OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM

OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 12th of 42 at the 5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition (2016). They are ranked #3715 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,715

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1489

peak 1489 · rated over 17 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 9, 2014

latest Jan 27, 2023 · 8.7 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#748

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 65%

overall standings

Best overall

666.2284 / 720

Master · 5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition

Perfect 180s

Current form

655.14 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 634.58 (+20.56)

Walk rate

35%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.1428

Brisket · BBQ in the Bluffs

Consistency

±39.16

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 162.46 · weakest Pork (150.80)

Road miles

707

across 17 mapped stops · furthest 151 mi

Schedule strength

54%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1569)

State championships

0 🏅

won from 1 state-championship entry

Master avg

634.58 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

High-water mark

666.2284 career-best overall

92.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 666.2284 at 5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition — 92.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 20, 2016

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 54%.

6 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 54%

A tough matchup

14–0 behind in the head-to-head

PORKY BUTTS BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

PORKY BUTTS BBQ has come out ahead in 14 of their 14 shared contests.

The weak link

−11.7 points behind their best meat

Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 11.67 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 6% of the time against 0%.

Pork avg 150.80
Chicken avg 162.46
1 call in 17 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of TENNESSEE DAWG HOUSE BBQ in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

6.4 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 6.4 years, then back at SJV Winter Rub (Jan 27, 2023).

last seen Sep 3, 2016
back Jan 27, 2023

Chicken nemesis

14 of 14 shared chicken entries lost

PORKY BUTTS BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, PORKY BUTTS BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 14 shared chicken entries.

Show 2 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Big Stacks BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 56% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 56% across 3 contests, versus top 65% the rest of the year.

3 July contests
top 65% the rest of the year

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2023 ↗	Master	#1112 (96 pts)	#1088 (116 pts)	#1049 (141 pts)	#1582 (56 pts)	#968 (126 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#795 (460 pts)	#753 (530 pts)	#731 (550 pts)	#885 (440 pts)	#726 (540 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#748 (468 pts)	#714 (523 pts)	#757 (498 pts)	#747 (503 pts)	#639 (583 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1159 (253 pts)	#1094 (303 pts)	#1124 (288 pts)	#1250 (253 pts)	#778 (463 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Grill Em All

#3,731 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1489

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jan 24, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

Just Blowin Smoke

#3,688 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1504

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM)

Fewer contests behind them than OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM has cooked, 5 to 17, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Jul 10, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

FARVA-Q

#3,736 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1489

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2020

⚔ Compare careers

BROKE ASS BAR-B-QUE CO.

#3,708 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1504

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 6 years before OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 14 contests

⚔ Compare careers

BID WIZ PLAYER BBQ TEAM

#3,706 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1551

22 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 23% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

SMACKIN' BUTTS BBQ, NE

#3,711 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1489

Level with OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Apr 4, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WHEN PIGS DIE	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
HELPING U BBQ	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
PORKY BUTTS BBQ	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
PORK PATROL BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
SPICE YOUR LIFE RUB YOUR MEAT	12	8	4	67%	⚔ compare
ALWAYS SMOK'D	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
TATTOO BOB'S BAR-B-Q	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
KEV'S CHEW CHEW BBQ	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
YOU GONNA LIKE IT	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
HOT GRILL ON GRILL ACTION	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
BOURBON & BONES	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
GRILLERS IN THE MIST	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	0	169.7488	149.0856	162.46	top 58%
Pork Ribs	17	2	172.0228	145.6572	159.24	top 61%
Pork	17	1	172.0116	20	150.80	top 71%
Brisket	17	4	173.1428	145.6800	162.08	top 50%

“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
Medium (20–39)	9	0	top 79%
Large (40+)	8	0	top 50%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
NE	13	0	top 61%
IA	4	0	top 80%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
RiverFest Red White and Que	3	13	top 56%	Jul 15, 2016
Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)	2	19	top 64%	Apr 23, 2016
BBQ in the Bluffs	2	30	top 95%	May 8, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 6 contests

Contests a season 4.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NE 13 of 17 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 13 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 284 finished ahead 245 times, behind 412

Longest layoff 6.4 yrs Sep 3, 2016 → Jan 27, 2023

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

20231 milestone

Jan 27 Most recent contest SJV Winter Rub

20161 milestone

May 20 Career-best overall score666.2284 5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition

20152 milestones

Jul 17 First overall past 90% of a perfect score664.5488 RiverFest Red White and Que
Sep 18 10th tracked contest BBQ on the Bricks

20144 milestones

May 9 First tracked contest BBQ in the Bluffs
May 9 First call BBQ in the Bluffs
May 9 Career-best single call (Brisket)173.1428 BBQ in the Bluffs
May 9 Peak power rating (1489) BBQ in the Bluffs

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.1	RiverFest Red White and Que	Jul 17, 2015
+10.4	5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition	May 20, 2016
+7.6	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full)	Apr 22, 2016
+4.8	BBQ on the Bricks	Sep 18, 2015
+4.8	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge	Sep 3, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.8	BBQ in the Bluffs	May 8, 2015
-10.9	BBQ in the Bluffs	May 9, 2014
-8.5	RiverFest Red White and Que	Jul 18, 2014
-7.5	22nd Annual State Barbeque Championship of Nebraska	Aug 15, 2014
-5.5	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-Eye Steak Cookoff Challenge	Sep 5, 2015

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)

Season by season

Season	Contests	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	1	100%	top 55%	91.9%	91.9%
2016	6	17%	top 54%	92.5%	90.9%
2015	6	50%	top 68%	92.3%	85.8%
2014	4	25%	top 82%	87.6%	86.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jan 27, 2023	SJV Winter Rub 🏅 Omaha, NE	17 / 31 (661.5996)	13 (167.9656)	9 (172.0228)	30 (152.5028)	11 (169.1084)
Sep 3, 2016	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE	24 / 45 (655.9888)	32 (162.2628)	22 (162.3088)	26 (163.4400)	13 (167.9772)
Aug 5, 2016	24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Omaha, NE	39 / 70 (647.3832)	38 (162.8460)	56 (153.6572)	12 (171.4400)	39 (159.4400)
Jul 15, 2016	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	25 / 45 (644.4916)	17 (165.7028)	31 (156.5716)	22 (164.5372)	29 (157.6800)
May 20, 2016	5th Annual Valley Veteran's BBQ Competition Valley, NE	12 / 42 (666.2284)	11 (169.1428)	7 (169.1428)	25 (162.2628)	10 (165.6800)
Apr 23, 2016	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	30 / 36 (650.8228)	27 (164.5944)	16 (167.4516)	34 (156.5484)	29 (162.2284)
Apr 22, 2016	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	19 / 42 (663.3944)	13 (169.7488)	20 (165.1200)	36 (161.1200)	16 (167.4056)
Sep 18, 2015	BBQ on the Bricks Kearney, NE	12 / 25 (647.2800)	12 (164.5372)	15 (157.6572)	18 (154.8344)	5 (170.2512)
Sep 5, 2015	Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-Eye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE	26 / 31 (637.5084)	26 (161.6456)	16 (162.8344)	17 (166.2628)	29 (146.7656)
Aug 14, 2015	23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Omaha, NE	26 / 42 (651.8972)	18 (167.3828)	39 (153.6800)	9 (172.0116)	29 (158.8228)
Jul 17, 2015	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	13 / 45 (664.5488)	16 (167.4172)	14 (166.8572)	25 (161.7260)	10 (168.5484)
Jun 26, 2015	3rd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival Omaha, NE	28 / 34 (610.7200)	27 (157.1084)	24 (154.2516)	25 (153.6800)	31 (145.6800)
May 8, 2015	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	33 / 33 (494.1716)	18 (161.6572)	28 (150.2516)	33 (20)	17 (162.2628)
Sep 26, 2014	Ak-Sar-Ben's River City Rodeo & Stock Show Omaha, NE	35 / 47 (624.4340)	15 (166.2856)	41 (149.6800)	41 (151.3828)	31 (157.0856)
Aug 15, 2014	22nd Annual State Barbeque Championship of Nebraska LaPlatte, NE	31 / 38 (630.6856)	36 (154.8456)	32 (154.8000)	37 (154.8000)	12 (166.2400)
Jul 18, 2014	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	29 / 35 (607.7484)	31 (149.0856)	32 (145.6572)	27 (155.9084)	21 (157.0972)
May 9, 2014	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	30 / 33 (628.9944)	32 (149.6456)	18 (165.1316)	33 (141.0744)	5 (173.1428)

OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (9 found in their record)

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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)

Season by season

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)