SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ NE
Rating
1544
peak 1594
Contests
39
in the data
First seen
2019-04-26
latest 2026-05-01
Best ToY finish
#151
Master 2017
Grand champs
1
2 reserve
Category wins
3
13 podiums
Overall top-10s
13
of 39 contests
Avg finish
top 47%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
667.97 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 659.65 (+8.32)
Walk rate
67%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
5
best run (overall)
Consistency
±72.24
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 170.92 · weakest Pork Ribs (168.06)
Road miles
5181
mi across 39 mapped stops · furthest 696 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY has landed one call behind them 3 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
MAN MEAT BBQ has come out ahead in 17 of their 19 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of HELPING U BBQ in 17 of their 20 shared contests.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 1.7144 points of the Grand Championship at SJV Winter Rub (2025-01-24).
📅 A September team
Something about September: average finish in the top 33% across 8 contests, versus top 47% the rest of the year.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship (2022-07-29) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 33-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, SmokinGhost BBQ.
Teams like this (closest power rating, NE first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 39 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 177.7372 | 154.2056 | 168.70 | top 52% |
| Pork Ribs | 39 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 175.4288 | 155.9200 | 168.06 | top 52% |
| Pork | 39 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 178.8572 | 162.2516 | 170.92 | top 42% |
| Brisket | 39 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 175.4056 | 154.7772 | 168.16 | top 45% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NE | 19 | 0 | top 43% |
| IA | 13 | 1 | top 48% |
| KS | 5 | 0 | top 61% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 63% |
| SD | 1 | 0 | top 34% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 59% |
| Medium (20–39) | 29 | 1 | top 44% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 57% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2023 (8 contests)
- Cooks mostly in NE (19 of 39 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (39 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship (2022-07-29)
- Wins it all in 3% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 659.65
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 679.9088 | 671.90 |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 695.3944 | 671.52 |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 681.0288 | 675.76 |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 692.5028 | 638.00 |
| 2022 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 705.0972 | 598.38 |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 698.2400 | 677.04 |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 676.5032 | 667.89 |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 686.8232 | 674.10 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-01 | SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL) Cambridge, IA | 10 / 17 (679.9088) | 10 (174.2744) | 24 (165.6916) | 19 (168.5372) | 10 (171.4056) |
| 2026-01-30 | SJV Winter Rub Omaha, NE | 31 / 38 (663.8968) | 38 (160.5484) | 33 (162.2628) | 10 (173.1200) | 16 (167.9656) |
| 2025-09-19 | Tri-City BBQ Fest Denison, IA | 17 / 26 (677.5884) | 17 (168.5600) | 16 (166.2400) | 13 (171.9656) | 12 (170.8228) |
| 2025-07-18 | Shenandoah ShenDig Shenandoah, IA | 26 / 30 (658.0684) | 20 (168.5372) | 26 (159.3600) | 17 (170.8228) | 26 (159.3484) |
| 2025-07-11 | Goose's 1st Annual Pitmaster Showdown Papillion, NE | 19 / 24 (660.3772) | 17 (165.0972) | 23 (155.9200) | 11 (170.8344) | 10 (168.5256) |
| 2025-06-06 | Big Blue BBQ Championship Marysville, KS | 22 / 29 (666.1488) | 19 (169.1200) | 13 (169.6800) | 23 (163.3944) | 20 (163.9544) |
| 2025-01-24 | SJV Winter Rub Omaha, NE | 2 / 32 (695.3944) | 11 (172.0116) | 6 (175.4172) | 12 (172.5600) | 1 (175.4056) |
| 2024-07-19 | Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ Shenandoah, IA | 22 / 36 (677.6112) | 28 (165.1200) | 17 (171.9656) | 3 (177.1428) | 24 (163.3828) |
| 2024-07-05 | Ditmars Red, White & Blue BBQ Council Bluffs, IA | 12 / 26 (672.5032) | 16 (166.2516) | 6 (170.2744) | 9 (170.8572) | 14 (165.1200) |
| 2024-05-17 | King of the Corn Ottumwa, IA | 23 / 36 (671.8860) | 27 (167.9888) | 23 (167.3828) | 22 (167.9772) | 16 (168.5372) |
| 2024-01-26 | SJV Winter Rub Omaha, NE | 13 / 26 (681.0288) | 15 (170.8228) | 2 (175.4288) | 10 (170.8344) | 19 (163.9428) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS | 246 / 487 (672.4800) | 321 (165.1200) | 281 (166.8228) | 73 (174.2972) | 259 (166.2400) |
| 2023-09-27 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest Kansas City, KS | 124 / 211 (681.0516) | 106 (171.4172) | 87 (171.9772) | 190 (162.8116) | 34 (174.8456) |
| 2023-09-15 | Tri City BBQ Fest Denison, IA | 4 / 32 (692.5028) | 12 (171.9656) | 7 (172.5600) | 3 (177.1428) | 10 (170.8344) |
| 2023-09-02 | Septemberfest BBQ & RibEye Steak Cook-off Challenge Omaha, NE | 7 / 34 (344.0116) | 19 (169.6800) | 26 (165.0856) | 5 (175.4172) | 6 (174.2628) |
| 2023-07-21 | Shenandoah ShenDig Shenandoah, IA | 9 / 37 (689.6460) | 16 (171.4172) | 13 (170.8460) | 16 (171.9772) | 5 (175.4056) |
| 2023-06-30 | Ditmars Red White & Blue BBQ Council Bluffs, IA | 6 / 22 (681.0632) | 3 (173.7144) | 13 (163.9660) | 7 (171.9772) | 5 (171.4056) |
| 2023-06-02 | Big Blue BBQ Championship Marysville, KS | 14 / 28 (675.8628) | 4 (175.4172) | 15 (168.5372) | 20 (166.2400) | 17 (165.6684) |
| 2023-01-27 | SJV Winter Rub Omaha, NE | 14 / 31 (667.3488) | 3 (173.1200) | 7 (173.1200) | 20 (164.5716) | 24 (156.5372) |
| 2022-10-14 | Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series)(JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN | 52 / 83 (672.0000) | 75 (161.7372) | 57 (167.4172) | 16 (173.7028) | 39 (169.1428) |
| 2022-09-03 | Septemberfest BBQ & RibEye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE | 6 / 45 (343.9544) | 31 (165.6684) | 25 (169.1200) | 27 (168.5256) | 14 (171.4400) |
| 2022-07-29 | Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship Shenandoah, IA | 1 / 27 (705.0972) | 3 (176.5600) | 6 (175.4172) | 4 (178.8572) | 4 (174.2628) |
| 2022-06-17 | Central Plains Ribfest Holdrege, NE | 17 / 29 (672.4800) | 18 (168.5256) | 19 (165.1544) | 12 (169.1200) | 10 (169.6800) |
| 2021-09-04 | Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge Omaha, NE | 3 / 25 (698.2400) | 5 (174.2744) | 8 (173.7028) | 4 (175.4056) | 4 (174.8572) |
| 2021-08-14 | GOBS Que (DAY 2) Arlington, NE | 13 / 25 (674.7084) | 4 (175.4172) | 11 (168.5256) | 15 (165.0972) | 18 (165.6684) |
| 2021-08-13 | GOBS Que (DAY 1) Arlington, NE | 10 / 26 (676.4688) | 12 (169.6916) | 13 (165.6916) | 12 (169.6800) | 4 (171.4056) |
| 2021-06-19 | Central Plains Ribfest Day 2 Holdrege, NE | 15 / 36 (681.6232) | 13 (172.5716) | 21 (169.6800) | 17 (169.6916) | 14 (169.6800) |
| 2021-06-18 | Central Plains Ribfest Day 1 Holdrege, NE | 24 / 40 (666.1716) | 1 (177.7372) | 20 (169.1316) | 26 (164.5256) | 35 (154.7772) |
| 2021-05-28 | 9th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE | 32 / 46 (665.0172) | 42 (154.2056) | 24 (167.4288) | 18 (169.6800) | 12 (173.7028) |
| 2020-11-13 | Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition Mayetta, KS | 67 / 94 (676.5032) | 90 (162.2744) | 18 (175.4288) | 45 (171.4172) | 71 (167.3828) |
| 2020-06-27 | Back to Mayberry Day 2 Rodney, IA | 31 / 47 (664.4688) | 43 (160.5144) | 23 (166.2744) | 24 (169.7028) | 18 (167.9772) |
| 2020-06-26 | Back to Mayberry Day 1 Rodney, IA | 30 / 53 (662.6972) | 24 (167.9656) | 30 (165.0972) | 27 (167.9772) | 38 (161.6572) |
| 2019-09-06 | Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll Vermillion, SD | 10 / 29 (682.2520) | 20 (164.0004) | 3 (173.7144) | 9 (172.5600) | 9 (171.9772) |
| 2019-08-31 | Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge Omaha, NE | 11 / 28 (680.4800) | 7 (172.5716) | 21 (163.9656) | 9 (173.1200) | 8 (170.8228) |
| 2019-08-09 | GOBS Que Arlington, NE | 2 / 29 (686.8232) | 5 (174.3088) | 2 (174.8572) | 20 (162.2516) | 1 (175.4056) |
| 2019-07-19 | BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA | 16 / 33 (668.9944) | 11 (173.1200) | 18 (165.6800) | 4 (175.4172) | 27 (154.7772) |
| 2019-06-14 | Central Plains Ribfest Holdrege, NE | 14 / 30 (663.8744) | 20 (161.0856) | 21 (158.8344) | 3 (176.5716) | 11 (167.3828) |
| 2019-05-31 | 8th Annual Valley Veterans BBQ Competition Valley, NE | 13 / 39 (675.8624) | 18 (167.9656) | 23 (166.2628) | 2 (176.5600) | 21 (165.0740) |
| 2019-04-26 | Q for a Cause Papillion, NE | 23 / 32 (660.4228) | 28 (158.8116) | 26 (160.5372) | 6 (173.7028) | 20 (167.3712) |
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 | #535 (161 pts) | #562 (191 pts) | #731 (121 pts) | #479 (221 pts) | #440 (236 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #382 (551 pts) | #480 (471 pts) | #469 (496 pts) | #420 (511 pts) | #348 (656 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #504 (372 pts) | #597 (317 pts) | #413 (587 pts) | #380 (572 pts) | #544 (357 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #200 (1027 pts) | #176 (1092 pts) | #301 (832 pts) | #220 (952 pts) | #226 (937 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #483 (431 pts) | #570 (376 pts) | #685 (311 pts) | #546 (381 pts) | #502 (446 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #277 (696 pts) | #197 (956 pts) | #336 (606 pts) | #305 (671 pts) | #248 (786 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #655 (120 pts) | #680 (125 pts) | #678 (130 pts) | #682 (125 pts) | #614 (155 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #350 (906 pts) | #438 (776 pts) | #393 (851 pts) | #221 (1226 pts) | #359 (911 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #217 (1338 pts) | #324 (1018 pts) | #222 (1268 pts) | #188 (1398 pts) | #227 (1298 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #151 (1719 pts) | #124 (1690 pts) | #262 (1239 pts) | #121 (1726 pts) | #211 (1410 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #285 (1224 pts) | #514 (789 pts) | #280 (1229 pts) | #384 (1009 pts) | #267 (1249 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #459 (840 pts) | #375 (995 pts) | #406 (910 pts) | #369 (980 pts) | #496 (755 pts) |