The heartbreaker
4.5712
points from the title
Came within 4.5712 points of the Grand Championship at Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main (Jul 26, 2025).
Blended Smoke BBQ
Blended Smoke BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 19 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2025 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1532 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1562
peak 1564 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
19
in the data
First seen
Jul 26, 2025
latest Aug 15, 2026 · 1.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
1 reserve · wins it all 5% of the time
Category wins
1
8 podiums
Overall top-10s
5
26% of 19 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 35%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
335.28 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 339.34 (-4.05)
Walk rate
63%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.90
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 170.74 · weakest Pork (163.94)
Road miles
4,737
across 19 mapped stops · furthest 579 mi
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1576)
Purse competed for
$71K
listed at 18 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 6 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
339.34 / 360
10 Backyard contests · 1 GC
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 Blended Smoke BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
60 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,538 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1583
0–0 in 1 shared contest (0% to Blended Smoke BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Blended Smoke BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,544 of the rated field
- Contests
- 55
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1581
3–0 in 3 shared contests (100% to Blended Smoke BBQ)
55 contests to 19: their number has had years to settle where Blended Smoke BBQ's is still finding its level.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,541 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1562
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,540 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1567
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Blended Smoke BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,526 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1569
They were already cooking in 2015, 10 years before Blended Smoke BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,527 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 64%
- Peak
- 1562
Level with Blended Smoke BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudes BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN E'S BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ MIKE | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Can Country Outlaw BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 178.8572 | 159.4400 | 170.74 | top 34% |
| Pork Ribs | 17 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 180 🔥 | 161.6912 | 170.37 | top 38% |
| Pork | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 154.7656 | 163.94 | top 39% |
“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 56% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 1 | top 27% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 33% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 28% | Aug 15, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
13 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
9.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
8 of 19 contests · 8 states in all
Contests visited
9
1 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
17 entries · 1 win · 9 calls
First title
Sep 5, 2025
Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
Opponents faced
376
finished ahead 360 times, behind 194
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Peak power rating (1564) Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
202512 milestones
- First tracked contest Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First call Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First overall top-10 Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First overall podium Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First Reserve Championship Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score346.2516 Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main
- First Grand Championship Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 10th tracked contest Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Biggest field won (38 teams) Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best overall score353.7488 Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.4 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main | Jul 26, 2025 |
| +15.4 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 5, 2025 |
| +12.2 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 19, 2026 |
| +10.3 | Trekking for CDH | Sep 13, 2025 |
| +9.1 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 9, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.6 | Stover Rock Island Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 10, 2025 |
| -2.4 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 15, 2026 |
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 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17% | top 40% | 97% | 93.1% |
| 2025 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 85% | top 29% | 98.3% | 95.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2026 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 16 / 30 (321.1312) | 16 (159.4400) | 15 (161.6912) | — | — |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 6 / 41 (349.1772) | 3 (177.1428) | 14 (172.0344) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 17 / 37 (334.2172) | 18 (168.5372) | 16 (165.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 22 / 40 (338.2628) | 22 (168.5828) | 19 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 37 / 125 (333.6228) | 40 (166.2400) | 32 (167.3828) | 50 (154.7656) | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 13 (176.5716) | — | — | — |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Stover Rock Island Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Stover, MO | 11 / 13 (335.3600) | 11 (169.1200) | 11 (166.2400) | 5 (173.1200) | — |
| Oct 3, 2025 | ND BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Fargo, ND | — | — | 4 (173.7028) | — | — |
| Sep 13, 2025 | Trekking for CDH 🏅 Pierron, IL | 7 / 27 (337.0512) | 2 (171.9656) | 15 (165.0856) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 1 / 38 (353.7488) | 2 (178.8572) | 3 (174.8916) | — | — |
| Aug 31, 2025 | Smokin Ghost BBQ Rib Double Dip 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 7 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Aug 31, 2025 | Smokin Ghost BBQ Rib Double Dip 2 (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 8 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN | 5 / 18 (344.5372) | 2 (175.4172) | 10 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Aug 1, 2025 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 14 (169.1432) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL | 2 / 32 (346.2516) | 15 (166.2516) | 1 (180) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2025 | KTD Smokn' Gobbler (ONE MEAT RIBS) Worthington, MN | — | — | 4 (173.7372) | — | — |
| Jul 11, 2025 | KTD Smokn' Gobbler 🏅 Worthington, MN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Eureka, IL | — | — | 3 (176.0344) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 2 (175.4056) | — | — |