VALLEY SMOKE BBQ

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

Power ranking

#4748

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1468

peak 1468 · rated over 12 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-06-13

latest 2019-09-21

Best ToY finish

#1160

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 12 contests

Avg finish

top 65%

overall standings

Best overall

646.2512 / 720

Master · Ointoberfest BBQ Cookoff

Perfect 180s

Current form

620.01 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 605.68 (+14.33)

Walk rate

42%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

172.0344

Pork · Oinktoberfest

Consistency

±39.91

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 155.64 · weakest Chicken (143.08)

Road miles

2,303

mi across 12 mapped stops · furthest 290 mi

Schedule strength

24%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1532)

Purse competed for

$36K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

605.68 / 720

12 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (6 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.

A tough matchup

10–0 behind in the head-to-head

GOOD SMOKE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

GOOD SMOKE BBQ has come out ahead in 10 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−12.6 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 12.56 points below their pork, and turns into a call 8% of the time against 8%.

Chicken avg 143.08
Pork avg 155.64
1 calls in 12 entries

A strong matchup

4–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BUTTS & LINKS BBQ in 4 of their 5 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

9 of 10 shared pork entries lost

GOOD SMOKE BBQ ahead 90% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GOOD SMOKE BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 10 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BUFFALO MEATHEADS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A September team

Top 57% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 57% across 4 contests, versus top 65% the rest of the year.

4 September contests
top 65% the rest of the year

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.

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

Big Pappa's Smokin' BBQ

#4736 of the rated field

1468 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1468

0–3 in 3 shared contests (0% to VALLEY SMOKE BBQ)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — Big Pappa's Smokin' BBQ ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2016-05-28

⚔ Head-to-head

Pikes Pits BBQ

#4764 of the rated field

1467 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1467

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to VALLEY SMOKE BBQ)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2022-10-01

⚔ Head-to-head

Don't Tread on Meat

#4752 of the rated field

1468 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1468

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2026-07-31

⚔ Head-to-head

POP'S HOBO BBQ

#4739 of the rated field

1468 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1468

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 21% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2025-06-13

⚔ Head-to-head

WHY YOU GRILLIN' ME ...DAWG?

#4759 of the rated field

1467 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1512

No shared contest yet.

Level with VALLEY SMOKE BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2022-09-08

⚔ Head-to-head

MO BBQ

#4757 of the rated field

1467 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1501

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2014.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2017-06-30

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
KISS MY BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
GOOD SMOKE BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
RED VALLEY BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
BEHIND BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
THREE DOGS BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
BIG BELLY BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
Holy Smokes NY	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
MORT'S MEAT MAFIA	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
THE GOOD CUE CREW	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
TRANQUIL CARNIVORES	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Sweet Heat BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BIG RAZ BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BUTTS & LINKS BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	1	0	166.2972	20.0000	143.08	top 64%
Pork Ribs	12	3	0	163.4056	138.8572	155.13	top 56%
Pork	12	1	1	172.0344	143.9656	155.64	top 59%
Brisket	12	0	0	161.7484	137.1428	151.83	top 62%

“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
NY	10	0	top 62%
CT	2	0	top 78%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	3	0	top 57%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 67%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Oinktoberfest	3	27	top 66%	2019-09-21
*Salt City BBQ Festival	3	13	top 63%	2017-05-19
Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que	2	26	top 74%	2015-06-19

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.3 yrs 2014-06-13 → 2019-09-21

Busiest season 2015 3 contests

Contests a season 2 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NY 10 of 12 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 12 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 155.64 · weakest Chicken (143.08)

Walk rate 42% a top-10 call in 5 of 12 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 12 contests

Master average 605.68 out of 720 · 12 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 280 186–367 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,303 12 mapped stops · furthest 290 mi

Schedule strength 1532 average field rating faced — tougher than 24% of rated contests

Purse competed for $35,900 listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 2 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2017-05-19 → 2018-06-02

Power rating 1468 peak 1468 · #4748 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Jun 13 First tracked contest Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que
Sep 20 First call Oinktoberfest
Sep 20 Career-best single call (Pork)172.0344 Oinktoberfest
2016
Sep 23 Career-best overall score646.2512 Ointoberfest BBQ Cookoff
Sep 23 Peak power rating (1489) Ointoberfest BBQ Cookoff
2018
Sep 22 10th tracked contest Oinktoberfest
2019
Sep 21 Most recent contest Oinktoberfest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+9.4	Ointoberfest BBQ Cookoff	2016-09-23
+6.1	Salt City BBQ Festival	2016-05-20
+0.8	New York City BBQ Cookoff	2015-04-10
+0.5	Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que	2015-06-19

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.6	Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que	2014-06-13
-7.6	Oinktoberfest	2014-09-20
-6.5	Salt City BBQ Festival	2015-05-15
-6.2	Sun BBQFest	2019-06-01
-6.1	Oinktoberfest	2019-09-21

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	2	0%	top 72%	88.5%	87.4%
2018	2	0%	top 67%	87.2%	85.8%
2017	1	100%	top 73%	84.1%	84.1%
2016	2	50%	top 34%	89.8%	87.6%
2015	3	67%	top 62%	86.7%	84.1%
2014	2	50%	top 85%	84.1%	75.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-09-21	Oinktoberfest 🏅 Clarence, NY	27 / 43 (637.0052)	15 (165.7372)	38 (154.8228)	31 (156.5140)	23 (159.9312)
2019-06-01	Sun BBQFest 🏅 Uncasville, CT	50 / 61 (622.1368)	46 (159.4284)	59 (142.2172)	26 (167.4056)	52 (153.0856)
2018-09-22	Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY	30 / 51 (607.2912)	44 (145.1200)	22 (157.1656)	34 (149.6456)	17 (155.3600)
2018-06-02	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	44 / 59 (627.9888)	42 (158.2744)	46 (154.2972)	33 (161.7372)	43 (153.6800)
2017-05-19	*Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY	30 / 41 (605.6116)	8 (166.2972)	33 (146.8000)	33 (147.9544)	32 (144.5600)
2016-09-23	Ointoberfest BBQ Cookoff Clarence, NY	15 / 54 (646.2512)	17 (164.0000)	14 (163.4056)	32 (157.0972)	19 (161.7484)
2016-05-20	Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY	13 / 32 (615.8968)	26 (143.9656)	8 (162.8228)	14 (153.7372)	14 (155.3712)
2015-06-19	Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que Wilson, NY	26 / 47 (623.8972)	12 (165.7372)	26 (157.6916)	36 (149.0856)	28 (151.3828)
2015-05-15	Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY	16 / 21 (606.0796)	19 (141.0628)	5 (160.5372)	11 (159.9540)	18 (144.5256)
2015-04-10	New York City BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY	18 / 33 (586.7772)	33 (129.6572)	10 (160.0460)	24 (143.9656)	11 (153.1084)
2014-09-20	Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY	51 / 66 (605.7144)	36 (157.6800)	58 (138.8572)	2 (172.0344)	61 (137.1428)
2014-06-13	Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que Wilson, NY	44 / 47 (483.5088)	45 (20.0000)	19 (162.8916)	38 (148.6056)	32 (152.0116)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1471 (120 pts)	#1366 (170 pts)	#1575 (120 pts)	#1578 (120 pts)	#1485 (130 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1524 (120 pts)	#1598 (120 pts)	#1540 (135 pts)	#1610 (120 pts)	#1445 (160 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#1631 (155 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#2266 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1271 (227 pts)	#1686 (157 pts)	#1219 (267 pts)	#1630 (172 pts)	#1432 (202 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1160 (244 pts)	#1188 (259 pts)	#955 (364 pts)	#1299 (239 pts)	#1136 (269 pts)