The comeback
5.3 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 5.3 years, then back at American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest (Sep 30, 2026).
- last seen May 28, 2021
- back Sep 30, 2026
The Holy Smokers
The Holy Smokers is a competition barbecue team with 4 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 22nd of 26 at The Best Dam Barbeque (2021). They finished #1209 in the 2021 Master Series Team of the Year standings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1484
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 2
Contests
4
in the data
First seen
May 28, 2021
latest Sep 30, 2026 · 5.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 4 contests
Avg finish
top 85%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 163.70 · weakest Brisket (151.71)
Road miles
2,144
across 4 mapped stops · furthest 1,114 mi
Purse competed for
$76K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
624.19 / 720
2 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 | #1209 (66 pts) | #1249 (71 pts) | #1179 (96 pts) | #1260 (61 pts) | #1223 (66 pts) |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.8800 | 151.9544 | 157.42 | top 82% |
| Pork Ribs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2972 | 161.0972 | 163.70 | top 66% |
| Pork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 156.5256 | 156.5256 | 156.53 | top 91% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2972 | 137.1200 | 151.71 | top 73% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 85% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 84% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
2 contests
Contests a season
1.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
2 of 4 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
2
a different one every time
Opponents faced
382
finished ahead 60 times, behind 324
Longest layoff
5.3 yrs
May 28, 2021 → Sep 30, 2026
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score652 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Career-best overall score652 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Career-best single call (Brisket)166.2972 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides
20161 milestone
- First tracked contest City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 90.6% | 90.6% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 85% | 82.8% | 82.8% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 30, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 304 / 360 (652) | 303 (162.8800) | 257 (166.2972) | 328 (156.5256) | 220 (166.2972) |
| May 28, 2021 | The Best Dam Barbeque 🏅 Boulder City, NV | 22 / 26 (596.3772) | 21 (151.9544) | 16 (161.0972) | — | 22 (137.1200) |
| Sep 3, 2016 | City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | — | — | — | — | — |