A tough matchup
7–0
behind in the head-to-head
SMOOTH SMOKE ahead in 100% of their meetings
SMOOTH SMOKE has come out ahead in 7 of their 7 shared contests.
Sow Manilla Grilla
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1490
peak 1507 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
2013-08-23
latest 2016-10-29
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 58%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
532.87 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 570.32 (-37.45)
Walk rate
29%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±155.93
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 160.23 · weakest Brisket (154.34)
Road miles
92
mi across 7 mapped stops
Schedule strength
30%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1540)
Master avg
570.32 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (4 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.
The weak link
−5.9
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.89 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 14% of the time against 0%.
- Brisket avg 154.34
- Chicken avg 160.23
- 1 calls in 7 entries
A strong matchup
5–2
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 71% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of DUSTY ROADS BBQ in 5 of their 7 shared contests.
An August team
Top 49%
average finish in August
Something about August: average finish in the top 49% across 3 contests, versus top 58% the rest of the year.
- 3 August contests
- top 58% the rest of the year
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.
162 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3655 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1490
2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to Sow Manilla Grilla)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#3664 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1490
0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Sow Manilla Grilla)
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3656 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1520
1–3 in 4 shared contests (25% to Sow Manilla Grilla)
They've been 1520 at their best, 30 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3638 of the rated field
- Contests
- 93
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1624
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Sow Manilla Grilla)
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 93 contests, alongside a 23% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#3634 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1511
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 12 years after Sow Manilla Grilla did, first appearing in 2025.
⚔ Head-to-head#3646 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1507
No shared contest yet.
Level with Sow Manilla Grilla on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUSTY ROADS BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOOTH SMOKE | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MAD HOGS AND AN ENGLISHMAN | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE BREAK - KS | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| T'S SMOKIN PIT | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| MOO COW | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| 99 PROBLEMS SMOKIN AINT 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| LIFT, TILT, AND STAGGER BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| STICKS-N-CHICKS BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD STYLE BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| KC SMOKE DAWGS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TRUEBUD BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| EATIN AINT CHEATIN | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171.4516 | 143.9544 | 160.23 | top 57% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.1428 | 146.8916 | 156.89 | top 66% |
| Pork | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 168.5944 | 137.1084 | 157.15 | top 64% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 164.0000 | 141.7028 | 154.34 | top 67% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS | 4 | 0 | top 52% |
| MO | 3 | 0 | top 65% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 32% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 68% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smokin' on Oak | 3 | 10 | 0 | top 49% | 2015-08-28 |
The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3.2 yrs
2013-08-23 → 2016-10-29
Busiest season
2015
2 contests
Contests a season
1.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
KS
4 of 7 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
5
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
7 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 160.23 · weakest Brisket (154.34)
Walk rate
29%
a top-10 call in 2 of 7 contests
Overall top-10 rate
14%
1 of 7 contests
Master average
570.32
out of 720 · 7 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
1,269
757–1,595 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
92
7 mapped stops
Schedule strength
1540
average field rating faced — tougher than 30% of rated contests
Longest layoff
1.1 yrs
2015-10-03 → 2016-10-29
Power rating
1490
peak 1507 · #3649 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Smokin' on Oak
- First call Smokin' on Oak
- Peak power rating (1507) Smokin' on Oak
- 2014
- First overall top-10 Smokin' on Oak
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.2632 Smokin' on Oak
- Career-best overall score658.2632 Smokin' on Oak
- 2016
- Career-best single call (Chicken)171.4516 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN)
- Most recent contest 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +6.8 | Smokin' on Oak | 2013-08-23 |
| +6.7 | Smokin' on Oak | 2014-08-22 |
| +3.1 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open | 2015-10-03 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.2 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open | 2013-10-03 |
| -7.7 | 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open | 2014-10-02 |
| -7.7 | Smokin' on Oak | 2015-08-28 |
| -0.1 | 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN) | 2016-10-29 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 61% | 89.9% | 89.9% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 55% | 88.6% | 55.5% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 57% | 91.4% | 89.1% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 59% | 89.8% | 86.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-10-29 | 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 339 / 557 (647.3484) | 93 (171.4516) | 322 (162.8112) | 511 (150.2628) | 276 (162.8228) |
| 2015-10-03 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO | 166 / 606 (162.2628) | 580 (143.9544) | 157 (169.1428) | 595 (137.1084) | 563 (141.7028) |
| 2015-08-28 | Smokin' on Oak Bonner Springs, KS | 35 / 42 (637.6456) | 35 (158.2400) | 37 (155.4400) | 29 (165.1428) | 27 (158.8228) |
| 2014-10-02 | 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 440 / 552 (625.1660) | 223 (166.8572) | 482 (150.8572) | 374 (159.4628) | 488 (147.9888) |
| 2014-08-22 | Smokin' on Oak Bonner Springs, KS | 10 / 30 (658.2632) | 11 (169.7144) | 17 (161.1200) | 7 (168.5944) | 20 (158.8344) |
| 2013-10-03 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 466 / 535 (593.6684) | 471 (148.5484) | 450 (146.8916) | 427 (151.9884) | 444 (146.2400) |
| 2013-08-23 | Smokin' on Oak Bonner Springs, KS | 12 / 38 (646.2860) | 15 (162.8456) | 23 (151.9660) | 6 (167.4744) | 10 (164.0000) |