APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS

APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 8th of 27 at the Black Dog Music and Que Festival (2015). They are ranked #3380 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,380

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1496

peak 1504 · rated over 11 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 25, 2014

latest Jun 22, 2018 · 4.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#736

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

18% 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

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 165.85 · weakest Chicken (160.23)

Road miles

977

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

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

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
Aug 7, 2015

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 call 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 (Jun 22, 2018).

last seen Jul 15, 2016
back Jun 22, 2018

Show 2 more storylines

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

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	#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)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

PORK CHOPITOULAS BBQ

#3,381 of the rated field

1496 power rating

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

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Mar 22, 2019

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River Rat Pig Porkers

#3,382 of the rated field

1496 power rating

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

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 Sep 21, 2018

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KCKing BBQ

#3,357 of the rated field

1496 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1525

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 11 contests, alongside a 18% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Apr 8, 2022

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The Eagle BBQ

#3,367 of the rated field

1496 power rating

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

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen Oct 18, 2019

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TEAM DOGHOUSE BBQ

#3,369 of the rated field

1496 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1496

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jun 24, 2016

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SMOKING TOKING BBQ

#3,356 of the rated field

1496 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1496

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Nov 1, 2019

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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 field size and state

By contest size

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

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
VA	9	0	top 61%
NC	2	0	top 71%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Covington Cork & Pork Festival	4	10	top 71%	Jun 22, 2018
Smoke on the mountain/VA state BBQ championship	2	12	top 48%	Jul 15, 2016
Chillin & Grillin In The Glades	2	14	top 70%	Jul 8, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in VA 9 of 11 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 6 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 203 finished ahead 124 times, behind 211

Longest layoff 1.9 yrs Jul 15, 2016 → Jun 22, 2018

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

20181 milestone

Jun 22 Most recent contest Covington Cork & Pork Festival

20161 milestone

Jul 15 10th tracked contest Smoke on the mountain/VA state BBQ championship

20155 milestones

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

20142 milestones

Apr 25 First tracked contest BBQ Capital Cookoff
Jun 27 First call 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	Aug 7, 2015
+7.5	Covington Cork & Pork Festival	Jun 26, 2015
+4.2	Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship	Jul 17, 2015
+3.3	Smoke on the mountain/VA state BBQ championship	Jul 15, 2016
+1.8	Chillin & Grillin In The Glades	Jul 8, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.7	BBQ Capital Cookoff	Apr 25, 2014
-7	Covington Cork & Pork Festival	Jun 22, 2018
-6.4	Covington Cork & Pork Festival	Jun 24, 2016
-5.5	Covington Cork & Pork Festival	Jun 27, 2014
-3.5	Chillin & Grillin in the Glades	Jul 10, 2015

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 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
Jun 22, 2018	Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	23 / 27 (640.4116)	21 (161.0972)	20 (158.2516)	16 (163.9428)	23 (157.1200)
Jul 15, 2016	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)
Jul 8, 2016	Chillin & Grillin In The Glades Wise, VA	16 / 26 (654.1368)	12 (166.2628)	7 (167.9884)	14 (163.3828)	20 (156.5028)
Jun 24, 2016	Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	22 / 27 (642.7772)	19 (158.8572)	11 (165.1200)	21 (160.5372)	18 (158.2628)
Apr 22, 2016	Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC	33 / 54 (662.1712)	52 (147.9200)	16 (170.8456)	19 (170.2628)	11 (173.1428)
Aug 7, 2015	Black Dog Music and Que Festival Floyd, VA	8 / 27 (681.6112)	15 (165.6800)	4 (175.4056)	3 (175.4172)	13 (165.1084)
Jul 17, 2015	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)
Jul 10, 2015	Chillin & Grillin in the Glades Wise, VA	14 / 18 (651.3256)	9 (164.5600)	13 (163.4172)	14 (158.8228)	9 (164.5256)
Jun 26, 2015	Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	10 / 25 (655.9312)	17 (164.5484)	19 (155.4172)	2 (174.2972)	12 (161.6684)
Jun 27, 2014	Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	20 / 26 (635.8860)	23 (154.8344)	12 (163.3828)	6 (168.0116)	25 (149.6572)
Apr 25, 2014	BBQ Capital Cookoff Lexington, NC	50 / 62 (621.6000)	59 (153.7028)	28 (161.1316)	56 (151.4172)	44 (155.3484)

APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN SMOKERS

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)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

The metronome

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)