HI-TECH SMOKERS

HI-TECH SMOKERS is a competition barbecue team with 38 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 15th of 16 at the Missouri's North Star BBQ Championship (2014). They are ranked #6441 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “HI TECH SMOKERS”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#6,441

of 6,485 rated · rankings

Rating

1375

peak 1375 · rated over 33 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 26, 2013

latest Sep 30, 2026 · 13.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#875

Master 2025 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 38 contests

Avg finish

top 77%

overall standings

Best overall

656.5716 / 720

Master · 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open

Perfect 180s

Current form

627.73 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 624.90 (+2.82)

Walk rate

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.1544

Chicken · 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open

Consistency

±17.69

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 156.94 · weakest Brisket (154.63)

Road miles

1,031

across 38 mapped stops · furthest 142 mi

Schedule strength

58%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1573)

Purse competed for

$477K

listed at 16 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 13 state-championship entries

Master avg

624.90 / 720

33 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (7 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

HANG 'EM' HIGH has finished one call ahead of HI-TECH SMOKERS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 64%.

4 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 64%

A tough matchup

23–3 behind in the head-to-head

Sons of a Brisket ahead in 88% of their meetings

Sons of a Brisket has come out ahead in 23 of their 26 shared contests.

A strong matchup

11–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 85% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Smoke & Beer BBQ in 11 of their 13 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST (Sep 16, 2021).

last seen Sep 28, 2019
back Sep 16, 2021

Pork Ribs nemesis

24 of 26 shared pork ribs entries lost

Sons of a Brisket ahead 92% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Sons of a Brisket has out-cooked them in 24 of 26 shared pork ribs entries.

An October team

Top 69% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 69% across 7 contests, versus top 77% the rest of the year.

7 October contests
top 77% the rest of the year

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	#1310 (53 pts)	#1351 (53 pts)	#1404 (53 pts)	#1309 (53 pts)	#1258 (58 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#875 (120 pts)	#960 (120 pts)	#1020 (120 pts)	#935 (120 pts)	#920 (120 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#1182 (60 pts)	#1242 (60 pts)	#1317 (60 pts)	#1231 (60 pts)	#1204 (60 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#1255 (60 pts)	#1319 (60 pts)	#1432 (60 pts)	#1287 (60 pts)	#1296 (60 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#986 (120 pts)	#1051 (120 pts)	#1107 (120 pts)	#1046 (120 pts)	#1021 (120 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#1012 (112 pts)	#894 (147 pts)	#995 (127 pts)	#1057 (112 pts)	#945 (122 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1636 (114 pts)	#1491 (139 pts)	#1455 (144 pts)	#1706 (114 pts)	#1678 (114 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to HI-TECH SMOKERS, each with one reason worth a look.

Brewski and Barbeque

#6,440 of the rated field

1375 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1375

10–2 in 12 shared contests (83% to HI-TECH SMOKERS)

These two have cooked 12 of the same contests — HI-TECH SMOKERS ahead 10–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

D'Vine Swine

#6,439 of the rated field

1375 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1375

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 27 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 27 contests
last seen Aug 18, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

WINGED SWINE

#6,442 of the rated field

1374 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 46
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1374

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to HI-TECH SMOKERS)

Careers of much the same size, 46 contests to 38, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 46 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

SNORING HOGS BBQ

#6,443 of the rated field

1374 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 3%
Peak: 1374

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before HI-TECH SMOKERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 33 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Cobia Smoke

#6,437 of the rated field

1378 ▲ 2 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1378

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jul 29, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

BLUES ROCK BBQ

#6,438 of the rated field

1377 ▲ 2 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1377

Rated 2 points above HI-TECH SMOKERS.

rated over 13 contests
last seen May 31, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Sons of a Brisket	26	3	23	12%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	23	2	21	9%	⚔ compare
LOVE 2 Q	20	3	17	15%	⚔ compare
Wabash BBQ	19	4	15	21%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	19	2	17	11%	⚔ compare
MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
UNFAMOUS DAVE'S	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
Theslabs.com	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	18	0	18	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKE THIS BBQ MO	17	2	15	12%	⚔ compare
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ	17	1	16	6%	⚔ compare
BURNT FINGER BBQ	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	17	0	17	0%	⚔ compare
Splitlog Smokers	16	9	7	56%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	33	1	173.1544	129.0396	156.76	top 77%
Pork Ribs	33	0	170.2972	138.7772	156.94	top 76%
Pork	33	0	168.5372	136.4456	156.58	top 76%
Brisket	33	1	168.5372	139.9312	154.63	top 74%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 94%
Medium (20–39)	6	top 90%
Large (40+)	26	top 73%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MO	23	0	top 79%
KS	10	0	top 73%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest	5	26	top 91%	Apr 24, 2026
American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	4	57	top 74%	Sep 30, 2026
Independence Fire & Ice BBQ	3	40	top 78%	Oct 5, 2018
American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest	2	373	top 90%	Nov 5, 2025
Smoke Out in the Valley	2	21	top 95%	Jun 17, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2018 4 contests

Contests a season 2.9 across 13 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 23 of 38 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 22 5 of them more than once

Opponents faced 2,642 finished ahead 2,097 times, behind 5,052

Longest layoff 2 yrs Sep 28, 2019 → Sep 16, 2021

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20261 milestone

Sep 30 Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides

20221 milestone

Sep 29 25th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST

20161 milestone

Jun 18 10th tracked contest Smoke out in the Valley

20143 milestones

Oct 2 First overall past 90% of a perfect score656.5716 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
Oct 2 Career-best overall score656.5716 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
Oct 2 Career-best single call (Chicken)173.1544 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open

20133 milestones

Apr 26 First tracked contest Smokin' In The Creek
Apr 26 First call Smokin' In The Creek
Apr 26 Peak power rating (1499) Smokin' In The Creek

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.8	American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST	Sep 16, 2021
+13	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST	Sep 12, 2019
+4.1	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	Oct 2, 2014
+3.9	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ	Oct 6, 2017
+1.3	Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off	Sep 6, 2013

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.2	6th Annual Wellsville BBQ Cookoff	Jul 12, 2013
-12.2	Missouri's North Star BBQ Championship	Aug 15, 2014
-10.2	Smoke Out in the Valley	Jun 17, 2017
-9.2	Smokin in the Creek BBQ	Apr 21, 2023
-8.9	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ	Oct 5, 2018

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	3	0%	top 96%	89%	87.1%
2025	3	0%	top 95%	87%	87%
2024	3	0%	top 88%	89.2%	88.5%
2023	3	0%	top 95%	86.4%	85.3%
2022	3	0%	top 94%	86.6%	84.7%
2021	1	0%	top 12%	92.2%	92.2%
2019	3	0%	top 65%	91.2%	88.7%
2018	4	0%	top 82%	87.9%	85%
2017	3	0%	top 73%	90.1%	88.4%
2016	3	0%	top 87%	86.9%	86.2%
2015	2	0%	top 65%	88.8%	88.2%
2014	3	33%	top 66%	91.2%	87.9%
2013	4	25%	top 64%	89.9%	88.6%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 30, 2026	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 30, 2026	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest Kansas City, KS	354 / 360 (613.4172)	339 (157.6456)	349 (151.9316)	350 (150.1828)	331 (153.6572)
Apr 24, 2026	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	26 / 28 (640.4576)	27 (161.6800)	27 (159.3716)	25 (161.1316)	24 (158.2744)
Nov 5, 2025	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 5, 2025	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	373 / 401 (626.1372)	389 (151.3828)	384 (151.9772)	361 (158.2400)	266 (164.5372)
Apr 25, 2025	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	39 / 40 (626.6856)	37 (160.5600)	38 (164.5372)	40 (143.3600)	36 (158.2284)
Oct 30, 2024	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 30, 2024	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	389 / 444 (631.9316)	418 (151.4172)	334 (163.9656)	403 (154.8572)	330 (161.6916)
Apr 26, 2024	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	39 / 44 (642.1600)	36 (162.2512)	35 (165.6800)	24 (167.4516)	42 (146.7772)
Sep 27, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 27, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS	450 / 487 (622.2056)	477 (143.9428)	470 (148.5716)	321 (164.0228)	276 (165.6684)
Apr 21, 2023	Smokin in the Creek BBQ 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	50 / 51 (606.0800)	48 (145.6572)	42 (159.3600)	46 (158.2628)	50 (142.8000)
Oct 1, 2022	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 29, 2022	American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	460 / 505 (623.3024)	342 (163.9656)	470 (152.5256)	482 (146.2856)	353 (160.5256)
Apr 22, 2022	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest (JUDGE'S FULL) 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	34 / 35 (596.2396)	33 (152.5256)	33 (157.0628)	34 (136.4456)	33 (150.2056)
Sep 16, 2021	American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	57 / 467 (497.6456)	456 (129.0396)	409 (153.1200)	412 (152.5028)	383 (153.0856)
Sep 28, 2019	West Bottoms BBQ Contest 🏅 Kansas City, MO	29 / 29 (641.6224)	20 (167.9656)	19 (164.5484)	29 (156.5256)	29 (152.5828)
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	71 / 468 (492.4684)	461 (141.5884)	440 (148.4912)	171 (168)	421 (148.5600)
Apr 26, 2019	Smokin In The Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	34 / 42 (618.0800)	37 (150.1828)	36 (151.9656)	29 (159.9772)	30 (155.9544)
Oct 5, 2018	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	52 / 56 (587.7600)	56 (144.5372)	55 (138.7772)	43 (157.6800)	47 (146.7656)
Sep 15, 2018	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	430 / 467 (606.6740)	425 (153.6568)	287 (163.4056)	434 (149.1316)	446 (140.4800)
Jul 27, 2018	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	40 / 66 (633.0744)	46 (154.2628)	45 (154.8344)	26 (165.1544)	32 (158.8228)
Apr 27, 2018	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest -Re-Boot (JUDGES FULL) Sugar Creek, MO	44 / 53 (619.8168)	36 (163.3828)	45 (154.2512)	36 (161.7028)	51 (140.4800)
Oct 6, 2017	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	40 / 76 (648.4688)	32 (165.7144)	43 (159.9428)	38 (164.5600)	43 (158.2516)
Sep 1, 2017	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	266 / 407 (646.7088)	124 (170.8344)	280 (160.5716)	317 (159.3484)	306 (155.9544)
Jun 17, 2017	Smoke Out in the Valley Buckner, MO	21 / 21 (613.5540)	20 (157.6800)	14 (161.1656)	21 (136.5028)	18 (158.2056)
Oct 29, 2016	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	458 / 557 (622.1828)	435 (156.5484)	336 (162.2516)	380 (160.5600)	523 (142.8228)
Sep 9, 2016	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	67 / 76 (625.4972)	45 (163.9772)	56 (158.8000)	75 (151.3600)	69 (151.3600)
Jun 18, 2016	Smoke out in the Valley Buckner, MO	27 / 30 (613.6112)	23 (162.8684)	29 (145.0744)	27 (152.5484)	26 (153.1200)
Oct 3, 2015	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	400 / 606 (639.3372)	388 (160.5716)	118 (170.2972)	167 (168.5372)	569 (139.9312)
Sep 11, 2015	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	49 / 76 (631.3028)	70 (149.6456)	55 (156.5828)	59 (156.5372)	17 (168.5372)
Oct 2, 2014	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	257 / 552 (656.5716)	70 (173.1544)	458 (154.2400)	327 (161.7372)	150 (167.4400)
Aug 15, 2014	Missouri's North Star BBQ Championship Kirksville, MO	15 / 16 (598.1712)	12 (161.7256)	15 (146.2284)	15 (145.0972)	13 (145.1200)
Jun 21, 2014	Buckner Smoke Out in the Valley Buckner, MO	20 / 35 (644)	29 (156.5256)	19 (159.4172)	16 (164)	8 (164.0572)
Oct 3, 2013	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	282 / 535 (635.9544)	352 (157.1200)	198 (162.2744)	386 (154.8228)	197 (161.7372)
Sep 6, 2013	Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off Blue Springs, MO	37 / 72 (647.3484)	31 (164.5600)	42 (159.4284)	46 (162.8344)	34 (160.5256)
Jul 12, 2013	6th Annual Wellsville BBQ Cookoff Wellsville, MO	40 / 42 (626.2516)	40 (150.2856)	37 (154.8344)	22 (164.5944)	36 (156.5372)
Apr 26, 2013	Smokin' In The Creek Sugar Creek, MO	23 / 41 (642.8574)	10 (166.2856)	15 (163.4286)	35 (153.1430)	25 (160.0002)

HI-TECH SMOKERS

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (7 found in their record)

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

An October team

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)