SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ

SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 33 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 38 at the Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (2021). They are ranked #451 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#451

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1687

peak 1687 · rated over 32 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 7, 2018

latest Jun 11, 2021 · 3.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#111

Master 2019 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

15 podiums

Overall top-10s

42% of 33 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 33%

overall standings

Best overall

701.7028 / 720

Master · Ozarks BBQ Fest

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

686.45 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 678.69 (+7.76)

Walk rate

79%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Pork · Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival

Consistency

±16.07

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 171.03 · weakest Pork Ribs (168.23)

Road miles

5,661

across 33 mapped stops · furthest 466 mi

Schedule strength

77%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1599)

Purse competed for

$231K

listed at 19 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 26 state-championship entries

Master avg

678.69 / 720

32 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (12 found in their record)

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

Among the elite

#451 of 6,476 rated teams

In the top 7% of every rated team in the data

A power rating of 1687 puts them #451 of 6,476 rated teams — the top 7% of the field.

rating 1687
peak 1687
32 rated contests

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork.

Pork ×1

Happy hunting ground

Top 11% average finish here

Delta Smoke BBQ Contest is their spot: an average finish in the top 11% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 3rd
average top 11%

A multi-meat day

1 contest with 2+ category wins

They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at Ozarks BBQ Fest (Apr 23, 2021).

Chicken 1st
Brisket 1st

They almost always walk

79% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 26 of 33 contests

A top-10 category call in 79% of their 33 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

701.7028 career-best overall

97.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 701.7028 at Ozarks BBQ Fest — 97.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Apr 23, 2021

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

MAN MEAT BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Show 5 more storylines

A tough matchup

18–4 behind in the head-to-head

GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 82% of their meetings

GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 18 of their 22 shared contests.

A strong matchup

9–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 90% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of CROSSFIRE BBQ in 9 of their 10 shared contests.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SMOKEVILLE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An August team

Top 25% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 25% across 4 contests, versus top 33% the rest of the year.

4 August contests
top 33% the rest of the year

The long haul

5,661 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,661 miles across 33 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 466 miles to Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival.

33 mapped stops
furthest 466 mi

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
2021 ↗	Master	#353 (539 pts)	#331 (619 pts)	#644 (269 pts)	#404 (469 pts)	#368 (554 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#211 (570 pts)	#252 (485 pts)	#197 (600 pts)	#245 (515 pts)	#208 (555 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#111 (1,743 pts)	#128 (1,595 pts)	#115 (1,638 pts)	#76 (1,849 pts)	#64 (1,894 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#673 (503 pts)	#412 (873 pts)	#675 (538 pts)	#649 (573 pts)	#874 (378 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

BRINGIN' THE HEAT

#450 of the rated field

1688 power rating

Contests: 35
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 69%
Peak: 1688

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 34 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 34 contests
last seen Sep 14, 2018
on a 4-contest top-10 run

⚔ Compare careers

Hogline BBQ

#452 of the rated field

1687 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1700

Careers of much the same size, 38 contests to 33, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 36 contests
last seen May 8, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

KISS MY RACK

#448 of the rated field

1688 power rating

Contests: 40
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1688

40 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 28% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 37 contests
last seen Aug 23, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

Porterhouse BBQ

#449 of the rated field

1688 power rating

Contests: 117
GCs: 6
Top-10s: 48%
Peak: 1788

Level with SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 115 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

PORKRASTINATORS

#458 of the rated field

1687 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 58
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 48%
Peak: 1714

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 51 contests
last seen Jun 13, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

MOKAN MEATHEADS

#446 of the rated field

1688 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 59
GCs: 4
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1703

3–2 in 5 shared contests (60% to SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ)

They were already cooking in 2013, 5 years before SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ's first contest.

rated over 58 contests
last seen Aug 6, 2021

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
GETTIN' BASTED	22	4	18	18%	⚔ compare
RAZORRACKS	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
MAN MEAT BBQ	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
TAILGATE GUYS BBQ	11	9	2	82%	⚔ compare
BOOMERANG BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
CROSSFIRE BBQ	10	9	1	90%	⚔ compare
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN	10	7	3	70%	⚔ compare
UNFAMOUS DAVE'S	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
SMOOTH SMOKE	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
4 LEGS UP BBQ	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
SMOKE THIS BBQ MO	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
RIDGE OUTLAWS BBQ	9	8	1	89%	⚔ compare
GRAY WOLF BBQ	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	32	14	1	4	178.8572	157.1088	171.03	top 34%
Pork Ribs	32	9	1	3	178.2972	147.9888	168.23	top 40%
Pork	30	15	1	4	180 🔥	155.3828	170.25	top 35%
Brisket	32	14	1	4	177.7028	150.7656	168.89	top 38%

“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)	16	0	top 34%
Large (40+)	17	0	top 33%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MO	17	top 39%
KS	6	top 28%
AR	5	top 23%
TN	2	top 54%
MS	2	top 16%
OK	1	top 16%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	2	3	top 11%	Jun 11, 2021
Ozarks BBQ Fest	2	3	top 12%	Apr 23, 2021
Smoke On the Border	2	9	top 40%	Apr 6, 2019

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 19 contests

Contests a season 8.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 17 of 33 contests · 6 states in all

Contests visited 30 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 1,150 finished ahead 1,205 times, behind 701

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

20214 milestones

Apr 23 First multi-meat day Ozarks BBQ Fest
Apr 23 Career-best overall score701.7028 Ozarks BBQ Fest
Jun 11 Peak power rating (1687) Delta Smoke BBQ Contest
Jun 11 Most recent contest Delta Smoke BBQ Contest

20196 milestones

Apr 6 First overall top-10 Smoke On the Border
Apr 12 10th tracked contest Smoke In the Springs
Aug 2 First category win (Pork Ribs) Laurie Hillbilly BBQ
Aug 2 First overall podium Laurie Hillbilly BBQ
Sep 27 First perfect 180 (Pork) Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival
Oct 4 25th tracked contest Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown

20183 milestones

Apr 7 First tracked contest Smoke on the Border
Apr 7 First call Smoke on the Border
Apr 7 First overall past 90% of a perfect score669.6800 Smoke on the Border

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.6	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ	Aug 2, 2019
+12.8	Smoke In the Springs	Apr 12, 2019
+12.4	Apple Blossom BBQ Made with Uncommon Character	May 3, 2019
+11.2	Smoke On the Border	Apr 6, 2019
+10.9	Qlathe BBQ Championship	Mar 15, 2019

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.5	Smoke EM IF You Got EM	Nov 9, 2018
-9	Covington TN's World's Oldest BBQ Cooking Contest	Jun 4, 2021
-2.9	Grillin and Chillin	Jun 26, 2020
-2.7	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off	Jun 29, 2018
-1	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST	Sep 12, 2019

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2021	3	2	2	67%	top 28%	97.5%	95.4%
2020	5	2	0	80%	top 37%	95.8%	93.2%
2019	19	10	2	89%	top 26%	96.5%	94.8%
2018	6	0	0	50%	top 58%	93.3%	91.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 11, 2021	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest 🏅 Wynne, AR	3 / 38 (701.6572)	2 (177.7028)	17 (170.8344)	3 (178.8572)	8 (174.2628)
Jun 4, 2021	Covington TN's World's Oldest BBQ Cooking Contest 🏅 Covington, TN	23 / 34 (658.1488)	22 (166.8112)	26 (158.2404)	25 (164.5372)	14 (168.5600)
Apr 23, 2021	Ozarks BBQ Fest 🏅 Springfield, MO	3 / 37 (701.7028)	1 (178.3200)	15 (169.6800)	6 (176)	1 (177.7028)
Jun 26, 2020	Grillin and Chillin 🏅 Chillicothe, MO	14 / 34 (681.0740)	7 (174.2856)	16 (168.5600)	8 (174.2628)	27 (163.9656)
Jun 19, 2020	Ozarks BBQ Fest 🏅 Springfield, MO	4 / 26 (689.6456)	4 (177.1428)	12 (169.1200)	10 (169.1200)	5 (174.2628)
Jun 12, 2020	Beats, Brews, & BBQ 🏅 Wagoner, OK	9 / 55 (687.3484)	36 (166.2628)	3 (177.1544)	—	34 (167.3712)
Apr 6, 2020	Socially Distanced Smoking - Brisket presented by The BBQ League unrated washington, MO	98 / 109 (153.6684)	—	—	—	—
Mar 13, 2020	2nd Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	15 / 68 (683.3716)	36 (166.8228)	9 (174.3088)	42 (164.5372)	2 (177.7028)
Oct 4, 2019	Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown 🏅 Lebanon, MO	12 / 27 (677.5884)	6 (173.1200)	14 (167.9656)	19 (163.9544)	10 (172.5484)
Sep 27, 2019	Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival 🏅 Jonesboro, AR	5 / 43 (686.1596)	7 (170.8228)	5 (173.1084)	1 (180)	19 (162.2284)
Sep 21, 2019	Bikes Boats & Bones BBQ & Steak Showdown 🏅 Kimberling City, MO	9 / 28 (683.8624)	21 (169.6684)	5 (174.8572)	15 (167.3712)	12 (171.9656)
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	116 / 468 (675.9200)	158 (168.5944)	260 (164.5488)	140 (169.6684)	77 (173.1084)
Aug 30, 2019	Chamber Low and Slow Barbecue cook off 🏅 Nevada, MO	11 / 22 (678.7544)	11 (170.8228)	12 (167.3944)	14 (167.9772)	7 (172.5600)
Aug 16, 2019	BBQ and Fly In on the River 🏅 Excelsior Springs, MO	16 / 68 (683.3828)	32 (168.5828)	51 (160.5372)	4 (177.7028)	4 (176.5600)
Aug 9, 2019	Route 66 BBQ & Steak Showdown 🏅 Springfiled, MO	4 / 25 (681.5768)	5 (172.5484)	3 (173.1200)	9 (168.5372)	13 (167.3712)
Aug 2, 2019	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ 🏅 Laurie, MO	3 / 30 (687.3484)	16 (169.6912)	1 (178.2972)	3 (174.2628)	21 (165.0972)
Jul 26, 2019	Smokin Hot Cars & BBQ 🏅 Iola, KS	23 / 41 (665.6112)	18 (168)	30 (163.3944)	22 (165.6684)	15 (168.5484)
Jun 14, 2019	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off 🏅 Hernado, MS	8 / 49 (694.7768)	14 (174.2628)	14 (173.7028)	—	7 (173.7028)
Jun 7, 2019	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest 🏅 Wynne, AR	7 / 51 (694.7772)	3 (177.7028)	14 (170.8344)	7 (175.4172)	13 (170.8228)
May 24, 2019	Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival 🏅 Brookhaven, MS	4 / 26 (677.6340)	4 (170.8228)	7 (166.8228)	11 (167.4056)	2 (172.5828)
May 10, 2019	Grasshopper '19 🏅 DeSoto, KS	14 / 53 (687.9200)	27 (170.2628)	30 (166.2400)	9 (174.8572)	2 (176.5600)
May 3, 2019	Apple Blossom BBQ Made with Uncommon Character 🏅 St. Joseph, MO	7 / 39 (679.3140)	8 (171.9656)	12 (167.3828)	16 (168)	6 (171.9656)
Apr 26, 2019	Rock N Ribs BBQ Festival 🏅 Springfield, MO	7 / 40 (682.1484)	11 (167.3828)	11 (168.5372)	3 (174.2628)	7 (171.9656)
Apr 12, 2019	Smoke In the Springs 🏅 Osage City, KS	19 / 104 (685.6224)	83 (161.0740)	15 (173.7028)	13 (173.1428)	5 (177.7028)
Apr 6, 2019	Smoke On the Border 🏅 Gravette, AR	9 / 29 (686.8000)	15 (164.5256)	10 (171.9772)	5 (174.8916)	4 (175.4056)
Mar 15, 2019	Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	13 / 64 (681.6688)	10 (173.1200)	15 (169.6916)	20 (168.5828)	18 (170.2744)
Mar 8, 2019	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Nashville, TN	27 / 67 (677.6228)	19 (171.4172)	28 (168.5484)	10 (174.2628)	51 (163.3944)
Nov 9, 2018	Smoke EM IF You Got EM Springfield, MO	30 / 30 (611.2460)	28 (157.1088)	30 (147.9888)	29 (155.3828)	30 (150.7656)
Sep 22, 2018	Table Rock Boats and Bones Kimberling, MO	14 / 35 (670.1256)	5 (173.7028)	21 (163.9544)	7 (170.8228)	27 (161.6456)
Jun 29, 2018	Freedom Fest BBQ Cook-Off Willard, MO	38 / 52 (653.5084)	14 (173.1200)	37 (162.8116)	31 (165.1200)	43 (152.4568)
May 25, 2018	Shepherd's Smokin Summer Kick Off Branson, MO	26 / 50 (670.1716)	15 (172.5600)	17 (169.6916)	22 (168.5256)	35 (159.3944)
Apr 20, 2018	Rock'n N Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO	15 / 43 (671.9088)	6 (176)	5 (174.3088)	20 (163.9428)	28 (157.6572)
Apr 7, 2018	Smoke on the Border Gravette, AR	16 / 33 (669.6800)	3 (178.8572)	25 (155.9656)	10 (170.3316)	20 (164.5256)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

SMILIN' DRAGON BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

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 (12 found in their record)

Among the elite

Perfect scores on the board

Happy hunting ground

A multi-meat day

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Looking over their shoulder

An August team

The long haul

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)