THE SMOKES ON U

THE SMOKES ON U is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 7th of 75 at the Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval (2016). They are ranked #1866 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “The Smoke's on U”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,866

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1545

peak 1555 · rated over 12 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 10, 2015

latest Oct 5, 2018 · 3.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#773

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

15% of 13 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 44%

overall standings

Best overall

670.1712 / 720

Master · Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval

Perfect 180s

Current form

644.33 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 650.60 (-6.26)

Walk rate

46%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.2972

Pork Ribs · Keystone Classic Barbeque

Consistency

±12.04

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 164.71 · weakest Brisket (160.58)

Road miles

622

across 13 mapped stops · furthest 89 mi

Schedule strength

54%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1570)

State championships

0 🏅

won from 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

650.60 / 720

12 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

Happy hunting ground

Top 18% average finish here

Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival is their spot: an average finish in the top 18% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 9th
average top 18%

High-water mark

670.1712 career-best overall

93.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 670.1712 at Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval — 93.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Apr 8, 2016

A tough matchup

8–2 behind in the head-to-head

CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ ahead in 80% of their meetings

CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.1 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.13 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 8% of the time against 42%.

Brisket avg 160.58
Pork Ribs avg 164.71
1 call in 12 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of PARTY PIGS BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

6 of 10 shared pork ribs entries lost

Smokestack Redemption ahead 60% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Smokestack Redemption has out-cooked them in 6 of 10 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

PORK BARREL BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±1.67% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.67% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.4% of a perfect score
13 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
2017 ↗	Master	#1331 (194 pts)	#1409 (204 pts)	#1103 (314 pts)	#1309 (234 pts)	#1254 (244 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#773 (484 pts)	#839 (454 pts)	#748 (534 pts)	#867 (449 pts)	#960 (364 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#955 (329 pts)	#899 (394 pts)	#721 (529 pts)	#1299 (239 pts)	#1188 (249 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to THE SMOKES ON U, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Sugar 'n Spice BBQ

#1,876 of the rated field

1545 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1545

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 Jun 6, 2025

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HOLY MOHLER'S BBQ

#1,871 of the rated field

1545 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1550

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 4 years before THE SMOKES ON U's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

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A PIGS WORST NIGHTMARE

#1,874 of the rated field

1545 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1554

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Apr 21, 2017

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Big Juicy BBQ

#1,855 of the rated field

1545 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1545

16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 19% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

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STP BBQ

#1,869 of the rated field

1545 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1555

Level with THE SMOKES ON U on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Oct 14, 2016

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BIG AL AND THE BOYS BARBECUE

#1,872 of the rated field

1545 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1545

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Oct 25, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Smokestack Redemption	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN FOOLZ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
SAUCE THIS BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
3 EYZ BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
HAWG NATION BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
ASTRO PIGS BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	2	0	173.1544	154.2288	163.50	top 49%
Pork Ribs	12	5	1	174.2972	153.1200	164.71	top 32%
Pork	12	1	0	171.4056	150.2284	161.82	top 45%
Brisket	12	1	0	167.4056	153.1200	160.58	top 51%

“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
Medium (20–39)	3	0	top 54%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 41%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
PA	5	top 59%
MD	5	top 34%
DE	2	top 31%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	2	28	top 67%	Oct 5, 2018
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	13	top 62%	Jun 9, 2017
Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival	2	9	top 18%	May 6, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 2.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MD 6 of 13 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 9 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 295 finished ahead 370 times, behind 248

Longest layoff 1.3 yrs Jun 9, 2017 → Oct 5, 2018

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

20181 milestone

Oct 5 Most recent contest Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship

20172 milestones

Mar 3 10th tracked contest The Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown
Apr 14 Peak power rating (1555) Interstate BBQ Festival

20162 milestones

Apr 8 First overall top-10 Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval
Apr 8 Career-best overall score670.1712 Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval

20153 milestones

May 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.8112 Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival
Aug 28 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Oct 2 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.2972 Keystone Classic Barbeque

20141 milestone

May 9 First tracked contest Pork In The Park BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15	Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval	Apr 8, 2016
+12.1	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival	May 1, 2015
+11.2	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival	May 6, 2016
+7.4	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Aug 28, 2015
+5	Keystone Classic Barbeque	Oct 2, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-6.7	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jun 9, 2017
-5.2	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	Oct 7, 2016
-3.6	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	Oct 5, 2018

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 67%	88.5%	88.5%
2017	3	0	33%	top 58%	91.8%	90.1%
2016	4	2	75%	top 35%	93.1%	91.2%
2015	4	0	50%	top 37%	92.1%	90.1%
2014	1	0	0%	—	—	—

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 5, 2018	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	28 / 42 (636.9720)	28 (158.8116)	14 (162.8460)	19 (161.0972)	36 (154.2172)
Jun 9, 2017	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Harrisburg, PA	23 / 29 (637.0628)	19 (162.8456)	19 (160.0116)	14 (161.0856)	26 (153.1200)
Apr 14, 2017	Interstate BBQ Festival Hagerstown, MD	28 / 58 (661.0976)	27 (166.2516)	18 (168.5944)	24 (165.1316)	35 (161.1200)
Mar 3, 2017	The Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown Brunswick, MD	23 / 50 (648.4344)	41 (154.2288)	10 (166.8572)	29 (160.5256)	11 (166.8228)
Oct 7, 2016	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	32 / 47 (638.1028)	32 (163.3828)	42 (153.1200)	19 (166.2400)	35 (155.3600)
Jun 10, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Harrisburg, PA	13 / 29 (656.3884)	13 (163.3828)	5 (165.0972)	4 (171.4056)	18 (156.5028)
May 6, 2016	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	9 / 51 (662.6968)	18 (165.6916)	4 (169.6684)	23 (159.9312)	10 (167.4056)
Apr 8, 2016	Triple Threat BBQ, Beer and Music Festval Harrington, DE	7 / 75 (670.1712)	5 (173.1544)	20 (166.8456)	20 (163.9428)	21 (166.2284)
Oct 2, 2015	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	21 / 57 (655.9200)	45 (157.1200)	2 (174.2972)	12 (166.8572)	33 (157.6456)
Aug 28, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Laurel, MD	11 / 29 (645.0400)	4 (171.4400)	7 (164)	25 (150.2284)	12 (159.3716)
May 1, 2015	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	12 / 64 (662.8112)	11 (170.8800)	15 (166.2972)	31 (161.1084)	23 (164.5256)
Apr 10, 2015	Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival Harrington, DE	53 / 99 (632.4800)	66 (154.8112)	47 (158.8344)	69 (154.2400)	29 (164.5944)
May 9, 2014	Pork In The Park BBQ Festival Salisbury, MD	—	—	—	—	—

THE SMOKES ON U

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

Happy hunting ground

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork Ribs nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

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)