High-water mark
679.3252
career-best overall
94.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 679.3252 at BBQ Festival — 94.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Aug 19, 2022
Smoking Finns
Smoking Finns is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 10 at the BBQ Festival 2018 (2018). They are ranked #2099 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “*Smoking Finns”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1534
peak 1534 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
Oct 10, 2014
latest May 20, 2023 · 8.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
57% of 7 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 41%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
655.96 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 652.39 (+3.57)
Walk rate
86%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.08
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 167.35 · weakest Chicken (158.02)
Road miles
11,791
across 7 mapped stops · furthest 4,496 mi
Schedule strength
30%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1541)
Master avg
652.39 / 720
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #847 (154 pts) | #1130 (109 pts) | #840 (214 pts) | #941 (134 pts) | #930 (144 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smoking Finns, each with one reason worth a look.
67 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,101 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1541
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 6 years before Smoking Finns's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,094 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1535
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,103 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1548
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 10 contests, alongside a 20% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#2,104 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1534
Level with Smoking Finns on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,100 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1540
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before Smoking Finns's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,095 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1535
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2014.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 171.4172 | 142.8112 | 158.02 | top 67% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 173.2000 | 152.5372 | 167.35 | top 42% |
| Pork | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 174.8456 | 154.8800 | 163.68 | top 42% |
| Brisket | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 173.1428 | 147.4400 | 163.34 | top 38% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 38% |
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 19% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 51% |
By state / province (where the contests were held)
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| LT | 1 | 0 | top 43% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 78% |
| EU | 1 | 0 | top 47% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2018
2 contests
Contests a season
1.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
LT
1 of 7 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
7
a different one every time
Opponents faced
218
finished ahead 125 times, behind 130
Longest layoff
3.8 yrs
Oct 26, 2018 → Aug 19, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20232 milestones
- Peak power rating (1534) Twin Smoke
- Most recent contest Twin Smoke
20222 milestones
- Career-best overall score679.3252 BBQ Festival
- Career-best single call (Pork)174.8456 BBQ Festival
20181 milestone
- First overall podium BBQ Festival 2018
20153 milestones
- First overall top-10 Smoke in the North
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.4624 Smoke in the North
- First category win (Pork Ribs) 3rd Annual BBQ Society Cook Off
20142 milestones
- First tracked contest Ruhrpott BBQ
- First call Ruhrpott BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +11.3 | Smoke in the North | Aug 1, 2015 |
| +7.9 | 3rd Annual BBQ Society Cook Off | Oct 10, 2015 |
| +7.7 | BBQ Festival 2018 | Aug 17, 2018 |
| +5.4 | BBQ Festival | Aug 19, 2022 |
| +3.6 | Twin Smoke | May 20, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -3.4 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES FULL) | Oct 26, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 43% | 90.1% | 90.1% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 40% | 94.4% | 94.4% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 54% | 90.4% | 90.4% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 24% | 91% | 90.7% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 47% | 87.7% | 87.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2023 | Twin Smoke Vilnius, Lithuania | 6 / 14 (648.4568) | 11 (156.5256) | 3 (172.5600) | 8 (158.2628) | 7 (161.1084) |
| Aug 19, 2022 | BBQ Festival Saue Parish | 4 / 10 (679.3252) | 2 (171.4172) | 8 (166.8112) | 4 (174.8456) | 5 (166.2512) |
| Oct 26, 2018 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES FULL) Lynchburg, TN | 80 / 102 (650.7540) | 99 (154.7772) | 81 (162.8340) | 77 (161.1428) | 20 (172) |
| Aug 17, 2018 | BBQ Festival 2018 Vanamõisa, Saue Parish | 3 / 10 (650.3084) | 6 (161.1656) | 2 (173.1428) | 4 (154.8800) | 4 (161.1200) |
| Oct 10, 2015 | 3rd Annual BBQ Society Cook Off Hoofddorp Netherlands | 12 / 42 (650.9600) | 21 (163.4400) | 1 (173.2000) | 10 (166.8800) | 32 (147.4400) |
| Aug 1, 2015 | Smoke in the North Gunnilse/Gothenburg | 5 / 26 (655.4624) | 25 (142.8112) | 4 (170.3428) | 6 (169.1656) | 4 (173.1428) |
| Oct 10, 2014 | Ruhrpott BBQ Gelsenkirchen, Germany, EU | 27 / 58 (631.4628) | 40 (156.0228) | 43 (152.5372) | 22 (160.5828) | 10 (162.3200) |