The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ has finished one call ahead of COAL CRACKER BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
COAL CRACKER BBQ
COAL CRACKER BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 19 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 7th of 37 at the Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) (2024). They are ranked #3514 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1493
peak 1516 · rated over 19 contests
Contests
19
in the data
First seen
Aug 26, 2022
latest Jul 25, 2026 · 3.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
16% of 19 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 61%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
332.83 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 331.47 (+1.36)
Walk rate
47%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±5.71
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 165.96 · weakest Brisket (154.25)
Road miles
287
across 19 mapped stops
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1576)
Purse competed for
$127K
listed at 17 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 19 state-championship entries
Master avg
638.17 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
331.47 / 360
16 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)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #103 (437 pts) | #110 (447 pts) | #94 (570 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #106 (574 pts) | #130 (494 pts) | #75 (784 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #192 (240 pts) | #224 (175 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #920 (125 pts) | #1011 (120 pts) | #1118 (120 pts) | #762 (200 pts) | #948 (135 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1309 (60 pts) | #702 (260 pts) | #1346 (75 pts) | #1348 (60 pts) | #1333 (60 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to COAL CRACKER BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
135 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,502 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1518
2–5 in 7 shared contests (29% to COAL CRACKER BBQ)
These two have cooked 7 of the same contests — Broomstick BBQ ahead 5–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,538 of the rated field
- Contests
- 38
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1510
5–7 in 12 shared contests (42% to COAL CRACKER BBQ)
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 38 contests to 19.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,524 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1510
20 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 10% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#3,517 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 5%
- Peak
- 1493
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 20 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,533 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1503
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before COAL CRACKER BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,508 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1524
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before COAL CRACKER BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 BOXERS Q | 18 | 10 | 6 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| All About the Wood | 18 | 6 | 12 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Capt. Blue BBQ | 17 | 2 | 15 | 12% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 17 | 2 | 15 | 12% | ⚔ compare |
| SUSQUEHANNA SMOKERS | 15 | 4 | 11 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| Oink N' Doink BBQ | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| Stroked Out Cooking Team | 14 | 2 | 12 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Estancia | 13 | 12 | 1 | 92% | ⚔ compare |
| UP IN SMOKERS | 13 | 10 | 3 | 77% | ⚔ compare |
| Castleton Q | 13 | 7 | 6 | 54% | ⚔ compare |
| Backwooder BBQ | 13 | 4 | 9 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| 3 EYZ BBQ | 13 | 2 | 11 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKECRAFT - MD | 13 | 2 | 9 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE & SHINE BBQ | 13 | 1 | 12 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| MRC_Barbecue | 13 | 1 | 12 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 177.1428 | 143.9200 | 164.03 | top 59% |
| Pork Ribs | 19 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 174.2744 | 154.7772 | 165.96 | top 49% |
| Pork | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 168.5600 | 158.8572 | 163.03 | top 52% |
| Brisket | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2516 | 143.9776 | 154.25 | top 74% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 98% |
| Medium (20–39) | 11 | 0 | top 54% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 53% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 5 | 11 | 0 | top 76% | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | 5 | 7 | 0 | top 62% | May 16, 2026 |
| Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 4 | 10 | 0 | top 55% | Jul 25, 2026 |
| New Holland Summer Fest | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 57% | Aug 23, 2024 |
| Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) | 2 | 16 | 0 | top 39% | Jul 29, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
7 contests
Contests a season
4.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
PA
19 of 19 contests
Contests visited
5
5 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
19 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls
Opponents faced
238
finished ahead 424 times, behind 597
Longest layoff
1.7 yrs
Aug 23, 2024 → May 15, 2026
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2)
20243 milestones
- First overall top-10 Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1)
- 10th tracked contest York County BBQ Festival (Day 2)
- Peak power rating (1516) New Holland Summer Fest
20232 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.4460 Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
- Career-best overall score648.4460 Twin Valley Fire and Smoke
20223 milestones
- First tracked contest New Holland Summer Fest
- First call New Holland Summer Fest
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.1428 New Holland Summer Fest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.3 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) | May 17, 2024 |
| +8.7 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) | Jul 27, 2024 |
| +8.3 | New Holland Summer Fest | Aug 23, 2024 |
| +7.8 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) | Jul 28, 2023 |
| +7.2 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) | Jun 28, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.9 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) | Jul 26, 2024 |
| -8.8 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) | May 15, 2026 |
| -8.7 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | May 16, 2026 |
| -7.1 | New Holland Summer Fest | Aug 25, 2023 |
| -6.5 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke | May 19, 2023 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17% | top 80% | 93.9% | 92% |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 71% | top 45% | 94.8% | 92.4% |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40% | top 58% | 92.9% | 90% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 69% | 90% | 90% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 25 / 39 (330.1712) | — | 12 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 16 / 43 (336.5256) | 19 (167.9656) | 16 (168.5600) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2026 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 17 / 13 (338.2172) | 12 (169.6916) | 15 (168.5256) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 18 / 25 (329.0512) | 18 (162.7884) | 15 (166.2628) | — | — |
| May 16, 2026 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 16 / 17 (330.2056) | 16 (160.5028) | 7 (169.7028) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 20 / 25 (323.3372) | 20 (160.5028) | 19 (162.8344) | — | — |
| Aug 23, 2024 | New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA | 8 / 38 (330.7772) | 9 (162.8000) | 5 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 10 / 32 (334.2744) | 14 (165.6800) | 6 (168.5944) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Rail BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 31 / 35 (319.3140) | 30 (158.2284) | 30 (161.0856) | — | — |
| Jun 29, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 13 / 19 (333.6800) | 20 (165.1428) | 11 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 11 / 29 (337.0856) | 13 (167.4056) | 7 (169.6800) | — | — |
| May 18, 2024 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 13 / 26 (333.0744) | 19 (158.8000) | 2 (174.2744) | — | — |
| May 17, 2024 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 7 / 37 (341.1084) | 9 (169.6684) | 7 (171.4400) | — | — |
| Aug 25, 2023 | New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA | 35 / 44 (618.0688) | 44 (143.9200) | 35 (155.9544) | 24 (161.6800) | 31 (156.5144) |
| Jul 29, 2023 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 19 / 40 (329.6684) | 8 (171.9656) | 20 (157.7028) | — | — |
| Jul 28, 2023 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 16 / 51 (334.2628) | 17 (167.4172) | 16 (166.8456) | — | — |
| Jun 16, 2023 | York County BBQ Festival 🏅 Delta, PA | 20 / 29 (322.7772) | 11 (168) | 23 (154.7772) | — | — |
| May 19, 2023 | Twin Valley Fire and Smoke 🏅 Morgantown, PA | 24 / 37 (648.4460) | 34 (154.8344) | 25 (162.8000) | 10 (168.5600) | 22 (162.2516) |
| Aug 26, 2022 | New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA | 34 / 49 (647.9892) | 2 (177.1428) | 22 (168.0116) | 37 (158.8572) | 45 (143.9776) |