The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
ROCKIN' N BBQ has finished one call ahead of POPPIN' SMOKE 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
POPPIN' SMOKE
POPPIN' SMOKE is a competition barbecue team with 5 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 17th of 17 at the Nile Beer-B-Q (2017). They are ranked #5261 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1457
peak 1457 · rated over 5 contests
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
Sep 29, 2017
latest Jun 22, 2019 · 1.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 87%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
20%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±21.04
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 154.95 · weakest Pork Ribs (149.03)
Road miles
765
across 5 mapped stops · furthest 168 mi
Schedule strength
39%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1552)
Purse competed for
$20K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
606.21 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1392 (137 pts) | #1583 (122 pts) | #1254 (192 pts) | #1426 (152 pts) | #1343 (172 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1865 (76 pts) | #1776 (111 pts) | #2570 (51 pts) | #1897 (86 pts) | #1751 (111 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1654 (133 pts) | #1738 (133 pts) | #1723 (138 pts) | #1654 (148 pts) | #1733 (133 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to POPPIN' SMOKE, each with one reason worth a look.
128 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,259 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,268 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Level with POPPIN' SMOKE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,264 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,274 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,253 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,251 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 3 years before POPPIN' SMOKE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 BAR BLUES CUE | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.4628 | 146.2860 | 152.57 | top 84% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 168.5944 | 124.0228 | 149.03 | top 82% |
| Pork | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.9884 | 150.8228 | 154.95 | top 80% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.8344 | 134.2172 | 149.67 | top 77% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 84% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
2 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MT
5 of 5 contests
Contests visited
5
a different one every time
Opponents faced
76
finished ahead 18 times, behind 103
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20194 milestones
- First call Montana BBQ Cook-Off
- Career-best overall score646.8572 Montana BBQ Cook-Off
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)168.5944 Montana BBQ Cook-Off
- Most recent contest Montana BBQ Cook-Off
20172 milestones
- First tracked contest BBQ in the Badlands
- Peak power rating (1487) BBQ in the Badlands
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.4 | BBQ in the Badlands | Sep 29, 2017 |
| -12.1 | Nile Beer-B-Q | Oct 14, 2017 |
| -9.8 | Miles City Cowtown Cook Off | Jun 14, 2019 |
| -6.4 | Montana Pitmaster Classic | Aug 24, 2018 |
| -1.6 | Montana BBQ Cook-Off | Jun 22, 2019 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 79% | 89.8% | 86.5% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 83.1% | 83.1% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 83.5% | 82.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 2019 | Montana BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Absarokee, MT | 19 / 29 (646.8572) | 22 (155.4400) | 10 (168.5944) | 18 (159.9884) | 12 (162.8344) |
| Jun 14, 2019 | Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 🏅 Miles City, MT | 26 / 28 (599.3484) | 27 (146.2860) | 23 (156.5712) | 23 (154.2512) | 26 (142.2400) |
| Aug 24, 2018 | Montana Pitmaster Classic Bozeman, MT | 20 / 26 (598.2856) | 13 (159.4628) | 26 (124.0228) | 18 (157.1200) | 13 (157.6800) |
| Oct 14, 2017 | Nile Beer-B-Q Billings, MT | 17 / 17 (600.9712) | 17 (149.6684) | 17 (147.3828) | 17 (152.5600) | 17 (151.3600) |
| Sep 29, 2017 | BBQ in the Badlands Glendive, MT | 26 / 26 (585.6116) | 26 (152.0116) | 24 (148.5600) | 22 (150.8228) | 26 (134.2172) |