They almost always walk
60%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 6 of 10 contests
A top-10 category call in 60% of their 10 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
Smoke-em-good bbq
Smoke-em-good bbq is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 8th of 16 at the Luna County Heritage Days Festival (2026). They are ranked #4491 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “SMOKE EM GOOD BBQ”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1473
peak 1473 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
May 28, 2021
latest May 15, 2026 · 5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
1
10% of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 72%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
665.48 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 652.64 (+12.84)
Walk rate
60%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±18.26
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 166.25 · weakest Brisket (157.03)
Road miles
1,396
across 10 mapped stops · furthest 423 mi
Schedule strength
61%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1577)
Purse competed for
$130K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 10 state-championship entries
Master avg
652.64 / 720
10 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1255 (60 pts) | #1319 (60 pts) | #1432 (60 pts) | #1287 (60 pts) | #1296 (60 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smoke-em-good bbq, each with one reason worth a look.
155 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,470 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1473
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Smoke-em-good bbq)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Smoke-em-good bbq has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,501 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
They've been 1503 at their best, 30 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#4,476 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1509
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,479 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1473
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Smoke-em-good bbq's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,478 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1473
13 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#4,489 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1504
They were already cooking in 2015, 6 years before Smoke-em-good bbq's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| All About Smokin Q | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Meat Candy Q | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKERS PURGATORY | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| DRY 2 DA BONE | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Vegas Grillbillies | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Porterhouse BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| B Lee's BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| All Up In My Grill | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| GIRLS CAN GRILL | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 175.4056 | 146.2288 | 166.25 | top 52% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 147.9428 | 164.13 | top 58% |
| Pork | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 178.8572 | 153.6344 | 164.09 | top 61% |
| Brisket | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 167.3944 | 149.0744 | 157.03 | top 79% |
“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 62% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 85% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 68% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2023
3 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AZ
5 of 10 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
10
a different one every time
Opponents faced
227
finished ahead 120 times, behind 289
Longest layoff
1 yrs
Jan 12, 2024 → Jan 17, 2025
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- First overall top-10 Luna County Heritage Days Festival
- 10th tracked contest Luna County Heritage Days Festival
- Most recent contest Luna County Heritage Days Festival
20242 milestones
- Career-best overall score681.6916 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
- Career-best single call (Pork)178.8572 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
20221 milestone
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.5544 Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge
20213 milestones
- First tracked contest The Best Dam Barbeque
- Peak power rating (1493) The Best Dam Barbeque
- First call Western Legends BBQ Contest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +10.5 | 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge | Jan 12, 2024 |
| +4.9 | Luna County Heritage Days Festival | May 15, 2026 |
| +1.1 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge | Jan 14, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.2 | Western Legends BBQ Contest | Aug 20, 2021 |
| -8.6 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge | Jan 13, 2023 |
| -6.6 | The Best Dam Barbeque | May 28, 2021 |
| -6 | BBQ Jackpot | Nov 21, 2025 |
| -5 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championship | May 26, 2023 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 50% | 92.4% | 92.4% |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 92.1% | 91.5% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 34% | 94.7% | 94.7% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 81% | 92% | 89.7% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 63% | 91.9% | 91.9% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 87% | 88.3% | 87.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2026 | Luna County Heritage Days Festival 🏅 Deming, NM | 8 / 16 (665.5660) | 5 (171.9772) | 8 (166.2516) | 9 (159.9428) | 7 (167.3944) |
| Nov 21, 2025 | BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV | 75 / 90 (663.2800) | 79 (163.3944) | 33 (171.9772) | 48 (170.2628) | 82 (157.6456) |
| Jan 17, 2025 | 10th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 34 / 48 (654.7084) | 25 (167.9772) | 13 (171.9656) | 39 (158.8228) | 38 (155.9428) |
| Jan 12, 2024 | 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 20 / 58 (681.6916) | 21 (173.1200) | 10 (174.8572) | 2 (178.8572) | 48 (154.8572) |
| May 26, 2023 | Big Bear Grill & Chill BBQ Championship 🏅 Big Bear Lake, CA | 14 / 19 (662.1376) | 7 (170.8460) | 17 (159.3600) | 9 (169.1316) | 15 (162.8000) |
| Mar 10, 2023 | BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest 🏅 Yuma, AZ | 26 / 32 (655.2920) | 8 (174.8456) | 24 (163.9660) | 28 (159.3944) | 28 (157.0860) |
| Jan 13, 2023 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 40 / 45 (620.8800) | 27 (166.2400) | 45 (147.9428) | 41 (153.6344) | 39 (153.0628) |
| Jan 14, 2022 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ | 37 / 59 (661.5544) | 4 (175.4056) | 46 (162.2516) | 23 (170.2628) | 50 (153.6344) |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Western Legends BBQ Contest 🏅 Kanab, UT | 25 / 26 (625.4628) | 25 (152.4800) | 8 (167.3828) | 24 (156.5256) | 25 (149.0744) |
| May 28, 2021 | The Best Dam Barbeque 🏅 Boulder City, NV | 20 / 26 (635.8060) | 24 (146.2288) | 21 (155.3600) | — | 16 (158.8000) |