Happy hunting ground
Top 18%
average finish here
Bands & BBQ at the Point is their spot: an average finish in the top 18% across 4 visits.
- 4 visits
- best finish 3rd
- average top 18%
Smoke Wagon BBQ KY
Smoke Wagon BBQ KY is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 33 at the Bands & BBQ at the Point (2023). They are ranked #2395 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1524
peak 1545 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Sep 10, 2021
latest May 1, 2026 · 4.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
5
56% of 9 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 46%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±4.29
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 163.26 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.35)
Road miles
654
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 269 mi
Schedule strength
66%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1583)
Purse competed for
$73K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
646.35 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
322.79 / 360
2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
647.79 / 720
3 Backyard (4-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #678 (179 pts) | #764 (179 pts) | #683 (249 pts) | #670 (214 pts) | #594 (264 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #295 (121 pts) | #317 (111 pts) | #267 (161 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #271 (145 pts) | #292 (135 pts) | #257 (165 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #242 (143 pts) | #225 (173 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #176 (196 pts) | #274 (111 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #895 (155 pts) | #797 (215 pts) | #978 (165 pts) | #1029 (125 pts) | #954 (140 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #176 (138 pts) | #203 (118 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smoke Wagon BBQ KY, each with one reason worth a look.
100 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,386 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1527
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,402 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 89%
- Peak
- 1523
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,392 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1524
Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 12 years before Smoke Wagon BBQ KY's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,403 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1523
Level with Smoke Wagon BBQ KY on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,393 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1524
They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Smoke Wagon BBQ KY's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#2,408 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1523
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Smoke Wagon BBQ KY's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McQ Smokers | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Maestros | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| HIGH ON THE HAWG | 6 | 3 | 2 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS, KY | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE CHIP BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Shiggin aint easy | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| WeQ4U | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Loaded Barrel BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| What Up Grill | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Creek Smoke BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| All Sauced Up | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG DOGG BBQ - CINCINNATI, OH | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Butts-N-Racks BBQ | 5 | 2 | 2 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT COLE'S BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 171.4172 | 154.2284 | 161.62 | top 50% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 169.7028 | 144 | 159.35 | top 52% |
| Pork | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 176.5600 | 146.8228 | 160.54 | top 49% |
| Brisket | 8 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 170.8916 | 157.0744 | 163.26 | top 39% |
“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) | 6 | 0 | top 33% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 86% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bands & BBQ at the Point | 4 | 3 | 0 | top 18% | Sep 13, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
3 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KY
5 of 9 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
5
1 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
9 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls
Opponents faced
306
finished ahead 211 times, behind 284
Longest layoff
1 yrs
Sep 8, 2023 → Sep 13, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Smoke in the Mitten
20251 milestone
- Peak power rating (1545) Bands and BBQ at the Point
20235 milestones
- First category win (Pork) Bands & BBQ at the Point
- First overall podium Bands & BBQ at the Point
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score680 Bands & BBQ at the Point
- Career-best overall score680 Bands & BBQ at the Point
- Career-best single call (Pork)176.5600 Bands & BBQ at the Point
20213 milestones
- First tracked contest Bands & BBQ at the Point
- First call Bands & BBQ at the Point
- First overall top-10 Bands & BBQ at the Point
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.3 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | Sep 8, 2023 |
| +13.4 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | Sep 10, 2021 |
| +9 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | Sep 9, 2022 |
| +7.6 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | Sep 13, 2024 |
| +5.3 | Bands and BBQ at the Point | Sep 12, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.1 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 20, 2026 |
| -9.7 | Smoke in the Mitten | May 1, 2026 |
| -6.1 | Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival | Aug 19, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 91% | 90.5% | 90.1% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 34% | 90.1% | 90.1% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 23% | 89.2% | 89.2% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 9% | 94.4% | 94.4% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 53% | 89% | 88.6% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 14% | 87.2% | 87.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2026 | Smoke in the Mitten 🏅 Westland, MI | 31 / 34 (651.4400) | 33 (160.0116) | 23 (165.1772) | 31 (161.7028) | 19 (164.5484) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 114 / 125 (646.6628) | 109 (163.9428) | 117 (157.6456) | 112 (162.2628) | 100 (162.8116) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 86 (144) | — | — |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Bands and BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 10 / 29 (324.5372) | 12 (155.9772) | 6 (168.5600) | 6 (168.5256) | 7 (162.8000) |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 7 / 31 (321.0400) | 8 (157.6572) | 5 (163.3828) | 11 (151.9200) | 3 (162.2400) |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 3 / 33 (680) | 8 (165.7144) | 5 (169.7028) | 1 (176.5600) | 5 (168.0228) |
| Sep 9, 2022 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 8 / 32 (635.3944) | 4 (171.4172) | 12 (151.4284) | 10 (154.8572) | 14 (157.6916) |
| Aug 19, 2022 | Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival 🏅 Madison, IN | 36 / 45 (640.9488) | 36 (163.9772) | 38 (158.2172) | 32 (161.6800) | 35 (157.0744) |
| Sep 10, 2021 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 4 / 28 (627.9660) | 8 (154.2284) | 10 (156.0232) | 14 (146.8228) | 2 (170.8916) |