Smoke on the Water

Smoke on the Water is a competition barbecue team with 31 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 4th of 13 at the Fountains at Greenbriar Blaze Off (2019). They are ranked #1927 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,927

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1542

peak 1542 · rated over 28 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 26, 2013

latest Sep 11, 2026 · 13.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#762

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

13% of 31 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 50%

overall standings

Best overall

678.8688 / 720

Master · Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off

Perfect 180s

Current form

663.22 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 655.04 (+8.18)

Walk rate

58%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Chicken · Racing for the BBQ

Consistency

±26.71

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 163.75 · weakest Brisket (161.38)

Road miles

23,700

across 31 mapped stops · furthest 8,552 mi

Schedule strength

46%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1560)

Purse competed for

$28K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

655.04 / 720

26 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

310.51 / 360

2 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.

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

678.8688 career-best overall

94.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 678.8688 at Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off — 94.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
Sep 6, 2013

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY has finished one call ahead of Smoke on the Water 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2018 their best year

2018 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 38%.

4 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 38%

A strong matchup

11–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HANG 'EM' HIGH in 11 of their 11 shared contests.

The comeback

3.9 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.9 years, then back at Bands and BBQ at the Point (Sep 12, 2025).

last seen Oct 15, 2021
back Sep 12, 2025

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

NICKLE BOYS BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 39% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 39% across 6 contests, versus top 50% the rest of the year.

6 July contests
top 50% the rest of the year

Show 2 more storylines

The long haul

23,700 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 23,700 miles across 31 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 8,552 miles to Burleigh BBQ Championships.

31 mapped stops
furthest 8,552 mi

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Racing for the BBQ every year from 2015 to 2018 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 19th

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
2021 ↗	Master	#1144 (82 pts)	#1518 (57 pts)	#1133 (107 pts)	#1223 (72 pts)	#1070 (107 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1205 (188 pts)	#1106 (238 pts)	#1193 (213 pts)	#1275 (188 pts)	#1684 (113 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1021 (270 pts)	#1174 (235 pts)	#898 (375 pts)	#1126 (250 pts)	#1195 (230 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1024 (321 pts)	#967 (396 pts)	#1140 (296 pts)	#1158 (291 pts)	#882 (436 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1195 (245 pts)	#785 (500 pts)	#1399 (215 pts)	#1322 (240 pts)	#1374 (220 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#762 (453 pts)	#806 (453 pts)	#668 (573 pts)	#715 (528 pts)	#789 (463 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Smoke on the Water, each with one reason worth a look.

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

BAPTIZED IN SMOKE

#1,930 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1542

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to Smoke on the Water)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Smoke on the Water has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 24 contests
last seen Sep 8, 2017

⚔ Head-to-head

Phil the Grill

#1,929 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 57
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1606

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Smoke on the Water)

They've been 1606 at their best, 64 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 56 contests
last seen Nov 21, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

CAMP BACON BBQ

#1,923 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1545

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Smoke on the Water's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 24 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Bottle Hill BBQ

#1,926 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 58%
Peak: 1553

Fewer contests behind them than Smoke on the Water has cooked, 19 to 31, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Smokin on Cloud 9

#1,920 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1542

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jun 26, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

BELLY RUB'N BBQ

#1,931 of the rated field

1542 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1545

Level with Smoke on the Water on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Apr 14, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
VALLEY OAKS STEAK COMPANY	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
Sons of a Brisket	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
THUMP & STRUM BBQ	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
HANG 'EM' HIGH	11	11	0	100%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN IN THE BOARDROOM	10	9	1	90%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
A SLEW OF SOWS AND A SMOKER	9	9	0	100%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
HI-TECH SMOKERS	8	8	0	100%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN MAN GAME DAY BBQ	8	8	0	100%	⚔ compare
PORKY MCBEEF AND THE CLUCKERS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
R BUTTS R SMOKIN	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
UNFAMOUS DAVE'S	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
James Brothers BBQ	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	30	6	0	2	178.8572	139.9540	163.75	top 50%
Pork Ribs	30	9	0	1	177.1544	143.4172	162.78	top 51%
Pork	29	7	1	1	175.4172	137.0972	162.31	top 54%
Brisket	28	6	0	0	174.8572	143.3600	161.38	top 50%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 37%
Medium (20–39)	13	top 57%
Large (40+)	13	top 45%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MO	21	top 45%
KY	2	top 36%
NV	2	top 80%
MN	1	top 88%
IA	1	top 100%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Racing for the BBQ	4	19	top 43%	Jul 27, 2018
Independence Fire & Ice BBQ	3	21	top 43%	Oct 5, 2018
Smoke Out in the Valley	2	11	top 52%	Jun 17, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 7 contests

Contests a season 3.1 across 10 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 21 of 31 contests · 6 states in all

Contests visited 22 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 718 finished ahead 650 times, behind 576

Longest layoff 3.9 yrs Oct 15, 2021 → Sep 12, 2025

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

20262 milestones

Sep 11 Peak power rating (1542) Bands & BBQ at the Point
Sep 11 Most recent contest Bands & BBQ at the Point

20181 milestone

Sep 14 25th tracked contest Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out

20161 milestone

Jul 29 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8572 Racing for the BBQ

20153 milestones

Sep 11 10th tracked contest Independence Fire & Ice BBQ
Sep 25 First overall top-10 Oak Grove BBQ & Lemonade Festival
Oct 23 First category win (Pork) Fountains Blaze off & Senior Q

20134 milestones

Jul 26 First tracked contest Racing For The BBQ
Jul 26 First call Racing For The BBQ
Jul 26 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.6572 Racing For The BBQ
Sep 6 Career-best overall score678.8688 Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12	Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off	Sep 6, 2013
+9.6	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ	Sep 11, 2015
+9.2	Smoke out in the Valley	Jun 18, 2016
+8.7	Fountains Blaze off & Senior Q	Oct 23, 2015
+8.1	Racing for the BBQ	Jul 25, 2014

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.2	Smoking in the Golden Valley	Sep 29, 2017
-13.5	State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship	Jun 19, 2015
-12.1	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship	Mar 4, 2016
-11.8	Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship	Apr 26, 2014
-4.7	10th Annual Best Dam Barbecue Challenge	May 23, 2014

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	1	0	100%	top 24%	87.6%	87.6%
2025	1	0	0	100%	top 48%	84.9%	84.9%
2021	1	0	0	0%	top 70%	89.5%	89.5%
2019	2	1	0	100%	top 34%	93.9%	93.3%
2018	4	0	0	50%	top 38%	92.5%	92.3%
2017	5	0	0	20%	top 65%	94.1%	90.4%
2016	4	0	0	50%	top 56%	93.4%	90.6%
2015	7	2	1	71%	top 48%	93.9%	90.7%
2014	4	0	0	50%	top 59%	92.1%	89.5%
2013	2	0	0	100%	top 24%	94.3%	93.4%

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	9 / 38 (315.3716)	10 (153.0972)	8 (162.2744)	11 (156.5028)	9 (144.4800)
Sep 12, 2025	Bands and BBQ at the Point 🏅 Carrollton, KY	14 / 29 (305.6460)	11 (159.9660)	18 (145.6800)	8 (166.8228)	13 (150.8000)
Oct 15, 2021	Smokin In the Creek BBQ Contest 🏅 Sugar Creek, MO	19 / 27 (644.3540)	24 (150.7772)	14 (165.6800)	21 (161.0740)	14 (166.8228)
Oct 18, 2019	Fountains at Greenbriar Blaze Off 🏅 Independence, MO	4 / 13 (675.9428)	2 (174.8572)	3 (177.1544)	4 (168.5372)	10 (155.3940)
Aug 3, 2019	Burleigh BBQ Championships Queensland	12 / 32 (668.0116)	14 (167.3828)	22 (164.0116)	4 (172.5828)	14 (164.0344)
Oct 5, 2018	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	21 / 56 (662.1484)	35 (161.1428)	11 (171.9656)	27 (167.3828)	28 (161.6572)
Sep 14, 2018	Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO	17 / 35 (665.6460)	21 (165.7028)	15 (169.1544)	21 (163.3944)	15 (167.3944)
Jul 27, 2018	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	19 / 66 (665.0056)	18 (167.3828)	10 (169.6800)	15 (169.1084)	31 (158.8344)
Jun 22, 2018	Camp High Hopes Rib Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Sioux City, IA	—	19 (139.9540)	8 (157.0972)	—	—
Oct 20, 2017	2017 Greenbriar Blaze Off and Senior Q Independence, MO	15 / 25 (677.6572)	17 (170.2744)	18 (166.2628)	16 (169.7028)	12 (171.4172)
Oct 6, 2017	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	35 / 76 (658.1712)	37 (164.5256)	38 (162.2628)	36 (165.1200)	24 (166.2628)
Sep 29, 2017	Smoking in the Golden Valley Clinton, MO	29 / 29 (583.2684)	26 (155.9656)	29 (143.4172)	29 (137.0972)	28 (146.7884)
Jul 28, 2017	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	29 / 54 (669.0284)	22 (169.1200)	35 (164.5372)	26 (168.5256)	27 (166.8456)
Jun 17, 2017	Smoke Out in the Valley Buckner, MO	14 / 21 (665.0056)	5 (174.8572)	16 (160.5256)	19 (154.7656)	4 (174.8572)
Sep 9, 2016	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	35 / 76 (664.4344)	28 (167.9888)	33 (166.8228)	44 (166.2400)	40 (163.3828)
Jul 29, 2016	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	29 / 54 (666.6972)	3 (178.8572)	39 (161.6572)	32 (166.2400)	42 (159.9428)
Jun 18, 2016	Smoke out in the Valley Buckner, MO	11 / 30 (672.5372)	4 (175.4172)	17 (165.7144)	12 (167.4056)	16 (164)
Mar 4, 2016	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship Isle, MN	52 / 59 (605.1200)	58 (144.5828)	51 (148.5260)	46 (155.9884)	39 (156.0228)
Oct 23, 2015	Fountains Blaze off & Senior Q Independence, MO	7 / 22 (675.9544)	13 (165.7144)	9 (168.5484)	1 (175.4172)	7 (166.2744)
Oct 9, 2015	The River Grill before the Big Chill Cincinnati, OH	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 25, 2015	Oak Grove BBQ & Lemonade Festival Oak Grove, MO	7 / 16 (667.9200)	4 (171.4400)	11 (158.2400)	8 (166.2628)	4 (171.9772)
Sep 11, 2015	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	20 / 76 (666.1828)	18 (169.7028)	9 (173.1428)	25 (166.2400)	44 (157.0972)
Jul 24, 2015	Racing for the BBQ Lees Summit, MO	23 / 63 (669.0400)	36 (163.3828)	5 (176.5600)	44 (163.9772)	29 (165.1200)
Jun 19, 2015	State Center Rose Festival BBQ Championship State Center, IA	27 / 27 (585.5772)	25 (151.9772)	26 (149.7144)	27 (140.5256)	27 (143.3600)
Feb 27, 2015	Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship (Competitor's Series) Isle, MN	—	40 (149.1084)	10 (164.6056)	45 (140.5712)	—
Oct 17, 2014	The Fountain's Blaze Off & Senior Q Independence, MO	11 / 25 (658.2628)	15 (166.2972)	17 (159.9656)	12 (166.8228)	9 (165.1772)
Jul 25, 2014	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	16 / 54 (663.3712)	35 (163.4172)	7 (171.4056)	35 (161.6684)	17 (166.8800)
May 23, 2014	10th Annual Best Dam Barbecue Challenge Boulder City, NV	24 / 35 (646.8456)	12 (166.8572)	25 (153.7256)	28 (158.2628)	11 (168)
Apr 26, 2014	Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship Mesquite, NV	47 / 51 (610.2628)	33 (161.7028)	42 (155.4172)	50 (145.1656)	46 (147.9772)
Sep 6, 2013	Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off Blue Springs, MO	11 / 72 (678.8688)	11 (172.6288)	15 (170.2628)	10 (174.2628)	28 (161.7144)
Jul 26, 2013	Racing For The BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	19 / 58 (665.6572)	17 (168.5372)	42 (159.4288)	8 (171.4284)	21 (166.2628)

Smoke on the Water

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

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

Backyard avg

Storylines (9 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A strong matchup

The comeback

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

The long haul

A standing appointment

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

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, 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

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)