QUE THE SMOKE

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

Power ranking

#2763

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1512

peak 1520 · rated over 18 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-05-02

latest 2017-08-25

Best ToY finish

#438

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 18 contests

Avg finish

top 57%

overall standings

Best overall

675.4060 / 720

Master · Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay

Perfect 180s

Current form

647.52 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 633.48 (+14.05)

Walk rate

61%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

176.0000

Chicken · 6th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 1)

Consistency

±45.58

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 163.46 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.75)

Road miles

884

mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 98 mi

Schedule strength

53%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1568)

Master avg

633.48 / 720

18 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.

They almost always walk

61% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 11 of 18 contests

A top-10 category call in 61% of their 18 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

675.4060 career-best overall

93.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 675.4060 at Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay — 93.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-07-10

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

5 FINGER BBQ has finished one call ahead of QUE THE SMOKE 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

18–0 behind in the head-to-head

TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI ahead in 100% of their meetings

TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI has come out ahead in 18 of their 18 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.7 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.72 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 28%.

Pork Ribs avg 157.75
Chicken avg 163.46
2 calls in 18 entries

A strong matchup

7–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 70% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BURNITA BAR-B-QUE in 7 of their 10 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

15 of 18 shared chicken entries lost

TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI has out-cooked them in 15 of 18 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

T-MAC SMOKIN has landed one call behind them 3 times.

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.

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

RACK MASTERS BBQ

#2769 of the rated field

1512 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 58
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1629

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to QUE THE SMOKE)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team QUE THE SMOKE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 57 contests
last seen 2020-07-17

⚔ Head-to-head

MAGUIRE UNIVERSITY CULINARY INSTITUTE

#2744 of the rated field

1512 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1533

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 19 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2019-08-16

⚔ Head-to-head

PURE SMOKE

#2742 of the rated field

1512 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1512

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 20 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2026-06-05

⚔ Head-to-head

Wolf Valley BBQ

#2754 of the rated field

1512 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1533

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2026-05-15

⚔ Head-to-head

PAPA'S BARBQ

#2764 of the rated field

1512 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

Level with QUE THE SMOKE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2019-09-20

⚔ Head-to-head

Pork Posse

#2751 of the rated field

1512 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1512

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 5 years after QUE THE SMOKE did, first appearing in 2019.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2024-04-05

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
5 FINGER BBQ	18	3	15	17%	⚔ compare
TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI	18	0	18	0%	⚔ compare
FOX RIVER BBQ	16	6	10	38%	⚔ compare
T-MAC SMOKIN	16	4	12	25%	⚔ compare
LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW	15	7	8	47%	⚔ compare
TOPPGATOR BBQ	13	9	4	69%	⚔ compare
CHEFS GONE GRILLIN	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
PLASTERED PORK BBQ	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
CRASH TEST SMOKERS	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
FAT ANDY'S BBQ	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
BIG "E" BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
DD'S BBQ	12	8	4	67%	⚔ compare
Freeman Brothers BBQ	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ	12	3	9	25%	⚔ compare
BUCKAROO BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	18	5	0	1	176.0000	146.8116	163.46	top 51%
Pork Ribs	18	2	0	0	169.7028	139.9656	157.75	top 61%
Pork	18	5	1	2	172.0000	146.2284	160.85	top 51%
Brisket	17	3	0	0	172.0344	151.9884	160.32	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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	10	0	top 57%
Large (40+)	8	0	top 58%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
6th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 2)	2	19	top 69%	2017-08-25
BBQ 4 ASTOP	2	8	top 44%	2016-05-20
Puckaway Pigfest	2	11	top 54%	2015-09-11
Grillin' in Grafton	2	6	top 36%	2015-06-26

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

On the trail 3.3 yrs 2014-05-02 → 2017-08-25

Busiest season 2015 8 contests

Contests a season 4.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in WI 18 of 18 contests

Contests visited 14 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 18 entries · 0 wins · 5 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 163.46 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.75)

Walk rate 61% a top-10 call in 11 of 18 contests

Overall top-10 rate 17% 3 of 18 contests

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 633.48 out of 720 · 18 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 211 322–394 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 884 18 mapped stops · furthest 98 mi

Schedule strength 1568 average field rating faced — tougher than 53% of rated contests

Power rating 1512 peak 1520 · #2763 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
May 2 First tracked contest The Masters in May
Jun 27 First call Grillin' in Grafton
2015
May 29 First overall top-10 BBQ 4 ASTOP
May 29 First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.3484 BBQ 4 ASTOP
Jun 26 First category win (Pork) Grillin' in Grafton
Jul 10 Career-best overall score675.4060 Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay
Aug 28 10th tracked contest 4th Annual Deaths Door Barbecue
2017
Aug 24 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.0000 6th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 1)
Aug 24 Peak power rating (1520) 6th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 1)
Aug 25 Most recent contest 6th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 2)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay	2015-07-10
+13.4	Grillin' in Grafton	2015-06-26
+8.6	BBQ 4 ASTOP	2015-05-29
+7.7	Puckaway Pigfest	2015-09-11
+6.1	6th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 1)	2017-08-24

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.3	Badger Brews & Que	2015-07-31
-9.4	The Masters In May	2015-05-01
-7.9	6th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 2)	2017-08-25
-6.7	The Masters in May	2014-05-02
-6.4	Puckaway Pigfest	2014-09-05

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	4	0	0	50%	top 63%	91.9%	89.8%
2016	3	0	0	100%	top 64%	90.3%	89.7%
2015	8	3	1	50%	top 48%	93.8%	86.8%
2014	3	0	0	67%	top 68%	89%	86.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-08-25	6th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 2) Washington Island, WI	35 / 39 (624.9488)	23 (163.9544)	32 (157.0972)	38 (148.5028)	32 (155.3944)
2017-08-24	6th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 1) Washington Island, WI	19 / 40 (658.7084)	2 (176.0000)	25 (159.9544)	23 (161.6684)	27 (161.0856)
2017-05-06	*Master In May-The Classic APPLETON, WI	35 / 50 (642.2060)	41 (158.2172)	33 (160.5716)	29 (160.5716)	25 (162.8456)
2017-05-05	*The Masters In May (also Big Green Egg challenge) APPLETON, WI	26 / 56 (661.6000)	40 (164.5372)	9 (169.7028)	23 (167.3828)	37 (159.9772)
2016-08-06	Badger Brew & Que II (Day 2) Manitowoc, WI	16 / 22 (650.1600)	15 (161.6800)	12 (163.4172)	18 (159.9772)	10 (165.0856)
2016-08-05	Badger Brew & Que I (Day 1) Manitowoc, WI	18 / 27 (639.8516)	18 (161.6800)	17 (156.5144)	5 (166.8228)	19 (154.8344)
2016-05-20	BBQ 4 ASTOP Fond du Lac, WI	15 / 28 (646.7660)	8 (167.4172)	6 (166.2972)	20 (158.8000)	22 (154.2516)
2015-09-11	Puckaway Pigfest Montello, WI	11 / 33 (642.1828)	17 (157.6456)	11 (162.2516)	6 (166.2628)	20 (156.0228)
2015-08-28	4th Annual Deaths Door Barbecue Washington Island, WI	16 / 35 (644.4112)	14 (166.2628)	26 (155.9428)	18 (160.5028)	12 (161.7028)
2015-07-31	Badger Brews & Que Manitowoc, WI	30 / 30 (458.7312)	22 (159.4172)	21 (151.9772)	29 (147.3368)	—
2015-07-10	Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay Green Bay, WI	10 / 80 (675.4060)	10 (172.5600)	31 (162.8688)	11 (170.8228)	15 (169.1544)
2015-06-26	Grillin' in Grafton Grafton, WI	6 / 33 (663.9772)	24 (157.6684)	21 (162.2744)	1 (172.0000)	4 (172.0344)
2015-05-29	BBQ 4 ASTOP Fond du Lac, WI	8 / 23 (659.3484)	9 (166.8228)	15 (156.5600)	3 (167.4172)	8 (168.5484)
2015-05-02	The Masters In May - The Classic Appleton, WI	23 / 47 (646.7656)	14 (167.4172)	44 (149.0856)	15 (165.1200)	16 (165.1428)
2015-05-01	The Masters In May Appleton, WI	50 / 57 (609.4972)	54 (146.8116)	47 (150.1828)	41 (157.0856)	39 (155.4172)
2014-09-05	Puckaway Pigfest Montello, WI	30 / 40 (618.7540)	10 (170.2628)	39 (139.9656)	28 (156.5372)	30 (151.9884)
2014-06-27	Grillin' in Grafton Grafton, WI	17 / 32 (640.5144)	20 (158.8344)	14 (160.5600)	10 (162.2628)	15 (158.8572)
2014-05-02	The Masters in May Fremont, WI	47 / 62 (618.7884)	17 (165.1772)	42 (154.2512)	60 (146.2284)	49 (153.1316)

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
2017 ↗	Master	#1133 (270 pts)	#869 (450 pts)	#1076 (325 pts)	#1224 (260 pts)	#1261 (240 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1105 (282 pts)	#1050 (332 pts)	#985 (372 pts)	#1061 (337 pts)	#1184 (272 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#438 (869 pts)	#488 (789 pts)	#630 (619 pts)	#295 (1129 pts)	#449 (834 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1213 (237 pts)	#1019 (337 pts)	#1234 (252 pts)	#1187 (272 pts)	#1229 (247 pts)