BEER & SMOKING IN LAS VEGAS

BEER & SMOKING IN LAS VEGAS is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 4th of 37 at the Grill Games (2016). They are ranked #4334 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,334

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1476

peak 1476 · rated over 17 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 23, 2013

latest May 4, 2018 · 4.7 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#1541

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

6% of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 64%

overall standings

Best overall

671.9544 / 720

Master · Grill Games

Perfect 180s

Current form

649.57 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 634.42 (+15.16)

Walk rate

29%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7028

Chicken · Grill Games

Consistency

±25.04

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 162.84 · weakest Brisket (153.50)

Road miles

4,057

across 17 mapped stops · furthest 556 mi

Schedule strength

29%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1539)

Master avg

634.42 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

671.9544 career-best overall

93.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 671.9544 at Grill Games — 93.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 26, 2016

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 54%.

4 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 54%

A tough matchup

9–0 behind in the head-to-head

THE SMOKE HUNTERS ahead in 100% of their meetings

THE SMOKE HUNTERS has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.3 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.34 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 6% of the time against 18%.

Brisket avg 153.50
Chicken avg 162.84
1 call in 17 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Q-N WITH ATTITUDE in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

7 of 7 shared chicken entries lost

IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 7 shared chicken entries.

An August team

Top 52% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 52% across 5 contests, versus top 64% the rest of the year.

5 August contests
top 64% the rest of the year

Show 2 more storylines

The long haul

4,057 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,057 miles across 17 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 556 miles to The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ.

17 mapped stops
furthest 556 mi

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked Grill Games every year from 2013 to 2017 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 4th

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	#1954 (60 pts)	#2012 (60 pts)	#1891 (85 pts)	#2030 (60 pts)	#1990 (60 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1541 (160 pts)	#1435 (195 pts)	#1622 (160 pts)	#1579 (165 pts)	#1794 (120 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2483 (72 pts)	#2528 (72 pts)	#2526 (72 pts)	#2539 (72 pts)	#2515 (72 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BEER & SMOKING IN LAS VEGAS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Sow Manilla Grilla

#4,341 of the rated field

1476 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1507

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to BEER & SMOKING IN LAS VEGAS)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — BEER & SMOKING IN LAS VEGAS ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 7 contests
last seen Oct 29, 2016

⚔ Head-to-head

BSQ'S

#4,309 of the rated field

1477 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1477

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 17 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Feb 21, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

CAJUN JAX BBQ

#4,310 of the rated field

1477 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1477

Careers of much the same size, 18 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Oct 14, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

FATTMIKES BBQ

#4,349 of the rated field

1476 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1512

16 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Jun 27, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

The 28th Amendment

#4,321 of the rated field

1477 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1477

They turned up 7 years after BEER & SMOKING IN LAS VEGAS did, first appearing in 2020.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Butts on the Barbie

#4,326 of the rated field

1476 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1476

Level with BEER & SMOKING IN LAS VEGAS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Nov 17, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
THE SMOKE HUNTERS	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
QUAU	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Its 5 Oclock Somewhere	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
One2BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
ROLL THE BONES BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
T-BAUM BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
MUD'S BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
RACK MASTERS BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
MOOSE'S BARBECUE	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
MEMPHIS IN MUNDELEIN	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
D.F.G.'S BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
GILLY'S BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
HAZY BLUE BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	3	1	173.7028	142.2172	162.84	top 52%
Pork Ribs	17	1	0	170.2860	126.2400	158.33	top 59%
Pork	17	1	0	173.7028	148.5944	159.75	top 61%
Brisket	17	1	0	170.2628	139.9772	153.50	top 71%

“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
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 65%
Large (40+)	12	0	top 63%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
WI	7	top 57%
IL	6	top 74%
MO	2	top 52%
AL	1	top 74%
KS	1	top 65%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Grill Games	5	4	0	top 52%	Aug 25, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in WI 7 of 17 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 13 1 of them more than once

Opponents faced 1,386 finished ahead 994 times, behind 1,365

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

20181 milestone

May 4 Most recent contest The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ

20163 milestones

Aug 26 First overall top-10 Grill Games
Aug 26 Career-best overall score671.9544 Grill Games
Aug 26 Career-best single call (Chicken)173.7028 Grill Games

20152 milestones

Aug 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.3832 Grill Games
Oct 3 10th tracked contest 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open

20133 milestones

Aug 23 First tracked contest Grill Games
Aug 23 Peak power rating (1486) Grill Games
Sep 27 First call Taste of Downtown Danville BBQ Competition

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.2	Grill Games	Aug 26, 2016
+10.6	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open	Oct 3, 2015
+10.4	Grill Games	Aug 28, 2015
+5.4	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off	Oct 21, 2016
+4.5	Grill Games	Aug 25, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.7	Grill Games	Aug 23, 2013
-12.3	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (Formerly Morton BBQ Throwdown)	Jul 22, 2016
-10.1	Grillin' in Grafton	Jun 26, 2015
-9.2	Grill Games	Aug 22, 2014
-7	Taste of Downtown Danville BBQ Competition	Sep 27, 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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	1	0	0%	top 74%	91.2%	91.2%
2017	2	0	50%	top 56%	90.7%	90.1%
2016	4	1	25%	top 54%	93.3%	88.6%
2015	4	0	50%	top 54%	92.5%	88.8%
2014	3	0	0%	top 73%	88.9%	86.9%
2013	3	0	33%	top 83%	88.1%	85.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
May 4, 2018	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL	45 / 61 (656.9484)	46 (165.0856)	20 (170.2628)	58 (151.3372)	27 (170.2628)
Sep 22, 2017	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff Murphysboro, IL	38 / 55 (653.0172)	35 (165.6800)	24 (168.5372)	35 (166.2628)	50 (152.5372)
Aug 25, 2017	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	17 / 39 (644.5028)	10 (166.8228)	18 (162.2744)	16 (161.7144)	30 (153.6912)
Oct 29, 2016	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	361 / 557 (643.8052)	201 (167.3828)	313 (163.4056)	295 (163.9656)	489 (149.0512)
Oct 21, 2016	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off Union Grove, WI	22 / 51 (649.5884)	15 (166.8456)	28 (158.2400)	11 (167.4056)	36 (157.0972)
Aug 26, 2016	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	4 / 37 (671.9544)	3 (173.7028)	17 (162.8344)	5 (173.1428)	12 (162.2744)
Jul 22, 2016	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (Formerly Morton BBQ Throwdown) Peoria, IL	36 / 37 (586.7200)	36 (151.9544)	37 (126.2400)	19 (165.1200)	34 (143.4056)
Oct 3, 2015	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	180 / 606 (665.7484)	195 (167.4744)	186 (167.9884)	56 (173.7028)	402 (156.5828)
Aug 28, 2015	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	14 / 49 (651.3832)	12 (168.0228)	17 (163.9888)	41 (152.5260)	9 (166.8456)
Jun 26, 2015	Grillin' in Grafton Grafton, WI	31 / 33 (599.9316)	31 (151.3828)	29 (149.0972)	21 (158.3316)	31 (141.1200)
May 1, 2015	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Dwight, IL	25 / 40 (641.7028)	10 (169.7372)	29 (157.1428)	32 (156)	28 (158.8228)
Oct 2, 2014	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	408 / 552 (632.5604)	191 (168.0228)	255 (164.6060)	480 (151.3944)	482 (148.5372)
Aug 22, 2014	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	40 / 47 (605.0400)	33 (158.2856)	35 (151.3944)	33 (155.3828)	39 (139.9772)
May 24, 2014	Red, White, And BBQ Westmont, IL	44 / 72 (639.9776)	38 (163.9656)	53 (155.3944)	47 (158.8688)	39 (161.7488)
Sep 27, 2013	Taste of Downtown Danville BBQ Competition Danville, IL	20 / 25 (618.7888)	24 (142.2172)	7 (170.2860)	15 (158.8112)	21 (147.4744)
Sep 19, 2013	Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off Murphysboro, IL	57 / 76 (634.2744)	36 (165.1200)	63 (156.5144)	66 (153.1428)	48 (159.4972)
Aug 23, 2013	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	40 / 43 (589.1204)	30 (156.5600)	37 (143.4288)	39 (148.5944)	39 (140.5372)

BEER & SMOKING IN LAS VEGAS

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (9 found in their record)

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

An August team

The long haul

A standing appointment

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 — 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)