Smoke Wagon BBQ KY KY
Rating
1518
peak 1540 · rated over 8 contests
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
2021-09-10
latest 2026-05-01
Best ToY finish
#271
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
5
of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 46%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
517.79
last 5 Backyard vs avg 517.79 (+0.00)
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±160.21
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 163.26 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.35)
Road miles
654
mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 269 mi
Schedule strength
64%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1559)
Purse competed for
$73K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
646.35 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
517.79 / 360
5 Backyard contests · 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.
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Dogpatch Q has come out ahead in 4 of their 5 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of McQ Smokers in 5 of their 6 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Bands & BBQ at the Point is their spot: an average finish in the top 18% across 4 visits.
😤 Brisket nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, BLUE CHIP BBQ has out-cooked them in 4 of 6 shared brisket entries.
📅 A September team
Something about September: average finish in the top 21% across 5 contests, versus top 46% the rest of the year.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 4 of 28 at their very first tracked contest, Bands & BBQ at the Point (2021-09-10).
Teams like this (closest power rating, KY first)
Familiar 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 | 144.0000 | 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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| KY | 5 | 0 | top 21% |
| MI | 1 | 0 | top 91% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 91% |
| IN | 1 | 0 | top 80% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 33% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 86% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring 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% | 2024-09-13 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (3 contests)
- Cooks mostly in KY (5 of 9 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (9 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 646.35 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 517.79 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2021-09-10 — First tracked contest · Bands & BBQ at the Point
- 📣 2021-09-10 — First call · Bands & BBQ at the Point
- ⭐ 2023-09-08 — Career-best overall score (680.0000) · Bands & BBQ at the Point
- 📈 2025-09-12 — Peak power rating (1540) · Bands and BBQ at the Point
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.6 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | 2023-09-08 |
| +12.4 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | 2021-09-10 |
| +8.2 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | 2022-09-09 |
| +7.2 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | 2024-09-13 |
| +4.7 | Bands and BBQ at the Point | 2025-09-12 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.4 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | 2026-03-20 |
| -10.6 | Smoke in the Mitten | 2026-05-01 |
| -7.5 | Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival | 2022-08-19 |
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)
Team of the Year rank by season
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% | 188.9% | 188.9% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 53% | 176.5% | 132.8% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 14% | 174.4% | 174.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-01 | Smoke in the Mitten 🏅 Westland, MI | 31 / 34 (651.4400) | 33 (160.0116) | 23 (165.1772) | 31 (161.7028) | 19 (164.5484) |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 114 / 125 (646.6628) | 109 (163.9428) | 117 (157.6456) | 112 (162.2628) | 100 (162.8116) |
| 2026-03-20 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 86 (144.0000) | — | — |
| 2025-09-12 | Bands and BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 10 / 29 (324.5372) | 12 (155.9772) | 6 (168.5600) | 6 (168.5256) | 7 (162.8000) |
| 2024-09-13 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 7 / 31 (321.0400) | 8 (157.6572) | 5 (163.3828) | 11 (151.9200) | 3 (162.2400) |
| 2023-09-08 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 3 / 33 (680.0000) | 8 (165.7144) | 5 (169.7028) | 1 (176.5600) | 5 (168.0228) |
| 2022-09-09 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 8 / 32 (635.3944) | 4 (171.4172) | 12 (151.4284) | 10 (154.8572) | 14 (157.6916) |
| 2022-08-19 | Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival 🏅 Madison, IN | 36 / 45 (640.9488) | 36 (163.9772) | 38 (158.2172) | 32 (161.6800) | 35 (157.0744) |
| 2021-09-10 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 4 / 28 (627.9660) | 8 (154.2284) | 10 (156.0232) | 14 (146.8228) | 2 (170.8916) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #747 (119 pts) | #814 (119 pts) | #682 (189 pts) | #777 (119 pts) | #680 (149 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) | — | — |