Smoky J's BBQ MI
Rating
1528
peak 1528 · rated over 5 contests
Best runs
3
straight top-10s
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
2024-07-20
latest 2026-05-24
Best ToY finish
#212
Backyard 2025
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 37%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
333.32
last 5 Backyard vs avg 333.32 (+0.00)
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
3
best run (overall)
Consistency
±12.12
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 167.05 · weakest Chicken (164.45)
Road miles
533
mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 400 mi
Schedule strength
64%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1558)
Purse competed for
$11K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 1 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
333.32 / 360
5 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
BBQ MIKE has come out ahead in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of RedHog BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
😤 Pork Ribs nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, Fire Pig has out-cooked them in 3 of 4 shared pork ribs entries.
Teams like this (closest power rating, MI first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.1084 | 154.2400 | 164.45 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 178.2972 | 150.2056 | 167.05 | top 42% |
| Pork | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI | 3 | 0 | top 33% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 55% |
| IN | 1 | 0 | top 33% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 2 | 0 | top 25% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 41% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 55% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 44% | 2025-07-19 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (4 contests)
- Cooks mostly in MI (4 of 9 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (8 entries)
- Average Backyard overall score: 333.32 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2024-07-20 — First tracked contest · Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📣 2024-07-20 — First call · Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- ⭐ 2025-07-19 — Career-best overall score (351.4056) · Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📈 2025-09-19 — Peak power rating (1528) · September Fest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.4 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-07-19 |
| +12 | September Fest | 2025-09-19 |
| +7.6 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-08-09 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -5.1 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-07-20 |
| -0.4 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) | 2026-05-24 |
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 55% | 91.3% | 91.3% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 100% | top 21% | 97.6% | 93.9% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 70% | 90% | 90% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-24 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) Lebanon, TN | 45 / 82 (328.5028) | 42 (165.6800) | 44 (162.8228) | — | — |
| 2026-05-22 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 79 (150.2056) | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Warsaw, IN | — | 15 (169.6916) | — | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN | — | — | 31 (163.4172) | — | — |
| 2025-09-19 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 3 / 26 (319.3828) | 4 (154.8456) | 2 (164.5372) | — | — |
| 2025-09-19 | September Fest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Coldwater, MI | — | — | 4 (173.1316) | — | — |
| 2025-08-09 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN | 6 / 18 (343.3944) | 11 (169.1084) | 3 (174.2860) | — | — |
| 2025-07-19 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI | 3 / 17 (351.4056) | 4 (173.1084) | 1 (178.2972) | — | — |
| 2024-07-20 | Dowagiac BBQ Competition and Summer Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Dowagiac, MI | 16 / 23 (323.9316) | 22 (154.2400) | 7 (169.6916) | — | — |
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 ↗ | Backyard | #290 (60 pts) | #293 (60 pts) | #242 (120 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | #877 (100 pts) | #878 (119 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #212 (205 pts) | #235 (180 pts) | #211 (230 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | #832 (189 pts) | — | — |