Sweet Smokin' Jones

Sweet Smokin' Jones is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 12th of 27 at the Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship (2022). They are ranked #5249 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Sweet Smokin Jones”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,249

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1457

peak 1457 · rated over 10 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Sep 22, 2017

latest Sep 19, 2025 · 8 years on the trail

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

0% of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 75%

overall standings

Best overall

672.5144 / 720

Master · Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship

Perfect 180s

Current form

654.02 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 652.62 (+1.40)

Walk rate

20%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.2744

Pork Ribs · Tri City BBQ Fest

Consistency

±11.49

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 164.42 · weakest Brisket (160.88)

Road miles

349

across 10 mapped stops · furthest 52 mi

Schedule strength

56%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1572)

Purse competed for

$78K

listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 8 state-championship entries

Master avg

652.62 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (7 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

672.5144 career-best overall

93.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 672.5144 at Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship — 93.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 29, 2022

A tough matchup

7–1 behind in the head-to-head

SMOKEHOUSE 72 ahead in 88% of their meetings

SMOKEHOUSE 72 has come out ahead in 7 of their 8 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Tri City BBQ Fest (Sep 17, 2021).

last seen Sep 20, 2019
back Sep 17, 2021

Pork nemesis

8 of 8 shared pork entries lost

SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ has out-cooked them in 8 of 8 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

SMOKE DOCTOR has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 66% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 66% across 4 contests, versus top 75% the rest of the year.

4 July contests
top 75% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.60% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.60% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.6% of a perfect score
10 contests

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Sweet Smokin' Jones, each with one reason worth a look.

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

PORK COUNTY BARBECUE

#5,246 of the rated field

1457 power rating

Contests: 44
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1534

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Sweet Smokin' Jones)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Sweet Smokin' Jones has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 44 contests
last seen Apr 4, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG D BBQ

#5,235 of the rated field

1457 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1457

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jul 19, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

HELL BENT 100% TEXAS COOKERS

#5,238 of the rated field

1457 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1457

Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 5 years before Sweet Smokin' Jones's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 10 contests

⚔ Compare careers

CALLAWAY CREMATORS

#5,259 of the rated field

1457 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1457

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Oct 11, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

TEAR-A-BYTE BBQ

#5,263 of the rated field

1457 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1457

Level with Sweet Smokin' Jones on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Sep 12, 2014

⚔ Compare careers

Circle W Meats

#5,267 of the rated field

1457 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1457

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Apr 3, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
GRILLIN' GRINDES	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
SMOKEHOUSE 72	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
TEAM CRAWFORD	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
SMOKE DOCTOR	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Bucknutz BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
HOT DADDY'S BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Luscious Loins BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Smokin A BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
BLAIR'S BIGFOOT BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
FAIRWAY SMOKERS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	0	0	0	172	145.6572	163.17	top 72%
Pork Ribs	10	2	1	1	174.2744	148.5372	164.16	top 59%
Pork	10	0	0	0	169.1316	156.5028	164.42	top 69%
Brisket	10	0	0	0	167.3944	153.6344	160.88	top 70%

“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.

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Tri-City BBQ Fest	6	16	0	top 81%	Sep 19, 2025
Shenandoah ShenDig	2	24	0	top 72%	Jul 18, 2025

More numbers

Busiest season 2025 2 contests

Contests a season 1.3 across 8 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IA 10 of 10 contests

Contests visited 4 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 162 finished ahead 77 times, behind 234

Longest layoff 2 yrs Sep 20, 2019 → Sep 17, 2021

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

20252 milestones

Sep 19 10th tracked contest Tri-City BBQ Fest
Sep 19 Most recent contest Tri-City BBQ Fest

20221 milestone

Jul 29 Career-best overall score672.5144 Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship

20213 milestones

Sep 17 First call Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 17 First category win (Pork Ribs) Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 17 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.2744 Tri City BBQ Fest

20173 milestones

Sep 22 First tracked contest Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 22 First overall past 90% of a perfect score652.5260 Tri City BBQ Fest
Sep 22 Peak power rating (1498) Tri City BBQ Fest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+5.5	Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship	Jul 29, 2022

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.4	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 15, 2023
-9.1	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 21, 2018
-7.6	Tri-City BBQ Fest	Sep 19, 2025
-5.2	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 17, 2021
-4.7	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 20, 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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2025	2	0	0%	top 82%	92%	91.7%
2024	1	0	0%	top 75%	91.6%	91.6%
2023	2	0	0%	top 78%	90.2%	89.5%
2022	1	0	100%	top 44%	93.4%	93.4%
2021	1	1	100%	top 80%	91.2%	91.2%
2019	1	0	0%	top 79%	89.3%	89.3%
2018	1	0	0%	top 89%	87.7%	87.7%
2017	1	0	0%	top 65%	90.6%	90.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 19, 2025	Tri-City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	22 / 26 (662.6972)	21 (167.3828)	17 (165.6800)	22 (162.2400)	19 (167.3944)
Jul 18, 2025	Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	24 / 30 (658.1604)	23 (167.3828)	28 (156.5144)	21 (169.1316)	20 (165.1316)
Jul 19, 2024	Shenandoah ShenDig BBQ 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	27 / 36 (659.8516)	16 (170.8344)	21 (169.7144)	33 (156.5028)	26 (162.8000)
Sep 15, 2023	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	29 / 32 (639.8516)	11 (172)	30 (148.5372)	29 (160.5028)	28 (158.8116)
Jul 21, 2023	Shenandoah ShenDig 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	24 / 37 (649.5428)	28 (161.1084)	14 (170.8344)	25 (163.3828)	28 (154.2172)
Jul 29, 2022	Shenandoah "ShenDig" Barbeque Championship 🏅 Shenandoah, IA	12 / 27 (672.5144)	15 (167.3828)	8 (173.7372)	13 (166.8228)	14 (164.5716)
Sep 17, 2021	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	16 / 20 (656.9944)	20 (161.7028)	1 (174.2744)	15 (167.3828)	19 (153.6344)
Sep 20, 2019	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	27 / 34 (642.7088)	29 (155.9084)	18 (165.1316)	21 (165.7028)	25 (155.9660)
Sep 21, 2018	Tri City BBQ Fest Denison, IA	24 / 27 (631.3944)	27 (145.6572)	25 (153.1316)	15 (165.7256)	12 (166.8800)
Sep 22, 2017	Tri City BBQ Fest Denison, IA	24 / 37 (652.5260)	25 (162.2972)	21 (164.0116)	17 (166.8456)	24 (159.3716)

Sweet Smokin' Jones

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

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

Storylines (7 found in their record)

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

The metronome

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

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 — 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)