The heartbreaker
0.0348
points from the title
Came within 0.0348 points of the Grand Championship at The Downtown BBQ Showdown (2023-04-14).
Cooters N Smoke
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1578
peak 1591 · rated over 25 contests ⓘ
Contests
29
in the data
First seen
2018-07-12
latest 2026-03-20
Best ToY finish
#232
Master 2023
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
9 podiums
Overall top-10s
6
of 29 contests
Avg finish
top 41%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
683.67 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 679.64 (+4.03)
Walk rate
66%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±11.31
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 171.10 · weakest Pork (168.86)
Road miles
6,263
mi across 29 mapped stops · furthest 1110 mi
Schedule strength
52%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1567)
Purse competed for
$427K
listed at 22 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 23 state-championship entries
Master avg
679.64 / 720
27 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (13 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Perfect scores on the board
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
- Pork Ribs ×1
- Pork ×1
They almost always walk
66%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 19 of 29 contests
A top-10 category call in 66% of their 29 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
701.6456
career-best overall
97.5% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 701.6456 at The Downtown BBQ Showdown — 97.5% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2023-04-14
Their season
2022
their best year
2022 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 28%.
- 6 contests
- 2 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 28%
A tough matchup
12–5
behind in the head-to-head
HOT WACHULA'S ahead in 71% of their meetings
HOT WACHULA'S has come out ahead in 12 of their 17 shared contests.
A strong matchup
14–3
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 82% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of K & E's Little Smokers in 14 of their 17 shared contests.
The comeback
2.1 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2.1 years, then back at Torry Island BBQ Showdown (2026-03-20).
- last seen 2024-02-16
- back 2026-03-20
Pork Ribs nemesis
11 of 17
shared pork ribs entries lost
HOT WACHULA'S ahead 65% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, HOT WACHULA'S has out-cooked them in 11 of 17 shared pork ribs entries.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
HOT WACHULA'S has landed one call behind them 2 times.
A January team
Top 29%
average finish in January
Something about January: average finish in the top 29% across 6 contests, versus top 41% the rest of the year.
- 6 January contests
- top 41% the rest of the year
The long haul
6,263
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,263 miles across 29 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,110 miles to 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN.
- 29 mapped stops
- furthest 1,110 mi
The metronome
±1.57%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.57% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 94.4% of a perfect score
- 29 contests
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.
41 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1301 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1590
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Cooters N Smoke)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Cooters N Smoke has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1296 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1579
1–5 in 6 shared contests (17% to Cooters N Smoke)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#1305 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1578
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 26 contests to 29, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#1295 of the rated field
- Contests
- 32
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 22%
- Peak
- 1594
No shared contest yet.
32 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 22% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#1304 of the rated field
- Contests
- 36
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 42%
- Peak
- 1578
No shared contest yet.
4 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.
⚔ Head-to-head#1292 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 35%
- Peak
- 1588
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Cooters N Smoke's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K & E's Little Smokers | 17 | 14 | 3 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT WACHULA'S | 17 | 5 | 12 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Going Yard BBQ | 15 | 7 | 8 | 47% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Ain't EZ | 15 | 6 | 9 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Accutech BBQ | 14 | 9 | 5 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke Central BBQ | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| Mad Dog BBQ | 13 | 9 | 4 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| Slapulator BBQ | 13 | 8 | 5 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| Double Barrel Smokers | 12 | 9 | 3 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Bearded Monkeys Twisted Q | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| Kings BBQ Team | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| KEEPIN IT SMOKIN BBQ | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 28 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 177.7028 | 145.6912 | 169.13 | top 52% |
| Pork Ribs | 28 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 180.0000 🔥 | 159.3600 | 171.10 | top 36% |
| Pork | 27 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 180.0000 🔥 | 161.6800 | 168.86 | top 50% |
| Brisket | 27 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 178.2972 | 158.7884 | 169.75 | 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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| FL | 15 | 0 | top 34% |
| SC | 5 | 0 | top 43% |
| GA | 4 | 0 | top 46% |
| KS | 2 | 0 | top 74% |
| AL | 1 | 0 | top 60% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 8 | 0 | top 34% |
| Large (40+) | 19 | 0 | top 45% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 5 | 11 | 0 | top 27% | 2024-01-26 |
| SC Festival of Discovery | 3 | 35 | 0 | top 48% | 2021-07-09 |
| South Carolina Festival of Discovery | 2 | 29 | 0 | top 35% | 2023-07-06 |
| Plant City Pig Jam | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 30% | 2022-11-18 |
The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
7.7 yrs
2018-07-12 → 2026-03-20
Busiest season
2023
8 contests
Contests a season
3.6
across 8 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
FL
16 of 29 contests · 5 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
19
4 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
28 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
averages 171.10 · weakest Pork (168.86)
Walk rate
66%
a top-10 call in 19 of 29 contests
Overall top-10 rate
21%
6 of 29 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight contests
Master average
679.64
out of 720 · 27 contests · 0 GCs
Perfect 180s
2
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
854
1,074–838 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
6,263
29 mapped stops · furthest 1,110 mi
Schedule strength
1567
average field rating faced — tougher than 52% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$427,335
listed at 22 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 23 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
2.1 yrs
2024-02-16 → 2026-03-20
Power rating
1578
peak 1591 · #1299 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2018
- First tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score669.5540 SC Festival Of Discovery
- First call Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam
- 2019
- First overall top-10 Plant City Pig Jam
- 2021
- 10th tracked contest SC Festival of Discovery
- 2023
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Lakeland Pig Festival
- First category win (Pork) The Downtown BBQ Showdown
- First overall podium The Downtown BBQ Showdown
- First Reserve Championship The Downtown BBQ Showdown
- Career-best overall score701.6456 The Downtown BBQ Showdown
- Peak power rating (1591) South Carolina Festival of Discovery
- 25th tracked contest Poosa Q
- 2026
- Most recent contest Torry Island BBQ Showdown
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.3 | The Downtown BBQ Showdown | 2023-04-14 |
| +12.6 | Swine At the Shrine | 2022-08-05 |
| +10.6 | Lakeland Pig Festival | 2019-01-25 |
| +10.2 | Lakeland Pig Festival | 2022-01-28 |
| +9 | Lakeland Pig Festival | 2023-01-27 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.1 | Hawgin On Lanier | 2020-07-31 |
| -7.9 | Torry Island BBQ Showdown | 2026-03-20 |
| -5.4 | Budweiser Smoke on the Water | 2023-02-03 |
| -5.1 | Poosa Q | 2023-10-05 |
| -4.8 | Grills Gone Wild | 2024-02-09 |
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 53% | 94.3% | 94.3% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 42% | 96% | 95.7% |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50% | top 49% | 97.5% | 94.6% |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 83% | top 28% | 96.7% | 95.3% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 37% | 94.5% | 93.4% |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 51% | 95.9% | 93.7% |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 33% | 94.6% | 93.3% |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 41% | 93% | 92.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-20 | Torry Island BBQ Showdown 🏅 Belle Glade, FL | 18 / 34 (678.7544) | 21 (166.8228) | 21 (169.6800) | 5 (177.1544) | 19 (165.0972) |
| 2024-02-16 | Ribs on the Ridge Brews & BBQ 🏅 Haines City, FL | 9 / 29 (691.3716) | 24 (166.2284) | 8 (173.1316) | 14 (173.7144) | 2 (178.2972) |
| 2024-02-09 | Grills Gone Wild 🏅 Davenport, FL | 16 / 28 (685.6116) | 18 (169.6800) | 2 (178.8572) | 25 (163.9428) | 5 (173.1316) |
| 2024-01-26 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 23 / 61 (690.7884) | 20 (175.4056) | 8 (177.1544) | 44 (167.9656) | 29 (170.2628) |
| 2023-10-05 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 44 / 73 (671.8396) | 60 (163.9428) | 18 (173.1200) | 37 (168.5256) | 48 (166.2512) |
| 2023-08-12 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Mayetta, KS | 43 / 62 (689.0516) | 28 (175.4172) | 14 (175.4288) | 62 (163.9428) | 28 (174.2628) |
| 2023-08-11 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Mayetta, KS | 70 / 90 (672.4456) | 76 (166.2400) | 38 (173.1428) | 82 (162.7884) | 41 (170.2744) |
| 2023-07-06 | South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC | 30 / 76 (678.1716) | 6 (177.7028) | 21 (171.9888) | 48 (164.5372) | 52 (163.9428) |
| 2023-05-12 | 17th Annual Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off 🏅 Waynesboro, GA | 19 / 40 (678.7316) | 29 (167.3828) | 8 (174.2744) | 31 (163.9544) | 8 (173.1200) |
| 2023-04-14 | The Downtown BBQ Showdown 🏅 Lake City, FL | 2 / 32 (701.6456) | 7 (175.4056) | 6 (173.1316) | 1 (180.0000) | 11 (173.1084) |
| 2023-02-03 | Budweiser Smoke on the Water 🏅 Winter Haven, FL | 32 / 47 (666.6740) | 23 (171.9656) | 40 (162.7884) | 29 (166.8228) | 34 (165.0972) |
| 2023-01-27 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 11 / 51 (691.9200) | 45 (163.9544) | 2 (180.0000) | 26 (170.8228) | 6 (177.1428) |
| 2022-11-18 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 9 / 25 (681.6000) | 3 (176.5600) | 18 (165.6800) | 9 (170.8228) | 13 (168.5372) |
| 2022-08-05 | Swine At the Shrine 🏅 Savannah, GA | 8 / 49 (696.5144) | 6 (176.5716) | 4 (178.2972) | 27 (169.6800) | 18 (171.9656) |
| 2022-08-05 | Swine At the Shrine (One Meat Ribs) Savannah, GA | — | — | 6 (173.1544) | — | — |
| 2022-07-07 | South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC | 29 / 92 (682.1944) | 15 (174.2628) | 33 (170.8344) | 17 (172.5600) | 52 (164.5372) |
| 2022-01-28 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 12 / 60 (688.4800) | 26 (171.9656) | 16 (171.9772) | 31 (167.9772) | 3 (176.5600) |
| 2022-01-07 | Southern Sunshine BBQ Fest 🏅 Lake Wales, FL | 11 / 29 (682.7884) | 12 (171.4172) | 10 (173.1084) | 20 (165.1428) | 6 (173.1200) |
| 2021-11-19 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 9 / 37 (680.4688) | 2 (176.5716) | 19 (166.2400) | 23 (165.6800) | 9 (171.9772) |
| 2021-07-09 | SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC | 40 / 81 (664.9368) | 57 (162.7884) | 60 (159.3600) | 26 (169.6800) | 15 (173.1084) |
| 2020-09-05 | Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival 🏅 Augusta, GA | 23 / 54 (690.7656) | 51 (165.6800) | 15 (175.4172) | 7 (176.5600) | 22 (173.1084) |
| 2020-07-31 | Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Cumming, GA | 42 / 55 (655.2684) | 35 (167.9772) | 43 (161.1200) | 44 (165.0856) | 46 (161.0856) |
| 2020-01-24 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 18 / 53 (677.0400) | 3 (176.0000) | 29 (166.2400) | 40 (161.6800) | 7 (173.1200) |
| 2019-11-22 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 9 / 39 (681.0512) | 17 (167.9656) | 15 (167.9656) | 2 (175.4400) | 9 (169.6800) |
| 2019-07-12 | SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC | 45 / 83 (655.3256) | 68 (154.8000) | 48 (162.2972) | 30 (167.3828) | 13 (170.8456) |
| 2019-01-25 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 12 / 58 (678.7884) | 23 (166.8456) | 4 (176.5716) | 16 (169.1428) | 29 (166.2284) |
| 2018-11-16 | Suncoast Credit Union Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL | 19 / 44 (668.4568) | 10 (173.7028) | 19 (167.9656) | 20 (166.2972) | 27 (160.4912) |
| 2018-07-12 | SC Festival Of Discovery Greenwood, SC | 35 / 89 (669.5540) | 39 (166.8228) | 17 (171.9772) | 16 (171.9656) | 54 (158.7884) |
| 2018-01-26 | Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL | — | — | — | — | — |
Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #855 (94 pts) | #966 (79 pts) | #1006 (79 pts) | #645 (184 pts) | #893 (89 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #567 (307 pts) | #729 (232 pts) | #434 (557 pts) | #727 (222 pts) | #443 (492 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #232 (912 pts) | #229 (932 pts) | #207 (1082 pts) | #263 (837 pts) | #251 (867 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #509 (404 pts) | #589 (354 pts) | #545 (444 pts) | #813 (199 pts) | #462 (499 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1236 (60 pts) | #1286 (60 pts) | #1309 (60 pts) | #1262 (60 pts) | #1059 (110 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #605 (145 pts) | #798 (100 pts) | #774 (110 pts) | #442 (260 pts) | #628 (145 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1372 (145 pts) | #1796 (100 pts) | #1740 (110 pts) | #1056 (260 pts) | #1423 (145 pts) |