Steel Smoke BBQ MN
Rating
1409
peak 1500 · rated over 29 contests
Contests
38
in the data
First seen
2022-05-13
latest 2026-05-08
Best ToY finish
#398
Master 2023
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 38 contests
Avg finish
top 75%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
660.93 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 660.22 (+0.71)
Walk rate
39%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.94
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 167.88 · weakest Brisket (160.03)
Road miles
5089
mi across 38 mapped stops · furthest 994 mi
Schedule strength
72%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1568)
Purse competed for
$275K
listed at 33 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 28 state-championship entries
Master avg
660.22 / 720
29 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
T-Rex BBQ has finished one call ahead of Steel Smoke BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Good Grefe! has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
HOT DADDY'S BBQ has come out ahead in 26 of their 26 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Smokin G's BBQ in 10 of their 13 shared contests.
😤 Chicken nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, HOT DADDY'S BBQ has out-cooked them in 21 of 26 shared chicken entries.
📅 A September team
Something about September: average finish in the top 59% across 3 contests, versus top 75% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NECTAR OF THE HOGS | 27 | 3 | 24 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Ash Kickin' BBQ | 26 | 2 | 24 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 26 | 0 | 26 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SIX BUTT BBQ | 25 | 3 | 22 | 12% | ⚔ compare |
| LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | 25 | 2 | 23 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| Phoenix BBQ | 24 | 5 | 19 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 23 | 0 | 23 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 22 | 5 | 17 | 23% | ⚔ compare |
| WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ | 21 | 2 | 19 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| Son of a Boar BBQ | 21 | 0 | 21 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| WHEN PIGS DIE | 20 | 3 | 17 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| RUM N' SMOKE BBQ | 18 | 1 | 17 | 6% | ⚔ compare |
| Sensuous BBQ | 18 | 1 | 17 | 6% | ⚔ compare |
| Good Grefe! | 17 | 7 | 10 | 41% | ⚔ compare |
| ACES HIGH BBQ | 17 | 2 | 15 | 12% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 29 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 176.5600 | 154.8112 | 167.88 | top 59% |
| Pork Ribs | 37 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 176.5600 | 155.4056 | 166.30 | top 57% |
| Pork | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 173.1428 | 156.5372 | 166.72 | top 60% |
| Brisket | 29 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 180.0000 🔥 | 146.8800 | 160.03 | top 77% |
“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 | 13 | 0 | top 76% |
| WI | 9 | 0 | top 73% |
| IA | 3 | 0 | top 90% |
| KS | 2 | 0 | top 59% |
| ND | 1 | 0 | top 68% |
| TX | 1 | 0 | top 59% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 17 | 0 | top 81% |
| Large (40+) | 12 | 0 | top 65% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota in May | 4 | 35 | 0 | top 78% | 2026-05-08 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 4 | 31 | 0 | top 86% | 2025-06-14 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 4 | 12 | 0 | top 58% | 2025-06-13 |
| Smokin' in Steele | 3 | 22 | 0 | top 84% | 2025-05-30 |
| MN Masters BBQ | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 58% | 2025-08-22 |
| KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 76% | 2024-07-12 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2023 (12 contests)
- Cooks mostly in MN (18 of 38 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (37 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 660.22 / 720
- 1 perfect 180 on the books 🔥
Milestones
- 🚩 2022-05-13 — First tracked contest · Minnesota in May (Masters)
- 📣 2022-05-13 — First call · Minnesota in May (Masters)
- 📈 2022-05-13 — Peak power rating (1500) · Minnesota in May (Masters)
- 🔥 2022-09-29 — First perfect 180 (Brisket) · American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST
- ⭐ 2022-09-29 — Career-best overall score (680.4800) · American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST
- 🎖️ 2024-07-12 — 25th tracked contest · KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +11.9 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2024-06-07 |
| +10.5 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2025-06-13 |
| +10.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST | 2022-09-29 |
| +8.3 | MN Masters BBQ | 2025-08-22 |
| +1 | KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off | 2023-07-14 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.5 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2022-06-10 |
| -11.7 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2022-06-11 |
| -11.6 | Smokin in Steele | 2023-06-02 |
| -10.5 | Minnesota in May | 2023-05-12 |
| -10.1 | Art of the Que | 2023-07-07 |
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 75% | 93.1% | 92.2% |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43% | top 73% | 94% | 92% |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 73% | 94.3% | 92.4% |
| 2023 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 78% | 92.9% | 90.9% |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40% | top 72% | 94.5% | 91.6% |
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 | 63 / 77 (670.1600) | 10 (176.5600) | 69 (162.8000) | 57 (167.4056) | 65 (163.3944) |
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 16 (169.7144) | — | — |
| 2026-05-01 | ND BBQ Championship 🏅 Fargo, ND | 48 / 71 (657.7144) | 49 (165.6916) | 41 (166.2972) | 62 (157.7028) | 29 (168.0228) |
| 2026-05-01 | ND BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Fargo, ND | — | — | 17 (165.6684) | — | — |
| 2025-08-22 | MN Masters BBQ 🏅 Pierz, MN | 12 / 26 (670.1828) | 6 (173.1200) | 8 (170.8572) | 8 (171.9772) | 23 (154.2284) |
| 2025-07-11 | KTD Smokn' Gobbler 🏅 Worthington, MN | 26 / 26 (641.6232) | 18 (166.2516) | 25 (158.2288) | 8 (170.2628) | 26 (146.8800) |
| 2025-06-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 31 / 36 (664.9712) | 33 (165.0972) | 16 (169.1200) | 31 (164.5256) | 26 (166.2284) |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 16 / 36 (677.0860) | 8 (173.7144) | 15 (168.5488) | 19 (170.2972) | 29 (164.5256) |
| 2025-05-30 | Smokin' in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 22 / 28 (659.2916) | 17 (170.2628) | 21 (166.2400) | 23 (165.6800) | 25 (157.1088) |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 49 / 58 (659.8744) | 29 (170.2744) | 29 (169.1200) | 54 (162.2400) | 50 (158.2400) |
| 2024-08-23 | MN Masters BBQ 🏅 Pierz, MN | 19 / 27 (667.9548) | 7 (173.1200) | 14 (168.0116) | 14 (168.5716) | 24 (158.2516) |
| 2024-07-26 | 8th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest 🏅 Emmetsburg, IA | 27 / 28 (652.4688) | 25 (163.4056) | 26 (161.1316) | 12 (171.4172) | 25 (156.5144) |
| 2024-07-12 | KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off 🏅 Worthington, MN | 29 / 34 (658.1944) | 14 (173.7028) | 28 (160.5372) | 12 (170.2744) | 33 (153.6800) |
| 2024-07-12 | KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Worthington, MN | — | — | 4 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2024-06-08 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 33 / 37 (662.2516) | 21 (170.8572) | 21 (168.5716) | 23 (170.2744) | 36 (152.5484) |
| 2024-06-07 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 12 / 41 (678.7888) | 9 (174.2744) | 34 (159.3944) | 9 (172.0000) | 9 (173.1200) |
| 2024-06-07 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 16 (164.6060) | — | — |
| 2024-05-31 | Smokin in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 26 / 32 (659.8856) | 27 (162.2400) | 17 (166.8456) | 6 (173.1428) | 29 (157.6572) |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 35 / 58 (676.5144) | 9 (176.0000) | 31 (169.1316) | 27 (171.4400) | 57 (159.9428) |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 22 (169.1428) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 17 / 21 (659.8972) | 20 (161.6572) | 11 (166.8572) | 16 (163.9772) | 11 (167.4056) |
| 2023-10-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 5 (171.9888) | — | — |
| 2023-09-08 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 58 / 99 (657.0860) | 53 (165.1428) | 75 (161.1088) | 59 (165.1200) | 40 (165.7144) |
| 2023-07-28 | 7th Annual E'burg BBQ Contest 🏅 Emmetsburg, IA | 24 / 32 (668.5372) | 25 (167.4744) | 19 (167.9772) | 23 (167.4172) | 26 (165.6684) |
| 2023-07-14 | KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-off 🏅 Worthington, MN | 26 / 39 (664.4916) | 23 (169.7028) | 9 (171.4288) | 27 (165.6800) | 30 (157.6800) |
| 2023-07-14 | KTD Smokin Gobbler Cook-of (ONE MEAT RIBS) Worthington, MN | — | — | 12 (165.1200) | — | — |
| 2023-07-07 | Art of the Que 🏅 Spencer, IA | 28 / 28 (634.7316) | 20 (167.3828) | 27 (155.4056) | 28 (156.5372) | 28 (155.4060) |
| 2023-06-10 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 31 / 40 (667.9084) | 35 (160.5028) | 13 (170.2972) | 16 (170.8572) | 26 (166.2512) |
| 2023-06-09 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 28 / 43 (655.9312) | 34 (161.6684) | 3 (176.5600) | 15 (169.7028) | 40 (148.0000) |
| 2023-06-02 | Smokin in Steele 🏅 Owatonna, MN | 27 / 29 (638.8000) | 28 (154.8112) | 2 (173.1428) | 28 (157.7260) | 26 (153.1200) |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 51 / 59 (643.8976) | 44 (164.5716) | 40 (164.5372) | 54 (159.3944) | 53 (155.3944) |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 19 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2022-09-29 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST Kansas City, KS | 227 / 249 (659.8284) | 233 (163.3828) | 237 (159.9428) | 119 (170.8344) | 190 (165.6684) |
| 2022-09-29 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 139 / 505 (680.4800) | 199 (169.6684) | 237 (167.4172) | 335 (163.3944) | 2 (180.0000) |
| 2022-06-11 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 34 / 37 (650.1372) | 27 (167.9772) | 29 (163.9428) | 28 (164.5600) | 33 (153.6572) |
| 2022-06-10 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 36 / 39 (639.8516) | 33 (165.1200) | 36 (156.5144) | 34 (159.9772) | 31 (158.2400) |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (Masters) 🏅 Cambridge, MN | 33 / 59 (667.9428) | 3 (174.8456) | 42 (162.3200) | 12 (172.5600) | 51 (158.2172) |
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 ↗ | Master | #715 (120 pts) | #643 (195 pts) | #506 (325 pts) | #744 (120 pts) | #747 (120 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #433 (460 pts) | #374 (620 pts) | #440 (545 pts) | #394 (565 pts) | #537 (345 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #411 (496 pts) | #313 (751 pts) | #281 (875 pts) | #281 (796 pts) | #445 (491 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #398 (495 pts) | #436 (510 pts) | #135 (1390 pts) | #354 (600 pts) | #397 (520 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #807 (180 pts) | #585 (355 pts) | #912 (180 pts) | #725 (245 pts) | #837 (180 pts) |