A tough matchup
6–0
behind in the head-to-head
Bramble BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
Bramble BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
JK Smokin BBQ
JK Smokin BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 7 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2025 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 12th of 17 at the SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL) (2026). They are ranked #5428 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “J & K Smokin' BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1453
peak 1453 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
Apr 4, 2025
latest Jul 31, 2026 · 1.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 82%
overall standings
Best overall
619.8404 / 720
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.87
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 158.10 · weakest Pork (112.55)
Road miles
890
across 7 mapped stops · furthest 174 mi
Schedule strength
70%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1588)
Purse competed for
$38K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
594.71 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
314.14 / 360
5 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
619.84 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 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)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to JK Smokin BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
124 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,445 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1453
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,407 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1453
They were already cooking in 2014, 11 years before JK Smokin BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#5,427 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
They've been 1503 at their best, 50 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#5,420 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1453
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before JK Smokin BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,440 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1453
Level with JK Smokin BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,446 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1453
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before JK Smokin BBQ'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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bramble BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Chester's Twisted Que | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| DAWGS BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Rudes BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 161.1772 | 147.3828 | 154.34 | top 96% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165.0740 | 146.8228 | 158.10 | top 92% |
| Pork | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165.1316 | 20 | 112.55 | top 114% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 143.9544 | 136.4800 | 140.22 | top 141% |
“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) | 2 | 0 | top 83% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 84% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 71% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 3 | 17 | 0 | top 93% | Jul 18, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
4 contests
Contests a season
3.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IA
7 of 7 contests
Contests visited
5
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
144
finished ahead 42 times, behind 208
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- Career-best overall score619.8404 SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL)
- Career-best single call (Pork)165.1316 SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score326.2512 Cruisin' and BBQin'
- Most recent contest Cruisin' and BBQin'
20252 milestones
- First tracked contest Iowa State BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1494) Iowa State BBQ Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +1.6 | Cruisin' and BBQin' | Jul 31, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.6 | Shenandoah ShenDig | Jul 18, 2025 |
| -11.1 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) | Jul 11, 2025 |
| -8.5 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) | Jul 17, 2026 |
| -8.3 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | Jul 18, 2026 |
| -6.3 | Iowa State BBQ Championship | Apr 4, 2025 |
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 90.6% | 87.5% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 87% | 84.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 2026 | Cruisin' and BBQin' 🏅 Hampton, IA | 13 / 26 (326.2512) | 13 (161.1772) | 13 (165.0740) | — | — |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 26 / 28 (315.9772) | 25 (159.9656) | 25 (156.0116) | — | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 25 / 27 (308.5144) | 26 (148.5372) | 23 (159.9772) | — | — |
| May 1, 2026 | SmokeHouse Barbeque Showdown (OPEN FORMAT) (REGISTRATION FULL) 🏅 Cambridge, IA | 12 / 17 (619.8404) | 28 (158.8344) | 28 (159.3944) | 24 (165.1316) | 31 (136.4800) |
| Jul 18, 2025 | Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA | 30 / 30 (594.7084) | 30 (151.4056) | 30 (146.8228) | 30 (152.5256) | 30 (143.9544) |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 17 / 18 (313.1200) | 18 (153.1084) | 16 (160.0116) | 18 (20) | — |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 35 / 49 (306.8228) | 36 (147.3828) | 31 (159.4400) | — | — |