High-water mark
670.2168
career-best overall
93.1% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 670.2168 at City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival — 93.1% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Aug 30, 2014
THIN, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE SMOKE
THIN, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE SMOKE is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 4th of 76 at the City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival (2014). They are ranked #2813 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Thin, Beautiful Blue Smoke”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1511
peak 1520 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
Aug 31, 2013
latest Nov 8, 2017 · 4.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
17% of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 50%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
657.86 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 651.14 (+6.72)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±18.21
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 166.17 · weakest Brisket (160.64)
Road miles
594
across 6 mapped stops · furthest 587 mi
Schedule strength
33%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1544)
Master avg
651.14 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1947 (108 pts) | #1587 (168 pts) | #1772 (128 pts) | #1996 (108 pts) | #1936 (118 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #2274 (60 pts) | #2070 (110 pts) | #2349 (60 pts) | #2326 (60 pts) | #2345 (60 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #2055 (75 pts) | #2209 (60 pts) | #2082 (80 pts) | #1647 (145 pts) | #2214 (60 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #1251 (225 pts) | #2001 (105 pts) | #2161 (75 pts) | #1498 (190 pts) | #1434 (200 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to THIN, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE SMOKE, each with one reason worth a look.
102 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,807 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1515
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to THIN, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE SMOKE)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team THIN, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE SMOKE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,804 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1515
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,805 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1514
They turned up 7 years after THIN, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE SMOKE did, first appearing in 2020.
⚔ Compare careers#2,808 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1511
Level with THIN, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE SMOKE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,800 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1525
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 6 contests, alongside a 33% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#2,806 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1520
Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 3 years before THIN, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE SMOKE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELLIS COUNTY BBQ | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8112 | 157.6684 | 166.17 | top 40% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.8456 | 158.2628 | 161.88 | top 53% |
| Pork | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.0228 | 144.5256 | 162.46 | top 47% |
| Brisket | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 154.2288 | 160.64 | top 56% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 67% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 46% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | 4 | 4 | 0 | top 43% | Sep 3, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
2 contests
Contests a season
1.2
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
TX
5 of 6 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
3
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
296
finished ahead 214 times, behind 184
Longest layoff
1.1 yrs
Sep 3, 2016 → Oct 13, 2017
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20171 milestone
- Most recent contest World Barbecue Championship
20151 milestone
- Peak power rating (1520) City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
20145 milestones
- First call City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
- First overall top-10 City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score670.2168 City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
- Career-best overall score670.2168 City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
- Career-best single call (Brisket)172.5600 City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
20131 milestone
- First tracked contest City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.7 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | Aug 30, 2014 |
| +6.9 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | Sep 4, 2015 |
| +2.4 | World Barbecue Championship | Nov 8, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.5 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | Sep 3, 2016 |
| -4.2 | Smokin' Blues & BBQ Festival | Oct 13, 2017 |
| -2.5 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | Aug 31, 2013 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 63% | 92.8% | 91.7% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 76% | 88.8% | 88.8% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 31% | 91.7% | 91.7% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 5% | 93.1% | 93.1% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 60% | 85.8% | 85.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2017 | World Barbecue Championship Orange Beach, AL | 55 / 93 (667.8628) | 53 (168.5372) | 57 (165.6684) | 21 (171.4056) | 70 (162.2516) |
| Oct 13, 2017 | Smokin' Blues & BBQ Festival Duncanville, TX | 12 / 18 (651.9772) | 5 (169.7028) | 9 (162.3088) | 12 (159.9884) | 10 (159.9772) |
| Sep 3, 2016 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 44 / 58 (639.2916) | 15 (170.8112) | 38 (159.3944) | 49 (154.8572) | 47 (154.2288) |
| Sep 4, 2015 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 22 / 70 (659.9424) | 35 (163.4284) | 21 (166.8456) | 9 (171.9656) | 48 (157.7028) |
| Aug 30, 2014 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 4 / 76 (670.2168) | 19 (166.8456) | 48 (158.7884) | 6 (172.0228) | 5 (172.5600) |
| Aug 31, 2013 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 53 / 89 (617.5540) | 50 (157.6684) | 44 (158.2628) | 77 (144.5256) | 45 (157.0972) |