Secondhand Smoke AL
Rating
1484
peak 1521
Contests
18
in the data
First seen
2020-10-23
latest 2025-09-12
Best ToY finish
#514
Master 2024
Grand champs
1
0 reserve
Category wins
3
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
of 18 contests
Avg finish
top 61%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
540.14 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 528.22 (+11.92)
Walk rate
61%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±148.12
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 167.94 · weakest Brisket (163.39)
Road miles
4966
mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 683 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Shiggin aint easy has finished one call ahead of Secondhand Smoke 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
⚔️ A tough matchup
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN has come out ahead in 6 of their 7 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of HOBBS BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) (2021-10-01) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 34-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Damn Fine Beef & Swine.
Teams like this (closest power rating, AL first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 19 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 177.7372 | 152.5028 | 167.49 | top 56% |
| Pork Ribs | 18 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 177.7144 | 154.8000 | 167.94 | top 46% |
| Pork | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 177.7028 | 124.5028 | 163.73 | top 60% |
| Brisket | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 148.5028 | 163.39 | top 65% |
“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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| KY | 3 | 0 | top 68% |
| OK | 3 | 1 | top 39% |
| AL | 3 | 0 | top 45% |
| IN | 2 | 0 | top 75% |
| TN | 2 | 0 | top 64% |
| KS | 2 | 0 | top 84% |
| IL | 1 | 0 | top 81% |
| OH | 1 | 0 | top 44% |
| MS | 1 | 0 | top 64% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 71% |
| Medium (20–39) | 14 | 1 | top 56% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 79% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2023 (4 contests)
- Cooks mostly in KY (3 of 18 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (19 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) (2021-10-01)
- Wins it all in 6% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 528.22
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 672.5140 | 445.82 |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 691.4060 | 676.46 |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 675.3256 | 578.87 |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 503.8972 | 460.06 |
| 2021 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 532.0000 | 453.09 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 626.0800 | 626.08 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-12 | Bands and BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY | 30 / 29 (167.3828) | 23 (167.3828) | — | — | — |
| 2025-08-15 | Madison Ribberfest Madison, IN | 28 / 45 (672.5140) | 15 (174.2628) | 37 (160.5372) | 17 (173.7028) | 32 (164.0112) |
| 2025-06-13 | Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITOR SERIES) Springfield, TN | 21 / 36 (497.5772) | 6 (175.4056) | 20 (166.2516) | 35 (155.9200) | — |
| 2024-09-27 | TN River BBQ Fest Saltillo, TN | 12 / 17 (671.8168) | 9 (170.8228) | 13 (167.3828) | 10 (169.6684) | 12 (163.9428) |
| 2024-09-13 | Bands & BBQ at the Point Carrollton, KY | 6 / 31 (691.4060) | 15 (171.4400) | 1 (177.7144) | 8 (174.8572) | 17 (167.3944) |
| 2024-05-10 | Derby Park Que Off Louisville, KY | 17 / 21 (666.1488) | 19 (163.3944) | 6 (170.8344) | 17 (164.5372) | 13 (167.3828) |
| 2023-10-06 | Smokin' for Garrett Mt. Carmel, IL | 21 / 26 (635.7484) | 23 (158.2172) | 17 (165.0856) | 19 (163.9428) | 24 (148.5028) |
| 2023-08-12 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL Mayetta, KS | 24 / 29 (337.0860) | 25 (165.0972) | 14 (171.9888) | — | — |
| 2023-08-11 | 5th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN Mayetta, KS | 77 / 90 (667.3144) | 55 (170.8228) | 84 (159.9772) | 66 (167.3944) | 50 (169.1200) |
| 2023-07-21 | The Buckeye BBQ Classic Hillsboro, OH | 14 / 32 (675.3256) | 26 (161.6456) | 5 (173.1428) | 16 (167.9772) | 8 (172.5600) |
| 2022-10-08 | Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) Day 2 Tahlequah, OK | 21 / 32 (499.2912) | 7 (173.1200) | 26 (162.8000) | 22 (163.3712) | — |
| 2022-10-07 | Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) Day 1 Tahlequah, OK | 15 / 32 (503.8972) | 11 (169.6684) | 15 (166.8344) | 23 (167.3944) | — |
| 2022-04-08 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 12 / 34 (340.5372) | 17 (167.9772) | 6 (172.5600) | — | — |
| 2022-03-12 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Foley, AL | 11 / 26 (496.5144) | 5 (175.4172) | 12 (164.0228) | 19 (157.0744) | — |
| 2021-10-01 | Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) Tahlequah, OK | 1 / 20 (532.0000) | 1 (177.7372) | 4 (176.5600) | 1 (177.7028) | — |
| 2021-08-06 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 18 / 31 (497.6228) | 13 (165.1200) | 5 (170.8344) | 18 (124.5028) | — |
| 2021-05-21 | Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) Meridian, MS | 14 / 22 (329.6572) | 17 (161.1200) | 9 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2020-10-23 | Smokin For Garrett Boonville, IN | 36 / 41 (626.0800) | 39 (152.5028) | 36 (154.8000) | 25 (164.5600) | 37 (154.2172) |
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #942 (115 pts) | #821 (175 pts) | #1293 (60 pts) | #1064 (100 pts) | #1190 (60 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #514 (364 pts) | #608 (309 pts) | #441 (544 pts) | #550 (354 pts) | #598 (309 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #383 (54 pts) | #293 (109 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #642 (243 pts) | #849 (178 pts) | #634 (333 pts) | #681 (243 pts) | #645 (268 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #138 (289 pts) | #216 (164 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #112 (270 pts) | #129 (195 pts) | — | — |