They almost always walk
63%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 5 of 8 contests
A top-10 category call in 63% of their 8 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
Smokin' Cowboys
Smokin' Cowboys is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 6th of 28 at the Bands & BBQ at the Point (2019). They are ranked #2240 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Smokin Cowboy's”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1530
peak 1530 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Sep 13, 2019
latest Sep 11, 2026 · 7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
50% of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 39%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
63%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.40
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 157.51 · weakest Brisket (147.69)
Road miles
227
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 82 mi
Schedule strength
59%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$60K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
600.24 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
319.17 / 360
3 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
610.75 / 720
3 Backyard (4-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smokin' Cowboys, each with one reason worth a look.
72 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,236 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1530
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,231 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1530
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,227 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1530
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Smokin' Cowboys's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,242 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1536
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before Smokin' Cowboys's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#2,238 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1530
Level with Smokin' Cowboys on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,229 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1532
Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 12 years before Smokin' Cowboys's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH ON THE HAWG | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| WeQ4U | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Creek Smoke BBQ | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS, KY | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Loaded Barrel BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| McQ Smokers | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ Maestros | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| THUNDER HOG BBQ | 5 | 2 | 2 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE CHIP BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Pullin Out the Butts BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 161.6916 | 145.6112 | 155.78 | top 38% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 169.7260 | 142.2744 | 155.82 | top 44% |
| Pork | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 168.5600 | 146.7544 | 157.51 | top 34% |
| Brisket | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 168.5372 | 141.0056 | 147.69 | top 40% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 30% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 98% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bands & BBQ at the Point | 5 | 6 | 0 | top 28% | Sep 11, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2021
2 contests
Contests a season
1.1
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KY
6 of 8 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
3
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
196
finished ahead 184 times, behind 147
Longest layoff
3.2 yrs
Jul 15, 2016 → Sep 13, 2019
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score329.6920 Bands & BBQ at the Point
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)169.7260 Bands & BBQ at the Point
- Peak power rating (1530) Bands & BBQ at the Point
- Most recent contest Bands & BBQ at the Point
20231 milestone
- Career-best overall score618.7540 Bands & BBQ at the Point
20192 milestones
- First call Bands & BBQ at the Point
- First overall top-10 Bands & BBQ at the Point
20161 milestone
- First tracked contest Wine,Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +10.3 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | Sep 13, 2019 |
| +9.2 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | Sep 10, 2021 |
| +8.2 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | Sep 11, 2026 |
| +5 | Bands and BBQ at the Point | Sep 12, 2025 |
| +4.2 | Bands & BBQ at the Point | Sep 13, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.1 | Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1 | Jun 18, 2021 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 21% | 91.6% | 91.6% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 38% | 89.7% | 89.7% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 32% | 84.7% | 84.7% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 39% | 85.9% | 85.9% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 62% | 85.3% | 84.3% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 21% | 83.2% | 83.2% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 8 / 38 (329.6920) | 9 (159.9660) | 6 (169.7260) | 13 (146.7544) | 10 (142.2060) |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Bands and BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 11 / 29 (322.8120) | 8 (161.6916) | 11 (161.1204) | 5 (168.5600) | 4 (168.5372) |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 10 / 31 (305.0172) | 7 (158.8000) | 13 (146.2172) | 6 (156.5144) | 8 (145.0400) |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 13 / 33 (618.7540) | 13 (160.5256) | 16 (155.4284) | 11 (160.5484) | 18 (142.2516) |
| Sep 10, 2021 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 7 / 28 (614.1940) | 10 (149.0628) | 8 (158.9028) | 5 (159.3828) | 11 (146.8456) |
| Jun 18, 2021 | Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1 🏅 Franklin, IN | 50 / 51 (600.2396) | 50 (145.6112) | 48 (157.0856) | 47 (156.5372) | 51 (141.0056) |
| Sep 13, 2019 | Bands & BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY | 6 / 28 (599.3028) | 5 (154.8112) | 11 (142.2744) | 6 (154.2400) | 5 (147.9772) |
| Jul 15, 2016 | Wine,Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN | — | — | — | — | — |