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SMOKIN' AIN'T EASY

SMOKIN' AIN'T EASY is a competition barbecue team with 25 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 8th of 28 at the Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest (2016). They are ranked #3635 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,635
of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1491
peak 1531 · rated over 25 contests

Contests

25
in the data

First seen

May 25, 2013
latest Jun 23, 2018 · 5.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#980
Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

0
0 reserve

Category wins

2
9 podiums

Overall top-10s

1
4% of 25 contests

Avg finish

top 55%
overall standings

Best overall

657.1200 / 720
Master · Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest

Perfect 180s

0

Current form

619.16 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 631.12 (-11.96)

Walk rate

68%
contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176
Pork Ribs · Finger Lakes Fire & Smoke

Consistency

±15.57
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken
avg 162.05 · weakest Brisket (152.60)

Road miles

2,529
across 25 mapped stops · furthest 198 mi

Schedule strength

22%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1530)

Master avg

631.12 / 720
25 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

They almost always walk

68% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 17 of 25 contests

A top-10 category call in 68% of their 25 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

PIG IRON has finished one call ahead of SMOKIN' AIN'T EASY 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 45%.

  • 5 contests
  • 1 overall top-10
  • 1 category win
  • average top 45%

A tough matchup

21–0 behind in the head-to-head

GOOD SMOKE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

GOOD SMOKE BBQ has come out ahead in 21 of their 21 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.46 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 8% of the time against 40%.

  • Brisket avg 152.60
  • Chicken avg 162.05
  • 2 calls in 25 entries

A strong matchup

9–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Big Pappa's Smokin' BBQ in 9 of their 12 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

13 of 20 shared chicken entries lost

SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS ahead 65% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS has out-cooked them in 13 of 20 shared chicken entries.

Show 4 more storylines

Going the wrong way

-37 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 37 points across 5 contests since Jul 28, 2017 — from 1527 down to 1491.

  • 5 contests since Jul 28, 2017
  • now 1491

An August team

Top 37% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 37% across 3 contests, versus top 55% the rest of the year.

  • 3 August contests
  • top 55% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.16% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.16% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

  • averages 87.7% of a perfect score
  • 25 contests

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

YearSeriesOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
2018 ↗ Master #1235 (192 pts) #975 (322 pts) #1048 (292 pts) #1136 (247 pts) #1290 (192 pts)
2017 ↗ Master #1220 (235 pts) #824 (475 pts) #1259 (250 pts) #1536 (175 pts) #1285 (235 pts)
2016 ↗ Master #980 (333 pts) #918 (398 pts) #824 (478 pts) #956 (393 pts) #1450 (198 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMOKIN' AIN'T EASY, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Bad to the Brisket
#3,615 of the rated field
1491 power rating
Contests
23
GCs
0
Top-10s
26%
Peak
1510

Careers of much the same size, 23 contests to 25, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

  • rated over 23 contests
  • last seen Sep 4, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
Southside Smoke
#3,621 of the rated field
1491 power rating
Contests
25
GCs
0
Top-10s
20%
Peak
1504

25 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 20% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

  • rated over 23 contests
  • last seen Jun 12, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
SmoKing Aces BBQ - NC
#3,634 of the rated field
1491 power rating
Contests
31
GCs
0
Top-10s
16%
Peak
1491

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 31 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

  • rated over 31 contests
  • last seen Nov 3, 2023
⚔ Compare careers
Sons of Hamarchy
#3,625 of the rated field
1491 power rating
Contests
18
GCs
0
Top-10s
6%
Peak
1491

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

  • rated over 18 contests
  • last seen Jul 11, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
SEDALIA MASTERBASTERS
#3,627 of the rated field
1491 power rating
Contests
19
GCs
1
Top-10s
11%
Peak
1520

Level with SMOKIN' AIN'T EASY on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

  • rated over 18 contests
  • last seen Sep 15, 2023
⚔ Compare careers
ITALIAN STYLE BBQ TEAM
#3,616 of the rated field
1491 power rating
Contests
18
GCs
0
Top-10s
39%
Peak
1491

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 Sep 14, 2019
⚔ Compare careers

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

OpponentMeetingsAheadBehindWin rate
KISS MY BBQ 21 6 15 29% ⚔ compare
GOOD SMOKE BBQ 21 0 21 0% ⚔ compare
SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS 20 3 17 15% ⚔ compare
BEHIND BBQ 19 7 12 37% ⚔ compare
THE GOOD CUE CREW 17 9 8 53% ⚔ compare
Sweet Heat BBQ 17 8 9 47% ⚔ compare
THREE DOGS BBQ 17 4 13 24% ⚔ compare
RED VALLEY BBQ 17 3 14 18% ⚔ compare
SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS 15 4 11 27% ⚔ compare
THE 5TH ARTERY 14 1 13 7% ⚔ compare
TRANQUIL CARNIVORES 13 5 8 38% ⚔ compare
BLACK DAWG BBQ 13 4 9 31% ⚔ compare
TEAM EATAPEDIA 13 3 10 23% ⚔ compare
Big Pappa's Smokin' BBQ 12 9 3 75% ⚔ compare
Priorville BBQ 12 1 11 8% ⚔ compare

By meat

CategoryEntriesCallsWinsPodiumsBestWorstAverageAvg finish
Chicken 25 10 1 5 174.3200 141.7140 162.05 top 44%
Pork Ribs 25 8 1 3 176 148.5712 159.50 top 49%
Pork 25 2 0 0 172 144.0228 156.97 top 58%
Brisket 25 2 0 1 167.4628 130.7656 152.60 top 61%

“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 field size and state

By contest size

FieldContestsGCsAvg finish
Medium (20–39)120top 56%
Large (40+)130top 55%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

ContestVisitsBestGCsAvg finishLast visit
Oinktoberfest 4 15 0 top 41% Sep 22, 2017
Salt City BBQ Festival 2 18 0 top 62% May 18, 2018
BBQ in The Valley 2 13 0 top 69% May 4, 2018
Roc City Rib Fest 2 29 0 top 69% May 28, 2016
Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que 2 22 0 top 54% Jun 19, 2015
Roc City Rib Fest 2 40 0 top 68% May 23, 2015
Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival 2 12 0 top 41% Aug 8, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 5 contests
Contests a season 4.2 across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in NY 25 of 25 contests
Contests visited 16 7 of them more than once
Opponents faced 341 finished ahead 497 times, behind 572

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

20182 milestones
  1. 25th tracked contest Smoke In the Woods CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
  2. Most recent contest Smoke In the Woods CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
20171 milestone
  1. Peak power rating (1531) Salt City BBQ Festival
20163 milestones
  1. First overall top-10 Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest
  2. Career-best overall score657.1200 Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest
  3. Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176 Finger Lakes Fire & Smoke
20142 milestones
  1. First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.1200 Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival
  2. 10th tracked contest Oinktoberfest
20133 milestones
  1. First tracked contest Roc City Rib Fest
  2. First call Podunk Pig Party
  3. First category win (Chicken) Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

SwingContestDate
+9.8OinktoberfestSep 20, 2013
+9.2Salamanca Rock'in RibfestAug 12, 2016
+7.6OinktoberfestSep 19, 2015
+6.8Finger Lakes Fire & SmokeSep 3, 2016
+5.9OinktoberfestSep 20, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

SwingContestDate
-11.4Roc City Rib FestMay 23, 2015
-9.9BBQ in The ValleyMay 4, 2018
-9.7OinktoberfestSep 22, 2017
-9.4Roc City Rib FestMay 25, 2013
-9.1Smoke In the Woods CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIESJun 23, 2018

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

SeasonContestsGCsTop-10sCategory winsWalk rateAvg finishBest overall (% of perfect)Avg overall (% of perfect)
20183000 33% top 86% 86.9% 86%
20174000 50% top 60% 90.9% 87.6%
20165011 100% top 45% 91.3% 89.2%
20153000 67% top 55% 89% 87.1%
20145000 80% top 46% 90.7% 88.3%
20135001 60% top 53% 89.8% 86.8%

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

DateEventOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
Jun 23, 2018 Smoke In the Woods CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Galway, NY 21 / 23 (623.2680) 6 (170.3084) 16 (161.0740) 18 (161.1200) 22 (130.7656)
May 18, 2018 Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY 27 / 34 (608.9600) 22 (154.8572) 14 (159.3828) 21 (153.6572) 33 (141.0628)
May 4, 2018 BBQ in The Valley Jamestown, NY 22 / 25 (625.6456) 18 (158.8456) 18 (157.1200) 18 (157.0972) 21 (152.5828)
Sep 22, 2017 Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY 43 / 53 (610.6860) 18 (166.2744) 46 (149.6344) 42 (150.2172) 41 (144.5600)
Jul 28, 2017 The Great Adirondack BBQ Old Forge, NY 20 / 30 (627.2572) 12 (162.8572) 14 (157.6456) 25 (150.7772) 16 (155.9772)
May 19, 2017 Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY 18 / 41 (629.5428) 2 (170.2628) 21 (155.9544) 25 (154.2284) 22 (149.0972)
May 5, 2017 BBQ In the Valley Jamestown, NY 13 / 26 (654.7312) 7 (170.2628) 10 (167.4056) 14 (162.2284) 17 (154.8344)
Sep 23, 2016 Ointoberfest BBQ Cookoff Clarence, NY 26 / 54 (636.4456) 29 (159.9656) 22 (157.6456) 7 (168) 38 (150.8344)
Sep 3, 2016 Finger Lakes Fire & Smoke Geneva, NY 12 / 35 (648.4344) 20 (161.6572) 1 (176) 12 (163.3944) 31 (147.3828)
Aug 12, 2016 Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest Salamanca, NY 8 / 28 (657.1200) 2 (172) 12 (164.5944) 15 (163.9772) 20 (156.5484)
Jul 2, 2016 I love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY 16 / 28 (620.5600) 3 (168.0344) 23 (149.0856) 13 (155.4056) 20 (148.0344)
May 28, 2016 Roc City Rib Fest Rochester, NY 29 / 50 (650.2284) 9 (171.9884) 3 (173.1772) 48 (151.9656) 38 (153.0972)
Sep 19, 2015 Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY 15 / 52 (641.0396) 2 (169.7600) 24 (159.3828) 36 (151.9312) 17 (159.9656)
Jun 19, 2015 Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que Wilson, NY 22 / 47 (628.0456) 44 (144) 3 (168.0572) 30 (153.6800) 12 (162.3084)
May 23, 2015 Roc City Rib Fest Rochester, NY 51 / 57 (611.8856) 50 (154.2628) 49 (151.3828) 23 (163.4172) 54 (142.8228)
Sep 20, 2014 Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY 22 / 66 (637.1084) 18 (163.4284) 8 (166.2972) 28 (158.2628) 48 (149.1200)
Aug 8, 2014 Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival N. Tonawanda, NY 17 / 39 (653.1200) 6 (169.7256) 24 (158.8344) 26 (157.0972) 7 (167.4628)
Jul 19, 2014 Troy Pig Out Troy, NY 11 / 25 (628.6628) 8 (166.3200) 5 (164.0688) 22 (144.0228) 12 (154.2512)
Jun 13, 2014 Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que Wilson, NY 29 / 47 (628.5028) 27 (160.5600) 43 (149.1200) 4 (172) 38 (146.8228)
May 24, 2014 Roc City Rib Fest Rochester, NY 40 / 86 (630.6852) 46 (159.9540) 38 (157.6800) 69 (148.5256) 23 (164.5256)
Sep 20, 2013 Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY 16 / 71 (646.8800) 36 (156.5828) 6 (166.8800) 26 (161.1200) 21 (162.2972)
Aug 9, 2013 Smokin' Eagles International BBQ Festival N. Tonawanda, NY 12 / 31 (638.7200) 1 (174.3200) 26 (152.5028) 15 (158.8000) 21 (153.0972)
Jun 28, 2013 Boston Hill BBQ Fest Hamburg, NY 34 / 49 (613.1424) 44 (146.8568) 34 (153.1428) 22 (160.5714) 32 (152.5714)
Jun 7, 2013 Podunk Pig Party Springwater, NY 11 / 20 (633.1426) 14 (156.5714) 9 (162.8572) 14 (149.1428) 2 (164.5712)
May 25, 2013 Roc City Rib Fest Rochester, NY 64 / 80 (594.2848) 72 (141.7140) 54 (148.5712) 42 (153.7140) 40 (150.2856)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

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