APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS

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

Power ranking

#3373

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1496

peak 1504 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-04-25

latest 2018-06-22

Best ToY finish

#736

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 63%

overall standings

Best overall

681.6112 / 720

Master · Black Dog Music and Que Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

652.33

last 5 Master vs avg 652.04 (+0.28)

Walk rate

64%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4172

Pork · Black Dog Music and Que Festival

Consistency

±15.56

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 165.85 · weakest Chicken (160.23)

Road miles

977

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 104 mi

Schedule strength

60%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1576)

Master avg

652.04 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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.

They almost always walk

64% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 7 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 64% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

681.6112 career-best overall

94.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 681.6112 at Black Dog Music and Que Festival — 94.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-08-07

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 49%.

4 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 49%

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

Smoke-A-Holics ahead in 100% of their meetings

Smoke-A-Holics has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.6 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.62 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 9% of the time against 36%.

Chicken avg 160.23
Pork Ribs avg 165.85
1 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

3–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of King's Cooking in 3 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

1.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.9 years, then back at *Covington Cork & Pork Festival (2018-06-22).

last seen 2016-07-15
back 2018-06-22

Pork Ribs nemesis

5 of 5 shared pork ribs entries lost

CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 5 shared pork ribs entries.

The metronome

±2.16% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.16% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.6% of a perfect score
11 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.

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

Q SMOKE

#3350 of the rated field

1496 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 50
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1565

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 50 contests
last seen 2026-03-20

⚔ Head-to-head

DOWNHOME COOKIN & BBQ

#3375 of the rated field

1496 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1513

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2017-10-13

⚔ Head-to-head

KillerbunnyBBQ

#3376 of the rated field

1496 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1503

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 50% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

PORK CHOPITOULAS BBQ

#3378 of the rated field

1496 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1503

No shared contest yet.

Level with APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2019-03-22

⚔ Head-to-head

River Rat Pig Porkers

#3382 of the rated field

1496 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1496

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2018-09-21

⚔ Head-to-head

KCKing BBQ

#3346 of the rated field

1496 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1524

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2022-04-08

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
CONTAGIOUS Q	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
Smoke-A-Holics	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN NC	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
4:20 Q	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED PIG	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	1	0	166.2628	147.9200	160.23	top 70%
Pork Ribs	11	4	1	175.4056	155.4172	165.85	top 43%
Pork	11	3	2	175.4172	151.4172	165.02	top 50%
Brisket	11	2	0	173.1428	149.6572	160.94	top 60%

“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
VA	9	0	top 61%
NC	2	0	top 71%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 78%
Medium (20–39)	8	top 59%
Large (40+)	2	top 71%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
*Covington Cork & Pork Festival	4	10	top 71%	2018-06-22
Smoke on the mountain/VA state BBQ championship	2	12	top 48%	2016-07-15
Chillin & Grillin In The Glades	2	14	top 70%	2016-07-08

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

On the trail 4.2 yrs 2014-04-25 → 2018-06-22

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in VA 9 of 11 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 6 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 11 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 165.85 · weakest Chicken (160.23)

Walk rate 64% a top-10 call in 7 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 18% 2 of 11 contests

Master average 652.04 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 204 124–211 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 977 11 mapped stops · furthest 104 mi

Schedule strength 1576 average field rating faced — tougher than 60% of rated contests

Longest layoff 1.9 yrs 2016-07-15 → 2018-06-22

Power rating 1496 peak 1504 · #3373 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Apr 25 First tracked contest BBQ Capital Cookoff
Jun 27 First call Covington Cork & Pork Festival
2015
Jun 26 First overall top-10 Covington Cork & Pork Festival
Jun 26 First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.9312 Covington Cork & Pork Festival
Aug 7 Career-best overall score681.6112 Black Dog Music and Que Festival
Aug 7 Career-best single call (Pork)175.4172 Black Dog Music and Que Festival
Aug 7 Peak power rating (1504) Black Dog Music and Que Festival
2016
Jul 15 10th tracked contest Smoke on the mountain/VA state BBQ championship
2018
Jun 22 Most recent contest *Covington Cork & Pork Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.4	Black Dog Music and Que Festival	2015-08-07
+7.5	Covington Cork & Pork Festival	2015-06-26
+4.2	Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship	2015-07-17
+3.3	Smoke on the mountain/VA state BBQ championship	2016-07-15
+1.8	Chillin & Grillin In The Glades	2016-07-08

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.7	BBQ Capital Cookoff	2014-04-25
-7	*Covington Cork & Pork Festival	2018-06-22
-6.4	Covington Cork & Pork Festival	2016-06-24
-5.4	Covington Cork & Pork Festival	2014-06-27
-3.5	Chillin & Grillin in the Glades	2015-07-10

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	1	0	0%	top 85%	88.9%	88.9%
2016	4	0	50%	top 63%	92%	91%
2015	4	2	100%	top 49%	94.7%	92.1%
2014	2	0	50%	top 79%	88.3%	87.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-06-22	*Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	23 / 27 (640.4116)	21 (161.0972)	20 (158.2516)	16 (163.9428)	23 (157.1200)
2016-07-15	Smoke on the mountain/VA state BBQ championship Galax, VA	12 / 25 (662.1484)	15 (161.6916)	9 (171.4056)	15 (161.6800)	10 (167.3712)
2016-07-08	Chillin & Grillin In The Glades Wise, VA	16 / 26 (654.1368)	12 (166.2628)	7 (167.9884)	14 (163.3828)	20 (156.5028)
2016-06-24	Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	22 / 27 (642.7772)	19 (158.8572)	11 (165.1200)	21 (160.5372)	18 (158.2628)
2016-04-22	Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC	33 / 54 (662.1712)	52 (147.9200)	16 (170.8456)	19 (170.2628)	11 (173.1428)
2015-08-07	Black Dog Music and Que Festival Floyd, VA	8 / 27 (681.6112)	15 (165.6800)	4 (175.4056)	3 (175.4172)	13 (165.1084)
2015-07-17	Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship Galax, VA	14 / 29 (664.4912)	17 (163.4172)	3 (172.0228)	17 (167.4056)	18 (161.6456)
2015-07-10	Chillin & Grillin in the Glades Wise, VA	14 / 18 (651.3256)	9 (164.5600)	13 (163.4172)	14 (158.8228)	9 (164.5256)
2015-06-26	Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	10 / 25 (655.9312)	17 (164.5484)	19 (155.4172)	2 (174.2972)	12 (161.6684)
2014-06-27	Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	20 / 26 (635.8860)	23 (154.8344)	12 (163.3828)	6 (168.0116)	25 (149.6572)
2014-04-25	BBQ Capital Cookoff Lexington, NC	50 / 62 (621.6000)	59 (153.7028)	28 (161.1316)	56 (151.4172)	44 (155.3484)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1949 (62 pts)	#1943 (72 pts)	#1926 (77 pts)	#1842 (97 pts)	#1985 (62 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#972 (338 pts)	#992 (358 pts)	#769 (518 pts)	#1003 (368 pts)	#872 (418 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#736 (479 pts)	#871 (414 pts)	#636 (614 pts)	#584 (669 pts)	#818 (444 pts)