The heartbreaker
Tie
level with the champion
Finished level on points with the champion at Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (Jul 19, 2025) — the Grand Championship went to the KCBS tiebreaker.
SMOKEY GQ
SMOKEY GQ is a competition barbecue team with 62 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #720 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1638
peak 1663 · rated over 54 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
62
in the data
First seen
May 10, 2019
latest Aug 7, 2026 · 7.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
2
3 reserve · wins it all 3% of the time
Category wins
3
19 podiums
Overall top-10s
37
60% of 62 contests
Best top-10 run
15
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 37%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
338.68 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 336.94 (+1.74)
Walk rate
73%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.71
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 168.53 · weakest Brisket (162.26)
Road miles
10,393
across 61 mapped stops · furthest 727 mi
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1565)
Purse competed for
$270K
listed at 53 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 20 state-championship entries
Master avg
657.60 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
336.94 / 360
55 Backyard contests · 2 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #44 (885 pts) | #38 (946 pts) | #39 (966 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #1255 (58 pts) | #1310 (58 pts) | #1352 (58 pts) | #1271 (58 pts) | #1258 (58 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #39 (1,048 pts) | #14 (1,225 pts) | #46 (967 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1020 (120 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #75 (738 pts) | #86 (698 pts) | #66 (813 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1317 (60 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to SMOKEY GQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#718 of the rated field
- Contests
- 51
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 41%
- Peak
- 1658
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before SMOKEY GQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#719 of the rated field
- Contests
- 37
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1638
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 37 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#722 of the rated field
- Contests
- 37
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1665
Fewer contests behind them than SMOKEY GQ has cooked, 37 to 62, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#721 of the rated field
- Contests
- 109
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1721
109 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#715 of the rated field
- Contests
- 52
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 37%
- Peak
- 1647
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before SMOKEY GQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#717 of the rated field
- Contests
- 43
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1652
Level with SMOKEY GQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAWGS BBQ | 38 | 19 | 19 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| FENDER BENDER BBQ | 31 | 16 | 15 | 52% | ⚔ compare |
| Sensuous BBQ | 31 | 12 | 19 | 39% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Ten Bones | 29 | 13 | 16 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | 26 | 5 | 21 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 25 | 14 | 11 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Sugar Shack | 22 | 16 | 6 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| DAD BOD BARBEQUE | 21 | 9 | 12 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Porket About It | 21 | 9 | 12 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 20 | 16 | 4 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Unknown Smokers | 20 | 14 | 6 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 20 | 5 | 15 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| T Daddys BBQ | 19 | 13 | 6 | 68% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Bear BBQ | 19 | 10 | 9 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 19 | 6 | 13 | 32% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 57 | 33 | 2 | 10 | 180 🔥 | 155.3600 | 168.53 | top 40% |
| Pork Ribs | 60 | 37 | 1 | 9 | 178.2972 | 145.6112 | 167.82 | top 39% |
| Pork | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 168.5600 | 163.4172 | 166.46 | top 56% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2628 | 162.2628 | 162.26 | top 76% |
“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) | 18 | 0 | top 47% |
| Medium (20–39) | 28 | 1 | top 33% |
| Large (40+) | 10 | 1 | top 27% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
14 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
6.9
across 9 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MN
24 of 62 contests · 8 states in all
Contests visited
28
17 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
60 entries · 1 win · 37 calls
First title
Apr 4, 2025
Iowa State BBQ Championship
Opponents faced
662
finished ahead 1,410 times, behind 700
Longest layoff
1.8 yrs
May 10, 2019 → Mar 12, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- 50th tracked contest Iowa State BBQ Championship
- Career-best overall score657.6000 KTD Smokn' Gobbler
- Most recent contest Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY)
20255 milestones
- First Grand Championship Iowa State BBQ Championship
- First state championship Iowa State BBQ Championship
- Biggest field won (49 teams) Iowa State BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1663) Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20231 milestone
- 25th tracked contest Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
20223 milestones
- First category win (Chicken) Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY)
20211 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD)
—4 milestones
- First tracked contest Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score329.6456 Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.1 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day One) | Jun 24, 2022 |
| +14 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Apr 4, 2025 |
| +14 | Minnesota in May | May 7, 2021 |
| +12.8 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 14, 2022 |
| +12 | Smokin in Steele | May 31, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -17.7 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) | Jun 27, 2025 |
| -15.5 | KTD Smokn' Gobbler | Jul 10, 2026 |
| -15.1 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 24, 2026 |
| -12 | Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 7, 2026 |
| -11.4 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 17, 2024 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 33% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
| 2026 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 57% | top 43% | 97.3% | 94% |
| 2025 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 75% | top 38% | 98.4% | 94.5% |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50% | top 40% | 97% | 93.8% |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 78% | top 32% | 95.7% | 94% |
| 2022 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 100% | top 29% | 95.9% | 93.4% |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 75% | top 34% | 93.8% | 92.4% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 42% | 84.6% | 84.6% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2026 | Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY) Montevideo, MN | 11 / 14 (332.4800) | 10 (165.0972) | 8 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Jul 31, 2026 | Cruisin' and BBQin' 🏅 Hampton, IA | 8 / 26 (337.6456) | 4 (171.9772) | 11 (165.6684) | — | — |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 10 / 28 (346.2516) | 5 (175.4172) | 12 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 7 / 27 (347.3944) | 7 (173.1316) | 5 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Jul 10, 2026 | KTD Smokn' Gobbler 🏅 Worthington, MN | 30 / 33 (657.6000) | 29 (165.0972) | — | 28 (163.4172) | 25 (162.2628) |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA | 4 / 19 (345.1200) | 7 (169.1200) | 3 (176) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 13 / 37 (336.5028) | 11 (170.8228) | 18 (165.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 18 / 40 (341.6572) | 17 (170.8344) | 15 (170.8228) | — | — |
| May 29, 2026 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Owatonna, MN | 12 / 25 (338.8116) | 4 (177.7028) | 18 (161.1088) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) Chippewa Falls, WI | 1 / 21 (350.2856) | 3 (174.2856) | 1 (176) | — | — |
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 18 / 77 (330.2172) | 24 (161.0856) | 13 (169.1316) | — | — |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 22 / 24 (318.7656) | 21 (161.0972) | 21 (157.6684) | — | — |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 12 / 42 (343.3828) | 16 (171.4056) | 7 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 16 / 33 (339.9312) | 16 (170.8112) | 17 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Jul 19, 2025 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI | 2 / 17 (354.2972) | 1 (180) | 5 (174.2972) | — | — |
| Jul 12, 2025 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 5 / 16 (345.0972) | 7 (174.2744) | 5 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 9 / 18 (339.3944) | 2 (178.8572) | 15 (160.5372) | 9 (167.3944) | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) 🏅 Spencer, IA | 16 / 15 (320.4800) | 12 (162.8228) | 16 (157.6572) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) Spencer, IA | 12 / 17 (328.4912) | 12 (166.8112) | 12 (161.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 20, 2025 | Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA | 3 / 20 (346.8916) | 2 (176.0116) | 6 (170.8800) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 13 / 36 (335.4056) | 18 (166.2628) | 8 (169.1428) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 10 / 36 (343.9772) | 2 (177.7144) | 25 (166.2628) | — | — |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 18 / 58 (336.5256) | 29 (163.3828) | 4 (173.1428) | — | — |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 13 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Apr 25, 2025 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 9 / 24 (337.6800) | 8 (168.5372) | 6 (169.1428) | — | — |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 1 / 49 (354.2744) | 4 (176.5600) | 2 (177.7144) | — | — |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 14 / 18 (330.7656) | 14 (166.8228) | 11 (163.9428) | — | — |
| Jul 5, 2024 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 3 / 16 (349.1084) | 4 (173.7028) | 3 (175.4056) | — | — |
| Jun 21, 2024 | Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA | 9 / 17 (331.9084) | 8 (166.2284) | 10 (165.6800) | — | — |
| May 31, 2024 | Smokin in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 2 / 32 (344.5600) | 3 (170.8344) | 2 (173.7256) | — | — |
| May 10, 2024 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 25 / 58 (331.9200) | 33 (161.0856) | 11 (170.8344) | — | — |
| May 10, 2024 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 37 (163.3828) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2023 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 5 / 16 (339.4060) | 12 (166.8344) | 5 (172.5716) | — | — |
| Aug 12, 2023 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Mayetta, KS | 16 / 29 (343.9772) | 24 (165.6800) | 6 (178.2972) | — | — |
| Aug 11, 2023 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Mayetta, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 21, 2023 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 7 / 15 (336.5028) | 7 (171.9772) | 9 (164.5256) | — | — |
| Jul 7, 2023 | Art of the Que 🏅 Spencer, IA | 5 / 28 (337.1088) | 6 (170.2744) | 7 (166.8344) | — | — |
| Jun 23, 2023 | Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA | 5 / 15 (330.8116) | 6 (165.7144) | 7 (165.0972) | — | — |
| Jun 2, 2023 | Smokin in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 6 / 29 (344.5828) | 8 (168.5256) | 2 (176.0572) | — | — |
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 10 / 59 (336.5372) | 23 (162.2400) | 4 (174.2972) | — | — |
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 28 (164.5372) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 6 / 20 (338.8000) | 5 (172.5484) | 10 (166.2516) | — | — |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 2 / 22 (345.0972) | 1 (175.4172) | 7 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 5 / 15 (332.5488) | 6 (168.5372) | 7 (164.0116) | — | — |
| Aug 5, 2022 | B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 4 / 21 (340.5256) | 3 (173.7028) | 10 (166.8228) | — | — |
| Jul 22, 2022 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 8 / 13 (334.2284) | 4 (173.1428) | 12 (161.0856) | — | — |
| Jul 15, 2022 | Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD) Bancroft, IA | 8 / 14 (340.5144) | 4 (175.4172) | 9 (165.0972) | — | — |
| Jun 24, 2022 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day One) 🏅 Belvidere, IL | 4 / 36 (332.5140) | 2 (169.7028) | 6 (162.8112) | — | — |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Smokin in Steele (Master & Backyard Contest) 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 5 / 33 (325.1084) | 3 (168) | 10 (157.1084) | — | — |
| May 13, 2022 | Minnesota in May (Backyard) Cambridge, MN | 10 / 38 (334.2400) | 7 (171.9656) | 18 (162.2744) | — | — |
| Mar 25, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 8 / 25 (338.2284) | 17 (163.3712) | 3 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Oct 16, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 12 / 36 (332.5256) | 14 (165.7028) | 13 (166.8228) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 12 / 40 (328.5256) | 31 (157.1084) | 4 (171.4172) | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2021 | Big Island BBQ Backyard Albert Lea, MN | 5 / 15 (336.5372) | 9 (167.9772) | 5 (168.5600) | — | — |
| Aug 7, 2021 | B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 10 / 21 (328.5368) | 9 (163.9884) | 13 (164.5484) | — | — |
| Jun 19, 2021 | Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA | 9 / 22 (328) | 10 (163.9656) | 8 (164.0344) | — | — |
| May 7, 2021 | Minnesota in May 🏅 Cambridge, MN | 7 / 60 (337.7028) | 19 (164.5828) | 4 (173.1200) | — | — |
| May 7, 2021 | Minnesota in May - One Meat Contest - Ribs Cambridge, MN | — | — | 28 (155.3600) | — | — |
| Mar 12, 2021 | American Royal Backyard and Steak Contest Kansas City, MO | 10 / 24 (335.9428) | 13 (161.0856) | 3 (174.8572) | — | — |
| May 10, 2019 | Minnesota in May 🏅 | 24 / 57 (304.4456) | 15 (158.8344) | 33 (145.6112) | — | — |
| Oct 26, 2018 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD) (JUDGES FULL) Lynchburg, TN | — | 39 (155.3600) | 9 (167.4288) | 13 (168.5600) | — |
| — | Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Bancroft, IA | 5 / 15 (329.6456) | 11 (156.5256) | 3 (173.1200) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.