Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.
- Chicken ×1
SMOKING FINNS FI
SMOKING FINNS FI is a competition barbecue team with 25 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2026. They have won 5 Grand Championships, most recently at the Twin Smoke (2025), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #896 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1617
peak 1617 · rated over 20 contests4 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
25
in the data
First seen
May 14, 2016
latest May 15, 2026 · 10 years on the trail
Grand champs
5
1 reserve · wins it all 20% of the time
Category wins
8
23 podiums
Overall top-10s
14
56% of 25 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s · 2 straight GCs
Avg finish
top 38%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
671.34 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 664.66 (+6.68)
Walk rate
68%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±17.34
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 166.93 · weakest Pork (164.75)
Road miles
33,472
across 25 mapped stops · furthest 5,044 mi
Schedule strength
23%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1531)
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
664.66 / 720
24 Master contests · 5 GCs
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 ↗ | Master | #739 (163 pts) | #826 (163 pts) | #667 (273 pts) | #1035 (88 pts) | #867 (123 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #604 (261 pts) | #795 (186 pts) | #704 (261 pts) | #758 (186 pts) | #663 (236 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #486 (384 pts) | #518 (394 pts) | #709 (259 pts) | #571 (334 pts) | #528 (379 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #842 (155 pts) | #1158 (100 pts) | #788 (240 pts) | #1143 (100 pts) | #651 (265 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #426 (519 pts) | #533 (409 pts) | #464 (544 pts) | #499 (449 pts) | #384 (619 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #409 (453 pts) | #645 (258 pts) | #458 (453 pts) | #443 (428 pts) | #506 (378 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #979 (268 pts) | #1780 (103 pts) | #1356 (168 pts) | #1258 (193 pts) | #1049 (268 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1076 (244 pts) | #994 (314 pts) | #1010 (314 pts) | #1075 (274 pts) | #1166 (239 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #502 (756 pts) | #945 (406 pts) | #603 (666 pts) | #535 (731 pts) | #627 (636 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1034 (311 pts) | #932 (391 pts) | #1253 (256 pts) | #1051 (341 pts) | #1099 (301 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to SMOKING FINNS FI, each with one reason worth a look.
25 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#900 of the rated field
- Contests
- 32
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1626
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to SMOKING FINNS FI)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SMOKING FINNS FI has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#898 of the rated field
- Contests
- 67
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 19%
- Peak
- 1628
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to SMOKING FINNS FI)
67 contests to 25: their number has had years to settle where SMOKING FINNS FI's is still finding its level.
⚔ Head-to-head#895 of the rated field
- Contests
- 39
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1624
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before SMOKING FINNS FI's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#897 of the rated field
- Contests
- 40
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1626
40 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 18% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#899 of the rated field
- Contests
- 175
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1827
They've been 1827 at their best, 211 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#910 of the rated field
- Contests
- 22
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1615
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to SMOKING FINNS FI)
Level with SMOKING FINNS FI on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUNCH OF SWINES | 12 | 2 | 10 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | 11 | 6 | 5 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| SOUTHERN DUTCH BBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Insomnia BBQ Team | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Clean Smoke BBQ | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| ROKENDE REGAHS | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Symphony | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| 3BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| BM Grils & Smokers | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| DE FILOUS | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| IQ - NETHERLANDS | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| White Squirrel BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| BOHEMIAN BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| WESTHOEK SMOKERS | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ RANGERS BELGIUM | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 24 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 180 🔥 | 143.4400 | 166.58 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 24 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 177.7028 | 150.2628 | 166.93 | top 39% |
| Pork | 24 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 174.8800 | 149.7372 | 164.75 | top 50% |
| Brisket | 24 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 179.4400 | 151.3828 | 166.40 | top 39% |
“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) | 10 | 4 | top 22% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 1 | top 38% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 56% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Smoke | 5 | 1 | 2 | top 17% | May 15, 2026 |
| 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | 2 | 96 | 0 | top 64% | Sep 15, 2018 |
| Brew N Q | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 64% | May 26, 2018 |
| Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 14% | Jun 3, 2017 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
5 contests
Contests a season
2.5
across 10 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
LT
5 of 25 contests · 5 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
17
4 of them more than once
First title
Aug 18, 2017
BBQ Festival 2017
Opponents faced
1,093
finished ahead 849 times, behind 1,127
Longest layoff
2 yrs
Aug 16, 2019 → Aug 20, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- 25th tracked contest Twin Smoke
- Peak power rating (1617) Twin Smoke
- Most recent contest Twin Smoke
20251 milestone
- 5th Grand Championship Twin Smoke
20241 milestone
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) BBQ Festival Vanamoisa, Estonia
20211 milestone
- First Reserve Championship BBQ Festival 2021
20181 milestone
- 10th tracked contest 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
20176 milestones
- First overall podium BBQ Festival 2017
- First Grand Championship BBQ Festival 2017
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Het BBQKampioenschap Van Het Waasland 2017
- First multi-meat day Het BBQKampioenschap Van Het Waasland 2017
- Biggest field won (31 teams) Het BBQKampioenschap Van Het Waasland 2017
- Career-best overall score694.3084 Het BBQKampioenschap Van Het Waasland 2017
20164 milestones
- First tracked contest Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition
- First call Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.8688 Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition
- First overall top-10 Smoke in the North
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16 | Het BBQKampioenschap Van Het Waasland 2017 | Sep 16, 2017 |
| +14.9 | BBQ Festival 2017 | Aug 18, 2017 |
| +14.8 | Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition | Jun 3, 2017 |
| +13.9 | BBQ Festival 2019 | Aug 16, 2019 |
| +13.2 | Twin Smoke | May 18, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.6 | 4th Annual BBQ Society Cook-off | Oct 8, 2016 |
| -6.1 | BBQ Festival Vanamoisa, Estonia | Aug 16, 2024 |
| -5.7 | Brew N Q | May 26, 2018 |
| -5.1 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Sep 15, 2018 |
| -0.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST | Sep 29, 2022 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 26% | 92.9% | 92.9% |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 9% | 95% | 95% |
| 2024 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 67% | top 53% | 94.9% | 92.8% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 40% | 91.2% | 91.2% |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 40% | top 51% | 94.8% | 91.3% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 18% | 93.7% | 92.7% |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 6% | 94.7% | 94.7% |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40% | top 59% | 94.4% | 91.1% |
| 2017 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 100% | top 6% | 96.4% | 94.9% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 44% | 92.6% | 90.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2026 | Twin Smoke Vilnius, Lithuania | 6 / 23 (669.0284) | 6 (171.9656) | 1 (177.7028) | 17 (157.0856) | 10 (162.2744) |
| May 17, 2025 | Twin Smoke Vilnius, Lithuania | 1 / 11 (683.8968) | 4 (170.2628) | 1 (172) | 4 (168.5256) | 2 (173.1084) |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN | 79 / 87 (650.1484) | 73 (163.9656) | 87 (150.2628) | 64 (166.2400) | 35 (169.6800) |
| Aug 16, 2024 | BBQ Festival Vanamoisa, Estonia Saue Parish | 10 / 16 (683.4172) | 1 (180) | 15 (165.7144) | 15 (165.1428) | 8 (172.5600) |
| May 18, 2024 | Twin Smoke Vilnius, Lithuania | 1 / 18 (670.2056) | 9 (162.2628) | 5 (166.8344) | 2 (171.4400) | 2 (169.6684) |
| Aug 18, 2023 | BBQ Festival Vanamoisa Saue Parish | 6 / 15 (656.4800) | 13 (152.5144) | 2 (172.5600) | 13 (154.2512) | 1 (177.1544) |
| Oct 1, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 253 / 505 (667.9080) | 102 (173.1084) | 254 (167.3828) | 329 (163.4284) | 270 (163.9884) |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST unrated Kansas City, KS | 230 / 249 (659.3256) | 173 (168.5600) | 212 (163.9772) | 211 (165.0856) | 223 (161.7028) |
| Aug 13, 2022 | BIGFEAST CHALLENGE Uusikaupunki | 3 / 9 (682.2740) | 4 (169.1656) | 4 (168.5600) | 4 (167.9884) | 1 (176.5600) |
| Jul 2, 2022 | Twin Smoke Vilnius, Lithuania | 4 / 15 (619.4400) | 12 (143.4400) | 2 (164.5600) | 7 (149.7372) | 2 (161.7028) |
| Sep 11, 2021 | Twin Smoke Vilnius, Lithuania | 3 / 15 (674.9140) | 10 (164.5828) | 2 (172.5828) | 4 (170.2856) | 4 (167.4628) |
| Aug 20, 2021 | BBQ Festival 2021 Saue Parish | 2 / 13 (660.6740) | 7 (160.0456) | 3 (170.2972) | 2 (170.8456) | 4 (159.4856) |
| Aug 16, 2019 | BBQ Festival 2019 Vanamõisa, Saue Parish | 1 / 18 (681.6684) | 13 (162.8112) | 5 (168.5944) | 4 (170.8228) | 1 (179.4400) |
| Sep 22, 2018 | 5th Ruhrpott BBQ 2018 Waltrop | 27 / 73 (640.5712) | 23 (164.5828) | 28 (160.5600) | 32 (158.8800) | 43 (156.5484) |
| Sep 15, 2018 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 326 / 467 (645.0740) | 297 (163.3828) | 259 (165.1084) | 322 (160.0228) | 348 (156.5600) |
| Sep 14, 2018 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) unrated Kansas City, KS | 96 / 164 (679.3368) | 13 (177.1428) | 80 (169.6684) | 148 (162.2284) | 87 (170.2972) |
| May 26, 2018 | Brew N Q Burton Upon Trent | 24 / 34 (647.9544) | 24 (164.0116) | 10 (166.8688) | 18 (165.6912) | 31 (151.3828) |
| May 25, 2018 | Brew N Q (INVITATIONAL) unrated Burton Upon Trent | 14 / 24 (666.2284) | 3 (176) | 18 (161.1428) | 23 (157.1200) | 10 (171.9656) |
| Sep 16, 2017 | Het BBQKampioenschap Van Het Waasland 2017 Sint Niklaas | 1 / 31 (694.3084) | 9 (170.3200) | 1 (176) | 2 (174.8456) | 1 (173.1428) |
| Aug 18, 2017 | BBQ Festival 2017 Vanamõisa, Saue Parish | 1 / 15 (676.6744) | 4 (165.1084) | 2 (172.0116) | 2 (169.2000) | 2 (170.3544) |
| Jun 3, 2017 | Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition Hoofddorp Netherlands | 4 / 56 (678.8572) | 22 (167.4172) | 9 (169.7372) | 3 (173.7144) | 14 (167.9884) |
| Oct 8, 2016 | 4th Annual BBQ Society Cook-off Hoofddorp. Netherlands, NL | 36 / 46 (640.0116) | 12 (171.4284) | 38 (154.8572) | 34 (160.5944) | 38 (153.1316) |
| Aug 6, 2016 | Smoke in the North Gothenburg, Sweden | 10 / 31 (656.5940) | 12 (163.9540) | 10 (164.6172) | 22 (156) | 5 (172.0228) |
| May 14, 2016 | Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition Hoofddorp Netherlands, NL | 13 / 65 (666.8688) | 9 (172) | 24 (164.6060) | 4 (174.8800) | 45 (155.3828) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.