Smoke Wagon

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#6233

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1411

peak 1411 · rated over 15 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-04-11

latest 2022-10-14

Best ToY finish

#1309

Master 2022

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 15 contests

Avg finish

top 84%

overall standings

Best overall

650.2056 / 720

Master · Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest

Perfect 180s

Current form

610.77 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 528.67 (+82.11)

Walk rate

13%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.3544

Chicken · 9th Annual Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ

Consistency

±160.21

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 153.66 · weakest Brisket (147.18)

Road miles

6,330

mi across 15 mapped stops · furthest 1217 mi

Schedule strength

66%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1583)

Purse competed for

$79K

listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 8 state-championship entries

Master avg

528.67 / 720

14 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

310.27 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs

Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is 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.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

SMOKE-N-PEPPERS has finished one call ahead of Smoke Wagon 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

BUTCHER BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

BUTCHER BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.48 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 7%.

Brisket avg 147.18
Chicken avg 153.66
0 calls in 12 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Twisted Smokers in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at King of the Corn (2022-10-14).

last seen 2019-10-18
back 2022-10-14

Chicken nemesis

6 of 6 shared chicken entries lost

BUTCHER BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BUTCHER BBQ has out-cooked them in 6 of 6 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

China Rainbow has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±21.73% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±21.73% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 74.3% of a perfect score
best 90.3%

The long haul

6,330 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,330 miles across 15 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,217 miles to Twin Valley Fire and Smoke.

15 mapped stops
furthest 1,217 mi

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

TRIANGLE S BAR B Q

#6231 of the rated field

1411 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1411

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2025-09-19

⚔ Head-to-head

Estancia

#6232 of the rated field

1411 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1411

No shared contest yet.

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 24 contests to 15.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2026-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

TRUCKERS CHOICE BBQ

#6234 of the rated field

1410 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 48
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 2%
Peak: 1410

No shared contest yet.

48 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 2% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 48 contests
last seen 2026-07-11

⚔ Head-to-head

SLOW EXPECTATIONS BBQ

#6237 of the rated field

1410 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1504

No shared contest yet.

Level with Smoke Wagon on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

BABE'S BBQ

#6227 of the rated field

1411 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1411

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2014.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2022-11-04

⚔ Head-to-head

BUTT BROS BBQ

#6239 of the rated field

1410 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1410

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 3 years before Smoke Wagon's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 17 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Three Hog Night Smokers	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
BUTCHER BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
4 LEGS UP BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BIG BUTTS NEED RUBBIN TOO	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
IRON WHEEL COOKERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SPICY SPITFIRE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BARRY & ERICA	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BUFFALO'S BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Bacon Bash Texas	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Tool Time	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
56 SMOKEHOUSE	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Swadley's Bar-B-Q	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
J&J SWINE & BOVINE	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
The Po Po Piggy	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	14	1	1	174.3544	132.5484	153.66	top 74%
Pork Ribs	14	1	0	169.1428	113.7372	150.34	top 76%
Pork	11	0	0	167.9656	137.6684	153.58	top 84%
Brisket	12	0	0	163.3828	109.5660	147.18	top 85%

“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	Avg finish
OK	6	top 86%
MO	2	top 90%
IN	2	top 97%
IA	1	top 94%
NC	1	top 86%
KS	1	top 75%
PA	1	top 25%
TX	1	top 89%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	7	0	top 94%
Large (40+)	8	0	top 75%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ	2	46	0	top 91%	2017-04-21

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 8.5 yrs 2014-04-11 → 2022-10-14

Busiest season 2019 7 contests

Contests a season 2.1 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in OK 6 of 15 contests · 8 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 14 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 14 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 153.66 · weakest Brisket (147.18)

Walk rate 13% a top-10 call in 2 of 15 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 15 contests

Master average 528.67 out of 720 · 14 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 310.27 out of 360 · 1 contest · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 437 122–558 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 6,330 15 mapped stops · furthest 1,217 mi

Schedule strength 1583 average field rating faced — tougher than 66% of rated contests

Purse competed for $78,640 listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 8 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 3 yrs 2019-10-18 → 2022-10-14

Power rating 1411 peak 1411 · #6233 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Apr 11 First tracked contest 9th Annual Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ
Apr 11 First call 9th Annual Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ
Apr 11 Career-best single call (Chicken)174.3544 9th Annual Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ
Apr 11 Peak power rating (1498) 9th Annual Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ
2019
May 10 10th tracked contest Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)
Jul 12 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.2056 Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest
Jul 12 Career-best overall score650.2056 Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest
2022
Oct 14 Most recent contest King of the Corn

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+9.2	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke	2019-05-17

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.7	Smokin on the Water	2016-04-29
-10.6	Smokin on the Water 2	2016-04-30
-10.5	Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ	2017-04-21
-8.2	Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)	2019-05-10
-8	Smokin Trackside BBQ Bash	2019-08-09

Category scores over time

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2022	1	0%	top 94%	89.4%	89.4%
2019	7	14%	top 79%	90.3%	83.6%
2018	1	0%	top 94%	83.3%	83.3%
2017	1	0%	top 98%	41.1%	41.1%
2016	3	0%	top 93%	83.1%	47%
2015	1	0%	top 83%	86.6%	86.6%
2014	1	100%	top 61%	87.6%	87.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2022-10-14	King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA	34 / 36 (643.8972)	26 (168.5828)	33 (158.8344)	33 (161.1084)	34 (155.3716)
2019-10-18	Smoking in the Foothills Barbecue Competition and Festival B 🏅 Lenoir, NC	19 / 22 (631.8628)	19 (158.8344)	19 (158.8228)	21 (157.0972)	17 (157.1084)
2019-08-09	Smokin Trackside BBQ Bash 🏅 Winston, MO	29 / 30 (549.1656)	29 (143.9772)	29 (113.7372)	28 (145.7372)	28 (145.7140)
2019-07-12	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest 🏅 Mayetta, KS	44 / 59 (650.2056)	33 (167.4172)	27 (169.1428)	49 (160.0000)	53 (153.6456)
2019-05-17	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA	11 / 44 (310.2744)	11 (152.5828)	7 (157.6916)	—	—
2019-05-10	Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) 🏅 Plainview, TX	34 / 38 (578.7428)	36 (141.0856)	36 (143.9544)	22 (160.0228)	36 (133.6800)
2019-04-26	Smokin In The Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	35 / 42 (615.2456)	32 (155.9656)	24 (163.9772)	41 (141.0628)	35 (154.2400)
2019-04-26	14th Annual HANOR Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ 🏅 Enid, OK	37 / 39 (567.2684)	37 (143.3828)	39 (122.2172)	32 (156.5712)	35 (145.0972)
2018-04-20	13th Annual Hanor Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	46 / 49 (599.8396)	49 (132.5484)	26 (167.4056)	47 (147.9656)	39 (151.9200)
2017-04-21	Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	46 / 47 (295.9312)	33 (159.4284)	45 (136.5028)	—	—
2016-04-30	Smokin on the Water 2 Liberty, IN	34 / 35 (109.5660)	—	—	—	34 (109.5660)
2016-04-29	Smokin on the Water Liberty, IN	32 / 33 (306.2744)	30 (154.2972)	31 (151.9772)	—	—
2016-04-15	Roberts Ranch Smokin Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	53 / 63 (598.6400)	59 (142.8344)	50 (153.6572)	54 (154.2284)	54 (147.9200)
2015-04-17	10th Annual Roberts Ranch Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	62 / 75 (623.8056)	61 (155.9888)	67 (151.3484)	35 (167.9656)	66 (148.5028)
2014-04-11	9th Annual Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	39 / 64 (630.8916)	3 (174.3544)	43 (155.4860)	63 (137.6684)	28 (163.3828)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

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
2022 ↗	Master	#1309 (60 pts)	#1341 (60 pts)	#1404 (60 pts)	#1348 (60 pts)	#1333 (60 pts)