SMOKIN BONZ BBQ COMPANY

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

Power ranking

#2339

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1525

peak 1525 · rated over 17 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-04-25

latest 2018-07-20

Best ToY finish

#591

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 56%

overall standings

Best overall

682.8228 / 720

Master · BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!

Perfect 180s

Current form

656.67 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 655.05 (+1.62)

Walk rate

82%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7028

Pork Ribs · BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!

Consistency

±17.06

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.13 · weakest Brisket (161.68)

Road miles

1,633

mi across 17 mapped stops · furthest 106 mi

Schedule strength

58%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1574)

Master avg

655.05 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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.

They almost always walk

82% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 14 of 17 contests

A top-10 category call in 82% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

682.8228 career-best overall

94.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 682.8228 at BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! — 94.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2018-07-20

A tough matchup

10–1 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKEHOUSE 72 ahead in 91% of their meetings

SMOKEHOUSE 72 has come out ahead in 10 of their 11 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.45 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 18% of the time against 41%.

Brisket avg 161.68
Chicken avg 168.13
3 calls in 17 entries

The comeback

1.6 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.6 years, then back at *BBQ in the Bluffs (2018-05-11).

last seen 2016-09-16
back 2018-05-11

Chicken nemesis

7 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

LUCKY'S Q ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LUCKY'S Q has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

KEV'S CHEW CHEW BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 33% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 33% across 3 contests, versus top 56% the rest of the year.

3 July contests
top 56% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.37% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.37% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.0% of a perfect score
17 contests

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.

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

FAT TIGER BBQ

#2336 of the rated field

1525 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1541

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2023-08-04

⚔ Head-to-head

TOO BAD YOU'RE MY COUSIN

#2349 of the rated field

1524 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1535

No shared contest yet.

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2018-05-25

⚔ Head-to-head

Smokey and the Brisket

#2342 of the rated field

1525 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1529

No shared contest yet.

Level with SMOKIN BONZ BBQ COMPANY on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2025-08-22

⚔ Head-to-head

Sky High BBQ

#2333 of the rated field

1525 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1525

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2026-08-28

⚔ Head-to-head

GO BIG OR GO BBQ

#2329 of the rated field

1525 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1527

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

XTREME TEXAS COOKERS

#2334 of the rated field

1525 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1558

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1558 at their best, 33 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2024-10-30

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare
SMOKEHOUSE 72	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
TREEFROG BBQ	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
DIG-IN COOKERS	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
LUCKY'S Q	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BIG T'Z Q CRU	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
KEV'S CHEW CHEW BBQ	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
YOU GONNA LIKE IT	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
SLIM D'S BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
BLACK DOG BBQ IA	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	7	0	175.4056	160.5372	168.13	top 43%
Pork Ribs	17	8	4	177.7028	134.6744	162.83	top 48%
Pork	17	6	0	173.1428	145.6572	162.40	top 59%
Brisket	17	3	1	169.6800	151.3716	161.68	top 62%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 54%
Medium (20–39)	10	top 55%
Large (40+)	4	top 61%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
*BBQ in the Bluffs	4	8	top 52%	2018-05-11
BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!	3	8	top 33%	2018-07-20
Tri City BBQ Fest	2	4	top 48%	2016-09-16
Back to Back to the Park BBQ	2	13	top 85%	2015-08-28

The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.2 yrs 2014-04-25 → 2018-07-20

Busiest season 2016 5 contests

Contests a season 4.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IA 17 of 17 contests

Contests visited 10 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 17 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 168.13 · weakest Brisket (161.68)

Walk rate 82% a top-10 call in 14 of 17 contests

Overall top-10 rate 24% 4 of 17 contests

Master average 655.05 out of 720 · 17 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 248 238–296 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,633 17 mapped stops · furthest 106 mi

Schedule strength 1574 average field rating faced — tougher than 58% of rated contests

Longest layoff 1.6 yrs 2016-09-16 → 2018-05-11

Power rating 1525 peak 1525 · #2339 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Apr 25 First tracked contest Central Iowa Expo BBQ, Cruise & Brew
Apr 25 First call Central Iowa Expo BBQ, Cruise & Brew
Jun 27 First overall top-10 Rockin' Country BBQ Fest
Jun 27 First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.0172 Rockin' Country BBQ Fest
2016
Apr 22 10th tracked contest Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full)
2018
Jul 20 Career-best overall score682.8228 BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!
Jul 20 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)177.7028 BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!
Jul 20 Peak power rating (1525) BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!
Jul 20 Most recent contest BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.2	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!	2018-07-20
+13.1	Tri-City BBQ Fest	2015-09-18
+12.6	BBQ in the Bluffs	2015-05-08
+8.1	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!	2015-07-17
+6.2	State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full)	2016-06-17

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.3	*BBQ in the Bluffs	2018-05-11
-8.2	Back to Back to the Park BBQ	2014-10-17
-7.4	Central Iowa Expo BBQ	2015-04-24
-6.5	Back to Back to the Park BBQ	2015-08-28
-5.5	Tri City BBQ Fest	2016-09-16

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	3	1	67%	top 53%	94.8%	92.2%
2016	5	0	80%	top 53%	93.8%	91.2%
2015	5	2	100%	top 50%	93.6%	91.3%
2014	4	1	75%	top 70%	91.8%	89.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-07-20	BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA	8 / 42 (682.8228)	14 (169.1200)	2 (177.7028)	18 (166.8572)	13 (169.1428)
2018-06-15	Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition State Center, IA	13 / 23 (666.7544)	18 (164.5256)	10 (168.5716)	9 (167.9772)	13 (165.6800)
2018-05-11	*BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	32 / 39 (642.1256)	18 (167.9656)	29 (160.5372)	34 (155.3600)	31 (158.2628)
2016-09-16	Tri City BBQ Fest Denison, IA	25 / 34 (626.6632)	20 (162.8000)	23 (158.8116)	33 (145.6572)	21 (159.3944)
2016-07-15	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too Waterloo, IA	14 / 32 (664.9944)	16 (168.5372)	6 (170.8460)	20 (160.5256)	14 (165.0856)
2016-06-17	State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full) State Center, IA	13 / 31 (675.3944)	8 (172.5600)	3 (175.4172)	22 (162.2972)	23 (165.1200)
2016-05-13	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	16 / 33 (656.4572)	6 (171.9656)	11 (166.8344)	17 (163.4172)	24 (154.2400)
2016-04-22	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	24 / 42 (658.2972)	4 (174.2856)	8 (169.7372)	38 (159.4400)	38 (154.8344)
2015-09-18	Tri-City BBQ Fest Denison, IA	4 / 18 (674.2400)	7 (168.5372)	2 (170.3200)	10 (165.7028)	7 (169.6800)
2015-08-28	Back to Back to the Park BBQ Marshalltown, IA	13 / 16 (632.8916)	4 (171.9656)	15 (134.6744)	12 (159.9772)	8 (166.2744)
2015-07-17	BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA	14 / 39 (662.8000)	15 (169.1084)	21 (160.0116)	7 (169.7144)	18 (163.9656)
2015-05-08	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	8 / 33 (669.1316)	22 (160.5372)	4 (171.4400)	14 (167.4744)	3 (169.6800)
2015-04-24	Central Iowa Expo BBQ Boone, IA	37 / 42 (648.4572)	8 (175.4056)	38 (153.1316)	38 (159.3828)	37 (160.5372)
2014-10-17	Back to Back to the Park BBQ Marshalltown, IA	30 / 34 (620.3656)	24 (162.2400)	29 (153.6800)	32 (153.0740)	30 (151.3716)
2014-06-27	Rockin' Country BBQ Fest Nevada, IA	9 / 15 (661.0172)	5 (170.8228)	2 (170.8344)	10 (160.5600)	13 (158.8000)
2014-05-09	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	18 / 33 (645.6228)	14 (166.8228)	30 (154.2400)	5 (170.3200)	25 (154.2400)
2014-04-25	Central Iowa Expo BBQ, Cruise & Brew Boone, IA	35 / 45 (647.8516)	35 (161.0856)	39 (151.3488)	5 (173.1428)	28 (162.2744)

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	#1954 (60 pts)	#1842 (95 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1990 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#798 (455 pts)	#562 (720 pts)	#550 (755 pts)	#1001 (370 pts)	#927 (380 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#591 (622 pts)	#576 (677 pts)	#567 (682 pts)	#671 (562 pts)	#555 (672 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#932 (347 pts)	#876 (412 pts)	#857 (427 pts)	#683 (552 pts)	#1108 (287 pts)