A tough matchup
5–0
behind in the head-to-head
SMOKE THIS ahead in 100% of their meetings
SMOKE THIS has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
The Piedmont Bullets
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1451
peak 1451 · rated over 5 contests ⓘ
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
2013-04-26
latest 2017-04-28
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 90%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
467.25
last 5 Master vs avg 467.25 (+0.00)
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±197.99
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 160.42 · weakest Brisket (149.84)
Road miles
0
mi across 5 mapped stops
Schedule strength
37%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1548)
Master avg
467.25 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (1 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.
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.
129 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5478 of the rated field
- Contests
- 89
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1513
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to The Piedmont Bullets)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team The Piedmont Bullets has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5493 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1450
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#5500 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1450
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 12 years after The Piedmont Bullets did, first appearing in 2025.
⚔ Head-to-head#5484 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1451
No shared contest yet.
Level with The Piedmont Bullets on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#5471 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1451
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#5468 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1451
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's Cooking | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE THIS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Q SMOKE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MIDNIGHT BURN | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SAPONI SMOKERS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 161.6684 | 150.8000 | 156.82 | top 78% |
| Pork Ribs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2516 | 152.5714 | 155.97 | top 71% |
| Pork | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2744 | 156.0000 | 160.42 | top 67% |
| Brisket | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 154.8572 | 139.9656 | 149.84 | top 82% |
“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 contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 87% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off | 2 | 38 | 0 | top 100% | 2017-04-28 |
| BBQ Capital Cook-Off | 2 | 49 | 0 | top 79% | 2015-04-24 |
The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
4 yrs
2013-04-26 → 2017-04-28
Busiest season
2017
1 contest
Contests a season
1
across 5 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
NC
5 of 5 contests
Contests visited
3
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
4 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 160.42 · weakest Brisket (149.84)
Walk rate
0%
a top-10 call in 0 of 5 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 5 contests
Master average
467.25
out of 720 · 5 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
155
34–246 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
0
5 mapped stops
Schedule strength
1548
average field rating faced — tougher than 37% of rated contests
Longest layoff
1 yrs
2016-04-22 → 2017-04-28
Power rating
1451
peak 1451 · #5483 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest BBQ Capital Cook-Off
- Peak power rating (1492) BBQ Capital Cook-Off
- 2015
- Career-best overall score638.1600 BBQ Capital Cook-Off
- Career-best single call (Pork)162.2744 BBQ Capital Cook-Off
- 2017
- Most recent contest Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.5 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off | 2016-04-22 |
| -11.5 | BBQ Capital Cookoff | 2014-04-25 |
| -11.4 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off | 2017-04-28 |
| -8.1 | BBQ Capital Cook-Off | 2013-04-26 |
| -6.9 | BBQ Capital Cook-Off | 2015-04-24 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 20.9% | 20.9% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 44% | 44% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 82% | 88.6% | 88.6% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 90% | 84.7% | 84.7% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 76% | 86.3% | 86.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-28 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC | 38 / 38 (150.8000) | 36 (150.8000) | — | — | — |
| 2016-04-22 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC | 54 / 54 (316.5600) | — | — | 39 (161.7028) | 46 (154.8572) |
| 2015-04-24 | BBQ Capital Cook-Off Lexington, NC | 49 / 60 (638.1600) | 44 (161.6684) | 37 (162.2516) | 43 (162.2744) | 51 (151.9656) |
| 2014-04-25 | BBQ Capital Cookoff Lexington, NC | 56 / 62 (609.6000) | 55 (154.8228) | 48 (153.0972) | 30 (161.7144) | 58 (139.9656) |
| 2013-04-26 | BBQ Capital Cook-Off Lexington, NC | 54 / 71 (621.1428) | 38 (160.0000) | 53 (152.5714) | 53 (156.0000) | 46 (152.5714) |