SMOKEN SOULS BARBECUE

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

Power ranking

#4750

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1468

peak 1508 · rated over 18 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2016-05-06

latest 2021-06-04

Best ToY finish

#726

Master 2020

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 18 contests

Avg finish

top 67%

overall standings

Best overall

666.7660 / 720

Master · Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.75

last 5 Master vs avg 647.12 (-0.37)

Walk rate

39%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.9028

Pork · Peak City Pigfest

Consistency

±10.28

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 165.23 · weakest Pork Ribs (158.15)

Road miles

1,947

mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 227 mi

Schedule strength

67%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1584)

Purse competed for

$65K

listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 8 state-championship entries

Master avg

647.12 / 720

18 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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

666.7660 career-best overall

92.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 666.7660 at Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival — 92.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
2019-05-17

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Q & STEW BEST EVER BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMOKEN SOULS BARBECUE 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2018 their best year

2018 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 56%.

4 contests
1 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 56%

A tough matchup

16–0 behind in the head-to-head

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ has come out ahead in 16 of their 16 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.1 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.08 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 6%.

Pork Ribs avg 158.15
Chicken avg 165.23
0 calls in 18 entries

A strong matchup

5–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 71% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DIG ON SWINE in 5 of their 7 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

11 of 16 shared chicken entries lost

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ ahead 69% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, MUTTLEY CREW BBQ has out-cooked them in 11 of 16 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Punishers BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 55% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 55% across 3 contests, versus top 67% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 67% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.43% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.43% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.9% of a perfect score
18 contests

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.

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

Pikes Pits BBQ

#4764 of the rated field

1467 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1467

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 2022-10-01

⚔ Head-to-head

The BBQ Mavens

#4726 of the rated field

1468 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1468

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

BLUE SMOKE BBQ OF INDIANA

#4765 of the rated field

1467 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1467

No shared contest yet.

16 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2023-08-25

⚔ Head-to-head

503BACKYARDBBQ

#4754 of the rated field

1467 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

Level with SMOKEN SOULS BARBECUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2023-08-19

⚔ Head-to-head

Mc Que It

#4744 of the rated field

1468 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1468

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 7 years after SMOKEN SOULS BARBECUE did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2026-08-14

⚔ Head-to-head

Grill on Grill Action

#4733 of the rated field

1468 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1468

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
FatHeads bbq	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN SKULLIES	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare
MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
TWISTED PAIR BBQ	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
PICKIN' PORKERS	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
ELITE BBQ SMOKERS	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
SMOKE MONSTER BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SmoKing Aces BBQ - NC	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	18	1	0	172.0000	157.7256	165.23	top 57%
Pork Ribs	18	0	0	169.1200	148.4916	158.15	top 75%
Pork	18	2	1	174.9028	150.8000	161.80	top 62%
Brisket	18	5	0	173.7144	145.0400	161.94	top 55%

“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
NC	15	top 63%
VA	2	top 91%
SC	1	top 79%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 94%
Medium (20–39)	8	top 65%
Large (40+)	9	top 66%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic	3	22	top 70%	2019-09-20
Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down	2	9	top 41%	2019-10-11
Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest	2	16	top 50%	2019-06-14
Jiggy With the Piggy	2	34	top 65%	2017-05-05

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

On the trail 5.1 yrs 2016-05-06 → 2021-06-04

Busiest season 2019 4 contests

Contests a season 3 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in NC 15 of 18 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 13 4 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 18 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 165.23 · weakest Pork Ribs (158.15)

Walk rate 39% a top-10 call in 7 of 18 contests

Overall top-10 rate 6% 1 of 18 contests

Master average 647.12 out of 720 · 18 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 327 276–552 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,947 18 mapped stops · furthest 227 mi

Schedule strength 1584 average field rating faced — tougher than 67% of rated contests

Purse competed for $64,825 listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 8 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.1 yrs 2019-10-11 → 2020-10-29

Power rating 1468 peak 1508 · #4750 of 6,413 rated

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

2016
May 6 First tracked contest Jiggy With the Piggy
Jun 17 First call Peak City Pigfest
Jun 17 First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.0856 Peak City Pigfest
Jun 17 Career-best single call (Pork)174.9028 Peak City Pigfest
2018
Oct 12 First overall top-10 Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down
Oct 12 10th tracked contest Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down
2019
May 17 Career-best overall score666.7660 Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival
May 17 Peak power rating (1508) Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival
2021
Jun 4 Most recent contest GrillBillies BBQ Shootout

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.2	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down	2018-10-12
+8	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival	2019-05-17
+7.9	Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest	2018-06-15
+4.9	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic	2016-09-16
+4.8	Jiggy With the Piggy	2017-05-05

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.9	The Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q	2020-10-29
-9.2	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic	2019-09-20
-8.7	Jiggy With the Piggy	2016-05-06
-8.6	Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show	2018-08-10
-7.8	Beak Week BBQ Challenge	2016-09-09

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)
2021	2	0	50%	top 87%	90.7%	89.7%
2020	2	0	0%	top 91%	91.1%	89.9%
2019	4	0	50%	top 62%	92.6%	90.1%
2018	4	1	50%	top 56%	91.8%	90.5%
2017	2	0	50%	top 52%	91%	90.2%
2016	4	0	25%	top 69%	90.9%	89%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2021-06-04	GrillBillies BBQ Shootout 🏅 Wendell, NC	17 / 18 (638.8344)	17 (165.1428)	16 (166.3088)	18 (150.8000)	16 (156.5828)
2021-03-12	Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Pirateland 🏅 Myrtle Beach, SC	31 / 39 (653.0744)	33 (160.0000)	31 (163.3944)	36 (155.9656)	8 (173.7144)
2020-10-30	Zom-B-Q 🏅 Wytheville, VA	28 / 33 (655.8512)	28 (165.6912)	28 (161.1200)	15 (168.5372)	25 (160.5028)
2020-10-29	The Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q 🏅 Wytheville, VA	32 / 33 (638.7544)	33 (157.7256)	33 (150.2288)	29 (165.0856)	23 (165.7144)
2019-10-11	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down 🏅 Rocky Mount, NC	19 / 32 (647.2456)	14 (166.8228)	27 (155.3828)	28 (153.0628)	4 (171.9772)
2019-09-20	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic 🏅 Salisbury, NC	49 / 56 (633.5200)	39 (161.7028)	53 (150.7772)	45 (157.0744)	34 (163.9656)
2019-06-14	Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest 🏅 Apex, NC	24 / 38 (646.2172)	26 (161.7372)	24 (158.8572)	22 (160.5372)	15 (165.0856)
2019-05-17	Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival 🏅 Ayden, NC	13 / 36 (666.7660)	16 (168.5488)	23 (161.0972)	11 (167.9772)	8 (169.1428)
2018-10-12	Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down Rocky Mount, NC	9 / 39 (661.0976)	10 (166.3088)	17 (164.5372)	26 (160.5144)	6 (169.7372)
2018-09-14	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC	22 / 29 (646.2056)	20 (161.7256)	26 (157.0972)	9 (169.1544)	22 (158.2284)
2018-08-10	Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show Franklin, NC	45 / 51 (641.5316)	30 (166.8228)	50 (148.4916)	41 (162.2400)	28 (163.9772)
2018-06-15	Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest Apex, NC	16 / 44 (657.0168)	17 (167.9656)	23 (161.0972)	13 (165.6684)	19 (162.2856)
2017-06-16	Peak City Pig Fest Apex, NC	28 / 47 (643.3260)	19 (165.1544)	41 (151.4060)	32 (158.7884)	9 (167.9772)
2017-05-05	Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC	34 / 75 (655.2916)	21 (169.6916)	18 (169.1200)	34 (165.1200)	61 (151.3600)
2016-09-16	Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC	31 / 68 (654.1256)	16 (172.0000)	36 (162.2400)	34 (162.2400)	45 (157.6456)
2016-09-09	Beak Week BBQ Challenge Goldsboro, NC	39 / 44 (634.6744)	32 (162.2400)	33 (159.3600)	37 (157.6800)	36 (155.3944)
2016-06-17	Peak City Pigfest Apex, NC	26 / 46 (649.0856)	24 (165.1428)	39 (152.5028)	2 (174.9028)	33 (156.5372)
2016-05-06	Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC	64 / 76 (625.4972)	27 (169.6800)	65 (153.7144)	62 (157.0628)	72 (145.0400)

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
2021 ↗	Master	#857 (143 pts)	#907 (143 pts)	#923 (148 pts)	#906 (138 pts)	#676 (243 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#726 (116 pts)	#753 (116 pts)	#753 (116 pts)	#598 (166 pts)	#666 (126 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#858 (332 pts)	#890 (337 pts)	#1100 (252 pts)	#923 (322 pts)	#637 (532 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#839 (379 pts)	#876 (374 pts)	#1067 (284 pts)	#868 (379 pts)	#858 (394 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2088 (90 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#1678 (145 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1215 (240 pts)	#1153 (290 pts)	#1307 (240 pts)	#885 (440 pts)	#1285 (240 pts)