SMOKIN E'S BBQ

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

Power ranking

#724

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1637

peak 1637 · rated over 31 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2016-09-02

latest 2026-08-28

Best ToY finish

#20

Backyard 2026

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

12 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 41 contests

Avg finish

top 43%

overall standings

Best overall

703.9888 / 720

Master · GLBBQA Spring Fling

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

345.11 ▲

last 5 Backyard vs avg 343.68 (+1.42)

Walk rate

61%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Chicken · Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)

Consistency

±4.98

std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 170.72 · weakest Brisket (163.91)

Road miles

5,787

mi across 41 mapped stops · furthest 473 mi

Schedule strength

64%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1580)

Purse competed for

$187K

listed at 32 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 17 state-championship entries

Master avg

660.49 / 720

12 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

343.68 / 360

21 Backyard contests · 1 GC

Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is 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.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (17 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.

The heartbreaker

3.4168 points from the title

Came within 3.4168 points of the Grand Championship at GLBBQA Spring Fling (2026-04-17).

Perfect scores on the board

2 perfect 180s

2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.

Chicken ×2

Against the odds

33-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 67 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026-08-28) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 33-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, LEE LA Q.

On the rise

+88 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 88 points across 14 contests since 2025-09-05 — from 1549 up to 1637.

14 contests since 2025-09-05
now 1637

Happy hunting ground

Top 9% average finish here

Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) is their spot: an average finish in the top 9% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 3rd
average top 9%

They almost always walk

61% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 25 of 41 contests

A top-10 category call in 61% of their 41 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

703.9888 career-best overall

97.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 703.9888 at GLBBQA Spring Fling — 97.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2026-04-17

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Skinny Pig BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMOKIN E'S BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2026 1 Grand Championship

2026 was the year it came together: 18 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 29%.

18 contests
9 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 29%

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.81 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 17% of the time against 49%.

Brisket avg 163.91
Chicken avg 170.72
2 calls in 12 entries

A strong matchup

8–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Big Bear BBQ in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The comeback

2.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.9 years, then back at Rockin' BBQ Warsaw (ONE MEAT RIBS) (2024-05-17).

last seen 2021-06-19
back 2024-05-17

Chicken nemesis

14 of 18 shared chicken entries lost

Rudes BBQ ahead 78% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Rudes BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 18 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Can Country Outlaw BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A June team

Top 34% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 34% across 9 contests, versus top 43% the rest of the year.

9 June contests
top 43% the rest of the year

The long haul

5,787 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,787 miles across 41 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 473 miles to American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest.

41 mapped stops
furthest 473 mi

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.

MUD'S BBQ

#723 of the rated field

1637 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 29
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1642

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before SMOKIN E'S BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 26 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

SUNDANCER BBQ

#728 of the rated field

1637 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 59%
Peak: 1637

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 22 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 22 contests
last seen 2016-10-07

⚔ Head-to-head

JL Smokers

#726 of the rated field

1637 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 57
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1637

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 57 contests to 41, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 55 contests
last seen 2026-08-07

⚔ Head-to-head

Freeman Brothers BBQ

#722 of the rated field

1637 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 57
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 26%
Peak: 1662

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 57 contests, alongside a 26% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 56 contests
last seen 2024-07-19

⚔ Head-to-head

C4-Que

#727 of the rated field

1637 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 59%
Peak: 1637

No shared contest yet.

Level with SMOKIN E'S BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2024-10-25

⚔ Head-to-head

COOL HAND QUE

#725 of the rated field

1637 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 81
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1672

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1672 at their best, 35 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 77 contests
last seen 2026-05-29

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Rudes BBQ	17	6	11	35%	⚔ compare
THE BBQ BUS	14	4	9	29%	⚔ compare
DB BBQ	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
All Smoked Up BBQ	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
WE WILL ROCK QUE	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
Skinny Pig BBQ	11	7	4	64%	⚔ compare
BBQ MIKE	11	6	5	55%	⚔ compare
Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
QUE U	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
Shiggin aint easy	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
THE REAL SMOKIN ACES	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
E SQUARED BBQ	9	6	3	67%	⚔ compare
SMOKEY GQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
TEAM CRAWFORD	9	4	4	44%	⚔ compare
DAWGS BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	35	17	3	7	180.0000 🔥	150.8228	170.72	top 41%
Pork Ribs	37	14	1	3	178.8572	156.5144	168.55	top 45%
Pork	13	4	0	0	175.4172	150.1712	166.21	top 56%
Brisket	12	2	1	2	178.8572	147.8972	163.91	top 61%

“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 state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
IN	10	0	top 64%
IL	7	1	top 23%
WI	5	0	top 35%
IA	4	0	top 47%
TN	3	0	top 39%
MI	2	0	top 26%
MO	1	0	top 12%
KS	1	0	top 50%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	6	1	top 50%
Medium (20–39)	18	0	top 39%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 45%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2)	4	6	top 47%	2026-07-18
Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	3	top 9%	2026-08-15
Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	5	top 50%	2026-08-08
Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2	4	top 27%	2026-06-19
Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)	2	4	top 14%	2026-06-13
Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)	2	18	top 54%	2026-06-12

The story so far (22 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 10 yrs 2016-09-02 → 2026-08-28

Busiest season 2026 18 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 5.9 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IN 15 of 41 contests · 8 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 25 6 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 37 entries · 1 win · 14 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 170.72 · weakest Brisket (163.91)

Walk rate 61% a top-10 call in 25 of 41 contests

Overall top-10 rate 37% 15 of 41 contests

Wins it all 2% 1 Grand Championship · 1 reserve

First title 2026-08-28 Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 660.49 out of 720 · 12 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 343.68 out of 360 · 21 contests · 1 GC

Perfect 180s 2 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 889 989–758 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 5,787 41 mapped stops · furthest 473 mi

Schedule strength 1580 average field rating faced — tougher than 64% of rated contests

Purse competed for $187,405 listed at 32 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 17 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 2.9 yrs 2021-06-19 → 2024-05-17

Power rating 1637 peak 1637 · #724 of 6,413 rated

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

2016
Apr 22 First tracked contest CCS Fest: CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition
2020
Oct 16 First call Best of the Midwest BBQ
Oct 16 First category win (Brisket) Best of the Midwest BBQ
Oct 16 First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.6228 Best of the Midwest BBQ
2021
Jun 19 First overall top-10 Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 2
2024
May 17 10th tracked contest Rockin' BBQ Warsaw
2025
Sep 5 First overall podium Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
Sep 5 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
2026
Apr 17 First Reserve Championship GLBBQA Spring Fling
Apr 17 25th tracked contest GLBBQA Spring Fling
Apr 17 Career-best overall score703.9888 GLBBQA Spring Fling
Aug 28 First Grand Championship Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)
Aug 28 Peak power rating (1637) Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)
Aug 28 Most recent contest Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.1	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)	2025-06-14
+16.7	High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	2025-05-16
+15.9	GLBBQA Spring Fling	2026-04-17
+15.5	Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 2	2021-06-19
+14.8	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown	2025-06-27

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.9	Sunset Hill Kansas City Barbecue Competition	2019-05-17
-9.5	Homecoming 2016	2016-09-02
-8.3	Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)	2026-08-22
-7.4	Rockin' BBQ - Day 1	2021-05-14
-4.7	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw	2024-05-17

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	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	18	1	9	2	78%	top 29%	97.8%	95.7%
2025	12	0	5	2	58%	top 39%	97.1%	95.1%
2024	3	0	0	0	33%	top 77%	92.4%	91.9%
2021	4	0	1	0	50%	top 64%	94.9%	91.3%
2020	1	0	0	1	100%	top 40%	91.9%	91.9%
2019	1	0	0	0	0%	top 95%	84.6%	84.6%
2016	2	0	0	0	0%	top 88%	85.1%	85.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-08-28	Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL	1 / 16 (349.6916)	1 (180.0000)	6 (169.6916)	—	—
2026-08-22	Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL	11 / 16 (341.7028)	11 (169.1200)	4 (172.5828)	—	—
2026-08-15	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	3 / 30 (348.5600)	3 (177.7028)	9 (170.8572)	—	—
2026-08-08	Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN	5 / 13 (340.4912)	5 (170.8112)	5 (169.6800)	—	—
2026-07-18	Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA	12 / 28 (345.0972)	8 (174.2628)	13 (170.8344)	—	—
2026-07-17	Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA	6 / 27 (347.4172)	9 (173.1084)	3 (174.3088)	—	—
2026-06-19	Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL	4 / 41 (351.9656)	13 (173.1084)	1 (178.8572)	—	—
2026-06-13	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI	6 / 37 (342.8000)	2 (174.2628)	12 (168.5372)	—	—
2026-06-12	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI	23 / 40 (338.2400)	31 (163.9656)	6 (174.2744)	—	—
2026-06-12	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI	—	—	11 (173.1200)	—	—
2026-05-24	8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN	39 / 82 (335.9200)	34 (169.6684)	38 (166.2516)	—	—
2026-05-23	8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN	68 / 117 (682.8000)	11 (178.2972)	98 (166.2628)	87 (167.3944)	51 (170.8456)
2026-05-22	8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Chicken Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN	—	45 (171.9656)	—	—	—
2026-05-15	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Warsaw, IN	—	5 (175.4056)	—	—	—
2026-05-15	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana 🏅 Warsaw, IN	5 / 35 (339.3484)	7 (169.6684)	5 (169.6800)	—	—
2026-05-15	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN	—	—	3 (175.4744)	—	—
2026-04-17	GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Coldwater, MI	2 / 48 (703.9888)	19 (173.7028)	11 (176.0116)	6 (175.4172)	2 (178.8572)
2026-03-20	American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO	4 / 33 (347.9772)	3 (178.8572)	16 (169.1200)	—	—
2025-11-05	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	201 / 401 (678.1252)	80 (174.8456)	144 (171.9656)	260 (167.3712)	280 (163.9428)
2025-09-05	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	3 / 38 (349.6800)	1 (180.0000)	10 (169.6800)	—	—
2025-08-09	Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN	11 / 18 (335.9428)	10 (170.2628)	13 (165.6800)	—	—
2025-07-12	Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA	11 / 16 (339.9428)	10 (170.2628)	7 (169.6800)	—	—
2025-07-11	Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA	10 / 18 (339.3600)	10 (169.6800)	8 (169.6800)	5 (173.1200)	—
2025-06-27	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL	4 / 26 (346.2400)	4 (174.2628)	6 (171.9772)	—	—
2025-06-20	Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL	16 / 36 (340.5260)	21 (167.3944)	12 (173.1316)	—	—
2025-06-14	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI	4 / 36 (349.1200)	1 (179.4400)	7 (169.6800)	—	—
2025-06-13	Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI	—	—	—	—	—
2025-06-13	Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI	18 / 36 (338.2400)	17 (171.4056)	22 (166.8344)	—	—
2025-05-16	High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN	4 / 32 (349.1084)	2 (177.7028)	13 (171.4056)	—	—
2025-04-18	GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Charlotte, MI	27 / 56 (681.0516)	11 (175.4056)	11 (172.5716)	30 (170.8344)	45 (162.2400)
2024-06-07	Hoosier BBQ Classic 🏅 Franklin, IN	28 / 38 (665.5772)	33 (166.2516)	18 (169.6800)	23 (171.4056)	31 (158.2400)
2024-05-17	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw 🏅 Warsaw, IN	26 / 32 (658.1144)	31 (158.2172)	26 (161.6800)	10 (174.2628)	26 (163.9544)
2024-05-17	Rockin' BBQ Warsaw (ONE MEAT RIBS) 🏅 Warsaw, IN	—	—	22 (166.8228)	—	—
2021-06-19	Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 2 🏅 Franklin, IN	9 / 37 (683.3716)	8 (173.1544)	20 (167.4056)	14 (171.9772)	12 (170.8344)
2021-05-15	Rockin' BBQ - Day 2 🏅 Warsaw, IN	31 / 39 (642.2060)	20 (168.5828)	36 (157.6688)	38 (151.4056)	24 (164.5488)
2021-05-14	Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 🏅 Warsaw, IN	36 / 41 (646.7084)	39 (152.5372)	30 (162.2284)	8 (173.7256)	39 (158.2172)
2021-05-14	Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 - One Meat Rib Contest Warsaw, IN	—	—	29 (160.0116)	—	—
2020-10-16	Best of the Midwest BBQ 🏅 Union Grove, WI	20 / 50 (661.6228)	27 (166.2972)	37 (158.2400)	33 (161.0856)	1 (176.0000)
2019-05-17	Sunset Hill Kansas City Barbecue Competition 🏅 Valparaiso, IN	19 / 20 (609.3716)	19 (154.7888)	17 (156.5144)	19 (150.1712)	20 (147.8972)
2016-09-02	Homecoming 2016 Vernon, IN	23 / 26 (612.9600)	24 (150.8228)	20 (158.2400)	24 (152.5144)	20 (151.3828)
2016-04-22	CCS Fest: CCS Spring Festival & BBQ Competition Indianapolis, IN	—	—	—	—	—

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
2026 ↗	Backyard	#20 (1082 pts)	#10 (1157 pts)	#18 (1112 pts)	—	—
2026 ↗	Master	#457 (320 pts)	#400 (455 pts)	#363 (549 pts)	#583 (235 pts)	#485 (320 pts)
2025 ↗	Backyard	#48 (963 pts)	#32 (1138 pts)	#76 (742 pts)	—	—
2025 ↗	Master	#875 (120 pts)	#789 (190 pts)	#829 (190 pts)	#935 (120 pts)	#920 (120 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#940 (117 pts)	#1026 (117 pts)	#772 (224 pts)	#762 (202 pts)	#982 (117 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#604 (265 pts)	#578 (300 pts)	#652 (262 pts)	#547 (330 pts)	#659 (250 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#794 (85 pts)	#896 (60 pts)	#913 (60 pts)	#899 (60 pts)	#413 (285 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1849 (75 pts)	#1946 (75 pts)	#1872 (85 pts)	#1933 (75 pts)	#1945 (70 pts)