High-water mark
663.3604
career-best overall
92.1% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 663.3604 at Deaths Door Barbecue — 92.1% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Aug 22, 2014
SWEET BOURBON SMOKERS
SWEET BOURBON SMOKERS is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2016. Their best overall finish is 5th of 39 at the Poor Que (2013). They are ranked #3570 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1492
peak 1516 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
May 3, 2013
latest Apr 1, 2016 · 2.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
1
17% of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 57%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
639.09 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 636.19 (+2.90)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±17.62
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 161.50 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.21)
Road miles
1,479
across 6 mapped stops · furthest 1,257 mi
Schedule strength
11%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1516)
Master avg
636.19 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to SWEET BOURBON SMOKERS, each with one reason worth a look.
147 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,554 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1501
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,555 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
Level with SWEET BOURBON SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,562 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 71%
- Peak
- 1507
They turned up 12 years after SWEET BOURBON SMOKERS did, first appearing in 2025.
⚔ Compare careers#3,545 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1519
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 10 contests to 6.
⚔ Compare careers#3,575 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1505
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,560 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1507
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOX RIVER BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| CRASH TEST SMOKERS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| CHEFS GONE GRILLIN | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171.9888 | 143.8972 | 161.50 | top 50% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 165.6800 | 146.2858 | 157.21 | top 54% |
| Pork | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.8570 | 148.5372 | 158.74 | top 56% |
| Brisket | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 172 | 150.2628 | 158.74 | top 55% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 59% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 46% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2013
3 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
WI
5 of 6 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
a different one every time
Opponents faced
135
finished ahead 93 times, behind 103
Longest layoff
1 yrs
Aug 22, 2014 → Aug 28, 2015
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20161 milestone
- Most recent contest Indian River Twisted Tail BBQ Cookoff (JUDGES REGISTRATION FULL)
20142 milestones
- Career-best overall score663.3604 Deaths Door Barbecue
- Peak power rating (1516) Deaths Door Barbecue
20135 milestones
- First tracked contest The Masters in May
- First call Poor Que
- First overall top-10 Poor Que
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score656 Poor Que
- Career-best single call (Brisket)172 Poor Que
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.7 | Poor Que | Jun 7, 2013 |
| +4 | Deaths Door Barbecue | Aug 22, 2014 |
| +1.8 | The Masters in May | May 3, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.5 | 4th Annual Deaths Door Barbecue | Aug 28, 2015 |
| -12.1 | Indian River Twisted Tail BBQ Cookoff (JUDGES REGISTRATION FULL) | Apr 1, 2016 |
| -2 | Death's Door Barbecue | Aug 23, 2013 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 92% | 86.6% | 86.6% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 91% | 85.7% | 85.7% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 41% | 92.1% | 92.1% |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 39% | 91.1% | 88.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2016 | Indian River Twisted Tail BBQ Cookoff (JUDGES REGISTRATION FULL) Vero Beach, FL | 23 / 25 (623.8516) | 20 (161.1316) | 19 (158.2400) | 23 (148.5372) | 18 (155.9428) |
| Aug 28, 2015 | 4th Annual Deaths Door Barbecue Washington Island, WI | 32 / 35 (616.9484) | 35 (143.8972) | 20 (157.6800) | 23 (156.5256) | 18 (158.8456) |
| Aug 22, 2014 | Deaths Door Barbecue Washington Island, WI | 11 / 27 (663.3604) | 7 (171.9888) | 8 (165.6800) | 16 (164.0116) | 19 (161.6800) |
| Aug 23, 2013 | Death's Door Barbecue Washington Island, WI | 16 / 28 (635.2684) | 15 (163.9772) | 8 (163.9656) | 19 (157.0628) | 22 (150.2628) |
| Jun 7, 2013 | Poor Que Montello, WI | 5 / 39 (656) | 7 (165.7142) | 22 (151.4288) | 6 (166.8570) | 2 (172) |
| May 3, 2013 | The Masters in May Fremont, WI | 22 / 48 (621.7140) | 12 (162.2856) | 38 (146.2858) | 16 (159.4286) | 26 (153.7140) |