Smokin' Pelletheads

Smokin' Pelletheads is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 12th of 25 at the Great Northern BBQ (2014). They are ranked #2676 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “SMOKIN PELLETHEADS”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,676

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1514

peak 1519 · rated over 13 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 16, 2014

latest Sep 12, 2019 · 5.3 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#939

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 51%

overall standings

Best overall

670.2744 / 720

Master · 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.26 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 653.27 (-7.01)

Walk rate

46%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.2744

Pork Ribs · 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST

Consistency

±16.83

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 165.39 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.69)

Road miles

2,512

across 13 mapped stops · furthest 417 mi

Schedule strength

36%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1548)

Purse competed for

$68K

listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 1 state-championship entry

Master avg

653.27 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

670.2744 career-best overall

93.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 670.2744 at 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) — 93.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 29, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

MYASSIS SMOKIN has finished one call ahead of Smokin' Pelletheads 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

13–0 behind in the head-to-head

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead in 100% of their meetings

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has come out ahead in 13 of their 13 shared contests.

A strong matchup

9–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of 3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

The comeback

2.3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.3 years, then back at 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST (Sep 12, 2019).

last seen May 12, 2017
back Sep 12, 2019

Pork nemesis

11 of 13 shared pork entries lost

SHIGGIN & GRINNIN ahead 85% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SHIGGIN & GRINNIN has out-cooked them in 11 of 13 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

LUCKY BRISKET has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Show 1 more storyline

The metronome

±2.34% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.34% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.7% of a perfect score
13 contests

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
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2121 (85 pts)	#1623 (155 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1454 (180 pts)	#1547 (180 pts)	#1542 (180 pts)	#1564 (180 pts)	#1503 (180 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#964 (325 pts)	#1223 (250 pts)	#1266 (240 pts)	#892 (405 pts)	#765 (480 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#939 (340 pts)	#767 (485 pts)	#995 (345 pts)	#901 (405 pts)	#944 (355 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Smokin' Pelletheads, each with one reason worth a look.

112 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

EMERALD BUFFALO

#2,668 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1537

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Smokin' Pelletheads)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Smokin' Pelletheads has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Aug 3, 2018

⚔ Head-to-head

WATER DAWGZ BBQ

#2,691 of the rated field

1513 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1528

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Smokin' Pelletheads)

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 23 contests to 13.

rated over 23 contests
last seen Oct 30, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

Smoke 30 BBQ

#2,684 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1514

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Smokin' Pelletheads)

Level with Smokin' Pelletheads on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 6 contests
last seen Sep 12, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

SAUCY DAWG BBQ

#2,660 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 57%
Peak: 1533

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 57% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Jun 8, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

5-0 BBQ

#2,662 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1532

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 3 years before Smokin' Pelletheads's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Mad Cow BBQ

#2,669 of the rated field

1514 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1524

Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SHIGGIN & GRINNIN	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
NECTAR OF THE HOGS	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
CITY SLICKERS BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
GRUMPY OLD MEN BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKING HILLS	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
QUETOPIA	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
3 BRATS AND A COCKTAIL WEENIE	9	9	0	100%	⚔ compare
MYASSIS SMOKIN	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
CASE OF RIBS	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
CROIX VALLEY SAUCES	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
Eggspert BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
TRUE SMOKE BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
Totally Sauced	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Hogline	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	2	173.1428	147.8972	163.72	top 54%
Pork Ribs	13	0	174.2744	149.1200	161.69	top 57%
Pork	13	2	173.1428	155.3600	165.39	top 45%
Brisket	13	2	173.1428	140.4572	162.47	top 48%

“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)	1	0	top 48%
Large (40+)	12	0	top 51%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MN	11	0	top 54%
KS	2	0	top 37%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Minnesota in May	2	24	top 41%	May 12, 2017
Minnesota in May	2	31	top 61%	May 13, 2016
Bend of the River CookOut	2	27	top 63%	Jun 12, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 4 contests

Contests a season 2.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MN 11 of 13 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 10 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 1,012 finished ahead 858 times, behind 759

Longest layoff 2.3 yrs May 12, 2017 → Sep 12, 2019

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

20192 milestones

Sep 12 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.2744 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
Sep 12 Most recent contest 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST

20162 milestones

Aug 26 10th tracked contest 9th Annual Big Island BBQ
Oct 29 Career-best overall score670.2744 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)

20151 milestone

Aug 28 Peak power rating (1519) 8th Annual Big Island BBQ

20143 milestones

May 16 First tracked contest Minnesota in May
May 16 First call Minnesota in May
May 30 First overall past 90% of a perfect score656.5028 Smokin in Steele

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.1	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	Oct 29, 2016
+8.8	Smokin' in Steel	May 29, 2015
+8.5	8th Annual Big Island BBQ	Aug 28, 2015
+4.6	Minnesota in May	May 15, 2015
+4	Minnesota in May	May 12, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.4	9th Annual Big Island BBQ	Aug 26, 2016
-6	Minnesota in May	May 13, 2016
-5.1	Bend of the River CookOut	Jun 12, 2015
-3	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST	Sep 12, 2019
-2	Smokin in Steele	May 30, 2014

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0%	top 50%	91.7%	91.7%
2017	1	100%	top 42%	90.9%	90.9%
2016	3	0%	top 62%	93.1%	88.7%
2015	4	50%	top 43%	93%	91.9%
2014	4	75%	top 55%	91.8%	90.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	234 / 468 (660.4340)	222 (166.2400)	46 (174.2744)	131 (169.7256)	408 (150.1940)
May 12, 2017	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	30 / 71 (654.7884)	49 (158.8456)	54 (157.1316)	20 (166.8456)	8 (171.9656)
Oct 29, 2016	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	135 / 557 (670.2744)	138 (169.7256)	272 (165.1316)	333 (162.2744)	53 (173.1428)
Aug 26, 2016	9th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	44 / 48 (604.2516)	47 (147.8972)	32 (160.5372)	40 (155.3600)	43 (140.4572)
May 13, 2016	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	49 / 71 (641.5312)	64 (156.5256)	28 (165.6800)	28 (166.2284)	59 (153.0972)
Aug 28, 2015	8th Annual Big Island BBQ Albert Lea, MN	16 / 55 (669.6344)	33 (162.2860)	28 (164.5372)	8 (173.1428)	13 (169.6684)
Jun 12, 2015	Bend of the River CookOut Mankato, MN	30 / 42 (648.5144)	35 (160.0344)	38 (155.9544)	23 (164)	16 (168.5256)
May 29, 2015	Smokin' in Steel Owatonna, MN	18 / 60 (667.8972)	31 (164.5488)	33 (160.5372)	13 (170.2628)	7 (172.5484)
May 15, 2015	Minnesota in May St. Paul, MN	24 / 60 (659.9428)	23 (166.8228)	28 (163.9772)	39 (162.2972)	19 (166.8456)
Aug 8, 2014	Great Northern BBQ Brainerd, MN	12 / 25 (661.1428)	8 (169.1200)	11 (165.7028)	18 (158.2972)	12 (168.0228)
Jun 27, 2014	Bend of the River CookOut Mankato, MN	27 / 50 (657.0744)	8 (173.1428)	25 (164.5372)	30 (164.0116)	42 (155.3828)
May 30, 2014	Smokin in Steele Owatonna, MN	42 / 67 (656.5028)	36 (166.8916)	56 (154.8000)	28 (167.4056)	22 (167.4056)
May 16, 2014	Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN	31 / 58 (640.5144)	21 (166.2744)	49 (149.1200)	8 (170.2628)	41 (154.8572)

Smokin' Pelletheads

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 (8 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

The metronome

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 — 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)