Unknown Smokers MN
Rating
1492
peak 1516
Contests
35
in the data
First seen
2019-05-10
latest 2026-05-29
Best ToY finish
#74
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
1
0 reserve
Category wins
2
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
9
of 35 contests
Avg finish
top 57%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
324.98 ▼
last 5 vs career avg 325.70 (-0.73)
Walk rate
49%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±12.00
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 163.82 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.71)
Road miles
3702
mi across 35 mapped stops · furthest 663 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
FENDER BENDER BBQ has finished one call ahead of Unknown Smokers 5 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Big Racks BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Big Ten Bones has come out ahead in 19 of their 23 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of SIX BUTT BBQ in 9 of their 11 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Smokin in Steele is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
📅 A May team
Something about May: average finish in the top 37% across 8 contests, versus top 57% the rest of the year.
Teams like this (closest power rating, MN first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 28 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 173.1428 | 146.7884 | 163.82 | top 55% |
| Pork Ribs | 32 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 177.1428 | 151.3828 | 161.71 | top 61% |
| Pork | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| MN | 17 | 1 | top 49% |
| WI | 7 | 0 | top 67% |
| IA | 2 | 0 | top 96% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 98% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 10 | 0 | top 77% |
| Medium (20–39) | 11 | 1 | top 48% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 44% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (8 contests)
- Cooks mostly in MN (21 of 35 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (32 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Smokin in Steele (2023-06-02)
- Wins it all in 3% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 325.70
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 340.5716 | 340.57 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 336.5712 | 324.81 |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 345.1428 | 336.54 |
| 2023 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 347.4284 | 329.12 |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 339.4632 | 319.19 |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 321.6572 | 312.69 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 305.6800 | 305.68 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 325.6688 | 325.67 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Owatonna, MN | 8 / 25 (340.5716) | 20 (164.5372) | 2 (176.0344) | — | — |
| 2025-08-16 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 13 / 17 (329.0628) | 11 (167.9656) | 14 (161.0972) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) Spencer, IA | 17 / 17 (319.3716) | 17 (159.3944) | 14 (159.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (One Meat Ribs) Spencer, IA | — | — | 7 (170.2628) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) Spencer, IA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025-06-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 28 / 36 (317.6116) | 23 (164.5372) | 27 (153.0744) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 37 / 36 (318.2628) | 39 (158.8228) | 36 (159.4400) | — | — |
| 2025-05-30 | Smokin' in Steele Owatonna, MN | 12 / 28 (336.5712) | 7 (171.4284) | 15 (165.1428) | — | — |
| 2025-04-25 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 16 / 24 (327.9656) | 7 (169.7028) | 21 (158.2628) | — | — |
| 2024-09-07 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 8 / 18 (331.3600) | 9 (167.9772) | 7 (163.3828) | — | — |
| 2024-08-17 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 9 / 18 (334.2856) | 8 (170.8800) | 12 (163.4056) | — | — |
| 2024-07-05 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 9 / 16 (334.8228) | 6 (171.4400) | 11 (163.3828) | — | — |
| 2024-05-31 | Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN | 5 / 32 (341.7144) | 5 (164.5716) | 1 (177.1428) | — | — |
| 2024-05-25 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL Lebanon, TN | 46 / 47 (331.9428) | 47 (162.8000) | 29 (169.1428) | — | — |
| 2024-05-24 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May St. Peter, MN | 5 / 58 (345.1428) | 9 (173.1428) | 7 (172.0000) | — | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 47 (153.6456) | — | — |
| 2023-09-09 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 19 / 30 (328.5372) | 10 (170.2972) | 25 (158.2400) | — | — |
| 2023-08-19 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 15 / 16 (314.8228) | 14 (161.1200) | 14 (153.7028) | — | — |
| 2023-07-21 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 13 / 15 (321.6916) | 10 (167.4172) | 15 (154.2744) | — | — |
| 2023-06-02 | Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN | 1 / 29 (347.4284) | 7 (170.2856) | 1 (177.1428) | — | — |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May St. Peter, MN | 14 / 59 (333.1428) | 8 (170.3200) | 22 (162.8228) | — | — |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 26 (165.1316) | — | — |
| 2022-08-20 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 15 / 15 (309.1200) | 15 (147.4056) | 10 (161.7144) | — | — |
| 2022-08-05 | B-Dale BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 5 / 21 (339.4632) | 10 (170.2744) | 7 (169.1888) | — | — |
| 2022-07-15 | Bourbon, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD) Bancroft, IA | 13 / 14 (318.1944) | 11 (164.5256) | 13 (153.6688) | — | — |
| 2022-06-03 | Smokin in Steele (Master & Backyard Contest) Owatonna, MN | 12 / 33 (309.7368) | 11 (157.7028) | 14 (152.0340) | — | — |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (Backyard) Cambridge, MN | 26 / 38 (319.4284) | 25 (162.8800) | 30 (156.5484) | — | — |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) Cambridge, MN | — | — | 33 (153.0856) | — | — |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (Masters) Cambridge, MN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-08-21 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 12 / 18 (321.6572) | 15 (160.5372) | 10 (161.1200) | — | — |
| 2021-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon - Day 2 West Salem, WI | 24 / 45 (316.5372) | 23 (157.1316) | 20 (159.4056) | — | — |
| 2021-06-11 | Bring'n Home the Bacon - Day 1 West Salem, WI | 30 / 52 (299.8856) | 31 (146.7884) | 28 (153.0972) | — | — |
| 2020-10-16 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 West Salem, WI | 22 / 40 (305.6800) | 18 (154.2972) | 22 (151.3828) | — | — |
| 2019-05-10 | Minnesota in May | 6 / 57 (325.6688) | 16 (158.8344) | 4 (166.8344) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #175 (145 pts) | #250 (75 pts) | #133 (250 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #128 (450 pts) | #103 (566 pts) | #133 (502 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | #951 (142 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #74 (739 pts) | #82 (729 pts) | #72 (794 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1317 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #96 (644 pts) | #114 (584 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1432 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #95 (495 pts) | #93 (527 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #135 (212 pts) | #111 (252 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #100 (85 pts) | #105 (65 pts) | — | — |