OLD SMOKE WAGON

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

Power ranking

#3503

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1493

peak 1508 · rated over 13 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-05-01

latest 2018-08-10

Best ToY finish

#924

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 65%

overall standings

Best overall

669.6800 / 720

Master · RiverFest Red White and Que

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.88 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 644.89 (+1.98)

Walk rate

46%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.0000

Pork · 23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska

Consistency

±17.78

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 167.55 · weakest Pork Ribs (154.30)

Road miles

946

mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 160 mi

Schedule strength

75%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1595)

Master avg

644.89 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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.

High-water mark

669.6800 career-best overall

93.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 669.6800 at RiverFest Red White and Que — 93.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-07-15

A tough matchup

10–0 behind in the head-to-head

PORKY BUTTS BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

PORKY BUTTS BBQ has come out ahead in 10 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−13.3 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 13.26 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 46%.

Pork Ribs avg 154.30
Pork avg 167.55
0 calls in 13 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BLAIR'S BIGFOOT BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

9 of 10 shared pork entries lost

HELPING U BBQ ahead 90% of the time

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

A May team

Top 56% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 56% across 4 contests, versus top 65% the rest of the year.

4 May contests
top 65% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.47% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.47% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.6% of a perfect score
13 contests

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.

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

Fubar-B-Q

#3498 of the rated field

1493 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1524

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to OLD SMOKE WAGON)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team OLD SMOKE WAGON has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2024-05-31

⚔ Head-to-head

Broomstick BBQ

#3504 of the rated field

1493 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2026-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

McLay Brothers BBQ

#3505 of the rated field

1493 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1517

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2021-09-11

⚔ Head-to-head

UP IN $MOKE BBQ TEAM

#3508 of the rated field

1493 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1504

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2016-08-05

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKE JUMPERS BBQ

#3515 of the rated field

1493 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1493

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2026-06-05

⚔ Head-to-head

Jessie Raes BBQ

#3497 of the rated field

1493 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1528

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1528 at their best, 35 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2025-11-21

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
WHEN PIGS DIE	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
HELPING U BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
PORKY BUTTS BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
Theslabs.com	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
HOT GRILL ON GRILL ACTION	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
TATTOO BOB'S BAR-B-Q	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
R BUTTS R SMOKIN	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
ALWAYS SMOK'D	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
OMAHA CHAIN SMOKERS	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
OMAHA'S BLOWIN' SMOKE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	0	0	171.9772	144.5600	160.77	top 65%
Pork Ribs	13	0	0	167.9772	137.1088	154.30	top 81%
Pork	13	6	1	176.0000	157.6572	167.55	top 40%
Brisket	13	2	0	173.7144	144.5488	162.27	top 55%

“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	Avg finish
NE	8	top 66%
MO	4	top 56%
KS	1	top 89%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	6	0	top 62%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 67%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q	3	13	0	top 47%	2018-05-04

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3.3 yrs 2015-05-01 → 2018-08-10

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 3.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NE 8 of 13 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 11 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 13 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 167.55 · weakest Pork Ribs (154.30)

Walk rate 46% a top-10 call in 6 of 13 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 13 contests

Master average 644.89 out of 720 · 13 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 718 251–801 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 946 13 mapped stops · furthest 160 mi

Schedule strength 1595 average field rating faced — tougher than 75% of rated contests

Power rating 1493 peak 1508 · #3503 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
May 1 First tracked contest Apple Blossom BBQ Contest
Jun 26 First call 3rd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival
Aug 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.6456 23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska
Aug 14 Career-best single call (Pork)176.0000 23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska
2016
Jul 15 Career-best overall score669.6800 RiverFest Red White and Que
Jul 15 Peak power rating (1508) RiverFest Red White and Que
2017
Aug 5 10th tracked contest Omaha Steaks Nebraska BBQ Championship Day -2
2018
Aug 10 Most recent contest 26th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.9	RiverFest Red White and Que	2016-07-15
+6.4	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q	2017-05-05
+6.3	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q	2016-05-06
+2	23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska	2015-08-14
+0.7	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q	2018-05-04

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.7	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN)	2016-10-29
-6.6	Apple Blossom BBQ Contest	2015-05-01
-4.6	3rd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival	2015-06-26
-4.4	Omaha Steaks Nebraska BBQ Championship Day -1	2017-08-04
-3.6	Q for a Cause	2018-04-20

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)
2018	3	33%	top 69%	91.3%	89.7%
2017	3	33%	top 64%	92.2%	90.5%
2016	4	50%	top 56%	93%	89.7%
2015	3	67%	top 71%	90.8%	88.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-08-10	26th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Arlington, NE	22 / 30 (633.7032)	28 (144.5600)	25 (159.9772)	18 (164.5716)	16 (164.5944)
2018-05-04	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q St. Joseph, MO	22 / 37 (657.0172)	25 (162.2628)	16 (167.9772)	22 (166.2628)	28 (160.5144)
2018-04-20	Q for a Cause Papillion, NE	31 / 41 (647.3256)	25 (166.2856)	38 (153.0744)	5 (172.5828)	33 (155.3828)
2017-08-05	Omaha Steaks Nebraska BBQ Championship Day -2 Omaha, NE	35 / 50 (663.9200)	20 (171.9772)	48 (154.2400)	14 (171.4400)	28 (166.2628)
2017-08-04	Omaha Steaks Nebraska BBQ Championship Day -1 Omaha, NE	44 / 54 (632.4112)	46 (157.7028)	53 (147.9200)	41 (160.5256)	22 (166.2628)
2017-05-05	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q St. Joseph, MO	16 / 39 (657.6576)	20 (163.4288)	30 (154.2516)	5 (174.8572)	16 (165.1200)
2016-10-29	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN) Kansas City, KS	494 / 557 (614.1600)	500 (150.7656)	546 (137.1088)	316 (162.8456)	258 (163.4400)
2016-08-05	24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Omaha, NE	48 / 70 (631.8744)	57 (158.2400)	66 (146.2172)	28 (165.1428)	35 (162.2744)
2016-07-15	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	11 / 45 (669.6800)	14 (166.2856)	20 (163.9772)	9 (170.2744)	10 (169.1428)
2016-05-06	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q St. Joseph, MO	13 / 31 (668.0232)	25 (159.3944)	15 (166.2972)	10 (168.6172)	5 (173.7144)
2015-08-14	23rd Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Omaha, NE	24 / 42 (653.6456)	28 (159.9428)	38 (155.4172)	3 (176.0000)	24 (162.2856)
2015-06-26	3rd Annual Ribstock MBA BBQ Festival Omaha, NE	26 / 34 (617.7148)	11 (164.0572)	33 (141.6916)	10 (167.4172)	32 (144.5488)
2015-05-01	Apple Blossom BBQ Contest St. Joseph, MO	29 / 36 (636.4572)	23 (165.1428)	31 (157.7256)	29 (157.6572)	29 (155.9316)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1189 (205 pts)	#1377 (175 pts)	#1239 (220 pts)	#918 (350 pts)	#1225 (220 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1240 (225 pts)	#1323 (230 pts)	#1506 (180 pts)	#1006 (360 pts)	#1261 (240 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#924 (366 pts)	#1150 (291 pts)	#1099 (311 pts)	#952 (396 pts)	#853 (436 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1362 (184 pts)	#1188 (259 pts)	#1497 (179 pts)	#856 (429 pts)	#1422 (184 pts)