SMOKIN' MONEY

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

Power ranking

#1883

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1544

peak 1553 · rated over 22 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-06-26

latest 2017-02-17

Best ToY finish

#462

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 22 contests

Avg finish

top 50%

overall standings

Best overall

687.9656 / 720

Master · Del Mar BBQ Championship

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

667.64 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 665.75 (+1.89)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Pork · Dana Point State BBQ Championship

Consistency

±14.01

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.51 · weakest Pork Ribs (164.75)

Road miles

1,405

mi across 22 mapped stops · furthest 172 mi

Schedule strength

50%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1565)

Master avg

665.75 / 720

22 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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.

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180s

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork.

Pork ×1

On the rise

+31 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 31 points across 12 contests since 2016-02-19 — from 1512 up to 1544.

12 contests since 2016-02-19
now 1544

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 16 of 22 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 22 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

687.9656 career-best overall

95.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 687.9656 at Del Mar BBQ Championship — 95.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-07-15

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

COOL GRILLING has finished one call ahead of SMOKIN' MONEY 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

16–1 behind in the head-to-head

LADY OF Q ahead in 94% of their meetings

LADY OF Q has come out ahead in 16 of their 17 shared contests.

A strong matchup

9–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 82% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Que'd Up in 9 of their 11 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

12 of 17 shared chicken entries lost

LADY OF Q ahead 71% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LADY OF Q has out-cooked them in 12 of 17 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

FUNTIME BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±1.95% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.95% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.5% of a perfect score
22 contests

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.

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

FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE

#1885 of the rated field

1544 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1556

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 22 contests to 22, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 22 contests
last seen 2023-04-28

⚔ Head-to-head

Lolli Q

#1871 of the rated field

1544 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1550

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2022-04-01

⚔ Head-to-head

BURN ALL NITE

#1892 of the rated field

1543 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1555

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2016-06-03

⚔ Head-to-head

FOUR SCORE AND SEVEN RIBS AGO BBQ

#1880 of the rated field

1544 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1565

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 20 contests to 22, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2022-04-22

⚔ Head-to-head

ONE PIT WONDER

#1870 of the rated field

1544 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1549

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 9 years after SMOKIN' MONEY did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2026-04-24

⚔ Head-to-head

BBQ WorX

#1884 of the rated field

1544 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1544

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2026-06-19

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
COOL GRILLING	22	13	9	59%	⚔ compare
LADY OF Q	17	1	16	6%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	16	3	13	19%	⚔ compare
NOTHING COMPARES 2 Q	15	5	10	33%	⚔ compare
LEFT COAST Q	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ	14	6	8	43%	⚔ compare
Porterhouse BBQ	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
DG FIREHOUSE BBQ	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' HART'S	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare
ZZYZX BAR.B.Q	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
Burnin and Lootin	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
TWISTED BRISKET BBQ	12	9	3	75%	⚔ compare
RAD FONDO BBQ	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
Meat Candy Q	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	22	7	0	0	177.1772	154.7540	168.51	top 45%
Pork Ribs	22	5	0	0	174.8572	149.6340	164.75	top 54%
Pork	22	7	1	3	180.0000 🔥	153.6344	166.10	top 49%
Brisket	22	7	0	2	177.7144	141.7028	166.37	top 43%

“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
CA	21	0	top 52%
AZ	1	0	top 7%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 39%
Medium (20–39)	7	top 59%
Large (40+)	14	top 46%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Dana Point State BBQ Championship	2	12	0	top 21%	2016-10-07
Horse Town Brew n Que Festival	2	24	0	top 43%	2016-06-03

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

On the trail 2.6 yrs 2014-06-26 → 2017-02-17

Busiest season 2016 10 contests

Contests a season 5.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CA 21 of 22 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 20 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 22 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 168.51 · weakest Pork Ribs (164.75)

Walk rate 73% a top-10 call in 16 of 22 contests

Overall top-10 rate 14% 3 of 22 contests

Master average 665.75 out of 720 · 22 contests · 0 GCs

Perfect 180s 1 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 368 586–455 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,405 22 mapped stops · furthest 172 mi

Schedule strength 1565 average field rating faced — tougher than 50% of rated contests

Power rating 1544 peak 1553 · #1883 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Jun 26 First tracked contest High Desert Music Festival and BBQ Showdown
Jun 26 First call High Desert Music Festival and BBQ Showdown
Oct 2 First overall past 90% of a perfect score674.2516 Dana Point State BBQ Championship
2015
Feb 27 First overall top-10 6th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship
Jun 26 10th tracked contest Newport Beach Barbecue Contest
2016
Jul 15 Career-best overall score687.9656 Del Mar BBQ Championship
Oct 7 First category win (Pork) Dana Point State BBQ Championship
Oct 7 First perfect 180 (Pork) Dana Point State BBQ Championship
2017
Jan 27 Peak power rating (1553) *Newport Beach Winter Q
Feb 17 Most recent contest The Smithfield Guinea Pig

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.7	6th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship	2015-02-27
+12.7	Del Mar BBQ Championship	2016-07-15
+11.6	Dana Point State BBQ Championship	2016-10-07
+9	Dana Point State BBQ Championship	2014-10-02
+6.8	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival	2015-05-29

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.7	Newport Beach Barbecue Contest	2015-06-26
-9.7	The Smithfield Guinea Pig	2017-02-17
-8.9	The Ultimate BBQ Showdown East vs West VI	2015-04-10
-6.1	The Pig(Guinea Pig)	2016-02-19
-4.9	8th Annual Vista BBQ Classic	2016-07-29

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	2	0	0	100%	top 67%	92.4%	90.7%
2016	10	2	1	70%	top 46%	95.6%	92.9%
2015	8	1	0	63%	top 51%	94.9%	92.6%
2014	2	0	0	100%	top 46%	93.6%	91.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-02-17	The Smithfield Guinea Pig Indio, CA	44 / 49 (640.8908)	45 (154.7540)	48 (149.6340)	40 (161.0856)	3 (175.4172)
2017-01-27	*Newport Beach Winter Q Newport, CA	25 / 56 (665.5996)	45 (157.0740)	20 (168.5484)	42 (162.2628)	2 (177.7144)
2016-11-11	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full) Indio, CA	20 / 38 (676.5140)	18 (169.7028)	11 (173.1428)	25 (162.8228)	17 (170.8456)
2016-10-07	Dana Point State BBQ Championship Dana Point, CA	12 / 75 (678.7540)	14 (173.1084)	32 (165.1200)	1 (180.0000)	45 (160.5256)
2016-08-19	4th Annual Best BBQ In Town Long Beach BBQ Festival Long Beach, CA	7 / 18 (676.4456)	13 (163.9428)	7 (172.0000)	2 (174.2628)	6 (166.2400)
2016-07-29	8th Annual Vista BBQ Classic Vista, CA	29 / 42 (653.5084)	28 (163.9312)	30 (159.9544)	26 (163.9428)	20 (165.6800)
2016-07-15	Del Mar BBQ Championship Del Mar, CA	9 / 47 (687.9656)	10 (173.7028)	34 (164.5600)	5 (174.8456)	4 (174.8572)
2016-06-24	* Newport Beach Barbecue Competition Newport, CA	17 / 33 (670.8344)	18 (167.9656)	7 (172.0000)	8 (171.4172)	27 (159.4516)
2016-06-03	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival Norco, CA	31 / 58 (658.7884)	6 (177.1428)	16 (170.8228)	21 (169.1200)	58 (141.7028)
2016-05-13	West Coast BBQ Classic Long Beach, CA	21 / 44 (670.2516)	7 (174.2628)	35 (157.6800)	4 (177.1544)	35 (161.1544)
2016-04-01	5th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arciadia, CA	25 / 72 (665.6340)	65 (157.0512)	48 (160.5600)	10 (173.1428)	4 (174.8800)
2016-02-19	The Pig(Guinea Pig) Indio, CA	38 / 48 (649.6232)	13 (170.8572)	35 (162.2972)	45 (153.6344)	30 (162.8344)
2015-06-26	Newport Beach Barbecue Contest Newport Beach, CA	24 / 29 (642.0800)	25 (163.3828)	18 (165.0972)	28 (154.7772)	23 (158.8228)
2015-06-19	Stagecoach Days 1st Annual State BBQ Championship Banning, CA	20 / 29 (670.8000)	17 (170.2856)	25 (161.1088)	12 (169.7028)	11 (169.7028)
2015-06-05	4th Annual VC Music Fest & BBQ Valley Center, CA	11 / 25 (682.1828)	13 (170.8228)	4 (173.1200)	14 (167.9772)	10 (170.2628)
2015-05-29	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival Norco, CA	24 / 75 (681.6800)	5 (177.1772)	57 (161.6800)	32 (167.9656)	16 (174.8572)
2015-04-10	The Ultimate BBQ Showdown East vs West VI Wildomar, CA	34 / 42 (654.7312)	6 (175.4172)	40 (155.3828)	36 (159.3828)	25 (164.5484)
2015-03-27	Havasu Landing CA (JUDGES LIST IS FULL) Havasu Landing, CA	11 / 25 (667.3140)	5 (174.2628)	7 (170.8228)	23 (153.7028)	7 (168.5256)
2015-02-27	6th Annual Lake Havasu Music Brews & BBQ Championship Lake Havasu City, AZ	6 / 82 (683.3944)	20 (169.1200)	17 (169.7144)	3 (176.0000)	19 (168.5600)
2015-02-20	The Pig (Guinea Pig) Competitor's Series Rancho Mirage, CA	24 / 49 (651.3144)	29 (164.5372)	33 (159.9428)	18 (165.1200)	27 (161.7144)
2014-10-02	Dana Point State BBQ Championship Dana Point, CA	25 / 97 (674.2516)	45 (168.0000)	6 (174.8572)	59 (162.2744)	26 (169.1200)
2014-06-26	High Desert Music Festival and BBQ Showdown Victorville, CA	20 / 30 (643.8744)	10 (170.8228)	22 (156.5372)	24 (153.7028)	14 (162.8116)

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	#1722 (120 pts)	#1802 (120 pts)	#1683 (145 pts)	#1799 (120 pts)	#783 (495 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#462 (861 pts)	#385 (1001 pts)	#477 (846 pts)	#205 (1411 pts)	#398 (1001 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#555 (678 pts)	#445 (878 pts)	#544 (718 pts)	#562 (693 pts)	#523 (723 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2084 (75 pts)	#2167 (75 pts)	#1481 (190 pts)	#2172 (75 pts)	#2148 (75 pts)