PAPA'S SMOKIN' AGAIN

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

Power ranking

#6196

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1417

peak 1417 · rated over 17 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-08-22

latest 2019-05-17

Best ToY finish

#896

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 79%

overall standings

Best overall

641.6340 / 720

Master · The Ironman

Perfect 180s

Current form

601.25 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 603.64 (-2.38)

Walk rate

18%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

170.8800

Chicken · Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival

Consistency

±39.55

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 155.58 · weakest Brisket (150.51)

Road miles

1,444

mi across 17 mapped stops · furthest 234 mi

Schedule strength

43%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1556)

Purse competed for

$7K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

603.64 / 720

17 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.

A tough matchup

14–0 behind in the head-to-head

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ has come out ahead in 14 of their 14 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.1 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.07 points below their pork, and turns into a call 12% of the time against 12%.

Brisket avg 150.51
Pork avg 155.58
2 calls in 17 entries

A strong matchup

6–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Fire Ants BBQ in 6 of their 8 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

10 of 14 shared pork entries lost

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ ahead 71% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LO' -N- SLO' BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 14 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

COMIN' IN HOT BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

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.

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

THE PIG'S EAR

#6197 of the rated field

1416 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1416

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2018-10-12

⚔ Head-to-head

High on the Hog

#6192 of the rated field

1417 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1417

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2022-09-23

⚔ Head-to-head

Grumpy Ol' Sarge BBQ

#6199 of the rated field

1416 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1416

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2026-06-13

⚔ Head-to-head

BURROS BBQ

#6194 of the rated field

1417 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1417

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 23 contests
last seen 2026-06-20

⚔ Head-to-head

Murfy's BBQ Co.

#6190 of the rated field

1417 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1417

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 5 years after PAPA'S SMOKIN' AGAIN did, first appearing in 2019.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-05-23

⚔ Head-to-head

FOUNTAIN CITY BARBEQUE

#6191 of the rated field

1417 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1417

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 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN FOOLZ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
WILBUR'S REVENGE	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
HAWG NATION BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
PIGHEADED BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
WEEKEND SMOKERS	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
THE BBQ GURU	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Smokestack Redemption	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Fire Ants BBQ	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
PIG PEN BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
3 EYZ BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BEERBEQUE	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	1	170.8800	139.3712	154.93	top 74%
Pork Ribs	16	1	165.1084	138.8228	151.54	top 74%
Pork	17	2	169.7256	129.0628	155.58	top 64%
Brisket	17	2	170.8572	131.8856	150.51	top 71%

“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
PA	13	top 77%
OH	1	top 80%
NJ	1	top 75%
MD	1	top 100%
DE	1	top 79%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 80%
Medium (20–39)	3	top 84%
Large (40+)	13	top 77%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
New Holland Summer Fest	3	29	0	top 70%	2016-08-26
Twin Valley Fire and Smoke	2	41	0	top 86%	2019-05-17

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.7 yrs 2014-08-22 → 2019-05-17

Busiest season 2016 7 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in PA 13 of 17 contests · 5 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 14 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 17 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 155.58 · weakest Brisket (150.51)

Walk rate 18% a top-10 call in 3 of 17 contests

Overall top-10 rate 6% 1 of 17 contests

Master average 603.64 out of 720 · 17 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 402 206–675 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,444 17 mapped stops · furthest 234 mi

Schedule strength 1556 average field rating faced — tougher than 43% of rated contests

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

State championships 0 from 2 state-championship entries

Power rating 1417 peak 1417 · #6196 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Aug 22 First tracked contest New Holland Summer Fest
Aug 22 Peak power rating (1488) New Holland Summer Fest
2015
Apr 10 Career-best single call (Chicken)170.8800 Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival
Aug 28 First call New Holland Summer Fest
2016
Sep 10 10th tracked contest Philadelphia's Inaugural Fire Up HOPE
2017
Mar 31 Career-best overall score641.6340 The Ironman
2018
Jul 6 First overall top-10 *Ceramic City Jazz, Blues, & BBQ Festival
2019
May 17 Most recent contest Twin Valley Fire and Smoke

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8.5	The Ironman	2017-03-31
+5.6	New Holland Summer Fest	2015-08-28

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.3	14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash	2015-08-14
-12	New Holland Summer Fest	2014-08-22
-9.7	*Smoke in the Grove(JUDGES FULL)	2017-07-28
-8.9	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke	2019-05-17
-8.5	Philadelphia's Inaugural Fire Up HOPE	2016-09-10

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	0%	top 93%	82%	82%
2018	2	1	50%	top 85%	84.3%	82.7%
2017	3	0	0%	top 71%	89.1%	86.4%
2016	7	0	14%	top 78%	87.4%	85.8%
2015	3	0	33%	top 73%	88.9%	79.4%
2014	1	0	0%	top 91%	79.9%	79.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-05-17	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA	41 / 44 (590.1488)	33 (157.0972)	43 (138.8228)	38 (148.5372)	39 (145.6916)
2018-07-06	*Ceramic City Jazz, Blues, & BBQ Festival East Liverpool, OH	8 / 10 (606.7656)	9 (147.9656)	9 (144.5372)	9 (155.4056)	6 (158.8572)
2018-06-29	*York County BBQ Festival Delta, PA	30 / 33 (583.8972)	31 (141.6800)	29 (149.6916)	31 (147.3828)	29 (145.1428)
2017-07-28	*Smoke in the Grove(JUDGES FULL) Spring Grove, PA	49 / 51 (587.2688)	45 (153.6572)	32 (158.2400)	50 (129.0628)	47 (146.3088)
2017-05-19	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke Morgantown, PA	42 / 53 (638.1832)	28 (166.2972)	45 (156.5372)	42 (156.5256)	31 (158.8232)
2017-03-31	The Ironman Greencastle, PA	23 / 59 (641.6340)	27 (161.1200)	15 (165.1084)	23 (161.1428)	38 (154.2628)
2016-10-07	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	38 / 47 (629.1084)	36 (161.7144)	45 (143.3828)	18 (166.2856)	28 (157.7256)
2016-09-10	Philadelphia's Inaugural Fire Up HOPE Devon, PA	32 / 33 (605.0628)	29 (149.6456)	33 (140.5716)	26 (154.2628)	20 (160.5828)
2016-08-26	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	50 / 66 (622.1944)	58 (150.2400)	44 (156.5600)	37 (160.0000)	35 (155.3944)
2016-07-08	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ	49 / 65 (596.5028)	48 (149.7028)	17 (161.7028)	43 (151.4172)	58 (133.6800)
2016-06-10	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Harrisburg, PA	19 / 29 (626.2172)	24 (155.4172)	21 (154.8228)	18 (161.7144)	20 (154.2628)
2016-06-03	Que for the Troops Levittown, PA	45 / 67 (625.0632)	59 (151.9772)	24 (163.9772)	12 (163.4172)	56 (145.6916)
2016-05-06	Smoke in the Valley BBQ competition Greenlane, PA	39 / 47 (619.2564)	41 (155.3596)	46 (141.6112)	6 (169.7256)	36 (152.5600)
2015-08-28	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	29 / 70 (639.9656)	28 (162.2972)	52 (150.2628)	41 (156.5484)	6 (170.8572)
2015-08-14	14th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	46 / 46 (466.9376)	32 (159.4516)	—	32 (158.8456)	36 (148.6404)
2015-04-10	Triple Threat BBQ Beer and Music Festival Harrington, DE	78 / 99 (608.4684)	11 (170.8800)	86 (149.1312)	79 (150.2284)	88 (138.2288)
2014-08-22	New Holland Summer Fest New Holland, PA	64 / 70 (575.1648)	70 (139.3712)	57 (149.6340)	39 (154.2740)	67 (131.8856)

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	#1243 (188 pts)	#1360 (178 pts)	#1383 (178 pts)	#1371 (178 pts)	#1262 (208 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1666 (130 pts)	#1802 (120 pts)	#1583 (170 pts)	#1743 (130 pts)	#1794 (120 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#896 (382 pts)	#995 (357 pts)	#915 (417 pts)	#803 (487 pts)	#895 (402 pts)