Smoke of Genius

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

Power ranking

#5135

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1459

peak 1503 · rated over 10 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2019-05-25

latest 2026-05-15

Best ToY finish

#548

Master 2023

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 77%

overall standings

Best overall

670.7656 / 720

Master · Puckaway Pigfest

Perfect 180s

Current form

622.62 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 636.23 (-13.61)

Walk rate

50%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.2856

Chicken · Saluting with Smoke - Honor Q Reboot

Consistency

±51.63

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 165.12 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.43)

Road miles

1,652

mi across 10 mapped stops · furthest 239 mi

Schedule strength

75%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1596)

Purse competed for

$59K

listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 10 state-championship entries

Master avg

636.23 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 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.

High-water mark

670.7656 career-best overall

93.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 670.7656 at Puckaway Pigfest — 93.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
2022-09-09

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

FLAT BOTTOM BBQ has finished one call ahead of Smoke of Genius 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

QUE U ahead in 100% of their meetings

QUE U has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BS BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The comeback

3.3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.3 years, then back at Puckaway Pigfest (2022-09-09).

last seen 2019-05-25
back 2022-09-09

Brisket nemesis

7 of 8 shared brisket entries lost

THE BBQ BUS ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, THE BBQ BUS has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared brisket entries.

Boom or bust

±7.17% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±7.17% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 88.4% of a perfect score
best 93.2%

A September team

Top 66% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 66% across 3 contests, versus top 77% the rest of the year.

3 September contests
top 77% the rest of the year

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.

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

SWEET MAISIE-ROSE BBQ

#5149 of the rated field

1459 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1459

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2015-03-20

⚔ Head-to-head

Smoke Showin

#5130 of the rated field

1459 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1459

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2026-01-09

⚔ Head-to-head

THE ROOKIES

#5151 of the rated field

1459 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1500

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Smoke of Genius's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 9 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

LOSING EFFORT

#5147 of the rated field

1459 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1459

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before Smoke of Genius's first contest.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2016-04-22

⚔ Head-to-head

Brother In-Law BBQ

#5140 of the rated field

1459 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1517

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-03-27

⚔ Head-to-head

MAD PIG BBQ

#5145 of the rated field

1459 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1459

No shared contest yet.

Level with Smoke of Genius on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2019-05-03

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
QUE U	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
THE BBQ BUS	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
WE WILL ROCK QUE	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
DB BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
Second Hand Smoke SLV	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SI2 BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SmokinGhost BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	1	0	174.2856	145.6800	162.54	top 78%
Pork Ribs	9	0	0	168.5256	147.4284	161.43	top 73%
Pork	10	2	0	173.1544	149.0856	163.29	top 65%
Brisket	10	2	1	172.5600	149.6340	165.12	top 54%

“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	Avg finish
IN	4	top 91%
WI	4	top 65%
IL	2	top 74%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 84%
Medium (20–39)	7	top 77%
Large (40+)	1	top 65%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Puckaway Pigfest	2	19	0	top 58%	2025-09-05

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 7 yrs 2019-05-25 → 2026-05-15

Busiest season 2023 4 contests

Contests a season 2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IN 4 of 10 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 9 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 10 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 165.12 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.43)

Walk rate 50% a top-10 call in 5 of 10 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 10 contests

Master average 636.23 out of 720 · 10 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 180 75–240 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,652 10 mapped stops · furthest 239 mi

Schedule strength 1596 average field rating faced — tougher than 75% of rated contests

Purse competed for $58,500 listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 10 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 3.3 yrs 2019-05-25 → 2022-09-09

Power rating 1459 peak 1503 · #5135 of 6,413 rated

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

2019
May 25 First tracked contest Red, White, and BBQ- Day 2
2022
Sep 9 First overall past 90% of a perfect score670.7656 Puckaway Pigfest
Sep 9 Career-best overall score670.7656 Puckaway Pigfest
Sep 9 Peak power rating (1503) Puckaway Pigfest
2023
Jul 14 First call BBCubed - Brighton Barbeque Bash
Sep 16 Career-best single call (Chicken)174.2856 Saluting with Smoke - Honor Q Reboot
2026
May 15 10th tracked contest Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana
May 15 Most recent contest Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+3.7	Puckaway Pigfest	2022-09-09
+1	Brighton Barbeque Bash	2025-08-22
+0.5	Puckaway Pigfest	2025-09-05

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.9	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana	2026-05-15
-10.2	Rocking BBQ Warsaw	2023-05-19
-8.7	BBCubed - Brighton Barbeque Bash	2023-07-14
-7.9	11th Annual Rockin' BBQ	2025-05-16
-4.4	Rockin' BBQ Take 2	2023-08-25

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	0%	top 100%	67.6%	67.6%
2025	3	67%	top 73%	91.9%	91.3%
2023	4	75%	top 85%	93.1%	89.9%
2022	1	0%	top 50%	93.2%	93.2%
2019	1	0%	top 65%	89.6%	89.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-05-15	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana 🏅 Warsaw, IN	35 / 35 (486.7540)	33 (162.8116)	—	29 (162.8456)	31 (161.0968)
2025-09-05	Puckaway Pigfest 🏅 Montello, WI	23 / 35 (661.5768)	26 (163.9656)	33 (157.6800)	22 (167.3712)	8 (172.5600)
2025-08-22	Brighton Barbeque Bash 🏅 Oshkosh, WI	18 / 29 (661.5772)	23 (159.3716)	13 (166.2400)	8 (170.8228)	14 (165.1428)
2025-05-16	11th Annual Rockin' BBQ 🏅 Warsaw, IN	31 / 34 (648.4912)	30 (165.1200)	33 (147.4284)	19 (168.5600)	19 (167.3828)
2023-09-16	Saluting with Smoke - Honor Q Reboot 🏅 Yorkville, IL	15 / 18 (654.7080)	10 (174.2856)	12 (166.8228)	15 (163.9656)	17 (149.6340)
2023-08-25	Rockin' BBQ Take 2 🏅 Warsaw, IN	18 / 23 (670.1716)	21 (165.0972)	21 (166.8228)	6 (173.1544)	16 (165.0972)
2023-07-14	BBCubed - Brighton Barbeque Bash 🏅 Oshkosh, WI	16 / 19 (637.5656)	16 (159.9772)	17 (157.0972)	18 (149.0856)	3 (171.4056)
2023-05-19	Rocking BBQ Warsaw 🏅 Warsaw, IN	33 / 35 (625.6228)	34 (145.6800)	31 (158.2744)	34 (151.3828)	12 (170.2856)
2022-09-09	Puckaway Pigfest 🏅 Montello, WI	19 / 38 (670.7656)	16 (169.1200)	16 (168.5256)	17 (169.1200)	25 (164.0000)
2019-05-25	Red, White, and BBQ- Day 2 🏅 Westmont, IL	31 / 48 (645.0856)	35 (160.0116)	21 (163.9772)	34 (156.5484)	22 (164.5484)

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 ↗	Master	#927 (60 pts)	#1010 (60 pts)	—	#970 (60 pts)	#950 (60 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#672 (218 pts)	#803 (183 pts)	#756 (233 pts)	#576 (313 pts)	#531 (353 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#548 (325 pts)	#573 (335 pts)	#654 (320 pts)	#511 (395 pts)	#397 (520 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#1190 (90 pts)	#1174 (105 pts)	#1227 (105 pts)	#1187 (100 pts)	#1333 (60 pts)