They almost always walk
67%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 8 of 12 contests
A top-10 category call in 67% of their 12 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE
FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 5th of 28 at the Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival (2019). They are ranked #2859 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1510
peak 1510 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
Oct 20, 2017
latest Sep 24, 2021 · 3.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
8% of 12 contests
Avg finish
top 59%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
670.18 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 660.97 (+9.21)
Walk rate
67%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.31
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 166.45 · weakest Pork (163.44)
Road miles
781
across 12 mapped stops · furthest 94 mi
Schedule strength
59%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$38K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
660.97 / 720
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #995 (116 pts) | #1104 (106 pts) | #791 (201 pts) | #954 (121 pts) | #1050 (111 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #856 (60 pts) | #874 (70 pts) | #892 (70 pts) | #899 (60 pts) | #883 (60 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #676 (474 pts) | #696 (489 pts) | #550 (629 pts) | #891 (344 pts) | #607 (564 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1858 (78 pts) | #2555 (53 pts) | #1838 (98 pts) | #1424 (168 pts) | #1703 (118 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE, each with one reason worth a look.
99 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,850 of the rated field
- Contests
- 47
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1542
2–5 in 7 shared contests (29% to FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE)
These two have cooked 7 of the same contests — BURNING PIG BBQ ahead 5–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,858 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1544
They've been 1544 at their best, 34 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#2,861 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1514
Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,846 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1523
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 25% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#2,865 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1520
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 5 years before FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,855 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1513
Level with FRIDAY NIGHT SMOKE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| CONVICTED PIGS BBQ | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| HISTORIC BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ALE YEAH BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| BURNING PIG BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKING BAD | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| ELEGANTLY VIOLENT BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| TIRE SMOKE BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOOSIERS | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| UNCLE TOAD'S COMPETITION BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| CIRCLE L BBQ | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE RIDER | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 174.2972 | 157.1544 | 166.45 | top 53% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 174.2860 | 154.8000 | 166.07 | top 50% |
| Pork | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 147.9088 | 163.44 | top 59% |
| Brisket | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 178.8572 | 158.2284 | 165.02 | top 54% |
“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) | 9 | 0 | top 51% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 76% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 45% | Oct 18, 2019 |
| Smokin' in the Hills | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 58% | Sep 24, 2021 |
| PigMania Hilliard State Championship BBQ & Music Festival | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 64% | Aug 30, 2019 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2018
5 contests
Contests a season
2.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
OH
11 of 12 contests
Contests visited
8
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
175
finished ahead 162 times, behind 219
Longest layoff
1 yrs
Sep 18, 2020 → Sep 24, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20212 milestones
- Peak power rating (1510) Smokin' in the Hills
- Most recent contest Smokin' in the Hills
20195 milestones
- First category win (Brisket) Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
- First overall top-10 Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
- 10th tracked contest Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
- Career-best overall score681.0860 Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
- Career-best single call (Brisket)178.8572 Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
20173 milestones
- First tracked contest Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
- First call Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score663.2688 Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.6 | Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival | Oct 18, 2019 |
| +10.1 | Smokin in The Hills | Sep 20, 2019 |
| +6.3 | PigMania Hilliard State Championship BBQ & Music Festival | Aug 30, 2019 |
| +6.1 | Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition | Aug 3, 2018 |
| +3.9 | Smokin' in the Hills | Sep 24, 2021 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.1 | PigMania Shelby Mansfield KOA RV Resort | Jun 1, 2018 |
| -6.1 | Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off | Jul 12, 2019 |
| -5.5 | PigMania Hilliard State Championship BBQ & Music Festival | Jun 29, 2018 |
| -4.9 | PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival | Aug 31, 2018 |
| -3.5 | Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival | Oct 19, 2018 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 46% | 92% | 92% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 71% | 90.8% | 90.8% |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 75% | top 45% | 94.6% | 93.3% |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60% | top 74% | 93% | 90.7% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 46% | 92.1% | 92.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2021 | Smokin' in the Hills 🏅 Hillsboro, OH | 12 / 26 (662.7544) | 14 (166.2284) | 4 (171.4172) | 11 (165.0972) | 13 (160.0116) |
| Sep 18, 2020 | Smokin in the Hills 🏅 Hillsboro, OH | 29 / 41 (653.5540) | 23 (166.8112) | 23 (163.3944) | 29 (160.5256) | 29 (162.8228) |
| Oct 18, 2019 | Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival 🏅 Nelsonville, OH | 5 / 28 (681.0860) | 3 (174.2972) | 19 (164.5488) | 22 (163.3828) | 1 (178.8572) |
| Sep 20, 2019 | Smokin in The Hills 🏅 | 11 / 38 (677.6344) | 12 (171.9884) | 3 (174.2860) | 15 (169.7028) | 26 (161.6572) |
| Aug 30, 2019 | PigMania Hilliard State Championship BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Hilliard, OH | 14 / 28 (675.8512) | 24 (162.7884) | 2 (173.7144) | 16 (167.3828) | 6 (171.9656) |
| Jul 12, 2019 | Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off 🏅 Kettering, OH | 27 / 33 (652.4116) | 21 (164.5256) | 26 (165.0972) | 23 (164.5372) | 27 (158.2516) |
| Oct 19, 2018 | Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH | 20 / 28 (661.0632) | 25 (157.1544) | 16 (163.9544) | 6 (170.2744) | 12 (169.6800) |
| Aug 31, 2018 | PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Lebanon, OH | 37 / 46 (654.6972) | 20 (169.1084) | 43 (154.8000) | 23 (168.5372) | 39 (162.2516) |
| Aug 3, 2018 | Our Lady of Victory Holy Smokes BBQ Competition Cincinnati, OH | 14 / 35 (669.6000) | 5 (170.2628) | 15 (169.1200) | 6 (171.9772) | 25 (158.2400) |
| Jun 29, 2018 | PigMania Hilliard State Championship BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Hilliard, OH | 26 / 33 (646.1484) | 21 (163.3944) | 22 (163.4172) | 23 (161.1084) | 28 (158.2284) |
| Jun 1, 2018 | PigMania Shelby Mansfield KOA RV Resort Shelby, OH | 18 / 18 (633.5432) | 17 (159.9544) | 18 (154.8000) | 18 (150.8116) | 8 (167.9772) |
| Oct 20, 2017 | Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH | 18 / 39 (663.2688) | 11 (170.8344) | 4 (174.2628) | 36 (147.9088) | 10 (170.2628) |