Velvet Smoke

Velvet Smoke is a competition barbecue team with 28 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Holy Smokes BBQ Competition (2016), and finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #543 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#543

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1669

peak 1691 · rated over 27 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 4, 2013

latest May 15, 2026 · 13 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#204

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

2 reserve · wins it all 7% of the time

Category wins

22 podiums

Overall top-10s

61% of 28 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 25%

overall standings

Best overall

702.8116 / 720

Master · The River Grill before the Big Chill

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

677.38 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 679.54 (-2.16)

Walk rate

89%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · The River Grill before the Big Chill

Consistency

±12.47

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 170.16 · weakest Pork Ribs (168.90)

Road miles

5,641

across 28 mapped stops · furthest 786 mi

Schedule strength

39%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1551)

Purse competed for

$1,950

listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings

Master avg

679.54 / 720

27 Master contests · 2 GCs

Backyard avg

296.46 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

Storylines (15 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

0.5720 points from the title

Came within 0.5720 points of the Grand Championship at Buckeye State BBQ Championship (May 17, 2013).

Among the elite

#543 of 6,476 rated teams

In the top 8% of every rated team in the data

A power rating of 1669 puts them #543 of 6,476 rated teams — the top 8% of the field.

rating 1669
peak 1691
27 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 chicken.

Chicken ×1

Against the odds

27-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 73 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at The River Grill before the Big Chill (Oct 9, 2015) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 27-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Rogue Hog BBQ.

Giant slayer

45 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 45-team field at The River Grill before the Big Chill.

Oct 9, 2015

Happy hunting ground

Top 8% average finish here

Buckeye State BBQ Championship is their spot: an average finish in the top 8% across 3 visits.

3 visits
best finish 2nd
average top 8%

They almost always walk

89% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 25 of 28 contests

A top-10 category call in 89% of their 28 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

Show 8 more storylines

High-water mark

702.8116 career-best overall

97.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 702.8116 at The River Grill before the Big Chill — 97.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 9, 2015

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

WeQ4U has finished one call ahead of Velvet Smoke 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

8–3 behind in the head-to-head

GREY STREET BBQ ahead in 73% of their meetings

GREY STREET BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 11 shared contests.

The drought

8 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Holy Smokes BBQ Competition on Aug 5, 2016 — 8 contests and 10.2 years ago.

last GC Aug 5, 2016
10.2 years ago

A strong matchup

13–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 81% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BARK BROTHERS BBQ in 13 of their 16 shared contests.

The comeback

8.8 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 8.8 years, then back at BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) (May 15, 2026).

last seen Aug 4, 2017
back May 15, 2026

An August team

Top 16% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 16% across 5 contests, versus top 25% the rest of the year.

5 August contests
top 25% the rest of the year

The long haul

5,641 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 5,641 miles across 28 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 786 miles to World Food Championships.

28 mapped stops
furthest 786 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
2017 ↗	Master	#1716 (122 pts)	#1235 (257 pts)	#2150 (87 pts)	#2089 (92 pts)	#1788 (122 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#204 (1,527 pts)	#247 (1,282 pts)	#199 (1,437 pts)	#210 (1,402 pts)	#196 (1,497 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#372 (1,001 pts)	#413 (926 pts)	#453 (841 pts)	#339 (1,026 pts)	#622 (606 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1429 (188 pts)	#1944 (118 pts)	#1791 (138 pts)	#1639 (158 pts)	#1261 (238 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#237 (1,243 pts)	#390 (793 pts)	#234 (1,213 pts)	#285 (1,018 pts)	#238 (1,193 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Velvet Smoke, each with one reason worth a look.

Q HAVEN BBQ

#541 of the rated field

1669 power rating

Contests: 59
GCs: 4
Top-10s: 58%
Peak: 1728

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Velvet Smoke)

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

rated over 58 contests
last seen Jul 27, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

BROCK'S BBQ

#548 of the rated field

1669 power rating

Contests: 28
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 75%
Peak: 1669

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 26 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 26 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2026
on a 7-contest top-10 run

⚔ Compare careers

CURLY TAILS BBQ

#545 of the rated field

1669 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 63%
Peak: 1669

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 11 years before Velvet Smoke's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 24 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Dog Bite Barbecue

#544 of the rated field

1669 power rating

Contests: 49
GCs: 6
Top-10s: 63%
Peak: 1685

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 49 contests to 28.

rated over 48 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Westside BBQ

#546 of the rated field

1669 power rating

Contests: 53
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 77%
Peak: 1675

53 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 77% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 52 contests
last seen Oct 18, 2025
on a 33-contest top-10 run

⚔ Compare careers

PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ

#542 of the rated field

1669 power rating

Contests: 100
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 37%
Peak: 1744

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 99 contests
last seen Nov 4, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BARK BROTHERS BBQ	16	13	3	81%	⚔ compare
WeQ4U	15	11	4	73%	⚔ compare
HISTORIC BBQ	14	10	4	71%	⚔ compare
YELLOW RIVER BBQ	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
Smitty's Real Pit BBQ	12	10	2	83%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ	12	10	2	83%	⚔ compare
Extra Mile BBQ	11	9	2	82%	⚔ compare
QUBED	11	8	3	73%	⚔ compare
GREY STREET BBQ	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
BLUE CHIP BBQ	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
THUNDER HOG BBQ	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
ACME BBQ	9	9	0	100%	⚔ compare
Bluedog BBQ	9	9	0	100%	⚔ compare
TEAM RINE-O	9	8	1	89%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	28	13	1	6	180 🔥	149.0628	169.06	top 36%
Pork Ribs	28	15	1	5	176.5944	147.3944	168.90	top 32%
Pork	27	15	3	7	178.8572	153.0856	170.16	top 31%
Brisket	27	14	2	4	178.8572	155.9998	169.89	top 30%

“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)	19	1	top 27%
Large (40+)	9	1	top 21%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
OH	13	2	top 16%
IN	8	0	top 21%
KY	3	0	top 38%
WI	1	0	top 95%
AL	1	0	top 29%
FL	1	0	top 28%
TN	1	0	top 66%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Buckeye State BBQ Championship	3	2	top 8%	May 15, 2015
Bands & BBQ at the Point	2	8	top 36%	Sep 16, 2016
Wine,Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	2	8	top 21%	Jul 15, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 11 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 4.7 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in OH 13 of 28 contests · 7 states in all

Contests visited 24 3 of them more than once

First title Oct 9, 2015 The River Grill before the Big Chill

Opponents faced 610 finished ahead 874 times, behind 276

Longest layoff 8.8 yrs Aug 4, 2017 → May 15, 2026

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

20261 milestone

May 15 Most recent contest BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY)

20162 milestones

Oct 14 25th tracked contest Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
Nov 11 Peak power rating (1691) World Barbecue Championship

20155 milestones

May 15 10th tracked contest Buckeye State BBQ Championship
Oct 9 First Grand Championship The River Grill before the Big Chill
Oct 9 First perfect 180 (Chicken) The River Grill before the Big Chill
Oct 9 Biggest field won (45 teams) The River Grill before the Big Chill
Oct 9 Career-best overall score702.8116 The River Grill before the Big Chill

20137 milestones

May 4 First tracked contest Smokin' on the Water
May 4 First call Smokin' on the Water
May 4 First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.4280 Smokin' on the Water
May 17 First category win (Brisket) Buckeye State BBQ Championship
May 17 First overall top-10 Buckeye State BBQ Championship
May 17 First overall podium Buckeye State BBQ Championship
May 17 First Reserve Championship Buckeye State BBQ Championship

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15	Buckeye State BBQ Championship	May 17, 2013
+14.1	Ohio Veterans Barbeque Cook-off	Jul 12, 2013
+12.9	Buckeye State BBQ Championship	May 15, 2015
+12.8	The River Grill before the Big Chill	Oct 9, 2015
+12	Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues	Aug 16, 2013

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-20.6	BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY)	May 15, 2026
-2.5	Bands & BBQ at the Point	Sep 16, 2016
-1.6	Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition	Aug 4, 2017
-1	Grillin and Chillin	Sep 23, 2016

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	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	0	0	0	0%	top 95%	82.3%	82.3%
2017	1	0	0	0	100%	top 38%	93.2%	93.2%
2016	11	1	7	2	91%	top 24%	96%	95.1%
2015	6	1	5	2	100%	top 16%	97.6%	95.8%
2014	1	0	1	0	100%	top 13%	93.7%	93.7%
2013	8	0	4	3	88%	top 25%	94.2%	92.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
May 15, 2026	BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) Chippewa Falls, WI	20 / 21 (296.4572)	17 (149.0628)	21 (147.3944)	—	—
Aug 4, 2017	Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition Cincinnati, OH	12 / 32 (670.7428)	2 (178.2972)	19 (162.2400)	18 (163.9428)	12 (166.2628)
Nov 11, 2016	World Barbecue Championship Orange Beach, AL	26 / 89 (683.9312)	26 (172.5600)	52 (166.2400)	30 (170.2856)	16 (174.8456)
Oct 14, 2016	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH	6 / 37 (688.4684)	10 (171.9656)	4 (174.2744)	2 (177.1428)	20 (165.0856)
Sep 23, 2016	Grillin and Chillin Owensboro, KY	16 / 39 (670.7428)	15 (169.6684)	14 (168.5944)	8 (171.9772)	24 (160.5028)
Sep 16, 2016	Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY	14 / 31 (673.0288)	13 (171.9656)	22 (164.5488)	10 (171.4172)	14 (165.0972)
Sep 2, 2016	Homecoming 2016 Vernon, IN	4 / 26 (687.9084)	6 (173.1084)	4 (173.1200)	10 (169.1200)	4 (172.5600)
Aug 19, 2016	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval Madison, IN	7 / 63 (690.7772)	10 (173.7028)	13 (173.1200)	26 (168.5372)	8 (175.4172)
Aug 5, 2016	Holy Smokes BBQ Competition Cincinnati, OH	1 / 23 (691.3716)	5 (173.1200)	3 (173.1316)	2 (174.2628)	6 (170.8572)
Jul 16, 2016	Wine,Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! Day 2 New Palestine, IN	11 / 33 (688.5032)	7 (177.7028)	27 (162.2516)	8 (174.2744)	7 (174.2744)
Jul 15, 2016	Wine,Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	8 / 39 (691.3600)	21 (166.2284)	15 (171.4172)	1 (178.8572)	10 (174.8572)
Jul 8, 2016	Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off Kettering, OH	10 / 34 (681.0516)	28 (158.8000)	4 (174.8572)	19 (168.5372)	2 (178.8572)
Jun 10, 2016	Marietta River City BBQ Marietta, OH	4 / 20 (685.6572)	3 (174.2856)	1 (176.5944)	15 (165.0972)	8 (169.6800)
Nov 3, 2015	World Food Championships Kissimmee, FL	16 / 58 (681.6344)	8 (176)	16 (171.4172)	45 (162.2400)	11 (171.9772)
Oct 9, 2015	The River Grill before the Big Chill Cincinnati, OH	1 / 45 (702.8116)	1 (180)	3 (176.5716)	2 (177.7144)	19 (168.5256)
Sep 11, 2015	Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY	8 / 29 (681.6112)	19 (165.6684)	10 (169.1200)	2 (176.5600)	9 (170.2628)
Aug 21, 2015	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	10 / 64 (681.0744)	3 (176.5828)	45 (160.5144)	12 (173.1200)	13 (170.8572)
May 29, 2015	PigMania Lima Lima, OH	4 / 27 (694.2632)	6 (174.8572)	3 (174.2628)	6 (172.5716)	9 (172.5716)
May 15, 2015	Buckeye State BBQ Championship West Chester, OH	2 / 36 (697.1316)	3 (178.8572)	9 (171.4172)	1 (178.2972)	15 (168.5600)
May 16, 2014	Buckeye State BBQ Championship West Chester, OH	5 / 38 (674.7888)	14 (163.9656)	10 (166.8460)	8 (169.1200)	3 (174.8572)
Oct 25, 2013	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN	64 / 97 (647.2340)	76 (157.6456)	51 (165.0856)	33 (167.4056)	70 (157.0972)
Oct 18, 2013	Ohio Smoke Meat Festival Nelsonville, OH	7 / 35 (674.7656)	24 (161.6800)	8 (171.9772)	1 (176.5828)	18 (164.5256)
Sep 27, 2013	Ohio Veteran Battle of the Barbecue Xenia, OH	11 / 35 (663.2912)	22 (163.9428)	6 (167.9656)	32 (153.0856)	1 (178.2972)
Aug 16, 2013	Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues Madison, IN	6 / 60 (675.3944)	16 (166.8572)	4 (173.7028)	20 (165.6916)	15 (169.1428)
Jul 19, 2013	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	12 / 57 (665.5544)	43 (157.6572)	19 (163.9544)	4 (173.1200)	7 (170.8228)
Jul 12, 2013	Ohio Veterans Barbeque Cook-off Kettering, OH	3 / 41 (670.7772)	21 (162.8228)	3 (171.4172)	18 (165.6800)	8 (170.8572)
May 17, 2013	Buckeye State BBQ Championship West Chester, OH	2 / 35 (678.2852)	2 (175.4284)	5 (170.2856)	23 (158.2856)	1 (174.2856)
May 4, 2013	Smokin' on the Water Liberty, IN	14 / 37 (655.4280)	15 (161.1428)	12 (166.8570)	6 (171.4284)	26 (155.9998)

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

Velvet Smoke

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

Master avg

Backyard avg

Storylines (15 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Among the elite

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

Giant slayer

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The drought

A strong matchup

The comeback

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)