SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM

SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM is a competition barbecue team with 42 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 26 at the MD State BBQ Bash (2024). They are ranked #1793 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Smokin With Pops BBQ Team”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,793

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1548

peak 1563 · rated over 35 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Oct 21, 2022

latest Sep 25, 2026 · 3.9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#82

Backyard 2025 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

10 podiums

Overall top-10s

24% of 42 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 51%

overall standings

Best overall

690.2744 / 720

Master · MD State BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Current form

335.50 ▲

last 5 Backyard vs avg 328.21 (+7.30)

Walk rate

57%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Chicken · Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2)

Consistency

±8.81

spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 168.51 · weakest Pork Ribs (162.15)

Road miles

4,732

across 42 mapped stops · furthest 467 mi

Schedule strength

71%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1590)

Purse competed for

$210K

listed at 34 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 35 state-championship entries

Master avg

671.31 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

328.21 / 360

24 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Backyard (3-meat) avg

499.33 / 540

1 Backyard (3-meat) contest · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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.

Storylines (11 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

High-water mark

690.2744 career-best overall

95.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 690.2744 at MD State BBQ Bash — 95.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 11, 2024

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

Menke Boys BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

19–2 behind in the head-to-head

Optimus Swine ahead in 90% of their meetings

Optimus Swine has come out ahead in 19 of their 21 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.4 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.36 points below their brisket, and turns into a call 16% of the time against 36%.

Pork Ribs avg 162.15
Brisket avg 168.51
6 calls in 37 entries

A strong matchup

11–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 79% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of smokey anderson bbq in 11 of their 14 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

6 of 6 shared brisket entries lost

OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has out-cooked them in 6 of 6 shared brisket entries.

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

SMOKECRAFT - MD has landed one call behind them 3 times.

Show 4 more storylines

A May team

Top 35% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 35% across 4 contests, versus top 51% the rest of the year.

4 May contests
top 51% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,732 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,732 miles across 42 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 467 miles to Atlanta BBQ Store Classic.

42 mapped stops
furthest 467 mi

The metronome

±2.41% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.41% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.8% of a perfect score
42 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked New Jersey State Barbecue Championship every year from 2023 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 10th

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
2026 ↗	Master	#640 (215 pts)	#621 (260 pts)	#954 (120 pts)	#514 (345 pts)	#630 (235 pts)
2025 ↗	Backyard	#82 (666 pts)	#40 (1,048 pts)	#121 (548 pts)	—	—
2025 ↗	Master	#577 (285 pts)	#303 (743 pts)	#650 (291 pts)	#614 (275 pts)	#548 (330 pts)
2024 ↗	Backyard	#114 (520 pts)	#99 (635 pts)	#115 (525 pts)	—	—
2024 ↗	Master	#419 (487 pts)	#512 (399 pts)	#551 (407 pts)	#407 (532 pts)	#334 (682 pts)
2023 ↗	Backyard	—	#81 (758 pts)	#116 (579 pts)	—	—
2023 ↗	Master	#1255 (60 pts)	#895 (160 pts)	#1118 (120 pts)	#1287 (60 pts)	#1296 (60 pts)
2022 ↗	Backyard	—	#222 (151 pts)	#201 (181 pts)	—	—
2022 ↗	Master	—	—	#1203 (111 pts)	—	—

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM, each with one reason worth a look.

59 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

Handsome Devil

#1,804 of the rated field

1547 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1589

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 33 contests
last seen Oct 11, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

Chairman of the Boar

#1,789 of the rated field

1548 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1608

They've been 1608 at their best, 60 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 38 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

SOUTHERN KRUNK BBQ SOCIETY

#1,798 of the rated field

1548 power rating

Contests: 41
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1584

Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 39 contests

⚔ Compare careers

SPEAKS FOR ITSELF BBQ

#1,792 of the rated field

1548 power rating

Contests: 51
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1577

Careers of much the same size, 51 contests to 42, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 51 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

BURN ALL NITE

#1,783 of the rated field

1548 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1555

21 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Jun 3, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

COOL GRILLING

#1,799 of the rated field

1548 power rating

Contests: 65
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1560

They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM's first contest.

rated over 62 contests
last seen Oct 20, 2023
on a 3-contest top-10 run

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
3 EYZ BBQ	23	7	15	30%	⚔ compare
Piggy & Swine BBQ	23	6	17	26%	⚔ compare
The Swine Doctor's BBQ	22	4	18	18%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	22	3	18	14%	⚔ compare
Optimus Swine	21	1	19	5%	⚔ compare
BLUE & GRAY BBQ	20	5	15	25%	⚔ compare
All About the Wood	19	5	14	26%	⚔ compare
Gold-N-Blue Barbecue	19	5	14	26%	⚔ compare
Capt. Blue BBQ	19	3	16	16%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	19	3	16	16%	⚔ compare
Leaning Jowler BBQ	19	2	17	11%	⚔ compare
Menke Boys BBQ	18	10	8	56%	⚔ compare
SMOKECRAFT - MD	18	6	10	33%	⚔ compare
Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ	18	4	14	22%	⚔ compare
CHUNKY BBQ	18	1	17	6%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	39	15	0	4	179.4400	151.9772	167.37	top 45%
Pork Ribs	37	6	0	0	171.4516	146.8344	162.15	top 58%
Pork	17	8	1	3	177.7144	147.3600	168.35	top 37%
Brisket	11	4	1	3	178.8572	154.8688	168.51	top 41%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 75%
Medium (20–39)	22	top 55%
Large (40+)	10	top 36%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
VA	14	top 67%
NJ	8	top 43%
DE	5	top 50%
PA	4	top 38%
GA	2	top 34%
MD	1	top 12%
WV	1	top 30%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	4	10	top 32%	Jul 11, 2026
BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)	4	9	top 40%	Mar 22, 2025
First State BBQ Bash	2	8	top 44%	Sep 25, 2026
Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2)	2	16	top 78%	Aug 9, 2025
Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)	2	7	top 47%	Jul 26, 2025
Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2)	2	6	top 29%	May 17, 2025
Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2)	2	12	top 77%	Apr 26, 2025
Atlanta BBQ Store Classic	2	18	top 34%	Nov 15, 2024
Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2)	2	22	top 92%	Apr 20, 2024
Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)	2	11	top 44%	Oct 21, 2023
Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2)	2	7	top 41%	May 6, 2023
Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 2)	2	14	top 77%	Apr 29, 2023

More numbers

Busiest season 2025 16 contests

Contests a season 8.4 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in VA 18 of 42 contests · 7 states in all

Contests visited 19 12 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 39 entries · 0 wins · 15 calls

Opponents faced 532 finished ahead 878 times, behind 912

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20261 milestone

Sep 25 Most recent contest First State BBQ Bash

20253 milestones

Mar 21 25th tracked contest BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)
Jul 25 Peak power rating (1563) Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)
Aug 9 Career-best single call (Chicken)179.4400 Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2)

20243 milestones

Jul 13 First category win (Brisket) New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
Oct 11 First overall podium MD State BBQ Bash
Oct 11 Career-best overall score690.2744 MD State BBQ Bash

20233 milestones

Apr 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score333.7028 Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 1)
May 5 First overall top-10 Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1)
Oct 20 10th tracked contest Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)

20222 milestones

Oct 21 First tracked contest Red White & Que - Master of Ribs - Friday Night
Oct 21 First call Red White & Que - Master of Ribs - Friday Night

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.1	MD State BBQ Bash	Oct 11, 2024
+12.2	BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)	Mar 22, 2024
+10.5	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	Jul 12, 2025
+10.5	Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1)	Jul 25, 2025
+10.4	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	Jul 13, 2024

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.7	Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2)	Aug 9, 2025
-9.5	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1)	Apr 19, 2024
-9.4	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2)	Apr 20, 2024
-7.8	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2)	Apr 26, 2025
-7.5	First State BBQ Bash	Sep 26, 2025

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	2	1	1	50%	top 31%	95.9%	94.6%
2025	16	4	0	44%	top 54%	95.4%	92.9%
2024	11	3	1	82%	top 47%	95.9%	92%
2023	10	2	0	60%	top 54%	92.7%	90.5%
2022	3	0	0	33%	top 66%	88.2%	87.1%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 25, 2026	First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE	8 / 39 (690.2172)	6 (176.5944)	28 (165.0856)	1 (177.7144)	14 (170.8228)
Jul 11, 2026	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	26 / 62 (671.3372)	20 (169.6800)	44 (161.6916)	25 (168.5484)	13 (171.4172)
Sep 26, 2025	First State BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE	17 / 25 (666.7660)	12 (170.8228)	21 (162.8344)	16 (165.1200)	14 (167.9888)
Sep 26, 2025	First State BBQ Bash (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Milford, DE	—	12 (166.2284)	—	—	—
Aug 9, 2025	Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) 🏅 Doswell, VA	23 / 25 (667.9772)	3 (179.4400)	25 (160.5256)	11 (173.1428)	25 (154.8688)
Aug 8, 2025	Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1) 🏅 Doswell, VA	16 / 25 (330.8000)	19 (162.7884)	12 (168.0116)	—	—
Aug 8, 2025	Triple Crown BBQ (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Doswell, VA	—	4 (173.1200)	—	—	—
Jul 26, 2025	Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA	19 / 27 (326.7884)	13 (169.6912)	21 (157.0972)	—	—
Jul 25, 2025	Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA	7 / 30 (343.4056)	8 (173.7028)	14 (169.7028)	—	—
Jul 12, 2025	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	10 / 63 (678.8228)	15 (171.9884)	17 (168.5600)	25 (165.7144)	6 (172.5600)
May 17, 2025	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA	6 / 21 (341.1544)	2 (176.0344)	9 (165.1200)	—	—
May 16, 2025	Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA	8 / 28 (335.3712)	3 (171.9884)	14 (163.3828)	—	—
Apr 26, 2025	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA	15 / 16 (331.3256)	16 (165.0856)	14 (166.2400)	—	—
Apr 25, 2025	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA	12 / 20 (341.7144)	2 (177.1544)	16 (164.5600)	—	—
Mar 22, 2025	BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	21 / 43 (333.6572)	19 (167.4056)	20 (166.2516)	—	—
Mar 21, 2025	BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	23 / 45 (322.1712)	22 (162.8228)	22 (159.3484)	—	—
Mar 21, 2025	BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT RIBS) Urbanna, VA	—	—	20 (147.9084)	—	—
Mar 21, 2025	BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Urbanna, VA	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 15, 2024	Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cuming, GA	18 / 58 (335.9316)	13 (171.9772)	23 (163.9544)	8 (173.1544)	—
Oct 11, 2024	MD State BBQ Bash 🏅 Bel Air, MD	3 / 26 (690.2744)	7 (174.2972)	10 (171.4516)	10 (170.8228)	2 (173.7028)
Sep 27, 2024	"The First State" BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE	20 / 26 (664.5260)	21 (163.9428)	18 (165.1772)	11 (173.7144)	19 (161.6916)
Aug 10, 2024	Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) 🏅 Ashland, VA	15 / 28 (325.6344)	15 (162.8000)	11 (162.8344)	7 (169.7144)	—
Jul 13, 2024	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	13 / 62 (673.7144)	34 (164)	14 (170.2744)	31 (162.2628)	1 (177.1772)
Jun 14, 2024	Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Buckhannon, WV	9 / 30 (329.1088)	9 (163.3944)	7 (165.7144)	—	—
Apr 20, 2024	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA	22 / 25 (661.6000)	23 (161.1316)	19 (163.4056)	3 (174.2628)	22 (162.8000)
Apr 19, 2024	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA	24 / 25 (311.3488)	21 (162.8116)	27 (148.5372)	9 (167.9656)	2 (178.8572)
Mar 23, 2024	BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	17 / 42 (329.0744)	18 (162.8000)	15 (166.2744)	3 (174.2972)	—
Mar 22, 2024	BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	9 / 45 (336.5256)	7 (170.8344)	14 (165.6912)	8 (170.2744)	—
Mar 22, 2024	BBQ Gives Back (One Meat Chicken) 🏅 Urbanna, VA	—	26 (154.7772)	—	—	—
Nov 17, 2023	Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA	22 / 60 (322.7428)	6 (173.7144)	30 (149.0284)	18 (161.0972)	—
Oct 21, 2023	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Jackson, NJ	16 / 29 (326.8232)	7 (172.5716)	19 (154.2516)	—	—
Oct 20, 2023	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Jackson, NJ	11 / 34 (326.7888)	12 (162.8116)	12 (163.9772)	—	—
Oct 20, 2023	Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Jackson, NJ	—	17 (158.2172)	—	—	—
Sep 22, 2023	Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA	18 / 24 (499.3260)	12 (170.8344)	20 (161.6572)	16 (166.8344)	—
Jul 14, 2023	New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ	31 / 64 (647.8172)	22 (168.5256)	13 (170.2628)	61 (147.3600)	29 (161.6688)
May 6, 2023	Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) 🏅 Lincoln, DE	9 / 19 (316.5488)	4 (169.7144)	12 (146.8344)	—	—
May 5, 2023	Delaware Bay-B-Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) 🏅 Lincoln, DE	7 / 20 (319.9660)	6 (162.8344)	8 (157.1316)	—	—
Apr 29, 2023	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA	16 / 19 (329.1084)	16 (161.1084)	7 (168)	—	—
Apr 28, 2023	Revolutionary BBQ Brawl - Battle on the James (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA	14 / 20 (333.7028)	7 (170.8456)	18 (162.8572)	—	—
Oct 22, 2022	Red White & Que: Day 2 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	20 / 27 (309.6228)	21 (151.9772)	19 (157.6456)	—	—
Oct 21, 2022	Red White & Que: Day 1 - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES 🏅 Jackson, NJ	17 / 29 (317.6572)	18 (157.0972)	14 (160.5600)	—	—
Oct 21, 2022	Red White & Que - Master of Ribs - Friday Night Jackson, NJ	—	—	10 (157.6916)	—	—

SMOKIN' WITH POPS BBQ TEAM

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Backyard (3-meat) avg

Storylines (11 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Brisket nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A May team

The long haul

The metronome

A standing appointment

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)