SMELL OUR BUTTS BAR-B-Q

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

Power ranking

#1613

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1557

peak 1557 · rated over 8 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2017-01-06

latest 2019-01-11

Best ToY finish

#932

Master 2017

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 8 contests

Avg finish

top 39%

overall standings

Best overall

689.0972 / 720

Master · National Western BBQ Throwdown

Perfect 180s

Current form

675.21 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 671.11 (+4.11)

Walk rate

88%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7144

Pork · Central Plains Ribfest

Consistency

±12.81

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 168.63 · weakest Pork (165.75)

Road miles

2,052

mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 396 mi

Schedule strength

78%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1601)

Purse competed for

$11K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

671.11 / 720

8 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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.

The heartbreaker

2.8112 points from the title

Came within 2.8112 points of the Grand Championship at National Western BBQ Throwdown (2019-01-11).

On the rise

+29 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 29 points across 3 contests since 2018-06-15 — from 1528 up to 1557.

3 contests since 2018-06-15
now 1557

They almost always walk

88% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 7 of 8 contests

A top-10 category call in 88% of their 8 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

689.0972 career-best overall

95.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 689.0972 at National Western BBQ Throwdown — 95.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
2019-01-11

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BOB'S BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMELL OUR BUTTS BAR-B-Q 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

6–1 behind in the head-to-head

B-S BBQ OUTLAWS ahead in 86% of their meetings

B-S BBQ OUTLAWS has come out ahead in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

A strong matchup

4–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ in 4 of their 5 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

6 of 7 shared chicken entries lost

CLARK CREW BBQ ahead 86% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, CLARK CREW BBQ has out-cooked them in 6 of 7 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±1.78% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.78% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.2% of a perfect score
8 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.

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

HONEYMAN BBQ

#1610 of the rated field

1557 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 49
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1602

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to SMELL OUR BUTTS BAR-B-Q)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — SMELL OUR BUTTS BAR-B-Q ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 49 contests
last seen 2020-10-24

⚔ Head-to-head

ROGUE CAVEMAN Q

#1618 of the rated field

1557 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1558

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2016-05-28

⚔ Head-to-head

ROOSTERS BULLS & BOARS

#1603 of the rated field

1557 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1557

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2023-02-03

⚔ Head-to-head

MUNCHIN HOGS

#1616 of the rated field

1557 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 57%
Peak: 1557

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 5 years before SMELL OUR BUTTS BAR-B-Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 6 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Mountain Smoke BBQ

#1604 of the rated field

1557 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 55%
Peak: 1557

No shared contest yet.

5 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-08-28

⚔ Head-to-head

PS I LOVE YOU BBQ

#1602 of the rated field

1557 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1557

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 12 contests, alongside a 25% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-04-10

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
B-S BBQ OUTLAWS	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
CLARK CREW BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
GRILLIN' BEAVERS	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
BRACKEN RACKS BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
Backdraft BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
4 LEGS UP BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
BOOMERANG BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	8	3	0	174.8572	156.0000	168.63	top 40%
Pork Ribs	8	4	0	174.8688	154.2172	168.33	top 37%
Pork	8	2	1	177.7144	153.6456	165.75	top 49%
Brisket	8	4	0	175.4056	161.0856	168.39	top 36%

“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
KS	4	top 43%
CO	3	top 36%
NE	1	top 31%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 39%
Large (40+)	3	0	top 39%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
National Western BBQ Throwdown	3	2	0	top 36%	2019-01-11

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 2 yrs 2017-01-06 → 2019-01-11

Busiest season 2017 4 contests

Contests a season 2.7 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in KS 4 of 8 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 6 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 8 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 168.63 · weakest Pork (165.75)

Walk rate 88% a top-10 call in 7 of 8 contests

Overall top-10 rate 13% 1 of 8 contests

Master average 671.11 out of 720 · 8 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 600 513–220 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,052 8 mapped stops · furthest 396 mi

Schedule strength 1601 average field rating faced — tougher than 78% of rated contests

Purse competed for $11,000 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Power rating 1557 peak 1557 · #1613 of 6,413 rated

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

2017
Jan 6 First tracked contest National Western BBQ Throwdown
Jan 6 First call National Western BBQ Throwdown
Jan 6 First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.1372 National Western BBQ Throwdown
2018
Jun 15 Career-best single call (Pork)177.7144 Central Plains Ribfest
2019
Jan 11 First overall top-10 National Western BBQ Throwdown
Jan 11 First overall podium National Western BBQ Throwdown
Jan 11 First Reserve Championship National Western BBQ Throwdown
Jan 11 Career-best overall score689.0972 National Western BBQ Throwdown
Jan 11 Peak power rating (1557) National Western BBQ Throwdown
Jan 11 Most recent contest National Western BBQ Throwdown

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18.5	National Western BBQ Throwdown	2019-01-11
+10.3	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	2018-09-15
+9.7	Central Plains Ribfest	2018-06-15
+9.6	National Western BBQ Throwdown	2017-01-06
+7	*Harper County Bullseye BBQ	2017-10-20

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-2.8	National Western BBQ Throwdown	2018-01-05

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)
2019	1	1	100%	top 5%	95.7%	95.7%
2018	3	0	67%	top 42%	94.9%	93%
2017	4	0	100%	top 45%	94.3%	92.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-01-11	National Western BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Denver, CO	2 / 38 (689.0972)	6 (173.7372)	10 (170.8344)	7 (171.4172)	4 (173.1084)
2018-09-15	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	115 / 467 (676.5028)	117 (171.4284)	37 (174.8688)	320 (160.5256)	119 (169.6800)
2018-06-15	Central Plains Ribfest Holdrege, NE	11 / 35 (683.3488)	19 (167.9656)	7 (173.7144)	3 (177.7144)	24 (163.9544)
2018-01-05	National Western BBQ Throwdown Denver, CO	27 / 39 (648.3540)	14 (168.5256)	33 (154.2172)	30 (153.6456)	8 (171.9656)
2017-10-20	*Harper County Bullseye BBQ Harper, KS	19 / 47 (678.7656)	10 (174.8572)	37 (160.5372)	19 (167.9656)	6 (175.4056)
2017-07-28	Dodge City Days National Beef Smokin' Saddles BBQ Contest Dodge City, KS	22 / 43 (671.8744)	5 (174.8572)	7 (174.2744)	32 (161.6572)	28 (161.0856)
2017-03-10	*Kansas Winter Q and Chest to Chest National Cook Off Great Bend, KS	19 / 34 (658.7772)	29 (156.0000)	6 (174.2744)	21 (165.1200)	22 (163.3828)
2017-01-06	National Western BBQ Throwdown Denver, CO	13 / 38 (662.1372)	26 (161.6684)	17 (163.9544)	15 (167.9772)	8 (168.5372)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1004 (260 pts)	#1340 (175 pts)	#1489 (135 pts)	#1377 (165 pts)	#1191 (210 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1061 (250 pts)	#1089 (265 pts)	#1061 (285 pts)	#908 (355 pts)	#1049 (280 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#932 (374 pts)	#887 (439 pts)	#804 (499 pts)	#1057 (339 pts)	#831 (464 pts)