SMOKE RIDER

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

Power ranking

#4625

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1470

peak 1470 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2017-10-20

latest 2021-05-14

Best ToY finish

#741

Master 2019

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 70%

overall standings

Best overall

683.4284 / 720

Master · Smokin in The Hills

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.22 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 643.90 (+2.32)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7372

Chicken · Smokin in The Hills

Consistency

±16.84

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 165.43 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.38)

Road miles

973

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 209 mi

Schedule strength

53%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1568)

Purse competed for

$28K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 8 state-championship entries

Master avg

643.90 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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.

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 8 of 11 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 11 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

683.4284 career-best overall

94.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 683.4284 at Smokin in The Hills — 94.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
2019-09-20

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

FOOMANCHOO BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMOKE RIDER 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2019 their best year

2019 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 43%.

3 contests
2 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 43%

A tough matchup

9–1 behind in the head-to-head

CONVICTED PIGS BBQ ahead in 90% of their meetings

CONVICTED PIGS BBQ has come out ahead in 9 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−9.1 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.05 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 9% of the time against 45%.

Pork Ribs avg 156.38
Chicken avg 165.43
1 calls in 11 entries

Chicken nemesis

6 of 10 shared chicken entries lost

HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO ahead 60% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO has out-cooked them in 6 of 10 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

CIRCLE L BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A September team

Top 51% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 51% across 3 contests, versus top 70% the rest of the year.

3 September contests
top 70% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.34% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.34% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.4% of a perfect score
11 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.

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

Tractor Shed BBQ

#4639 of the rated field

1469 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1469

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

BUBBA AND THE BOYS BARBEQUE

#4607 of the rated field

1470 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1470

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2021-09-10

⚔ Head-to-head

MATES & PLATES BARBECUE TEAM

#4637 of the rated field

1469 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1469

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2019-09-21

⚔ Head-to-head

HAMMERHEAD USA BBQ

#4622 of the rated field

1470 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1470

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 3 years before SMOKE RIDER's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 10 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

STINKY PIGGY BBQ

#4619 of the rated field

1470 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1501 at their best, 31 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2016-04-01

⚔ Head-to-head

SWEET & SASSY

#4640 of the rated field

1469 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1469

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 7% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2021-05-01

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
CONVICTED PIGS BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
BURNING PIG BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
ELEGANTLY VIOLENT BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
CIRCLE L BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
ALE YEAH BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKING BAD	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
TIRE SMOKE BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	5	1	1	177.7372	155.3484	165.43	top 54%
Pork Ribs	11	1	0	0	165.7028	145.0856	156.38	top 79%
Pork	11	4	0	0	174.2972	141.6800	157.74	top 65%
Brisket	11	4	0	1	173.7372	147.9656	164.35	top 50%

“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
OH	8	top 73%
IN	1	top 95%
WV	1	top 75%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 78%
Medium (20–39)	6	top 60%
Large (40+)	3	top 87%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Marietta River City BBQ	3	9	0	top 62%	2021-04-23
Smokin in The Hills	2	7	0	top 39%	2019-09-20

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

On the trail 3.6 yrs 2017-10-20 → 2021-05-14

Busiest season 2018 4 contests

Contests a season 2.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in OH 8 of 11 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 8 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 11 entries · 1 win · 5 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 165.43 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.38)

Walk rate 73% a top-10 call in 8 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 27% 3 of 11 contests

Master average 643.90 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 197 101–246 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 973 11 mapped stops · furthest 209 mi

Schedule strength 1568 average field rating faced — tougher than 53% of rated contests

Purse competed for $28,200 listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 8 state-championship entries

Power rating 1470 peak 1470 · #4625 of 6,413 rated

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

2017
Oct 20 First tracked contest *Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
Oct 20 First call *Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
Oct 20 Peak power rating (1490) *Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
2018
Jun 8 First overall top-10 Marietta River City BBQ
Sep 21 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.1828 *Smokin in The Hills
2019
Sep 20 First category win (Chicken) Smokin in The Hills
Sep 20 Career-best overall score683.4284 Smokin in The Hills
Sep 20 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7372 Smokin in The Hills
2021
Apr 23 10th tracked contest Marietta River City BBQ
May 14 Most recent contest Rockin' BBQ - Day 1

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14	Smokin in The Hills	2019-09-20
+9	Marietta River City BBQ	2019-04-26

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.1	*Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival	2017-10-20
-9.6	Rockin' BBQ - Day 1	2021-05-14
-8.2	PigMania Hilliard State Championship BBQ & Music Festival	2018-06-29
-7.8	PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival	2018-08-31
-5.9	Marietta River City BBQ	2018-06-08

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2021	2	0	0	50%	top 82%	89.9%	88.7%
2020	1	0	0	0%	top 73%	90.2%	90.2%
2019	3	2	1	100%	top 43%	94.9%	90.8%
2018	4	1	0	75%	top 80%	90.9%	88.9%
2017	1	0	0	100%	top 87%	88.2%	88.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2021-05-14	Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 🏅 Warsaw, IN	39 / 41 (629.6116)	35 (161.0972)	32 (160.5372)	40 (142.2400)	31 (165.7372)
2021-04-23	Marietta River City BBQ 🏅 Marietta, OH	20 / 29 (647.3828)	12 (166.2628)	18 (165.7028)	29 (141.6800)	7 (173.7372)
2020-09-18	Smokin in the Hills 🏅 Hillsboro, OH	30 / 41 (649.6340)	28 (163.9772)	30 (161.7028)	33 (157.7028)	22 (166.2512)
2019-09-20	Smokin in The Hills 🏅	7 / 38 (683.4284)	1 (177.7372)	26 (163.3828)	5 (173.2000)	12 (169.1084)
2019-06-14	Smokin On The Buffalo 🏅 Mannington, WV	12 / 16 (621.0284)	12 (157.6572)	12 (155.4172)	12 (154.8456)	10 (153.1084)
2019-04-26	Marietta River City BBQ 🏅 Marietta, OH	9 / 26 (657.0972)	4 (170.2972)	23 (149.1316)	5 (169.1200)	3 (168.5484)
2018-09-21	*Smokin in The Hills Hillsboro, OH	18 / 30 (654.1828)	6 (171.4400)	26 (154.2056)	20 (161.6800)	12 (166.8572)
2018-08-31	PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Lebanon, OH	42 / 46 (642.2172)	38 (163.9656)	40 (155.9888)	7 (174.2972)	46 (147.9656)
2018-06-29	PigMania Hilliard State Championship BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Hilliard, OH	29 / 33 (623.7712)	29 (158.8000)	31 (145.0856)	31 (153.6456)	20 (166.2400)
2018-06-08	Marietta River City BBQ Marietta, OH	9 / 11 (639.3028)	10 (155.3484)	8 (154.2288)	6 (162.8456)	4 (166.8800)
2017-10-20	*Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH	34 / 39 (635.2344)	8 (173.1200)	34 (154.7656)	39 (143.9200)	22 (163.4288)

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
2021 ↗	Master	#864 (139 pts)	#816 (179 pts)	#919 (149 pts)	#1052 (114 pts)	#728 (219 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#856 (60 pts)	#896 (60 pts)	#913 (60 pts)	#899 (60 pts)	#846 (75 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#741 (407 pts)	#584 (592 pts)	#1158 (227 pts)	#712 (467 pts)	#715 (467 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#914 (329 pts)	#840 (399 pts)	#1028 (304 pts)	#777 (454 pts)	#772 (449 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#1631 (155 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#2165 (75 pts)