ROYAL SMOKERS

ROYAL SMOKERS is a competition barbecue team with 26 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 29 at the Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off (2017). They are ranked #1386 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,386

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1573

peak 1579 · rated over 26 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 2, 2014

latest Sep 28, 2018 · 4.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#352

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

12 podiums

Overall top-10s

27% of 26 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 50%

overall standings

Best overall

694.2400 / 720

Master · Delta Smoke BBQ Contest

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

669.88 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 662.72 (+7.15)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Delta Smoke BBQ Contest

Consistency

±16.35

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 166.13 · weakest Pork Ribs (164.96)

Road miles

3,022

across 26 mapped stops · furthest 266 mi

Schedule strength

61%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1577)

Master avg

662.72 / 720

26 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (14 found in their record)

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

Perfect scores on the board

2 perfect 180s

2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.

Chicken ×1
Pork ×1

On the rise

+32 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 32 points across 8 contests since Sep 29, 2017 — from 1541 up to 1573.

8 contests since Sep 29, 2017
now 1573

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 19 of 26 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 26 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

694.2400 career-best overall

96.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 694.2400 at Delta Smoke BBQ Contest — 96.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 8, 2018

The one to beat

5× one call ahead of them

SOUTHERN KRUNK BBQ SOCIETY has finished one call ahead of ROYAL SMOKERS 5 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 38%.

4 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 38%

A tough matchup

18–2 behind in the head-to-head

FIRE DANCER BBQ ahead in 90% of their meetings

FIRE DANCER BBQ has come out ahead in 18 of their 20 shared contests.

Show 7 more storylines

A strong matchup

7–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 78% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Kermit's Ex in 7 of their 9 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

15 of 20 shared pork entries lost

FIRE DANCER BBQ ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, FIRE DANCER BBQ has out-cooked them in 15 of 20 shared pork entries.

Built for the big stage

Top 38% average finish in large fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 38% finish in large fields against top 70% in small ones.

Large (40+): top 38% (6)
Small (<20 teams): top 70% (4)

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Tater 2 has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A June team

Top 32% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 32% across 4 contests, versus top 50% the rest of the year.

4 June contests
top 50% the rest of the year

The long haul

3,022 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,022 miles across 26 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 266 miles to Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest.

26 mapped stops
furthest 266 mi

The metronome

±2.27% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.27% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.0% of a perfect score
26 contests

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
2018 ↗	Master	#524 (683 pts)	#322 (1,023 pts)	#651 (563 pts)	#390 (908 pts)	#629 (583 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#352 (1,053 pts)	#362 (1,023 pts)	#226 (1,343 pts)	#317 (1,123 pts)	#349 (1,078 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#712 (530 pts)	#900 (410 pts)	#787 (505 pts)	#806 (485 pts)	#583 (690 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1002 (306 pts)	#1009 (331 pts)	#950 (366 pts)	#846 (431 pts)	#902 (391 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1286 (221 pts)	#1307 (231 pts)	#1624 (156 pts)	#1516 (186 pts)	#1238 (246 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to ROYAL SMOKERS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Smokin Through The Night

#1,383 of the rated field

1573 power rating

Contests: 44
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 39%
Peak: 1621

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to ROYAL SMOKERS)

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

rated over 44 contests
last seen May 8, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN DAN

#1,388 of the rated field

1572 power rating

Contests: 79
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1632

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to ROYAL SMOKERS)

They've been 1632 at their best, 60 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 79 contests
last seen May 20, 2023

⚔ Head-to-head

RETIRED AND RUBBIN' IT

#1,384 of the rated field

1573 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1585

Careers of much the same size, 33 contests to 26, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 33 contests
last seen Sep 24, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

THE BBQ SHERPAS

#1,387 of the rated field

1572 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1579

20 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 35% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Oct 20, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

HOLLA-N-SWALLA

#1,390 of the rated field

1572 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1572

Level with ROYAL SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Jun 15, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

WARPIG BBQ & SAUSAGE CO.

#1,389 of the rated field

1572 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1572

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Nov 10, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
FIRE DANCER BBQ	20	2	18	10%	⚔ compare
DAD'S GRILLIN CREW	19	3	16	16%	⚔ compare
BBQR'S DELIGHT	18	7	11	39%	⚔ compare
501 BBQ	17	2	15	12%	⚔ compare
RAZORRACKS	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
Survivor-Que	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
HOT AND FAST BBQ	11	6	5	55%	⚔ compare
SOUTHERN KRUNK BBQ SOCIETY	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
Kermit's Ex	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
EPIC BBQ CRU	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
HOG TIDE BAR-B-QUE	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BLIND HOG BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Q-BONES BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
BIG BUTTS NEED RUBBIN TOO	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	26	9	1	2	180 🔥	147.9200	165.87	top 52%
Pork Ribs	26	8	2	3	176.5716	146.2516	164.96	top 53%
Pork	26	8	1	4	180 🔥	152.5028	166.13	top 48%
Brisket	26	8	0	3	175.4172	149.0856	165.76	top 48%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	4	top 70%
Medium (20–39)	16	top 50%
Large (40+)	6	top 38%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
AR	21	top 51%
MS	2	top 35%
LA	2	top 64%
TN	1	top 42%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Bikes, Blues and BBQ	2	15	top 48%	Sep 28, 2018
Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off	2	13	top 35%	Jun 15, 2018
Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	2	7	top 28%	Jun 8, 2018
Go Hog Wild Arkansas BBQ Championship	2	8	top 38%	Oct 6, 2017
Bryant's Buzzin BBQ Bash	2	7	top 43%	Sep 29, 2017
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	18	top 64%	Mar 3, 2017
Biggest Buck and Best Rack	2	12	top 58%	Sep 11, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 9 contests

Contests a season 5.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in AR 21 of 26 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 19 7 of them more than once

Opponents faced 408 finished ahead 431 times, behind 369

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

20185 milestones

Apr 7 First perfect 180 (Pork) Smoke on the Border
Jun 8 Career-best overall score694.2400 Delta Smoke BBQ Contest
Jun 15 Peak power rating (1579) Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off
Jul 13 25th tracked contest 17th Annual Bordertown Bash
Sep 28 Most recent contest Bikes, Blues and BBQ

20172 milestones

Mar 31 First category win (Pork Ribs) Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest
Apr 28 First overall podium Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off

20162 milestones

Aug 13 First overall top-10 Valley Music Fest BBQ Cookoff
Sep 23 10th tracked contest Bryant's Buzzin BBQ Bash

20143 milestones

May 2 First tracked contest Smokelawn
May 2 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.7772 Smokelawn
Jul 4 First call Que'n In The Park

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.9	Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off	Apr 28, 2017
+13.4	Valley Music Fest BBQ Cookoff	Aug 13, 2016
+12.4	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	Jun 8, 2018
+9.8	Bryant's Buzzin BBQ Bash	Sep 23, 2016
+8.1	Smoke on the Border	Apr 7, 2018

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.3	Bass & BBQ at the Forrest Wood Cup Day 1	Aug 21, 2015
-9.1	Hot Springs Blues & BBQ	Sep 19, 2015
-7.1	Bass & BBQ at the Forrest Wood Cup Day 2	Aug 22, 2015
-7.1	Que'n In The Park	Jul 4, 2014
-5.2	17th Annual Bordertown Bash	Jul 13, 2018

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	6	3	2	83%	top 42%	96.4%	93.4%
2017	9	2	2	78%	top 43%	96%	93%
2016	4	2	0	100%	top 38%	94%	91.8%
2015	4	0	0	50%	top 86%	90.9%	89.4%
2014	3	0	0	33%	top 56%	91.4%	90.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 28, 2018	Bikes, Blues and BBQ Fayetteville, AR	28 / 49 (652.4456)	9 (173.1428)	27 (162.8344)	21 (167.3828)	43 (149.0856)
Jul 13, 2018	17th Annual Bordertown Bash Fort Smith, AR	25 / 32 (651.3600)	14 (171.4172)	32 (155.3828)	18 (168.5600)	26 (156)
Jun 15, 2018	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off Hernado, MS	13 / 45 (684)	9 (173.7256)	35 (161.1200)	3 (177.7028)	18 (171.4516)
Jun 8, 2018	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest Wynne, AR	7 / 44 (694.2400)	1 (180)	5 (176.0116)	13 (172.5600)	28 (165.6684)
May 25, 2018	10th Annual Gillett Heritage Days Festival BBQ cook off Gillett, AR	7 / 18 (667.3368)	4 (171.4056)	12 (162.2400)	14 (161.0856)	4 (172.6056)
Apr 7, 2018	Smoke on the Border Gravette, AR	10 / 33 (685.7144)	9 (170.8800)	18 (165.1316)	1 (180)	13 (169.7028)
Oct 6, 2017	Go Hog Wild Arkansas BBQ Championship Sheridan, AR	8 / 25 (667.9316)	11 (165.6800)	8 (169.6916)	14 (162.8456)	7 (169.7144)
Sep 29, 2017	Bryant's Buzzin BBQ Bash Bryant, AR	11 / 19 (651.9084)	16 (155.3828)	10 (165.0856)	14 (159.4400)	3 (172)
Sep 22, 2017	Bikes, Blues and BBQ Fayetteville, AR	15 / 38 (662.7428)	8 (170.8228)	14 (166.8572)	6 (174.2972)	27 (150.7656)
Jul 7, 2017	16th Annual Bordertown Bash Fort Smith, AR	17 / 31 (669.7032)	22 (167.4516)	6 (173.7144)	22 (164)	17 (164.5372)
Jun 16, 2017	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off Nesbit, MS	17 / 41 (676.4456)	8 (173.7028)	14 (170.8344)	15 (170.8228)	29 (161.0856)
Jun 9, 2017	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest Wynne, AR	18 / 45 (675.3144)	21 (169.6800)	26 (165.6916)	15 (170.2628)	19 (169.6800)
Apr 28, 2017	Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off Stuttgart, AR	3 / 29 (691.4056)	3 (176.5828)	1 (176.5600)	19 (164.5600)	3 (173.7028)
Mar 31, 2017	Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest Savannah, TN	20 / 48 (679.8972)	43 (162.2284)	1 (176.5716)	2 (177.1544)	35 (163.9428)
Mar 3, 2017	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Shreveport, LA	20 / 29 (650.7200)	23 (161.7028)	26 (157.6572)	14 (167.3828)	14 (163.9772)
Oct 7, 2016	Go Hog Wild Arkansas BBQ Championship Sheridan, AR	12 / 27 (659.3028)	14 (163.3828)	18 (158.8000)	5 (169.7144)	11 (167.4056)
Sep 23, 2016	Bryant's Buzzin BBQ Bash Bryant, AR	7 / 25 (661.0632)	22 (150.2516)	2 (175.4288)	14 (159.9656)	2 (175.4172)
Aug 13, 2016	Valley Music Fest BBQ Cookoff Russellville, AR	6 / 28 (677.1432)	7 (173.7488)	19 (162.2744)	8 (171.4172)	6 (169.7028)
Mar 4, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Shreveport, LA	18 / 30 (645.6000)	20 (161.1544)	19 (161.6572)	26 (154.2284)	8 (168.5600)
Sep 19, 2015	Hot Springs Blues & BBQ Hot Springs, AR	26 / 29 (633.5428)	27 (153.6456)	20 (162.2744)	26 (154.2056)	20 (163.4172)
Sep 11, 2015	Biggest Buck and Best Rack Alma, AR	18 / 25 (654.2172)	12 (171.4400)	10 (169.1200)	25 (152.5028)	19 (161.1544)
Aug 22, 2015	Bass & BBQ at the Forrest Wood Cup Day 2 Hot Springs, AR	16 / 18 (650.1600)	16 (159.4056)	16 (161.6688)	17 (159.4056)	11 (169.6800)
Aug 21, 2015	Bass & BBQ at the Forrest Wood Cup Day 1 Hot Springs, AR	18 / 19 (637.5428)	19 (147.9200)	19 (146.2516)	2 (173.7028)	10 (169.6684)
Sep 12, 2014	Biggest Buck and Best Rack Alma, AR	12 / 27 (658.1488)	13 (167.9772)	19 (158.8116)	11 (165.6800)	11 (165.6800)
Jul 4, 2014	Que'n In The Park Bryant, AR	26 / 33 (638.1028)	32 (151.3600)	18 (163.9656)	10 (166.2516)	21 (156.5256)
May 2, 2014	Smokelawn Hot Springs, AR	17 / 39 (654.7772)	14 (168.5828)	23 (163.4172)	31 (154.2288)	13 (168.5484)

ROYAL SMOKERS

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (14 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

On the rise

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

Built for the big stage

Looking over their shoulder

A June team

The long haul

The metronome

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)