High-water mark
672.4684
career-best overall
93.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 672.4684 at DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off — 93.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jun 18, 2021
Blue Smoke BBQ
Blue Smoke BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 18 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 6th of 14 at the Pitboss Backyarder BBQ Series Round 3 (2020). They are ranked #5886 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1440
peak 1440 · rated over 15 contests
Contests
18
in the data
First seen
Jun 27, 2015
latest Nov 5, 2025 · 10.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
6% of 18 contests
Avg finish
top 72%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
627.34 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 636.92 (-9.58)
Walk rate
17%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±16.26
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 159.33 · weakest Brisket (155.59)
Road miles
49,224
across 18 mapped stops · furthest 10,692 mi
Schedule strength
38%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1551)
Purse competed for
$309K
listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 10 state-championship entries
Master avg
636.92 / 720
12 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
311.40 / 360
2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
611.76 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1955 (60 pts) | #2049 (60 pts) | #2026 (60 pts) | #2029 (60 pts) | #2010 (60 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Blue Smoke BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
84 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,875 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1440
0–3 in 3 shared contests (0% to Blue Smoke BBQ)
These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — Burn Rate! ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,887 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1440
3–0 in 3 shared contests (100% to Blue Smoke BBQ)
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Blue Smoke BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,899 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1439
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,901 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1439
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,881 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1508
18 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 11% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#5,880 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1440
Level with Blue 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA PASADITA | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| THE REPUBLIC OF 'QUE | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Rio Valley Meat BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TINY E BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TEXAS WARPIG BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Rollin' Smoke BBQ Texas | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE DANCER BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Kermit's Ex | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RAZORRACKS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SUPER SWINE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8456 | 144 | 157.95 | top 70% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 168.5944 | 147.9312 | 159.33 | top 67% |
| Pork | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5372 | 145.6456 | 159.10 | top 69% |
| Brisket | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 141.6572 | 155.59 | top 69% |
“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 43% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 79% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 72% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival | 3 | 24 | 0 | top 67% | Aug 30, 2019 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2 | 384 | 0 | top 94% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Plant City Pig Jam | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 66% | Nov 17, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
3 contests
Contests a season
1.8
across 10 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
6 of 18 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
11
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,065
finished ahead 285 times, behind 1,564
Longest layoff
2.2 yrs
Jun 27, 2015 → Sep 2, 2017
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides
20221 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Plant City Pig Jam
20213 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score672.4684 DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off
- Career-best overall score672.4684 DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off
- Career-best single call (Brisket)175.4172 DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off
20202 milestones
- First call Pitboss Backyarder BBQ Series Round 3
- First overall top-10 Pitboss Backyarder BBQ Series Round 3
20152 milestones
- First tracked contest Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge
- Peak power rating (1496) Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +4.2 | Pitboss Backyarder BBQ Series Round 3 | Aug 29, 2020 |
| +3 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff | Mar 28, 2025 |
| +1.1 | DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off | Jun 18, 2021 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.3 | Brew N Que Perth 2021 | Dec 3, 2021 |
| -9.3 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Nov 5, 2025 |
| -9.3 | Southaven Springfest | Oct 29, 2021 |
| -8.3 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Oct 30, 2024 |
| -6.9 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 27, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 75% | 90.9% | 88.2% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 92% | 86.1% | 86.1% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 74% | 87.8% | 87.7% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 72% | 85% | 85% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 81% | 93.4% | 89% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 43% | 85.4% | 85.4% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 65% | 90% | 89.3% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 88.8% | 88.8% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 52% | 89.7% | 89.7% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 75% | 87.1% | 87.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 384 / 401 (615.3144) | 391 (149.6916) | 305 (164) | 360 (158.2628) | 395 (143.3600) |
| Mar 28, 2025 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Cedar Park, TX | 26 / 48 (654.7888) | 13 (170.8456) | 32 (160.5716) | 30 (163.4172) | 26 (159.9544) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 410 / 444 (619.8972) | 437 (144) | 380 (159.9544) | 370 (159.4172) | 368 (156.5256) |
| Nov 17, 2023 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 15 / 25 (315.3716) | 21 (149.0972) | 4 (166.2744) | 18 (145.6456) | 20 (141.6572) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 425 / 487 (632.4460) | 448 (153.6572) | 245 (168.5944) | 399 (158.8116) | 448 (151.3828) |
| Nov 18, 2022 | Plant City Pig Jam 🏅 Plant City, FL | 18 / 25 (611.7600) | 13 (160.5256) | 18 (150.8000) | 19 (152.5144) | 19 (147.9200) |
| Dec 3, 2021 | Brew N Que Perth 2021 Claremont | 22 / 23 (614.2628) | 19 (153.1200) | 22 (149.1088) | 15 (155.4512) | 13 (156.5828) |
| Oct 29, 2021 | Southaven Springfest 🏅 Southaven, MS | 33 / 36 (635.2456) | 22 (167.4056) | 30 (159.9660) | 31 (158.2284) | 36 (149.6456) |
| Jun 18, 2021 | DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Nesbit, MS | 27 / 48 (672.4684) | 35 (162.2628) | 27 (166.8228) | 23 (167.9656) | 6 (175.4172) |
| Aug 29, 2020 | Pitboss Backyarder BBQ Series Round 3 Herron | 6 / 14 (307.4288) | 9 (152.5944) | 8 (154.8344) | — | — |
| Aug 30, 2019 | Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival 🏅 Bedford, TX | 41 / 58 (647.8744) | 40 (164.5372) | 27 (167.4056) | 51 (154.8116) | 41 (161.1200) |
| Apr 5, 2019 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Cedar Park, TX | 36 / 61 (638.6164) | 26 (164.5256) | 53 (147.9312) | 35 (159.3484) | 16 (166.8112) |
| Aug 31, 2018 | Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival Bedford, TX | 57 / 74 (639.3028) | 52 (159.9768) | 63 (155.4060) | 23 (168.5372) | 58 (155.3828) |
| Sep 2, 2017 | Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Bedford, TX | 24 / 46 (645.5772) | 32 (155.9428) | 15 (166.2744) | 24 (162.8228) | 22 (160.5372) |
| Jun 27, 2015 | Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge Davenport, IA | 24 / 32 (627.2908) | 21 (161.1312) | 29 (151.9428) | 22 (162.2284) | 28 (151.9884) |