High-water mark
665.0172
career-best overall
92.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 665.0172 at Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge — 92.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jan 14, 2022
POP N' SMOKE
POP N' SMOKE is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 24th of 42 at the National Capital Barbecue Battle (2015). They are ranked #5665 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Pop - N - Smoke”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1447
peak 1447 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Jul 18, 2014
latest Jan 14, 2022 · 7.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 83%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
624.30 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 613.73 (+10.57)
Walk rate
25%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±25.56
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 155.54 · weakest Pork (151.98)
Road miles
2,964
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 1,915 mi
Schedule strength
48%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1562)
Purse competed for
$16K
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
613.73 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1409 (179 pts) | #1538 (174 pts) | #1497 (179 pts) | #1551 (174 pts) | #1136 (269 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to POP N' SMOKE, each with one reason worth a look.
105 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,676 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1446
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,660 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1447
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 3 years before POP N' SMOKE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,658 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1447
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,674 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1446
Level with POP N' SMOKE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,652 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1447
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 5 years before POP N' SMOKE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,668 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1447
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 6 years before POP N' SMOKE'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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.9772 | 149.6916 | 155.54 | top 82% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 165.1544 | 138.2516 | 153.97 | top 76% |
| Pork | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.4172 | 139.3600 | 151.98 | top 80% |
| Brisket | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.4400 | 131.3372 | 152.23 | top 70% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 92% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 78% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2015
3 contests
Contests a season
1.6
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MD
3 of 8 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
8
a different one every time
Opponents faced
258
finished ahead 65 times, behind 276
Longest layoff
4.8 yrs
Apr 14, 2017 → Jan 14, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20223 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.0172 Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
- Career-best overall score665.0172 Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
- Most recent contest Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
20151 milestone
- Career-best single call (Brisket)171.4400 National Capital Barbecue Battle
20143 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship
- First call Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1490) Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +4.8 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge | Jan 14, 2022 |
| +1.1 | National Capital Barbecue Battle | Jun 27, 2015 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.7 | 4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle | Oct 10, 2014 |
| -10.9 | Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship | Jul 17, 2015 |
| -10.1 | BBQ Jamboree | May 8, 2015 |
| -9.6 | Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship | Jul 18, 2014 |
| -8.7 | Interstate BBQ Festival | Apr 15, 2016 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 56% | 92.4% | 92.4% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 91% | 83.9% | 83.9% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 83.5% | 83.5% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 81% | 89% | 85.2% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 90% | 85.7% | 83.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 14, 2022 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 33 / 59 (665.0172) | 32 (167.9772) | 39 (164.5372) | 31 (167.4172) | 26 (165.0856) |
| Apr 14, 2017 | Interstate BBQ Festival Hagerstown, MD | 53 / 58 (603.7944) | 51 (155.9428) | 55 (145.6688) | 52 (154.2856) | 48 (147.8972) |
| Apr 15, 2016 | Interstate BBQ Festival Hagerstown, MD | 39 / 41 (601.5316) | 38 (153.1200) | 38 (148.4916) | 41 (139.3600) | 20 (160.5600) |
| Jul 17, 2015 | Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship Galax, VA | 28 / 29 (610.6748) | 26 (154.8456) | 24 (158.8460) | 29 (150.7888) | 28 (146.1944) |
| Jun 27, 2015 | National Capital Barbecue Battle Washington, DC | 24 / 42 (640.4800) | 33 (149.6916) | 29 (159.9656) | 26 (159.3828) | 8 (171.4400) |
| May 8, 2015 | BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA | 58 / 65 (589.5884) | 51 (153.6684) | 53 (150.8456) | 38 (153.7372) | 63 (131.3372) |
| Oct 10, 2014 | 4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle Clarksburg, MD | 24 / 25 (581.6344) | 21 (155.4056) | 23 (138.2516) | 22 (142.8572) | 20 (145.1200) |
| Jul 18, 2014 | Smoke on the Mountain - VA State BBQ Championship Galax, VA | 25 / 30 (617.0856) | 26 (153.6572) | 9 (165.1544) | 28 (148.0456) | 28 (150.2284) |