A tough matchup
9–0
behind in the head-to-head
SMOKE THIS ahead in 100% of their meetings
SMOKE THIS has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.
Smoke Wagon BBQ
Smoke Wagon BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 10th of 18 at the Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (2024). They are ranked #6175 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1423
peak 1423 · rated over 16 contests
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
Jul 26, 2013
latest Sep 26, 2025 · 12.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
1
6% of 17 contests
Avg finish
top 79%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
615.33 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 629.81 (-14.48)
Walk rate
18%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±17.91
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 159.96 · weakest Brisket (154.48)
Road miles
3,566
across 17 mapped stops · furthest 877 mi
Schedule strength
53%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1569)
Purse competed for
$110K
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
629.81 / 720
12 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
323.75 / 360
4 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smoke Wagon BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
30 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#6,172 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1423
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Smoke Wagon BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Smoke Wagon BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#6,181 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1422
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#6,178 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1422
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 3 years before Smoke Wagon BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#6,179 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1422
Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#6,173 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1423
20 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 10% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#6,180 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1422
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKE THIS | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PICKIN' PORKERS | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| K & D SMOKERS | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MIDNIGHT BURN | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKING BUTT HEADS | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TWO OLD MEN AND A GRILL | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| WHO CARES BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BS PITMEISTERS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.2972 | 149.6456 | 159.96 | top 76% |
| Pork Ribs | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 170.8112 | 127.3372 | 158.00 | top 67% |
| Pork | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.7256 | 150.2856 | 159.30 | top 75% |
| Brisket | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8344 | 135.3144 | 154.48 | top 72% |
“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) | 2 | 0 | top 68% |
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 81% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 0 | top 81% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 68% | Sep 26, 2025 |
| Poosa Q | 2 | 53 | 0 | top 82% | Oct 4, 2024 |
| Smoking in the Foothills Barbecue Competition And Festival | 2 | 34 | 0 | top 97% | Oct 19, 2018 |
| Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic | 2 | 44 | 0 | top 71% | Sep 18, 2015 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2013
4 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 11 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NC
10 of 17 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
12
4 of them more than once
Opponents faced
491
finished ahead 155 times, behind 643
Longest layoff
2.7 yrs
Aug 31, 2019 → Apr 29, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20241 milestone
- First overall top-10 Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20171 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Smoking in the Foothills Barbecue Competition And Festival
20152 milestones
- Career-best single call (Brisket)170.8344 Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic
- Career-best overall score654.7312 Smoking In The Foothills Barbecue Competition and Festival
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest WNC Barbeque Festival
- Peak power rating (1487) WNC Barbeque Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.1200 Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic
- First call Waxhaw Grill'n and Chill'n BBQ Cook-off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +4 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 27, 2024 |
| +0.9 | Smoke on the Water | Apr 29, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.8 | WNC Barbeque Festival | Jul 26, 2013 |
| -9.2 | Smoking in the Foothills Barbecue Competition And Festival | Oct 20, 2017 |
| -8.4 | WNC BBQ Festival | Jul 24, 2015 |
| -8.3 | Smoking in the Foothills Barbecue Competition And Festival | Oct 19, 2018 |
| -7.8 | Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge | Aug 31, 2019 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 80% | 91.2% | 91.2% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 73% | 93.3% | 90.1% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 74% | 88.2% | 88.2% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 64% | 88.2% | 88.2% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 84.3% | 84.3% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 84.7% | 84.7% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 82.9% | 82.9% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 90% | 87.2% | 87.2% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 90.9% | 89.4% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 74% | 90.6% | 88.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2025 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Clanton, AL | 12 / 15 (328.4684) | 12 (165.0856) | 12 (163.3828) | — | — |
| Oct 4, 2024 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 53 / 59 (312.9944) | 51 (157.0628) | 53 (155.9316) | — | — |
| Sep 27, 2024 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Clanton, AL | 10 / 18 (335.9084) | 12 (165.0972) | 4 (170.8112) | — | — |
| Oct 5, 2023 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 54 / 73 (317.6232) | 50 (161.6800) | 54 (155.9432) | — | — |
| Apr 29, 2022 | Smoke on the Water 🏅 Liberty, IN | 16 / 25 (635.2460) | 7 (170.2972) | 14 (163.9544) | 22 (152.4800) | 19 (148.5144) |
| Aug 31, 2019 | Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak cook-off challenge 🏅 Omaha, NE | 26 / 28 (606.6972) | 22 (160.5372) | 28 (127.3372) | 13 (169.7256) | 25 (149.0972) |
| Oct 19, 2018 | Smoking in the Foothills Barbecue Competition And Festival Lenoir, NC | 34 / 35 (610.0228) | 31 (154.8228) | 35 (142.1944) | 28 (157.6340) | 27 (155.3716) |
| Oct 20, 2017 | Smoking in the Foothills Barbecue Competition And Festival Lenoir, NC | 38 / 39 (596.8684) | 37 (157.0856) | 38 (152.5372) | 36 (151.9312) | 39 (135.3144) |
| Oct 14, 2016 | Smoking in the Foothills Lenoir, NC | 37 / 41 (627.8284) | 33 (162.2744) | 38 (151.3828) | 29 (162.2284) | 38 (151.9428) |
| Oct 16, 2015 | Smoking In The Foothills Barbecue Competition and Festival Lenoir, NC | 25 / 37 (654.7312) | 17 (167.9656) | 21 (165.1200) | 29 (161.6684) | 29 (159.9772) |
| Sep 18, 2015 | Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC | 44 / 59 (643.3372) | 58 (149.6456) | 31 (163.4172) | 46 (159.4400) | 12 (170.8344) |
| Jul 24, 2015 | WNC BBQ Festival Maggie Valley, NC | 43 / 49 (632.9600) | 40 (161.0972) | 36 (158.8344) | 39 (161.0856) | 42 (151.9428) |
| Aug 22, 2014 | Up In Smoke On The Square Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 1, 2013 | Hog Happnin' Shelby, NC | 51 / 75 (652.5372) | 65 (154.8228) | 19 (168.5944) | 33 (165.1316) | 35 (163.9884) |
| Oct 11, 2013 | Waxhaw Grill'n and Chill'n BBQ Cook-off Waxhaw, NC | 17 / 25 (628.5484) | 22 (153.6684) | 3 (169.7600) | 23 (150.2856) | 16 (154.8344) |
| Sep 20, 2013 | Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC | 49 / 72 (649.1200) | 66 (151.9772) | 30 (165.7144) | 45 (164.5828) | 25 (166.8456) |
| Jul 26, 2013 | WNC Barbeque Festival Maggie Valley, NC | 45 / 48 (619.8740) | 25 (166.2628) | 46 (153.1084) | 42 (155.4056) | 47 (145.0972) |