SMOKIN GRUMPS

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

Power ranking

#2821

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1510

peak 1520 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2016-04-22

latest 2023-06-16

Best ToY finish

#779

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 6 contests

Avg finish

top 57%

overall standings

Best overall

673.2004 / 720

Master · Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)

Perfect 180s

Current form

659.61 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 660.54 (-0.93)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.1544

Chicken · Tri City BBQ Fest

Consistency

±12.36

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 166.65 · weakest Brisket (162.46)

Road miles

341

mi across 6 mapped stops · furthest 98 mi

Schedule strength

79%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1601)

Purse competed for

$7K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

660.54 / 720

6 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 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

673.2004 career-best overall

93.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 673.2004 at Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full) — 93.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-04-23

A tough matchup

4–1 behind in the head-to-head

DIG-IN COOKERS ahead in 80% of their meetings

DIG-IN COOKERS has come out ahead in 4 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.2 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.19 points below their pork, and turns into a call 17% of the time against 33%.

Brisket avg 162.46
Pork avg 166.65
1 calls in 6 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of YOU GONNA LIKE IT in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

6.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 6.8 years, then back at Rose Festival 22nd Annual KCBS BBQ Competition (2023-06-16).

last seen 2016-09-16
back 2023-06-16

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.

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

Southern Boys Barbecue

#2814 of the rated field

1510 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1527

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before SMOKIN GRUMPS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 6 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Memphis Barbeque Supply

#2830 of the rated field

1510 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2018-09-07

⚔ Head-to-head

WISCO_BRISCO

#2812 of the rated field

1510 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1514

No shared contest yet.

Level with SMOKIN GRUMPS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2015-10-23

⚔ Head-to-head

BBQwithDREW

#2810 of the rated field

1510 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 6 years after SMOKIN GRUMPS did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2024-08-02

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN WINE-O'S

#2826 of the rated field

1510 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1517

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2022-07-22

⚔ Head-to-head

The 4th Little Pig

#2818 of the rated field

1510 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2022-04-08

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
SMOKEHOUSE 72	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
DIG-IN COOKERS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	6	1	0	1	177.1544	154.7656	164.95	top 62%
Pork Ribs	6	1	1	1	176.6172	161.6800	166.47	top 49%
Pork	6	2	0	0	172.6060	160.5144	166.65	top 52%
Brisket	6	1	0	1	175.4516	151.9544	162.46	top 64%

“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)	5	0	top 61%
Large (40+)	1	0	top 40%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)	2	14	0	top 40%	2016-04-23

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 7.1 yrs 2016-04-22 → 2023-06-16

Busiest season 2016 5 contests

Contests a season 3 across 2 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IA 6 of 6 contests

Contests visited 5 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 6 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 166.65 · weakest Brisket (162.46)

Walk rate 67% a top-10 call in 4 of 6 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 6 contests

Master average 660.54 out of 720 · 6 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 115 92–107 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 341 6 mapped stops · furthest 98 mi

Schedule strength 1601 average field rating faced — tougher than 79% of rated contests

Purse competed for $7,000 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 6.8 yrs 2016-09-16 → 2023-06-16

Power rating 1510 peak 1520 · #2821 of 6,413 rated

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

2016
Apr 22 First tracked contest Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full)
Apr 22 First call Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full)
Apr 22 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.1776 Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full)
Apr 23 First category win (Pork Ribs) Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)
Apr 23 Career-best overall score673.2004 Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)
Sep 16 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.1544 Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 16 Peak power rating (1520) Tri City BBQ Fest
2023
Jun 16 Most recent contest Rose Festival 22nd Annual KCBS BBQ Competition

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8.8	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full)	2016-04-23
+8.6	Tri City BBQ Fest	2016-09-16
+7.7	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full)	2016-04-22

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10	Rose Festival 22nd Annual KCBS BBQ Competition	2023-06-16
-3.5	State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full)	2016-06-17
-1.4	Back to Mayberry BBQ	2016-07-01

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)
2023	1	0	0	0	0%	top 93%	88.1%	88.1%
2016	5	0	0	1	80%	top 50%	93.5%	92.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2023-06-16	Rose Festival 22nd Annual KCBS BBQ Competition 🏅 State Center, IA	25 / 27 (634.0800)	26 (154.7656)	20 (161.6800)	25 (160.5144)	23 (157.1200)
2016-09-16	Tri City BBQ Fest Denison, IA	11 / 34 (665.1092)	3 (177.1544)	16 (165.7376)	10 (170.2628)	28 (151.9544)
2016-07-01	Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA	24 / 35 (663.9772)	32 (157.7028)	23 (164.5600)	17 (166.2628)	2 (175.4516)
2016-06-17	State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full) State Center, IA	22 / 31 (661.6684)	14 (169.7256)	20 (164.5372)	24 (162.2628)	22 (165.1428)
2016-04-23	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 2) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	14 / 36 (673.2004)	29 (163.4516)	1 (176.6172)	16 (168.0116)	21 (165.1200)
2016-04-22	Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full) Boone, IA	17 / 42 (665.1776)	21 (166.8800)	18 (165.7144)	7 (172.6060)	33 (159.9772)

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
2023 ↗	Master	#1616 (52 pts)	#1642 (52 pts)	#1363 (77 pts)	#1611 (52 pts)	#1290 (62 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#779 (480 pts)	#733 (545 pts)	#643 (635 pts)	#708 (565 pts)	#735 (530 pts)