The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Griswold Grillers has finished one call ahead of .Smokin J's 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
.Smokin J's
.Smokin J's is a competition barbecue team with 30 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 11th of 14 at the Tunes, Brews & BBQ's (2018). They are ranked #6367 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Smokin J's”, “Smokin Js” and “Smokin' J's”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1399
peak 1399 · rated over 25 contests
Contests
30
in the data
First seen
Sep 26, 2014
latest Aug 15, 2025 · 10.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 30 contests
Avg finish
top 75%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
621.16 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 622.94 (-1.78)
Walk rate
20%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±20.25
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 158.86 · weakest Brisket (151.57)
Road miles
23,016
across 30 mapped stops · furthest 1,475 mi
Schedule strength
34%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1545)
Purse competed for
$54K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 11 state-championship entries
Master avg
622.94 / 720
24 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
269.69 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
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)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1121 (67 pts) | #1446 (57 pts) | #1197 (92 pts) | #1163 (67 pts) | #1139 (72 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to .Smokin J's, each with one reason worth a look.
#6,363 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1399
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 25 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#6,365 of the rated field
- Contests
- 24
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 4%
- Peak
- 1399
Careers of much the same size, 24 contests to 30, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#6,364 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1399
18 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#6,366 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1399
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before .Smokin J's's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#6,362 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1400
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to .Smokin J's)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team .Smokin J's has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#6,371 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1398
Level with .Smokin J's 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dead Last BBQ | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| 913 BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Right Time BBQ | 9 | 9 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| KC Rib doctor | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| PASSIONS OF THE PIT | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Fork BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Griswold Grillers | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| HIGH i QUE | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| 3 GUYS WITH WOOD | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Most Wanted BBQ | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| POKER SMOKERS | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| NachBarBQ | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| This is Nice | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172 | 124.3312 | 154.67 | top 75% |
| Pork Ribs | 25 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 173.1544 | 132.5828 | 156.12 | top 68% |
| Pork | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 170.9028 | 144.5256 | 158.86 | top 69% |
| Brisket | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.5484 | 135.3716 | 151.57 | top 72% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 79% |
| Medium (20–39) | 11 | 0 | top 86% |
| Large (40+) | 13 | 0 | top 65% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship | 3 | 77 | 0 | top 72% | Sep 23, 2016 |
| Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues | 2 | 13 | 0 | top 61% | Jul 21, 2018 |
| Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship | 2 | 79 | 0 | top 47% | Jun 24, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2016
9 contests
Contests a season
3.3
across 9 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
11 of 30 contests · 11 states in all
Contests visited
21
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,310
finished ahead 738 times, behind 1,709
Longest layoff
3.5 yrs
Mar 12, 2021 → Sep 20, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest Pigs & Peaches
20181 milestone
- 25th tracked contest Tunes, Brews & BBQ's
20163 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.1428 The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake
- Career-best overall score657.1428 The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake
- 10th tracked contest Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship
20152 milestones
- First call Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)173.1544 Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
20142 milestones
- First tracked contest Silicon Valley BBQ Championships
- Peak power rating (1494) Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +5.2 | The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake | Apr 8, 2016 |
| +3.9 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 26, 2015 |
| +3.8 | Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues | Jul 15, 2017 |
| +3.3 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle | Jun 22, 2018 |
| +1.4 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship | Jun 24, 2016 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.5 | American Royal Backyard and Steak Contest | Mar 12, 2021 |
| -12 | Certified BBQ Judging Class - Cancelled | Jan 17, 2015 |
| -9.7 | Ribs, Pigs & Watermelons | Aug 5, 2016 |
| -9.3 | Chillin and Grillin | Oct 10, 2014 |
| -8.9 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main | Jul 26, 2025 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 90.6% | 88% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 81.8% | 81.8% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 74.9% | 74.9% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 65% | 88% | 88% |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 66% | 88.3% | 86.7% |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60% | top 64% | 88.5% | 86.9% |
| 2016 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11% | top 74% | 91.3% | 87.2% |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 71% | 88.6% | 85.8% |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 80% | 87.3% | 84% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2025 | Pigs & Peaches 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 22 / 27 (652.4004) | 26 (157.0628) | 17 (169.7144) | 22 (162.8116) | 21 (162.8116) |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Code 3 Spices - Smokin' on Main 🏅 Collinsville, IL | 31 / 32 (614.1708) | 32 (156.5140) | 32 (151.3940) | 31 (162.2628) | 31 (144) |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 58 / 58 (588.7540) | 58 (124.3312) | 54 (155.9656) | 56 (155.3828) | 54 (153.0744) |
| Mar 12, 2021 | American Royal Backyard and Steak Contest Kansas City, MO | 24 / 24 (269.6912) | 23 (135.9656) | 24 (133.7256) | — | — |
| Jun 21, 2019 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 119 / 183 (633.5316) | 155 (151.9316) | 82 (162.2628) | 130 (157.6572) | 84 (161.6800) |
| Sep 14, 2018 | Tunes, Brews & BBQ's Penn Yan, NY | 11 / 14 (616.9604) | 11 (153.0856) | 2 (166.2744) | 8 (159.3944) | 14 (138.2060) |
| Jul 21, 2018 | Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues Auburn, NY | 22 / 31 (619.8744) | 25 (155.3944) | 15 (159.4172) | 17 (161.1200) | 23 (143.9428) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 22, 2018 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle Lenexa, KS | 92 / 185 (635.8740) | 92 (159.3712) | 147 (152.5488) | 90 (159.4284) | 45 (164.5256) |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Smokin in The Hills (Limited to the first 25 teams) Hillsboro, OH | 21 / 25 (618.6856) | 24 (141.6228) | 20 (158.8228) | 21 (158.8572) | 15 (159.3828) |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship Barbeque 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 72 / 112 (637.5312) | 87 (157.0856) | 101 (148.5028) | 81 (159.9428) | 10 (172) |
| Jul 15, 2017 | Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues Auburn, NY | 13 / 25 (615.3828) | 10 (161.1200) | 16 (154.2856) | 8 (160.5944) | 17 (139.3828) |
| Jun 23, 2017 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 23, 2017 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 102 / 184 (630.7316) | 10 (172) | 153 (147.9660) | 90 (160.5256) | 131 (150.2400) |
| Oct 29, 2016 | 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 476 / 557 (619.3144) | 369 (160.5372) | 311 (163.4172) | 537 (144.5256) | 458 (150.8344) |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 77 / 111 (630.6284) | 78 (158.2400) | 57 (161.6800) | 90 (157.0628) | 78 (153.6456) |
| Aug 5, 2016 | Ribs, Pigs & Watermelons Huntington Beach, CA | 34 / 36 (592.5144) | 28 (159.4172) | 36 (142.2972) | 33 (155.4284) | 35 (135.3716) |
| Jul 29, 2016 | Smokin Hot Cars & BBQ Iola, KS | 34 / 36 (598.1488) | 35 (147.9772) | 35 (151.3832) | 30 (157.7256) | 35 (141.0628) |
| Jul 22, 2016 | BBQ Fest Cooking Contest Dyersburg, TN | 32 / 47 (652.9480) | 47 (151.9084) | 33 (161.6684) | 24 (166.8228) | 8 (172.5484) |
| Jun 24, 2016 | Silicon Valley Barbeque Championships Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 24, 2016 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 94 / 183 (631.8628) | 114 (155.9544) | 114 (157.1200) | 22 (169.7256) | 140 (149.0628) |
| Jun 17, 2016 | State Center Rose Festival KCBS BBQ Competition (Judges Full) State Center, IA | 26 / 31 (642.2972) | 25 (164.5828) | 29 (156.5716) | 20 (164.0228) | 27 (157.1200) |
| Apr 8, 2016 | The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake Smithville, MO | 25 / 53 (657.1428) | 21 (165.7372) | 14 (168.5484) | 13 (170.9028) | 47 (151.9544) |
| Sep 25, 2015 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 85 / 112 (622.1372) | 83 (155.9428) | 52 (163.9772) | 81 (154.8228) | 98 (147.3944) |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 79 / 183 (637.6116) | 79 (161.6800) | 8 (173.1544) | 156 (151.4172) | 124 (151.3600) |
| Jan 17, 2015 | Certified BBQ Judging Class - Cancelled Hartselle, AL | 34 / 36 (592.5144) | 28 (159.4172) | 36 (142.2972) | 33 (155.4284) | 35 (135.3716) |
| Oct 10, 2014 | Chillin and Grillin Sand Springs, OK | 29 / 32 (581.1312) | 29 (143.4284) | 32 (132.5828) | 27 (153.1428) | 23 (151.9772) |
| Sep 26, 2014 | Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 78 / 112 (628.4340) | 88 (156.5256) | 28 (167.4056) | 90 (153.6912) | 83 (150.8116) |
| Jun 27, 2014 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |