Riding a hot streak
6
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 6-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 7
Smoky Cotte
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1658
peak 1658 · rated over 19 contests ⓘ
Best runs
7
straight top-10s
Contests
39
in the data
First seen
2024-02-24
latest 2026-08-14
Best ToY finish
#55
Master 2026
Grand champs
3
2 reserve
Category wins
9
28 podiums
Overall top-10s
17
of 39 contests
Avg finish
top 27%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
6 🔥
Current form
695.93 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 688.82 (+7.12)
Walk rate
90%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
7
best run (overall)
Consistency
±12.10
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 174.28 · weakest Brisket (170.24)
Road miles
15,429
mi across 39 mapped stops · furthest 4933 mi
Schedule strength
37%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1549)
Master avg
688.82 / 720
21 Master contests · 3 GCs
Storylines (19 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
2.2972
points from the title
Came within 2.2972 points of the Grand Championship at The War of Barbeque (2024-06-15).
Among the elite
#593
of 6,413 rated teams
In the top 9% of every rated team in the data
A power rating of 1658 puts them #593 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 9% of the field.
- rating 1658
- peak 1658
- 19 rated contests
The 180 club
6
perfect 180s
6 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 3 different meats.
- Chicken ×2
- Pork ×2
- Brisket ×2
Against the odds
22-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 78 times in 100
Their Grand Championship at Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest (2026-02-28) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 22-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, COOKLOUNGE BBQ.
On the rise
+62
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 62 points across 8 contests since 2025-09-20 — from 1596 up to 1658.
- 8 contests since 2025-09-20
- now 1658
Happy hunting ground
1×
Grand Championships here
The War of Barbeque is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 3 visits.
- 3 visits
- best finish 1st
- average top 17%
They almost always walk
90%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 35 of 39 contests
A top-10 category call in 90% of their 39 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
707.3944
career-best overall
98.2% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 707.3944 at The War of Barbeque — 98.2% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2026-06-20
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
LUNA SMOKE - Italy has finished one call ahead of Smoky Cotte 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2026
2 Grand Championships
2026 was the year it came together: 13 contests, 2 Grand Championships and 5 category wins, at an average finish in the top 22%.
- 13 contests
- 8 overall top-10s
- 5 category wins
- average top 22%
A tough matchup
4–1
behind in the head-to-head
The BBQ Ranch ahead in 80% of their meetings
The BBQ Ranch has come out ahead in 4 of their 5 shared contests.
The weak link
−4.0
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.04 points below their pork, and turns into a call 67% of the time against 81%.
- Brisket avg 170.24
- Pork avg 174.28
- 14 calls in 21 entries
A strong matchup
13–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Onkel Felix BBQ in 13 of their 13 shared contests.
Pork nemesis
8 of 13
shared pork entries lost
Woodquarter Smokerheads ahead 62% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Woodquarter Smokerheads has out-cooked them in 8 of 13 shared pork entries.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
Westside BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.
A June team
Top 16%
average finish in June
Something about June: average finish in the top 16% across 4 contests, versus top 27% the rest of the year.
- 4 June contests
- top 27% the rest of the year
The long haul
15,429
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 15,429 miles across 39 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 4,933 miles to 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026).
- 39 mapped stops
- furthest 4,933 mi
The metronome
±1.68%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.68% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 95.7% of a perfect score
- 39 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.
25 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#601 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 74%
- Peak
- 1658
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#596 of the rated field
- Contests
- 24
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 71%
- Peak
- 1658
No shared contest yet.
Fewer contests behind them than Smoky Cotte has cooked, 24 to 39, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#595 of the rated field
- Contests
- 24
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1658
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 3 Grand Championships in 24 contests, alongside a 67% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#600 of the rated field
- Contests
- 37
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 32%
- Peak
- 1662
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Smoky Cotte's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#591 of the rated field
- Contests
- 38
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1680
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2013, 11 years before Smoky Cotte's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#598 of the rated field
- Contests
- 43
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 51%
- Peak
- 1680
No shared contest yet.
Level with Smoky Cotte 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Hot Yard | 14 | 11 | 3 | 79% | ⚔ compare |
| COOKLOUNGE BBQ | 14 | 6 | 8 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Onkel Felix BBQ | 13 | 13 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Woodquarter Smokerheads | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | 11 | 11 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| SOUTH BRIXIA | 11 | 10 | 1 | 91% | ⚔ compare |
| SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ | 11 | 8 | 3 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| Westside BBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Tracica BBQ Team | 9 | 8 | 1 | 89% | ⚔ compare |
| Barbecoa BBQ Team | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| LUNA SMOKE - Italy | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Average Joe BBQ Team | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Art Razza Piave Bbq | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Gold’s BBQ | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| THE GRILL GATHERING BBQ-Team | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 25 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 180.0000 🔥 | 150.8000 | 172.70 | top 36% |
| Pork Ribs | 35 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 178.8572 | 151.9428 | 171.51 | top 35% |
| Pork | 21 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 180.0000 🔥 | 163.4288 | 174.28 | top 32% |
| Brisket | 21 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 180.0000 🔥 | 159.9544 | 170.24 | top 38% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 52% |
| NO | 1 | 0 | top 25% |
| BZ | 1 | 0 | top 46% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 11 | 2 | top 23% |
| Medium (20–39) | 8 | 1 | top 30% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 33% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The War of Barbeque | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 17% | 2026-06-20 |
| Wild West Fest on Fire 2026 | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 26% | 2026-08-08 |
The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
2.5 yrs
2024-02-24 → 2026-08-14
Busiest season
2024
14 contests
Contests a season
9.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
TN
2 of 39 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
17
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
35 entries · 3 wins · 29 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 174.28 · weakest Brisket (170.24)
Walk rate
90%
a top-10 call in 35 of 39 contests
Overall top-10 rate
44%
17 of 39 contests
Wins it all
8%
3 Grand Championships · 2 reserve
First title
2025-06-28
Mee(a)t and Fire BBQ Festival Innsbruck
Best top-10 run
7
straight contests
Master average
688.82
out of 720 · 21 contests · 3 GCs
Perfect 180s
6
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
259
333–163 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
15,429
39 mapped stops · furthest 4,933 mi
Schedule strength
1549
average field rating faced — tougher than 37% of rated contests
Power rating
1658
peak 1658 · #593 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2023
- First tracked contest Country Road & BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First call Country Road & BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- 2024
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score669.1544 W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol
- First overall top-10 The War of Barbeque
- First overall podium The War of Barbeque
- First Reserve Championship The War of Barbeque
- 10th tracked contest Alps BBQ Days (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Wild West Fest on Fire (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- 2025
- First perfect 180 (Pork) The War of Barbeque
- First Grand Championship Mee(a)t and Fire BBQ Festival Innsbruck
- 25th tracked contest Wild West Fest on Fire
- 2026
- Career-best overall score707.3944 The War of Barbeque
- 5th perfect 180 No Smoke, No Glory
- Peak power rating (1658) Cars & BBQ Festival 2026
- Most recent contest Cars & BBQ Festival 2026
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.7 | The War of Barbeque | 2024-06-15 |
| +15.5 | Mee(a)t and Fire BBQ Festival Innsbruck | 2025-06-28 |
| +14.5 | Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest | 2026-02-28 |
| +13.4 | Fo.G & Smoke 2024 | 2024-09-21 |
| +12.4 | The War of Barbeque | 2026-06-20 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -0.1 | Muehlviertler BBQ Festival | 2024-05-18 |
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 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 85% | top 22% | 98.2% | 96.7% |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 100% | top 25% | 96.6% | 95.4% |
| 2024 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 86% | top 37% | 97.5% | 94.4% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-14 | Cars & BBQ Festival 2026 Tallinn, 15026 | 5 / 17 (697.6456) | 8 (170.8228) | 8 (173.7028) | 6 (176.5600) | 3 (176.5600) |
| 2026-08-08 | Wild West Fest on Fire 2026 Medvode, 1215 | 2 / 18 (697.6456) | 4 (177.1428) | 13 (167.3828) | 4 (176.5600) | 3 (176.5600) |
| 2026-07-18 | Open Barbecue Championship Wilhering, 4073 | 4 / 20 (694.7656) | 2 (174.2628) | 7 (173.1316) | 6 (175.4056) | 7 (171.9656) |
| 2026-07-17 | European Invitational Championship (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Wilhering, 4073 | 5 / 17 (692.5144) | 1 (180.0000) | 3 (177.1428) | 6 (175.4172) | 15 (159.9544) |
| 2026-07-10 | No Smoke, No Glory Zagreb, 10000 | 4 / 16 (697.0976) | 13 (166.2516) | 8 (173.1316) | 4 (177.7144) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2026-06-20 | The War of Barbeque Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | 1 / 25 (707.3944) | 4 (178.8572) | 2 (176.5600) | 5 (175.4172) | 1 (176.5600) |
| 2026-05-24 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 43 / 82 (693.6228) | 54 (173.1200) | 31 (175.4172) | 16 (177.7028) | 68 (167.3828) |
| 2026-05-22 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | — | 16 (176.0116) | — | — |
| 2026-04-11 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge PARMA, 43126 | 6 / 42 (688.5028) | 18 (172.5600) | 14 (169.6800) | 6 (174.2856) | 11 (171.9772) |
| 2026-03-21 | Rocker's and Smoker's (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) LIVORNO FERRARIS (VC), 13 | — | 2 (176.5600) | — | — | — |
| 2026-03-21 | Rocker's and Smoker's (ONE MEAT RIBS) LIVORNO FERRARIS (VC), 13 | — | — | 1 (178.8572) | — | — |
| 2026-02-28 | Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest Vienna, 1030 | 1 / 12 (697.0860) | 5 (174.2744) | 7 (165.0972) | 2 (177.7144) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2026-02-28 | Vienna Pet Fair BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Vienna, 1030 | — | — | 4 (174.2744) | — | — |
| 2025-09-20 | Fo.G & Smoke 2025 Spilamberto, I-41057 | 4 / 24 (687.3256) | 12 (170.2628) | 4 (174.2628) | 7 (173.1316) | 6 (169.6684) |
| 2025-08-09 | Wild West Fest on Fire Medvode, 1215 | 4 / 20 (695.3828) | 2 (180.0000) | 5 (173.7028) | 13 (166.2744) | 2 (175.4056) |
| 2025-08-09 | Wild West Fest on Fire (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Medvode, 1215 | — | 2 (177.1544) | — | — | — |
| 2025-08-09 | Wild West Fest on Fire (ONE MEAT RIBS) Medvode, 1215 | — | — | 4 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2025-06-28 | Mee(a)t and Fire BBQ Festival Innsbruck Innsbruck, 6020 | 1 / 7 (695.4284) | 3 (176.5600) | 5 (168.5712) | 1 (180.0000) | 5 (170.2972) |
| 2025-06-28 | Mee(a)t and Fire BBQ Festival Innsbruck (ONE MEAT RIBS) Innsbruck, 6020 | — | — | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2025-06-14 | The War of Barbeque Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | 7 / 20 (687.3372) | 10 (171.9656) | 8 (172.5716) | 1 (180.0000) | 15 (162.8000) |
| 2025-06-14 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS) Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | — | — | 5 (170.8456) | — | — |
| 2025-05-03 | Marchfelder Feuerfest Orth an der Donau, NO | 3 / 12 (674.1828) | 5 (167.9772) | 9 (160.5372) | 3 (175.4056) | 2 (170.2628) |
| 2025-05-03 | Marchfelder Feuerfest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Orth an der Donau, NO | — | — | 4 (168.0116) | — | — |
| 2025-03-29 | BBQ Expo Master's Challenge Brescia, 25125 | 11 / 30 (681.6572) | 2 (175.4400) | 7 (171.9772) | 15 (170.2628) | 18 (163.9772) |
| 2024-10-19 | Vienna BBQ Days Vienna, 1110 | 6 / 14 (682.2172) | 5 (173.7144) | 8 (169.7144) | 10 (166.8228) | 4 (171.9656) |
| 2024-10-19 | Vienna BBQ Days (ONE MEAT RIBS) Vienna, 1110 | — | — | 6 (169.7144) | — | — |
| 2024-09-21 | Fo.G & Smoke 2024 Providence of MODENA (MO), | 3 / 19 (687.4056) | 4 (172.0228) | 3 (174.2628) | 7 (174.2856) | 6 (166.8344) |
| 2024-08-10 | Wild West Fest on Fire Medvode, 1215 | 5 / 11 (685.6568) | 7 (167.4284) | 1 (177.7144) | 2 (175.4056) | 6 (165.1084) |
| 2024-08-10 | Wild West Fest on Fire (ONE MEAT RIBS) Medvode, 1215 | — | — | 1 (177.7144) | — | — |
| 2024-07-20 | Alps BBQ Days (ONE MEAT RIBS) Reichenau an der Rax, 2651 | — | — | 2 (173.7028) | — | — |
| 2024-06-15 | The War of Barbeque Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | 2 / 17 (701.6916) | 4 (177.1428) | 6 (173.7144) | 5 (176.5600) | 3 (174.2744) |
| 2024-06-15 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | — | 4 (172.5600) | — | — | — |
| 2024-06-15 | The War of Barbeque (ONE MEAT RIBS) Peschiera del Garda, 37019 | — | — | 11 (164.5372) | — | — |
| 2024-05-18 | Muehlviertler BBQ Festival Freistadt, Os 4240 | 13 / 22 (651.4060) | 6 (174.3316) | 22 (151.9428) | 17 (163.4288) | 15 (161.7028) |
| 2024-05-18 | Muehlviertler BBQ Festival (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Freistadt, Os 4240 | — | 21 (150.8000) | — | — | — |
| 2024-04-06 | "Smokin' Ribs Showdown" (ONE MEAT RIBS) #2 Brescia, 25125 | — | — | 9 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2024-04-06 | "Smokin' Ribs Showdown" (ONE MEAT RIBS) #1 Brescia, 25125 | — | — | 6 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2024-02-24 | W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol Rein in Taufers, BZ | 12 / 26 (669.1544) | 15 (166.2972) | 9 (169.7372) | 10 (171.4400) | 15 (161.6800) |
| 2023-10-07 | Country Road & BBQ Contest (ONE MEAT RIBS) CARTIGLIANO, 36050 | — | — | 7 (168.5600) | — | — |
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 ↗ | Master | #55 (1568 pts) | #68 (1432 pts) | #49 (1585 pts) | #63 (1393 pts) | #41 (1578 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #190 (1138 pts) | #148 (1347 pts) | #84 (1744 pts) | #196 (1103 pts) | #232 (988 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #214 (999 pts) | #152 (1220 pts) | #46 (1880 pts) | #253 (879 pts) | #240 (914 pts) |