High-water mark
676.4572
career-best overall
94.0% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 676.4572 at BBQ & Blues on the Levee — 94.0% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Oct 6, 2017
POP SMOKE BBQ
POP SMOKE BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 6th of 30 at the BBQ & Blues on the Levee (2017). They are ranked #3020 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1505
peak 1511 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
Apr 28, 2017
latest May 25, 2018 · 1.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
50% of 6 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 57%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
660.35 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 662.66 (-2.30)
Walk rate
83%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.43
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 168.74 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.30)
Road miles
895
across 6 mapped stops · furthest 288 mi
Schedule strength
45%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1559)
Master avg
662.66 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to POP SMOKE BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
103 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,038 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1505
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,017 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1513
They turned up 6 years after POP SMOKE BBQ did, first appearing in 2023.
⚔ Compare careers#3,025 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1514
Level with POP SMOKE BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,031 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,022 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1507
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,019 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1505
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAD'S GRILLIN CREW | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5372 | 159.9428 | 164.92 | top 69% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.2856 | 152.5604 | 161.30 | top 69% |
| Pork | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 174.8572 | 152.5372 | 167.69 | top 43% |
| Brisket | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 176 | 161.0972 | 168.74 | top 32% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 62% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 51% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
5 contests
Contests a season
3
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AR
5 of 6 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
a different one every time
Opponents faced
110
finished ahead 64 times, behind 74
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20181 milestone
- Most recent contest 10th Annual Gillett Heritage Days Festival BBQ cook off
20178 milestones
- First tracked contest Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off
- First call Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off
- First category win (Brisket) Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score674.1596 Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off
- Career-best single call (Brisket)176 Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off
- First overall top-10 Smokin on the White
- Career-best overall score676.4572 BBQ & Blues on the Levee
- Peak power rating (1511) BBQ & Blues on the Levee
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +11.8 | BBQ & Blues on the Levee | Oct 6, 2017 |
| +2.8 | Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off | Apr 28, 2017 |
| +2.6 | Smokin on the White | Sep 15, 2017 |
| +1 | 10th Annual Gillett Heritage Days Festival BBQ cook off | May 25, 2018 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.2 | Downtown BBQ Showdown | Oct 20, 2017 |
| -5.7 | 16th Annual Bordertown Bash | Jul 7, 2017 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 56% | 92% | 92% |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 80% | top 57% | 94% | 92% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2018 | 10th Annual Gillett Heritage Days Festival BBQ cook off Gillett, AR | 10 / 18 (662.7544) | 12 (165.0972) | 13 (161.1088) | 7 (169.7028) | 6 (166.8456) |
| Oct 20, 2017 | Downtown BBQ Showdown Hattiesburg, MS | 15 / 19 (648.4576) | 16 (159.9428) | 17 (152.5604) | 3 (174.8572) | 13 (161.0972) |
| Oct 6, 2017 | BBQ & Blues on the Levee Helena, AR | 6 / 30 (676.4572) | 14 (168.5372) | 21 (158.8000) | 4 (173.7144) | 2 (175.4056) |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Smokin on the White Batesville, AR | 9 / 17 (662.7768) | 11 (163.4056) | 4 (170.2856) | 12 (162.2284) | 7 (166.8572) |
| Jul 7, 2017 | 16th Annual Bordertown Bash Fort Smith, AR | 26 / 31 (651.3256) | 24 (165.7028) | 20 (166.8228) | 30 (152.5372) | 12 (166.2628) |
| Apr 28, 2017 | Smokin on the Prairie BBQ Cook-off Stuttgart, AR | 14 / 29 (674.1596) | 21 (166.8112) | 27 (158.2400) | 6 (173.1084) | 1 (176) |