Sota Smoke BBQ MN
Rating
1484
peak 1484 · rated over 11 contests
Contests
15
in the data
First seen
2022-09-10
latest 2026-05-08
Best ToY finish
#215
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
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
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 161.61 · weakest Chicken (161.32)
Road miles
973
mi across 15 mapped stops · furthest 141 mi
Schedule strength
70%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)
Purse competed for
$106K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 9 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
322.28 / 360
11 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
T-Rex BBQ has finished one call ahead of Sota Smoke BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Ambition Que has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Big Ten Bones has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Steel Smoke BBQ in 7 of their 9 shared contests.
😤 Pork Ribs nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, FENDER BENDER BBQ has out-cooked them in 13 of 15 shared pork ribs entries.
📅 A May team
Something about May: average finish in the top 36% across 4 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.
Teams like this (closest power rating, MN first)
Familiar 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 | 172.0000 | 150.2284 | 161.32 | top 57% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.7372 | 150.2860 | 161.61 | top 58% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MN | 6 | 0 | top 53% |
| WI | 4 | 0 | top 75% |
| IA | 1 | 0 | top 46% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 76% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 41% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota in May | 4 | 13 | 0 | top 36% | 2026-05-08 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 62% | 2025-06-14 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 89% | 2025-06-13 |
| Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 87% | 2023-09-09 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (5 contests)
- Cooks mostly in MN (9 of 15 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (15 entries)
- Average Backyard overall score: 322.28 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2022-09-10 — First tracked contest · Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📣 2023-07-07 — First call · Art of the Que
- 📈 2023-07-07 — Peak power rating (1491) · Art of the Que
- ⭐ 2026-05-08 — Career-best overall score (333.0972) · Minnesota in May
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.5 | Minnesota in May | 2026-05-08 |
| +4.7 | Minnesota in May | 2024-05-10 |
| +2.1 | Minnesota in May | 2023-05-12 |
| +1.7 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2024-06-08 |
| +1.5 | Art of the Que | 2023-07-07 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.7 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-09-10 |
| -11.7 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2025-06-13 |
| -7.4 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-09-09 |
| -4.7 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2025-06-14 |
| -3.8 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2024-06-07 |
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 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 13 / 77 (333.0972) | 21 (163.4172) | 12 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 42 (158.2860) | — | — |
| 2025-06-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 27 / 36 (318.1712) | 22 (165.6800) | 28 (152.4912) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 41 / 36 (312.5028) | 41 (150.2284) | 33 (162.2744) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 19 (167.3944) | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 26 / 58 (331.3828) | 23 (167.9656) | 27 (163.4172) | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 38 (160.5716) | — | — |
| 2024-06-08 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 18 / 37 (325.6684) | 22 (159.3940) | 12 (166.2744) | — | — |
| 2024-06-07 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 26 / 41 (318.7428) | 26 (161.0972) | 26 (157.6456) | — | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 23 / 58 (332.5484) | 35 (158.8112) | 4 (173.7372) | — | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 26 (167.4172) | — | — |
| 2023-09-09 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 24 / 30 (323.3828) | 8 (172.0000) | 27 (151.3828) | — | — |
| 2023-07-07 | Art of the Que 🏅 Spencer, IA | 13 / 28 (321.0744) | 14 (156.5372) | 8 (164.5372) | — | — |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 25 / 59 (323.3944) | 17 (164.5828) | 31 (158.8116) | — | — |
| 2022-09-10 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 28 / 30 (305.1432) | 28 (154.8572) | 26 (150.2860) | — | — |
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 | #228 (120 pts) | #281 (80 pts) | #195 (185 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1013 (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) | — | — |