High-water mark
333.0972
career-best overall
92.5% of a perfect 360
Their best day on record: 333.0972 at Minnesota in May — 92.5% of a perfect 360.
- Backyard
- May 8, 2026
Sota Smoke BBQ
Sota Smoke BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 15 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 13th of 77 at the Minnesota in May (2026). They are ranked #3665 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1490
peak 1490 · rated over 11 contests
Contests
15
in the data
First seen
Sep 10, 2022
latest May 8, 2026 · 3.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 15 contests
Avg finish
top 60%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
324.16 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 322.28 (+1.88)
Walk rate
20%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.20
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 161.61 · weakest Chicken (161.32)
Road miles
973
across 15 mapped stops · furthest 141 mi
Schedule strength
66%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1583)
Purse competed for
$106K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 9 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
322.28 / 360
11 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #252 (120 pts) | #310 (80 pts) | #214 (185 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1161 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #236 (176 pts) | #218 (201 pts) | #171 (326 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | #927 (150 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #215 (208 pts) | #243 (178 pts) | #127 (438 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1317 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #146 (346 pts) | #183 (251 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Sota Smoke BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
167 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,661 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1516
Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,688 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1489
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,667 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1509
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 17% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#3,685 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1506
They were already cooking in 2017, 5 years before Sota Smoke BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#3,657 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1513
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Sota Smoke BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,675 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1490
Level with Sota Smoke BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Ten Bones | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| FENDER BENDER BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Sensuous BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Porket About It | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Steel Smoke BBQ | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| Ash Kickin' BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| WHEN PIGS DIE | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| DAWGS BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| NECTAR OF THE HOGS | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Son of a Boar BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SIX BUTT BBQ | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Phoenix BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172 | 150.2284 | 161.32 | top 57% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.7372 | 150.2860 | 161.61 | top 58% |
“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) | 6 | 0 | top 76% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 41% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota in May | 4 | 13 | 0 | top 36% | May 8, 2026 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 62% | Jun 14, 2025 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 89% | Jun 13, 2025 |
| Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 87% | Sep 9, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
5 contests
Contests a season
3
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MN
9 of 15 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
5
4 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
15 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls
Opponents faced
269
finished ahead 319 times, behind 464
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Career-best overall score333.0972 Minnesota in May
- Most recent contest Minnesota in May
20251 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Minnesota in May
20242 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score332.5484 Minnesota in May
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)173.7372 Minnesota in May
20232 milestones
- First call Art of the Que
- Peak power rating (1493) Art of the Que
20221 milestone
- First tracked contest Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14 | Minnesota in May | May 8, 2026 |
| +5.2 | Minnesota in May | May 10, 2024 |
| +2.8 | Minnesota in May | May 12, 2023 |
| +2.7 | Art of the Que | Jul 7, 2023 |
| +2.4 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 8, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.7 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 10, 2022 |
| -11.2 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 13, 2025 |
| -7.3 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 9, 2023 |
| -4.1 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 14, 2025 |
| -3.2 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 7, 2024 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 17% | 92.5% | 92.5% |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 78% | 92.1% | 89.1% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 51% | 92.4% | 90.5% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 56% | 89.8% | 89.6% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 84.8% | 84.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 13 / 77 (333.0972) | 21 (163.4172) | 12 (169.6800) | — | — |
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 42 (158.2860) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 27 / 36 (318.1712) | 22 (165.6800) | 28 (152.4912) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 41 / 36 (312.5028) | 41 (150.2284) | 33 (162.2744) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 19 (167.3944) | — | — |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 26 / 58 (331.3828) | 23 (167.9656) | 27 (163.4172) | — | — |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 38 (160.5716) | — | — |
| Jun 8, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 18 / 37 (325.6684) | 22 (159.3940) | 12 (166.2744) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 26 / 41 (318.7428) | 26 (161.0972) | 26 (157.6456) | — | — |
| May 10, 2024 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 23 / 58 (332.5484) | 35 (158.8112) | 4 (173.7372) | — | — |
| May 10, 2024 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 26 (167.4172) | — | — |
| Sep 9, 2023 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 24 / 30 (323.3828) | 8 (172) | 27 (151.3828) | — | — |
| Jul 7, 2023 | Art of the Que 🏅 Spencer, IA | 13 / 28 (321.0744) | 14 (156.5372) | 8 (164.5372) | — | — |
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 25 / 59 (323.3944) | 17 (164.5828) | 31 (158.8116) | — | — |
| Sep 10, 2022 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 28 / 30 (305.1432) | 28 (154.8572) | 26 (150.2860) | — | — |