CHERRY LANE SMOKERS

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

Power ranking

#6311

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1396

peak 1396 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-08-07

latest 2018-07-06

Best ToY finish

#1263

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 92%

overall standings

Best overall

613.4968 / 720

Master · Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

587.37 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 579.56 (+7.80)

Walk rate

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

161.6800

Pork Ribs · Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival

Consistency

±21.31

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 148.15 · weakest Brisket (141.66)

Road miles

572

mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 56 mi

Schedule strength

29%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1540)

Master avg

579.56 / 720

11 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.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BBQR916 SMOKEHOUSE AND BREWPUB has finished one call ahead of CHERRY LANE SMOKERS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

11–0 behind in the head-to-head

PIRATES OF THE PIG ahead in 100% of their meetings

PIRATES OF THE PIG has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.50 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.

Brisket avg 141.66
Pork Ribs avg 148.15
0 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKE N GRILL BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

11 of 11 shared pork ribs entries lost

PIRATES OF THE PIG ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, PIRATES OF THE PIG has out-cooked them in 11 of 11 shared pork ribs entries.

Going the wrong way

-25 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 25 points across 4 contests since 2017-07-07 — from 1421 down to 1396.

4 contests since 2017-07-07
now 1396

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.

Northwest Smokehouse

#6312 of the rated field

1396 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1396

No shared contest yet.

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 2024-05-25

⚔ Head-to-head

NOTHING BUTT SMOKE PSCA

#6313 of the rated field

1396 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1396

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 3 years before CHERRY LANE SMOKERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

TEAM PIT

#6309 of the rated field

1396 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1396

No shared contest yet.

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 2018-09-14

⚔ Head-to-head

PEPPER PAPPY BBQ CO

#6308 of the rated field

1396 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1396

No shared contest yet.

16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2020-01-17

⚔ Head-to-head

BBQ Blokes

#6310 of the rated field

1396 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1396

No shared contest yet.

Level with CHERRY LANE SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2026-07-24

⚔ Head-to-head

STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ

#6307 of the rated field

1396 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1396

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2026-05-23

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Behind	Win rate
PIRATES OF THE PIG	11	11	0%	⚔ compare
NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT	10	10	0%	⚔ compare
Smokey and the Pirate	10	10	0%	⚔ compare
SON OF SMOKE	9	9	0%	⚔ compare
RBQ	9	9	0%	⚔ compare
FLAME THROWER BBQ CO.	8	8	0%	⚔ compare
2 ROLLING BONES	8	8	0%	⚔ compare
The Smoking J's	8	8	0%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-Q'S-2GO	7	7	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKED SEDUCTION	7	7	0%	⚔ compare
Old Town Franklin BBQ	7	7	0%	⚔ compare
PIPIN' HOT SMOKERS BBQ	6	6	0%	⚔ compare
TOO ASHAMED TO NAME	6	6	0%	⚔ compare
GIT-R-SMOKED	6	6	0%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	5	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	159.4284	110.1376	144.58	top 85%
Pork Ribs	12	161.6800	132.0116	148.15	top 81%
Pork	11	158.8000	129.0856	146.19	top 88%
Brisket	11	156.5028	131.3944	141.66	top 87%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	8	0	top 94%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 87%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival	3	34	top 87%	2018-07-06
Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship	3	29	top 96%	2018-05-04
Smoke on the River	2	35	top 90%	2016-10-14

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

On the trail 2.9 yrs 2015-08-07 → 2018-07-06

Busiest season 2016 4 contests

Contests a season 3.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CA 13 of 13 contests

Contests visited 6 3 of them cooked more than once

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

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 148.15 · weakest Brisket (141.66)

Walk rate 0% a top-10 call in 0 of 13 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 13 contests

Master average 579.56 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 189 36–364 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 572 13 mapped stops · furthest 56 mi

Schedule strength 1540 average field rating faced — tougher than 29% of rated contests

Power rating 1396 peak 1396 · #6311 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
May 1 First tracked contest Elk Grove Western Festival & BBQ Championship
Aug 7 Peak power rating (1487) Grills N' Grilles- Nevada County United Way
2017
Jul 7 Career-best overall score613.4968 Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival
Jul 7 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)161.6800 Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival
Jul 15 10th tracked contest *2017 Clayton BBQ Cook-off a KCBS(Competitor Series) event Sponsored by the CBCA
2018
Jul 6 Most recent contest Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival

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

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.3	Grills N' Grilles- Nevada County United Way	2015-08-07
-12.7	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship	2016-04-29
-11	Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival	2016-07-08
-10.3	Smoke on the River	2015-09-18
-9.8	Grills 'N' Grilles(presented by the United Way of Nevada Country)	2016-08-26

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	0%	top 94%	82.7%	80.7%
2017	3	0%	top 86%	85.2%	83%
2016	4	0%	top 93%	83.7%	79.2%
2015	3	0%	top 92%	80.4%	80.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-07-06	Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival Petaluma, CA	34 / 38 (590.6404)	36 (139.9772)	33 (153.0972)	27 (158.8000)	35 (138.7660)
2018-05-04	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	34 / 35 (556.4116)	33 (141.1428)	35 (133.0516)	35 (138.2856)	31 (143.9316)
2018-04-20	Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship Lodi, CA	46 / 48 (595.2340)	48 (140.5372)	44 (149.7028)	43 (154.2168)	39 (150.7772)
2017-07-15	*2017 Clayton BBQ Cook-off a KCBS(Competitor Series) event Sponsored by the CBCA Clayton, CA	—	15 (150.2856)	11 (153.6800)	—	—
2017-07-07	Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival Petaluma, CA	39 / 50 (613.4968)	47 (142.2284)	30 (161.6800)	37 (153.0856)	30 (156.5028)
2017-05-05	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	31 / 33 (581.0512)	31 (143.4056)	22 (157.0856)	31 (145.1200)	32 (135.4400)
2016-10-14	Smoke on the River Sacramento, CA	35 / 38 (579.7484)	37 (139.3712)	28 (151.9772)	29 (147.9312)	33 (140.4688)
2016-08-26	Grills 'N' Grilles(presented by the United Way of Nevada Country) Penn Valley, CA	26 / 28 (602.8344)	19 (158.8456)	22 (152.5716)	27 (144.0000)	24 (147.4172)
2016-07-08	Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival Petaluma, CA	35 / 38 (565.0404)	26 (152.5144)	36 (132.0116)	33 (145.6916)	34 (134.8228)
2016-04-29	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	29 / 30 (532.8348)	29 (110.1376)	27 (145.0628)	25 (146.2400)	30 (131.3944)
2015-09-18	Smoke on the River Sacramento, CA	43 / 49 (579.1884)	31 (157.1084)	47 (134.2288)	48 (145.6684)	42 (142.1828)
2015-08-07	Grills N' Grilles- Nevada County United Way Penn Valley, CA	23 / 24 (578.7084)	17 (159.4284)	17 (153.6800)	23 (129.0856)	23 (136.5144)
2015-05-01	Elk Grove Western Festival & BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	—	—	—	—	—

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	#1266 (180 pts)	#1319 (180 pts)	#1354 (180 pts)	#1342 (180 pts)	#1330 (180 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1871 (118 pts)	#1925 (118 pts)	#1749 (133 pts)	#1918 (118 pts)	#1936 (118 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1263 (228 pts)	#1255 (258 pts)	#1302 (243 pts)	#1384 (228 pts)	#1331 (233 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1811 (119 pts)	#1635 (149 pts)	#1654 (149 pts)	#1901 (119 pts)	#1876 (119 pts)