High-water mark
678.2284
career-best overall
94.2% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 678.2284 at Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition — 94.2% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jun 15, 2018
Smokin Critters
Smokin Critters is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 9th of 23 at the Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (2018). They are ranked #4589 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Smokin' Critters”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1471
peak 1471 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
May 16, 2014
latest Mar 31, 2023 · 8.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
10% of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 70%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
662.55 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 651.73 (+10.82)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±15.32
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 166.73 · weakest Brisket (156.99)
Road miles
1,775
across 10 mapped stops · furthest 692 mi
Schedule strength
56%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1571)
Purse competed for
$22K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
651.73 / 720
10 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smokin Critters, each with one reason worth a look.
142 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,577 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1471
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#4,581 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1511
Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,594 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1471
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 7 years before Smokin Critters's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,588 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1471
Level with Smokin Critters on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,599 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1471
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#4,575 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1472
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOTHIC TOWN GRILLERS | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TREEFROG BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TRUE SMOKE BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 157.6800 | 166.73 | top 50% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 170.8572 | 154.8228 | 164.33 | top 59% |
| Pork | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 172.5484 | 157.0856 | 163.67 | top 61% |
| Brisket | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 168 | 142.8228 | 156.99 | top 76% |
“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 88% |
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 61% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 82% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2018
3 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IA
8 of 10 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
10
a different one every time
Opponents faced
268
finished ahead 91 times, behind 273
Longest layoff
4.1 yrs
Sep 21, 2018 → Oct 14, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20232 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Iowa State BBQ Championship
- Most recent contest Iowa State BBQ Championship
20183 milestones
- First overall top-10 Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition
- Career-best overall score678.2284 Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.2628 Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition
20153 milestones
- First call State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score655.9544 State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1495) State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship
20141 milestone
- First tracked contest Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +7.5 | Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition | Jun 15, 2018 |
| +6 | State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship | Jun 19, 2015 |
| +3.9 | Big Muddy Brew N Que | Sep 1, 2018 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.7 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass | May 16, 2014 |
| -8.1 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Mar 31, 2023 |
| -8.1 | Back to Back to the Park BBQ | Aug 28, 2015 |
| -5.7 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash | Jul 24, 2015 |
| -5 | King of the Corn | Oct 14, 2022 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 92.1% | 92.1% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 78% | 91.7% | 91.7% |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 54% | 94.2% | 92.1% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 83% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 70% | 91.1% | 89% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 87.1% | 87.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2023 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 37 / 47 (663.3828) | 11 (172.5600) | 39 (161.7028) | 40 (162.2628) | 28 (166.8572) |
| Oct 14, 2022 | King of the Corn 🏅 Ottumwa, IA | 28 / 36 (660.4460) | 11 (172.5716) | 27 (163.4060) | 12 (172.5484) | 35 (151.9200) |
| Sep 21, 2018 | Tri City BBQ Fest Denison, IA | 20 / 27 (649.5996) | 14 (166.2628) | 10 (167.4284) | 22 (160.5256) | 25 (155.3828) |
| Sep 1, 2018 | Big Muddy Brew N Que Winona, MN | 11 / 22 (661.0744) | 10 (166.2972) | 8 (170.8572) | 17 (158.2400) | 8 (165.6800) |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition State Center, IA | 9 / 23 (678.2284) | 7 (174.2628) | 12 (167.4400) | 8 (168.5256) | 8 (168) |
| Jul 1, 2016 | Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA | 29 / 35 (654.7084) | 30 (159.9428) | 26 (161.7144) | 10 (169.6800) | 27 (163.3712) |
| Aug 28, 2015 | Back to Back to the Park BBQ Marshalltown, IA | 14 / 16 (628.9832) | 15 (157.6800) | 13 (159.9772) | 14 (158.8116) | 16 (152.5144) |
| Jul 24, 2015 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 42 / 54 (637.5656) | 46 (159.4056) | 17 (167.9772) | 45 (157.0856) | 42 (153.0972) |
| Jun 19, 2015 | State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship State Center, IA | 12 / 27 (655.9544) | 7 (168.0228) | 7 (168) | 6 (169.6800) | 24 (150.2516) |
| May 16, 2014 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN | 50 / 56 (627.3140) | 18 (170.2856) | 53 (154.8228) | 45 (159.3828) | 55 (142.8228) |