The heartbreaker
1.7256
points from the title
Came within 1.7256 points of the Grand Championship at Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off (Jul 13, 2018).
PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS
PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS is a competition barbecue team with 42 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2025. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Marietta River City BBQ (2022), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 4 times. They are ranked #410 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Peace, Love & Smokiness”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1696
peak 1696 · rated over 37 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
42
in the data
First seen
Oct 7, 2016
latest Sep 19, 2025 · 9 years on the trail
Grand champs
2
4 reserve · wins it all 5% of the time
Category wins
8
26 podiums
Overall top-10s
20
48% of 42 contests
Best top-10 run
8
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 32%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Current form
685.18 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 678.43 (+6.75)
Walk rate
86%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.05
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 170.23 · weakest Pork Ribs (168.39)
Road miles
9,452
across 42 mapped stops · furthest 650 mi
Schedule strength
69%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1587)
Purse competed for
$185K
listed at 26 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 30 state-championship entries
Master avg
678.43 / 720
39 Master contests · 2 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #409 (506 pts) | #458 (501 pts) | #675 (276 pts) | #500 (391 pts) | #436 (501 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #350 (598 pts) | #501 (413 pts) | #298 (835 pts) | #372 (573 pts) | #416 (488 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #398 (550 pts) | #531 (410 pts) | #619 (355 pts) | #404 (580 pts) | #510 (430 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #132 (1,259 pts) | #194 (964 pts) | #129 (1,294 pts) | #163 (1,099 pts) | #152 (1,124 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #405 (270 pts) | #595 (170 pts) | #490 (235 pts) | #466 (245 pts) | #363 (335 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #389 (835 pts) | #430 (785 pts) | #377 (865 pts) | #513 (670 pts) | #309 (1,015 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #362 (935 pts) | #351 (980 pts) | #587 (630 pts) | #414 (875 pts) | #485 (765 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #991 (342 pts) | #1198 (272 pts) | #959 (397 pts) | #962 (387 pts) | #1062 (322 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #2081 (91 pts) | #2280 (71 pts) | #2235 (81 pts) | #2110 (101 pts) | #1649 (156 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS, each with one reason worth a look.
#411 of the rated field
- Contests
- 161
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1834
0–3 in 3 shared contests (0% to PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS)
These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — T-MAC SMOKIN ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#409 of the rated field
- Contests
- 67
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 49%
- Peak
- 1707
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 67 contests to 42.
⚔ Compare careers#408 of the rated field
- Contests
- 113
- GCs
- 8
- Top-10s
- 58%
- Peak
- 1757
They've been 1757 at their best, 61 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#414 of the rated field
- Contests
- 60
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1697
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS)
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 60 contests, alongside a 28% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#413 of the rated field
- Contests
- 86
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1722
3–2 in 5 shared contests (60% to PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS)
Level with PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#415 of the rated field
- Contests
- 91
- GCs
- 5
- Top-10s
- 69%
- Peak
- 1805
2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | 20 | 13 | 7 | 65% | ⚔ compare |
| TIRE SMOKE BBQ | 18 | 9 | 9 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| CONVICTED PIGS BBQ | 15 | 13 | 2 | 87% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 13 | 5 | 8 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| ALE YEAH BBQ | 12 | 6 | 6 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| WeQ4U | 12 | 5 | 7 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| Shiggin aint easy | 11 | 8 | 3 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOOSIERS | 11 | 8 | 3 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| BooyaQ | 11 | 7 | 4 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| GREY STREET BBQ | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| CIRCLE L BBQ | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Maestros | 10 | 9 | 1 | 90% | ⚔ compare |
| BURNING PIG BBQ | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE CHIP BBQ | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 39 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 178.8572 | 155.9084 | 170.04 | top 42% |
| Pork Ribs | 41 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 180 🔥 | 154.2972 | 168.39 | top 42% |
| Pork | 39 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 178.8572 | 155.3828 | 169.43 | top 39% |
| Brisket | 39 | 26 | 4 | 7 | 180 🔥 | 154.2400 | 170.23 | top 35% |
“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 | 1 | top 17% |
| Medium (20–39) | 20 | 1 | top 35% |
| Large (40+) | 16 | 0 | top 32% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marietta River City BBQ | 4 | 1 | 1 | top 19% | Apr 28, 2023 |
| Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival | 3 | 4 | 0 | top 35% | Oct 18, 2019 |
| CCSFEST | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 20% | Apr 8, 2022 |
| Smokin' For Garrett | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 12% | Oct 22, 2021 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
9 contests
Contests a season
4.7
across 9 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
OH
17 of 42 contests · 10 states in all
Contests visited
32
4 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
41 entries · 2 wins · 20 calls
First title
Jun 2, 2017
Conquer The Grill
Opponents faced
1,063
finished ahead 1,394 times, behind 724
Longest layoff
1.8 yrs
Oct 13, 2023 → Jul 18, 2025
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20252 milestones
- Peak power rating (1696) September Fest
- Most recent contest September Fest
20222 milestones
- First state championship Marietta River City BBQ
- Career-best overall score698.8000 Marietta River City BBQ
20211 milestone
- 25th tracked contest Country Roads BBQ Clash Day 1
20192 milestones
- 10th tracked contest KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Championship
- First perfect 180 (Brisket) CCSFest
20181 milestone
- First Reserve Championship CCS Fest
20175 milestones
- First category win (Pork) Conquer The Grill
- First overall top-10 Conquer The Grill
- First overall podium Conquer The Grill
- First Grand Championship Conquer The Grill
- First multi-meat day Conquer The Grill
20163 milestones
- First tracked contest Pig Mania Marion
- First call Pig Mania Marion
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score659.3140 Pig Mania Marion
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18.5 | CCS Fest | Apr 6, 2018 |
| +16.9 | Conquer The Grill | Jun 2, 2017 |
| +16.3 | Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off | Jul 13, 2018 |
| +12.2 | Smokin For Garrett | Oct 23, 2020 |
| +11.8 | Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival | Oct 18, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -6.7 | Smoke in the Park | Sep 27, 2019 |
| -5.9 | BLACK BOX BBQ @ Wadsworth Municipal Airport | Oct 13, 2023 |
| -4.2 | Smokin in the Hills | Sep 18, 2020 |
| -3.5 | Marietta River City BBQ | Apr 26, 2019 |
| -2.8 | Rocking BBQ Warsaw | May 19, 2023 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 100% | top 22% | 95.8% | 95.4% |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 67% | top 35% | 95.9% | 94.9% |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 50% | top 27% | 97.1% | 95.3% |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 100% | top 22% | 97% | 95.7% |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 37% | 95.1% | 93.3% |
| 2019 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 100% | top 42% | 95.8% | 93% |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 83% | top 32% | 96.5% | 93.6% |
| 2017 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 100% | top 31% | 94.4% | 93.2% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 65% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2025 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 2 / 26 (689.6224) | 2 (177.7372) | 21 (163.9196) | 13 (167.9656) | 1 (180) |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Grizzly BBQ Brawl 🏅 Wellington, OH | 15 / 42 (683.9088) | 10 (175.4288) | 9 (171.9772) | 9 (174.8572) | 34 (161.6456) |
| Jul 18, 2025 | Buckeye BBQ Classic 🏅 Hillsboro, OH | 9 / 40 (687.9544) | 14 (172.5484) | 28 (166.8344) | 10 (173.7144) | 7 (174.8572) |
| Oct 13, 2023 | BLACK BOX BBQ @ Wadsworth Municipal Airport 🏅 Wadsworth, OH | 11 / 20 (679.3256) | 8 (172.5484) | 8 (169.6800) | 15 (165.6800) | 10 (171.4172) |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Buckhannon, WV | 8 / 28 (685.0856) | 20 (167.4056) | 1 (176) | 15 (169.6800) | 9 (172) |
| May 19, 2023 | Rocking BBQ Warsaw 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 17 / 35 (677.6232) | 21 (169.6916) | 27 (165.1088) | 14 (169.7144) | 8 (173.1084) |
| May 19, 2023 | Rocking BBQ Warsaw (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN | — | — | 22 (158.2400) | — | — |
| Apr 28, 2023 | Marietta River City BBQ 🏅 Marietta, OH | 3 / 42 (690.2744) | 14 (171.4172) | 5 (175.4172) | 2 (178.8572) | 22 (164.5828) |
| Apr 28, 2023 | Marietta River City BBQ (ONE MEAT RIBS) Marietta, OH | — | — | 13 (165.6684) | — | — |
| Oct 1, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 218 / 505 (671.9428) | 97 (173.1200) | 326 (164.5600) | 198 (169.1200) | 252 (165.1428) |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST unrated Kansas City, KS | 83 / 249 (686.2284) | 120 (171.4400) | 26 (176.5600) | 83 (172.5600) | 191 (165.6684) |
| Sep 9, 2022 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 12 / 32 (682.8116) | 15 (170.8572) | 8 (173.7144) | 19 (166.8344) | 6 (171.4056) |
| Apr 29, 2022 | Marietta River City BBQ 🏅 Marietta, OH | 1 / 25 (698.8000) | 3 (178.8572) | 7 (171.4172) | 3 (175.4172) | 5 (173.1084) |
| Apr 8, 2022 | CCSFEST 🏅 Indianapolis, IN | 8 / 42 (691.3368) | 24 (171.4056) | 21 (170.2512) | 3 (175.4172) | 10 (174.2628) |
| Oct 22, 2021 | Smokin' For Garrett 🏅 Boonville, IN | 4 / 27 (681.0628) | 9 (170.8228) | 7 (169.7144) | 11 (170.8456) | 10 (169.6800) |
| Jul 17, 2021 | Country Roads BBQ Clash Day 2 🏅 Morgantown, WV | 3 / 15 (698.1940) | 11 (168.5256) | 1 (180) | 3 (174.2628) | 2 (175.4056) |
| Jul 16, 2021 | Country Roads BBQ Clash Day 1 🏅 Morgantown, WV | 4 / 18 (690.1596) | 4 (175.4056) | 9 (171.9656) | 5 (173.1200) | 7 (169.6684) |
| Jun 18, 2021 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Roanoke, WV | 6 / 28 (693.6228) | 4 (177.7028) | 5 (176.5716) | 10 (173.1200) | 17 (166.2284) |
| May 1, 2021 | Smoke on the Water 🏅 Liberty, IN | 6 / 27 (688.5256) | 13 (167.9656) | 2 (172.5600) | 12 (169.1200) | 1 (178.8800) |
| Apr 23, 2021 | Marietta River City BBQ 🏅 Marietta, OH | 2 / 29 (690.8916) | 10 (170.2744) | 2 (174.8800) | 4 (171.4400) | 5 (174.2972) |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Smoke on The Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 25 / 57 (679.3144) | 21 (171.9772) | 29 (168.5372) | 9 (175.4172) | 45 (163.3828) |
| Oct 23, 2020 | Smokin For Garrett Boonville, IN | 4 / 41 (684.4684) | 18 (167.3828) | 6 (172.5600) | 5 (174.8572) | 12 (169.6684) |
| Sep 18, 2020 | Smokin in the Hills 🏅 Hillsboro, OH | 26 / 41 (658.6852) | 22 (167.3712) | 31 (161.6684) | 35 (156.5256) | 4 (173.1200) |
| Oct 18, 2019 | Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival 🏅 Nelsonville, OH | 4 / 28 (682.7424) | 17 (167.3712) | 3 (176.5600) | 10 (169.1200) | 10 (169.6912) |
| Sep 27, 2019 | Smoke in the Park 🏅 Lemoyne, PA | 28 / 40 (641.5888) | 35 (155.9084) | 19 (159.4288) | 37 (156.5488) | 9 (169.7028) |
| Jul 12, 2019 | Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off 🏅 Kettering, OH | 10 / 33 (679.3028) | 12 (171.4056) | 7 (171.9772) | 10 (170.8228) | 18 (165.0972) |
| May 25, 2019 | Gettysburg BBQ Festival Day 2 🏅 Gettysburg, PA | 11 / 32 (689.6344) | 16 (170.8344) | 15 (169.6800) | 10 (174.8572) | 7 (174.2628) |
| May 24, 2019 | Gettysburg BBQ Festival Day 1 🏅 Gettysburg, PA | 22 / 33 (662.1368) | 28 (159.9428) | 30 (159.3484) | 21 (166.2628) | 3 (176.5828) |
| May 10, 2019 | Rockin BBQ 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 15 / 42 (664.4684) | 1 (174.2856) | 27 (162.2400) | 19 (165.0856) | 24 (162.8572) |
| Apr 26, 2019 | Marietta River City BBQ 🏅 Marietta, OH | 15 / 26 (649.0056) | 16 (163.9656) | 9 (166.2628) | 11 (164.5372) | 22 (154.2400) |
| Apr 5, 2019 | CCSFest 🏅 Indianapois, IN | 8 / 40 (680.4684) | 23 (167.3712) | 11 (170.8572) | 33 (162.2400) | 1 (180) |
| Feb 8, 2019 | KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Championship 🏅 unrated Little Rock, AR | 43 / 92 (674.7544) | 42 (170.8572) | 89 (159.9544) | 58 (166.2400) | 3 (177.7028) |
| Oct 19, 2018 | Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH | 10 / 28 (672.4344) | 20 (162.8000) | 10 (167.3828) | 15 (167.9772) | 7 (174.2744) |
| Aug 31, 2018 | PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Lebanon, OH | 22 / 46 (675.3144) | 8 (176.5600) | 35 (159.3600) | 12 (171.4172) | 24 (167.9772) |
| Jul 13, 2018 | Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off Kettering, OH | 2 / 40 (694.8000) | 3 (176.5600) | 10 (169.7028) | 3 (175.4172) | 8 (173.1200) |
| May 18, 2018 | PigMania Lima State Championship BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Lima, OH | 18 / 32 (663.2684) | 17 (166.2628) | 13 (169.1200) | 16 (166.2400) | 21 (161.6456) |
| May 4, 2018 | BBQ in The Valley Jamestown, NY | 11 / 25 (647.8856) | 2 (173.1084) | 22 (154.2972) | 20 (155.3828) | 10 (165.0972) |
| Apr 6, 2018 | CCS Fest Indianapolis, IN | 2 / 49 (690.2516) | 7 (172) | 12 (169.7028) | 3 (175.4172) | 5 (173.1316) |
| Oct 20, 2017 | Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH | 21 / 39 (661.5544) | 29 (162.2400) | 3 (174.2744) | 12 (169.6800) | 34 (155.3600) |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Conquer The Grill Coudersport, PA | 1 / 12 (679.9432) | 3 (170.2744) | 5 (163.3944) | 1 (167.4172) | 1 (178.8572) |
| Oct 7, 2016 | Pig Mania Marion Marion, OH | 17 / 26 (659.3140) | 21 (159.9772) | 19 (162.7884) | 15 (164.5712) | 7 (171.9772) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.