SMOKING BAD

SMOKING BAD is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2020. Their best overall finish is 6th of 31 at the Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition (2019). They are ranked #1930 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,930

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1541

peak 1543 · rated over 15 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Aug 5, 2016

latest Sep 18, 2020 · 4.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#708

Master 2019 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

19% of 16 contests

Avg finish

top 48%

overall standings

Best overall

682.2056 / 720

Master · Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition

Perfect 180s

Current form

667.12

last 5 Master vs avg 667.12 (+0.00)

Walk rate

75%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176

Brisket · Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival

Consistency

±8.97

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.43 · weakest Pork Ribs (166.29)

Road miles

10,504

across 16 mapped stops · furthest 4,634 mi

Schedule strength

49%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)

Purse competed for

$30K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 7 state-championship entries

Master avg

667.12 / 720

15 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (10 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

75% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 12 of 16 contests

A top-10 category call in 75% of their 16 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

682.2056 career-best overall

94.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 682.2056 at Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition — 94.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 2, 2019

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

TIRE SMOKE BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMOKING BAD 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2017 their best year

2017 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 35%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 35%

A tough matchup

9–0 behind in the head-to-head

HISTORIC BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

HISTORIC BBQ has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

A strong matchup

7–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 78% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ALE YEAH BBQ in 7 of their 9 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

9 of 10 shared chicken entries lost

SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ ahead 90% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 10 shared chicken entries.

Show 3 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The long haul

10,504 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 10,504 miles across 16 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 4,634 miles to BBQ Friui Venezia Giulia.

16 mapped stops
furthest 4,634 mi

The metronome

±1.25% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.25% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.7% of a perfect score
16 contests

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
2020 ↗	Master	#856 (60 pts)	#896 (60 pts)	#913 (60 pts)	#899 (60 pts)	#794 (95 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#708 (444 pts)	#683 (499 pts)	#752 (439 pts)	#759 (424 pts)	#492 (679 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#769 (428 pts)	#851 (393 pts)	#805 (443 pts)	#844 (403 pts)	#734 (488 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#944 (367 pts)	#1046 (347 pts)	#1218 (267 pts)	#834 (482 pts)	#1087 (312 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2057 (96 pts)	#2256 (76 pts)	#2131 (101 pts)	#1658 (166 pts)	#2195 (86 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMOKING BAD, each with one reason worth a look.

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

BELLY RUB'N BBQ

#1,924 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1545

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 3 years before SMOKING BAD's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 14 contests

⚔ Compare careers

QUE BIZ

#1,925 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1566

Careers of much the same size, 21 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Jun 22, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

ABS of SQUEAL

#1,929 of the rated field

1541 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1557

21 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

BERGISCHE ROSTAROMEN

#1,928 of the rated field

1541 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1559

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen Oct 2, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

FIRE PIGS BBQ

#1,926 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1542

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Mar 23, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

FIRE & ICE BBQ

#1,932 of the rated field

1541 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1541

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2016.

rated over 7 contests
last seen Jun 2, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
BURNING PIG BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
ALE YEAH BBQ	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
CONVICTED PIGS BBQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
HISTORIC BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
NEONS BBQ	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
JMB BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
TIRE SMOKE BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
DUB TOWN SMOKERS	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOOSIERS	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	15	3	0	173.7028	160.5368	167.43	top 49%
Pork Ribs	15	5	0	173.7028	156.5256	166.29	top 48%
Pork	15	6	0	173.7256	158.2400	166.80	top 51%
Brisket	15	5	1	176	156.5372	166.60	top 43%

“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)	11	0	top 43%
Large (40+)	4	0	top 61%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
OH	12	0	top 44%
IN	1	0	top 73%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival	3	8	top 38%	Oct 18, 2019
Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition	3	6	top 27%	Aug 2, 2019
Smokin in The Hills	2	16	top 50%	Sep 20, 2019
PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival	2	14	top 56%	Aug 31, 2018

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 5 contests

Contests a season 2.7 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in OH 13 of 16 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 9 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 245 finished ahead 256 times, behind 229

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

20201 milestone

Sep 18 Most recent contest Smokin in the Hills

20193 milestones

Aug 2 Career-best overall score682.2056 Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition
Oct 18 Career-best single call (Brisket)176 Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
Oct 18 Peak power rating (1543) Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival

20181 milestone

Oct 19 10th tracked contest Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival

20171 milestone

Aug 4 First overall top-10 Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition

20162 milestones

Aug 5 First call Holy Smokes BBQ Competition
Aug 5 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.7088 Holy Smokes BBQ Competition

20151 milestone

Oct 9 First tracked contest The River Grill before the Big Chill

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.3	Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition	Aug 2, 2019
+10.4	Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition	Aug 4, 2017
+9.1	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival	Oct 19, 2018
+7.8	PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival ( TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)	Sep 1, 2017
+5.3	Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition	Aug 3, 2018

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-5.1	BBQ Friui Venezia Giulia	May 11, 2019
-4.9	PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival	Aug 31, 2018
-4.2	CCSFest	Apr 5, 2019
-1.1	Smokin in the Hills	Sep 18, 2020
-0.4	Smokin in The Hills	Sep 21, 2018

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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)
2020	1	0	0%	top 61%	91.5%	91.5%
2019	5	1	100%	top 50%	94.8%	92.8%
2018	4	1	50%	top 49%	93.6%	92.6%
2017	3	1	100%	top 35%	94.7%	93.7%
2016	2	0	100%	top 55%	91.9%	91.4%
2015	1	0	0%	—	—	—

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 18, 2020	Smokin in the Hills 🏅 Hillsboro, OH	25 / 41 (658.6860)	29 (163.9544)	27 (162.8000)	25 (163.9544)	18 (167.9772)
Oct 18, 2019	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival 🏅 Nelsonville, OH	12 / 28 (673.6228)	13 (169.7028)	9 (169.6800)	27 (158.2400)	2 (176)
Sep 20, 2019	Smokin in The Hills 🏅	18 / 38 (670.1596)	18 (169.6684)	33 (156.5256)	4 (173.7028)	8 (170.2628)
Aug 2, 2019	Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition 🏅 Cincinnati, OH	6 / 31 (682.2056)	15 (170.2628)	5 (173.7028)	16 (167.9772)	8 (170.2628)
May 11, 2019	BBQ Friui Venezia Giulia Lignano Sabbiadoro, Udine	16 / 23 (650.9372)	18 (164.6172)	6 (165.1428)	15 (161.7600)	13 (159.4172)
Apr 5, 2019	CCSFest 🏅 Indianapois, IN	29 / 40 (664.4340)	5 (173.7028)	35 (159.3716)	35 (161.1084)	13 (170.2512)
Oct 19, 2018	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH	8 / 28 (673.6116)	8 (170.8228)	21 (159.3944)	13 (168.5372)	5 (174.8572)
Sep 21, 2018	Smokin in The Hills Hillsboro, OH	16 / 30 (662.0912)	14 (165.0856)	11 (167.3944)	19 (162.2400)	11 (167.3712)
Aug 31, 2018	PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Lebanon, OH	35 / 46 (660.3772)	28 (167.3828)	15 (170.8344)	39 (161.6572)	42 (160.5028)
Aug 3, 2018	Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition Cincinnati, OH	13 / 35 (670.6968)	22 (161.6456)	10 (170.8456)	9 (170.8228)	12 (167.3828)
Oct 20, 2017	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH	17 / 39 (666.7316)	10 (171.9772)	22 (166.2400)	9 (171.9772)	33 (156.5372)
Sep 1, 2017	PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival ( TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) 🏅 Lebanon, OH	14 / 40 (675.3256)	18 (168.5372)	24 (165.0972)	5 (173.7256)	15 (167.9656)
Aug 4, 2017	Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition Cincinnati, OH	8 / 32 (681.6228)	13 (169.6684)	11 (170.8344)	8 (173.1428)	9 (167.9772)
Oct 7, 2016	Pig Mania Marion Marion, OH	16 / 26 (661.6112)	20 (160.5368)	15 (164.5488)	6 (172.5600)	18 (163.9656)
Aug 5, 2016	Holy Smokes BBQ Competition Cincinnati, OH	11 / 23 (654.7088)	11 (163.9544)	5 (171.9888)	19 (160.5484)	13 (158.2172)
Oct 9, 2015	The River Grill before the Big Chill Cincinnati, OH	—	—	—	—	—

SMOKING BAD

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 (10 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

The long haul

The metronome

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 — 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)