MUSIC CITY SMOKE

MUSIC CITY SMOKE is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2020 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 4th of 29 at the Big BBQ Bash (2022). They are ranked #1972 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,972

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1540

peak 1551 · rated over 12 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Sep 25, 2020

latest Mar 17, 2023 · 2.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#856

Master 2020 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

17% of 12 contests

Avg finish

top 53%

overall standings

Best overall

694.8232 / 720

Master · Big BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Current form

676.24 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 672.93 (+3.31)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Pork · Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off

Consistency

±15.74

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 169.93 · weakest Chicken (165.34)

Road miles

1,787

across 12 mapped stops · furthest 201 mi

Schedule strength

79%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1602)

Purse competed for

$152K

listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 12 state-championship entries

Master avg

672.93 / 720

12 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

On the rise

+28 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 28 points across 7 contests since Mar 18, 2022 — from 1512 up to 1540.

7 contests since Mar 18, 2022
now 1540

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.

High-water mark

694.8232 career-best overall

96.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 694.8232 at Big BBQ Bash — 96.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 24, 2022

Their season

2022 their best year

2022 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 35%.

6 contests
2 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 35%

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

Organizer Portal ahead in 100% of their meetings

Organizer Portal has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.6 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.58 points below their pork, and turns into a call 25% of the time against 42%.

Chicken avg 165.34
Pork avg 169.93
3 calls in 12 entries

A strong matchup

4–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 80% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ in 4 of their 5 shared contests.

Show 2 more storylines

Pork nemesis

6 of 8 shared pork entries lost

CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO. has out-cooked them in 6 of 8 shared pork entries.

The metronome

±2.19% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.19% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.5% of a perfect score
12 contests

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	#1236 (60 pts)	#1286 (60 pts)	#1309 (60 pts)	#1262 (60 pts)	#1150 (85 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#856 (60 pts)	#896 (60 pts)	#913 (60 pts)	#883 (65 pts)	#883 (60 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to MUSIC CITY SMOKE, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Grills of Mississippi

#1,975 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1550

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Apr 28, 2023

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OLY SMOKES

#1,974 of the rated field

1540 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1558

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Aug 13, 2021

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BRINGINGTHEHEATBBQ

#1,979 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1539

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 Oct 4, 2019

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Blitzkrieg BBQ

#1,965 of the rated field

1540 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1556

They were already cooking in 2013, 7 years before MUSIC CITY SMOKE's first contest.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Mar 21, 2025

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AbiCue

#1,966 of the rated field

1540 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1545

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

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United Pork Smokers

#1,981 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1553

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen Apr 14, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SmokinGhost BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
CONTINENTAL BARBEQUE CO.	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
Organizer Portal	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
JANKY LEG BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
WeQ4U	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
CHOOCHOO BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
Poppa Pig	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
BLUE CHIP BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
Shiggin aint easy	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
MEAT ME IN ST. LOUIS	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	3	0	0	176.5600	157.0856	165.34	top 68%
Pork Ribs	12	5	0	1	176.0116	150.8116	168.02	top 49%
Pork	12	5	0	1	178.8572	153.0512	169.93	top 43%
Brisket	12	4	2	2	176.5828	159.9544	169.64	top 43%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 60%
Medium (20–39)	3	top 48%
Large (40+)	8	top 54%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
TN	7	top 57%
AL	2	top 51%
GA	1	top 19%
IN	1	top 42%
KY	1	top 74%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship	2	40	0	top 79%	Mar 17, 2023

More numbers

Busiest season 2022 6 contests

Contests a season 3 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in TN 7 of 12 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 11 1 of them more than once

Opponents faced 416 finished ahead 314 times, behind 361

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

20231 milestone

Mar 17 Most recent contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship

20225 milestones

Jun 24 First category win (Brisket) Big BBQ Bash
Jun 24 First overall top-10 Big BBQ Bash
Jun 24 Career-best overall score694.8232 Big BBQ Bash
Oct 28 10th tracked contest Railyard BBQ Brawl
Nov 18 Peak power rating (1551) Atlanta BBQ Store Classic

20213 milestones

Mar 19 First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.3260 Smoke on The Shores BBQ Championship
Aug 13 First call Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
Oct 15 Career-best single call (Pork)178.8572 Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off

20201 milestone

Sep 25 First tracked contest TN River BBQ Battle & Music Fest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.8	Smoke on The Shores	Mar 18, 2022
+14.1	Big BBQ Bash	Jun 24, 2022
+8	Railyard BBQ Brawl	Oct 28, 2022
+6.7	Atlanta BBQ Store Classic	Nov 18, 2022
+5.6	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival	Aug 19, 2022

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.4	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship	Mar 17, 2023
-7.7	TN River BBQ Battle & Music Fest	Sep 25, 2020
-1.7	Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off	Oct 15, 2021
-1.3	Smoke on The Shores BBQ Championship	Mar 19, 2021

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	1	0	0	0%	top 89%	90%	90%
2022	6	2	2	100%	top 35%	96.5%	94.8%
2021	4	0	0	50%	top 62%	94.4%	93.4%
2020	1	0	0	0%	top 87%	88.9%	88.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Mar 17, 2023	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN	71 / 80 (647.8052)	70 (162.8228)	67 (162.2284)	78 (153.0512)	35 (169.7028)
Nov 18, 2022	Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA	11 / 57 (687.3832)	40 (164.5488)	8 (174.2744)	8 (172.5600)	5 (176)
Oct 28, 2022	Railyard BBQ Brawl 🏅 Madison, AL	6 / 10 (670.1940)	10 (157.0856)	3 (173.1200)	8 (163.4056)	1 (176.5828)
Aug 19, 2022	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival 🏅 Madison, IN	19 / 45 (681.0172)	23 (169.6916)	10 (171.9772)	15 (173.1084)	25 (166.2400)
Jun 24, 2022	Big BBQ Bash 🏅 Maryville, TN	4 / 29 (694.8232)	5 (173.1200)	7 (172.5716)	8 (173.7144)	1 (175.4172)
May 13, 2022	2nd Annual Obion County Fair BBQ Cook Off - Day 1 🏅 Union City, TN	14 / 25 (675.8280)	21 (163.3712)	14 (167.3828)	7 (173.1084)	9 (171.9656)
Mar 18, 2022	Smoke on The Shores 🏅 Lebanon, TN	12 / 63 (687.9544)	33 (169.7028)	4 (176.0116)	22 (171.4172)	18 (170.8228)
Oct 15, 2021	Big Buffalo Crossing BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Munfordville, KY	20 / 27 (675.8972)	23 (165.6800)	21 (167.4056)	3 (178.8572)	24 (163.9544)
Sep 3, 2021	Smithfield Classic in Nashville 🏅 Nashville, TN	31 / 50 (679.8856)	43 (163.9428)	22 (171.9772)	24 (171.9656)	21 (172)
Aug 13, 2021	Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ 🏅 Huntsville, AL	21 / 49 (675.3028)	4 (176.5600)	29 (165.6684)	12 (171.9772)	38 (161.0972)
Mar 19, 2021	Smoke on The Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN	40 / 57 (659.3260)	48 (159.3944)	43 (162.8344)	35 (165.1316)	20 (171.9656)
Sep 25, 2020	TN River BBQ Battle & Music Fest 🏅 Savannah, TN	41 / 47 (639.7944)	44 (158.2172)	46 (150.8116)	24 (170.8112)	40 (159.9544)

MUSIC CITY SMOKE

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

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 (9 found in their record)

On the rise

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

The metronome

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 — 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)