SMOKE THIS L.I.

SMOKE THIS L.I. is a competition barbecue team with 31 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 5th of 28 at the Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (2019). They are ranked #5094 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,094

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1461

peak 1520 · rated over 31 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 8, 2016

latest Oct 22, 2022 · 6.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#413

Master 2019 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

3% of 31 contests

Avg finish

top 65%

overall standings

Best overall

670.8684 / 720

Master · Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES

Perfect 180s

Current form

638.60 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 640.26 (-1.65)

Walk rate

48%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

172.5600

Chicken · Hudson Valley Ribfest

Consistency

±19.71

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 161.33 · weakest Pork Ribs (158.29)

Road miles

4,117

across 31 mapped stops · furthest 309 mi

Schedule strength

65%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1582)

Purse competed for

$75K

listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 14 state-championship entries

Master avg

640.26 / 720

31 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

670.8684 career-best overall

93.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 670.8684 at Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES — 93.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 18, 2019

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

CIDER BOYS BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMOKE THIS L.I. 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2019 their best year

2019 was the year it came together: 8 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 53%.

8 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 53%

A tough matchup

22–2 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA ahead in 92% of their meetings

SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA has come out ahead in 22 of their 24 shared contests.

A strong matchup

6–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 86% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of THE OUTLAW BBQ NY in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

The comeback

1.5 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.5 years, then back at New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Apr 22, 2022).

last seen Oct 17, 2020
back Apr 22, 2022

Brisket nemesis

19 of 23 shared brisket entries lost

INSANE SWINE BBQ ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, INSANE SWINE BBQ has out-cooked them in 19 of 23 shared brisket entries.

Show 4 more storylines

Going the wrong way

-32 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 32 points across 4 contests since Apr 22, 2022 — from 1492 down to 1461.

4 contests since Apr 22, 2022
now 1461

An August team

Top 48% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 48% across 4 contests, versus top 65% the rest of the year.

4 August contests
top 65% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,117 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,117 miles across 31 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 309 miles to Smokin at the Ballpark BBQ Fest.

31 mapped stops
furthest 309 mi

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Hudson Valley Ribfest every year from 2016 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 21st

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

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2022 ↗	Master	#739 (226 pts)	#713 (256 pts)	#799 (236 pts)	#723 (246 pts)	#615 (321 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#655 (120 pts)	#696 (120 pts)	#701 (120 pts)	#511 (210 pts)	#624 (150 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#413 (774 pts)	#524 (664 pts)	#550 (629 pts)	#334 (954 pts)	#310 (1,014 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#555 (641 pts)	#537 (691 pts)	#528 (716 pts)	#562 (666 pts)	#328 (1,016 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1215 (240 pts)	#1015 (345 pts)	#1086 (315 pts)	#1322 (240 pts)	#1012 (345 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMOKE THIS L.I., each with one reason worth a look.

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

DO IT GENTLY BBQ

#5,071 of the rated field

1461 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1461

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to SMOKE THIS L.I.)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — SMOKE THIS L.I. ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Jul 18, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

BRIDGE BUILDER BBQ

#5,090 of the rated field

1461 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1461

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to SMOKE THIS L.I.)

Fewer contests behind them than SMOKE THIS L.I. has cooked, 7 to 31, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 7 contests
last seen Jul 31, 2020

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG BELLY BBQ

#5,095 of the rated field

1461 power rating

Contests: 32
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1535

They've been 1535 at their best, 74 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 31 contests
last seen Sep 23, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

JERRY KING MIDLAND TX

#5,077 of the rated field

1461 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1532

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 4 years before SMOKE THIS L.I.'s most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 27 contests

⚔ Compare careers

TUFF DAWG GRILLERS

#5,072 of the rated field

1461 power rating

Contests: 36
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1512

36 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 14% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 36 contests
last seen Mar 6, 2020

⚔ Compare careers

Sloppy Seconds

#5,085 of the rated field

1461 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1520

Level with SMOKE THIS L.I. on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA	24	2	22	8%	⚔ compare
INSANE SWINE BBQ	23	1	22	4%	⚔ compare
PADDY MCQ'S	22	3	19	14%	⚔ compare
FIRE DOWN BELOW	22	0	22	0%	⚔ compare
Rogue Hog BBQ	20	1	19	5%	⚔ compare
BIG RAZ BBQ	19	4	15	21%	⚔ compare
ACK-QUE	19	2	17	11%	⚔ compare
A MAZIE Q	18	4	14	22%	⚔ compare
MILLER'S BACKYARD BBQ	18	0	18	0%	⚔ compare
Chicken Chokers	16	3	13	19%	⚔ compare
FOUR SMOKING GUYS	16	3	13	19%	⚔ compare
Smokin Aces	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
BLAZIN' BUTTZ BBQ	15	0	15	0%	⚔ compare
Top Gun Barbecue	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
FIRE AT THE END OF THE DAY	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	31	4	0	172.5600	142.2400	159.69	top 69%
Pork Ribs	31	5	0	169.6800	139.4060	158.29	top 62%
Pork	31	4	0	172.0004	141.6684	160.95	top 59%
Brisket	31	8	1	171.4172	133.1200	161.33	top 47%

“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

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	19	0	top 68%
Large (40+)	12	0	top 62%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
NJ	8	top 77%
NY	6	top 55%
MA	4	top 46%
VT	3	top 64%
NH	3	top 68%
CT	3	top 80%
RI	2	top 59%
MD	1	top 59%
ME	1	top 86%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Hudson Valley Ribfest	4	21	top 48%	Aug 16, 2019
Granite State BBQ Championship	3	21	top 68%	Jun 8, 2019
Red White & Que: Day 2 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2	25	top 79%	Oct 22, 2022
Red White & Que: Day 1 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2	25	top 90%	Oct 21, 2022
Green Mountain BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2	18	top 65%	Sep 7, 2019
Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	2	5	top 31%	May 18, 2019
Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SEREIES	2	13	top 60%	Apr 21, 2018
Sun BBQ Fest	2	55	top 80%	Jun 3, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 8 contests

Contests a season 5.2 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in NJ 8 of 31 contests · 9 states in all

Contests visited 20 8 of them more than once

Opponents faced 431 finished ahead 411 times, behind 853

Longest layoff 1.5 yrs Oct 17, 2020 → Apr 22, 2022

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

20221 milestone

Oct 22 Most recent contest Red White & Que: Day 2 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES

20194 milestones

May 18 First overall top-10 Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
May 18 Career-best overall score670.8684 Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
May 18 Peak power rating (1520) Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES
Sep 28 25th tracked contest Ocean Sate BBQ Championship-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES

20181 milestone

Apr 20 10th tracked contest Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY1) CAMPGROUND BBQ SEREIES

20164 milestones

Apr 8 First tracked contest NYC BBQ Cookoff
Aug 19 First call Hudson Valley Ribfest
Aug 19 Career-best single call (Chicken)172.5600 Hudson Valley Ribfest
Oct 8 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.1828 Smoke on the Water Barbecue Championship

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.9	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	May 18, 2019
+8.3	New Jersey KnoQ-out CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Apr 27, 2019
+7.8	Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues	Jul 21, 2018
+6.5	Hudson Valley Ribfest	Aug 18, 2017
+6.5	Ocean Sate BBQ Championship-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Oct 20, 2018

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.2	NYC BBQ Cookoff	Apr 8, 2016
-10.9	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Apr 23, 2022
-10.9	Red White & Que: Day 2 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Oct 22, 2022
-9.8	Red White & Que: Day 1 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Oct 21, 2022
-9.5	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	Apr 22, 2022

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

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2022	4	0	25%	top 91%	90%	88.2%
2020	2	0	0%	top 79%	90.8%	88.3%
2019	8	1	50%	top 53%	93.2%	90.4%
2018	8	0	63%	top 55%	91.7%	90.2%
2017	5	0	80%	top 70%	90.9%	87.8%
2016	4	0	25%	top 74%	90.3%	85.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 22, 2022	Red White & Que: Day 2 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	26 / 27 (625.5088)	24 (158.2400)	26 (152.4916)	26 (153.6572)	21 (161.1200)
Oct 21, 2022	Red White & Que: Day 1 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	25 / 29 (647.9316)	20 (165.1428)	29 (147.9772)	21 (164.5256)	10 (170.2860)
Apr 23, 2022	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 2-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	39 / 41 (628.3772)	40 (157.0856)	35 (158.8228)	33 (159.9772)	37 (152.4916)
Apr 22, 2022	New Jersey KnoQ-out: Day 1-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	41 / 48 (637.6116)	45 (150.8344)	23 (165.7028)	31 (163.9656)	36 (157.1088)
Oct 17, 2020	Red White & Que: Day 2 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	25 / 40 (653.5884)	28 (165.6684)	30 (155.9772)	11 (168.5256)	19 (163.4172)
Oct 16, 2020	Red White & Que: Day 1 CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	35 / 37 (617.5200)	32 (159.4056)	34 (146.8000)	21 (166.2400)	33 (145.0744)
Sep 28, 2019	Ocean Sate BBQ Championship-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Hope Valley, RI	27 / 36 (630.0684)	35 (150.2056)	33 (151.3600)	21 (163.4056)	15 (165.0972)
Sep 7, 2019	Green Mountain BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Braintree, VT	18 / 31 (652.5376)	24 (159.3944)	25 (156.5604)	9 (169.1200)	12 (167.4628)
Aug 16, 2019	Hudson Valley Ribfest 🏅 New Paltz, NY	21 / 53 (654.7316)	24 (165.0856)	29 (160.5372)	21 (163.9660)	14 (165.1428)
Jun 8, 2019	Granite State BBQ Championship 🏅 Hancock, NH	21 / 29 (644.4576)	27 (151.3828)	23 (157.1316)	8 (172.0004)	15 (163.9428)
May 18, 2019	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Plymouth, MA	5 / 28 (670.8684)	6 (172.0228)	20 (162.2856)	4 (172)	8 (164.5600)
May 17, 2019	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 1) CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Plymouth, MA	12 / 27 (662.1140)	15 (165.6800)	10 (163.9428)	11 (163.3712)	5 (169.1200)
May 4, 2019	Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Festival 🏅 Ridgefield, CT	23 / 29 (634.1828)	17 (165.1428)	24 (149.6572)	22 (156.5372)	13 (162.8456)
Apr 27, 2019	New Jersey KnoQ-out CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Blairstown, NJ	15 / 43 (658.7428)	32 (159.3828)	12 (165.7144)	15 (166.2400)	12 (167.4056)
Oct 20, 2018	Ocean Sate BBQ Championship-CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES West Kingston, RI	16 / 37 (653.6572)	8 (169.1544)	26 (154.2744)	14 (162.8000)	6 (167.4284)
Sep 8, 2018	Green Mountain BBQ Championship- CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES Randolph, VT	24 / 33 (632.4576)	25 (154.8344)	18 (163.9660)	20 (157.0972)	22 (156.5600)
Aug 17, 2018	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	31 / 58 (643.2800)	44 (157.0972)	41 (157.1200)	14 (167.3828)	21 (161.6800)
Jul 21, 2018	Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues Auburn, NY	12 / 31 (643.8628)	17 (162.2400)	6 (164.5600)	8 (167.9656)	21 (149.0972)
Jun 9, 2018	Granite State BBQ Championship Hancock, NH	21 / 41 (659.9084)	31 (162.2628)	14 (166.2400)	24 (162.8228)	14 (168.5828)
May 5, 2018	Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest Crownsville, MD	22 / 37 (655.3028)	23 (166.2400)	11 (166.2400)	30 (152.5600)	7 (170.2628)
Apr 21, 2018	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY 2) CAMPGROUND BBQ SEREIES Plymouth, MA	17 / 25 (658.2288)	18 (163.4172)	13 (163.9656)	17 (161.6916)	7 (169.1544)
Apr 20, 2018	Nor'Easter BBQ Showdown (DAY1) CAMPGROUND BBQ SEREIES Plymouth, MA	13 / 25 (647.3028)	6 (165.1084)	21 (153.6688)	21 (157.1084)	2 (171.4172)
Sep 9, 2017	Green Mountain BBQ Championship Randolph, VT	20 / 32 (654.1600)	16 (165.0856)	9 (166.2744)	22 (163.3944)	22 (159.4056)
Aug 18, 2017	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	25 / 59 (637.5772)	45 (153.6456)	9 (169.6800)	49 (149.6916)	17 (164.5600)
Jul 15, 2017	Smokin at the Ballpark BBQ Fest Old Orchard Beach, ME	25 / 29 (627.8516)	27 (146.8000)	27 (150.2516)	21 (159.9656)	8 (170.8344)
Jun 10, 2017	Granite State BBQ Championship Hancock, NH	28 / 35 (633.0636)	33 (153.1088)	10 (166.8688)	30 (153.6800)	19 (159.4060)
Jun 3, 2017	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	59 / 73 (608.4688)	47 (158.2856)	68 (139.4060)	33 (165.6800)	61 (145.0972)
Oct 8, 2016	Smoke on the Water Barbecue Championship Atlantic City, NJ	30 / 48 (650.1828)	39 (158.2856)	22 (162.8000)	28 (160.5372)	12 (168.5600)
Aug 19, 2016	Hudson Valley Ribfest New Paltz, NY	29 / 52 (635.3716)	7 (172.5600)	44 (150.2628)	38 (149.0972)	17 (163.4516)
Jun 11, 2016	Sun BBQ Fest Uncasville, CT	55 / 69 (623.4740)	57 (155.4396)	13 (167.9884)	56 (152.6288)	56 (147.4172)
Apr 8, 2016	NYC BBQ Cookoff Staten Island, NY	34 / 35 (565.5312)	32 (142.2400)	26 (148.5028)	34 (141.6684)	35 (133.1200)

SMOKE THIS L.I.

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (11 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Brisket nemesis

Going the wrong way

An August team

The long haul

A standing appointment

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

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

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

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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

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