork Ribs) SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL)
- Career-best overall score682.8004 SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL)
- First overall podium Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8800 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2)
- 10th tracked contest Cruisin' and BBQin'
- Peak power rating (1603) Tri City BBQ Fest
- Most recent contest Tri City BBQ Fest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.1 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2) | Jul 10, 2026 |
| +14.9 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | Jul 18, 2026 |
| +14.8 | Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 26, 2026 |
| +13.1 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) | Jul 10, 2026 |
| +13 | Tri City BBQ Fest | Sep 18, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.8 | SJV Winter Rub | Jan 30, 2026 |
| -6 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Apr 3, 2026 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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)
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 2 / 26 (348.5600) | 2 (170.8456) | 2 (177.7144) | — | — |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 2) 🏅 Troy, IL | 6 / 32 (341.6572) | 4 (173.1200) | 11 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Aug 14, 2026 | Smoke N for the Kids (Day 1) 🏅 Troy, IL | 9 / 26 (333.6228) | 9 (166.2400) | 10 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Jul 31, 2026 | Cruisin' and BBQin' 🏅 Hampton, IA | 9 / 26 (336.5028) | 11 (163.9428) | 5 (172.5600) | — | — |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 3 / 28 (351.4172) | 10 (173.1200) | 2 (178.2972) | — | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 11 / 27 (339.3828) | 16 (168.5256) | 13 (170.8572) | — | — |
| Jul 10, 2026 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (MASTERS and BACKYARD 1) 🏅 Cameron, MO | 5 / 37 (343.9544) | 3 (175.4172) | 6 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Jul 10, 2026 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD 2) Cameron, MO | 2 / 16 (348.5600) | 10 (169.6800) | 1 (178.8800) | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA | 2 / 19 (346.2400) | 3 (173.1084) | 4 (173.1316) | — | — |
| May 1, 2026 | 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) |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 32 / 42 (327.8856) | 31 (165.0856) | 29 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 8 / 33 (346.2400) | 5 (177.7028) | 18 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Jan 30, 2026 | SJV Winter Rub 🏅 Omaha, NE | 37 / 38 (640.3540) | 36 (161.6456) | 32 (163.9428) | 37 (159.3712) | 37 (155.3944) |