Mountain Smoke BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#1604

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1557

peak 1557 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2016-08-12

latest 2026-08-28

Best ToY finish

#1761

Master 2016

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 42%

overall standings

Best overall

702.8112 / 720

Master · Montana Pitmaster Classic

Perfect 180s

Current form

694.48 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 675.93 (+18.55)

Walk rate

59%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

and counting

Best single call

178.8800

Chicken · Montana Pitmaster Classic

Consistency

±23.88

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 171.67 · weakest Brisket (165.69)

Road miles

3,223

mi across 17 mapped stops · furthest 1628 mi

Schedule strength

41%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)

Purse competed for

$62K

listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 7 state-championship entries

Master avg

675.93 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (11 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

Riding a hot streak

5 straight overall top-10s

Currently on a 5-contest overall top-10 run.

career best 5

The heartbreaker

1.7488 points from the title

Came within 1.7488 points of the Grand Championship at Montana Pitmaster Classic (2025-08-22).

Happy hunting ground

Top 11% average finish here

Montana Pitmaster Classic is their spot: an average finish in the top 11% across 3 visits.

3 visits
best finish 2nd
average top 11%

High-water mark

702.8112 career-best overall

97.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 702.8112 at Montana Pitmaster Classic — 97.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
2025-08-22

A tough matchup

3–1 behind in the head-to-head

SMELLAQUE ahead in 75% of their meetings

SMELLAQUE has come out ahead in 3 of their 4 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.0 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.98 points below their pork, and turns into a call 36% of the time against 73%.

Brisket avg 165.69
Pork avg 171.67
4 calls in 11 entries

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BIG BOYZ BBQ in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at Montana BBQ Cook-off (2021-06-11).

last seen 2018-06-23
back 2021-06-11

Pork nemesis

4 of 4 shared pork entries lost

HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, HICKORY AND SPICE BBQ has out-cooked them in 4 of 4 shared pork entries.

An August team

Top 27% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 27% across 5 contests, versus top 42% the rest of the year.

5 August contests
top 42% the rest of the year

The long haul

3,223 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,223 miles across 17 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,628 miles to Montana Pitmaster Classic.

17 mapped stops
furthest 1,628 mi

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

PS I LOVE YOU BBQ

#1602 of the rated field

1557 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1557

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-04-10

⚔ Head-to-head

MADE WITH RUB

#1612 of the rated field

1557 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 45%
Peak: 1557

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before Mountain Smoke BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 11 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

73-BBQ

#1608 of the rated field

1557 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 54%
Peak: 1559

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-06-06

⚔ Head-to-head

BBQ HIGHLANDER

#1609 of the rated field

1557 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 62%
Peak: 1557

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 13 contests, alongside a 62% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2019-09-21
on a 4-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

VOGT'S BBQ

#1614 of the rated field

1557 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1557

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2019-06-07

⚔ Head-to-head

BYG'S BBQ

#1600 of the rated field

1558 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1558

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 6 years after Mountain Smoke BBQ did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2026-07-10

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BIG BOYZ BBQ	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Poor Richard's BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
AMERICAN HEROES BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
MONTANA OUTLAW BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	6	1	1	178.8800	159.9656	171.26	top 40%
Pork Ribs	12	4	0	0	174.2856	150.7772	165.92	top 48%
Pork	11	8	0	0	176.5716	157.6456	171.67	top 36%
Brisket	11	4	0	0	177.7028	147.3716	165.69	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 state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MT	8	0	top 27%
GA	3	0	top 83%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	10	0	top 45%
Large (40+)	1	0	top 20%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Montana Pitmaster Classic	3	2	0	top 11%	2026-08-28
Montana BBQ Cook-off	2	6	0	top 34%	2021-06-11

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 10 yrs 2016-08-12 → 2026-08-28

Busiest season 2016 6 contests

Contests a season 2.4 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MT 8 of 17 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 8 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 12 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 171.67 · weakest Brisket (165.69)

Walk rate 59% a top-10 call in 10 of 17 contests

Overall top-10 rate 35% 6 of 17 contests

Best top-10 run 5 straight contests — and still running

Master average 675.93 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 206 204–113 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 3,223 17 mapped stops · furthest 1,628 mi

Schedule strength 1554 average field rating faced — tougher than 41% of rated contests

Purse competed for $61,950 listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 7 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 3 yrs 2018-06-23 → 2021-06-11

Power rating 1557 peak 1557 · #1604 of 6,413 rated

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

2016
Apr 15 First tracked contest Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ & Brews Festival
Aug 12 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.1716 Atlanta Bar B Q Festival
Sep 23 First call Smokin Butts & Tires (GBC Qualifier)
2018
Jun 23 10th tracked contest Montana BBQ Cook-Off
2021
Jun 11 First overall top-10 Montana BBQ Cook-off
2025
Aug 22 First category win (Chicken) Montana Pitmaster Classic
Aug 22 First overall podium Montana Pitmaster Classic
Aug 22 First Reserve Championship Montana Pitmaster Classic
Aug 22 Career-best overall score702.8112 Montana Pitmaster Classic
Aug 22 Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8800 Montana Pitmaster Classic
2026
Aug 28 Peak power rating (1557) Montana Pitmaster Classic
Aug 28 Most recent contest Montana Pitmaster Classic

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16	Montana Pitmaster Classic	2025-08-22
+15.8	Montana Pitmaster Classic	2026-08-28
+13.3	Montana BBQ Cook-off	2021-06-11
+11.9	Montana Pitmaster Classic	2021-08-27
+11.1	Montana Pitmaster Classic	2023-08-25

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.3	Smokin Butts & Tires (GBC Qualifier)	2016-09-23
-10	Atlanta Bar B Q Festival	2016-08-12
-4.3	Atlanta BBQ Classic (At Atlanta Motor Speedway)	2017-04-22

Category scores over time

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

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 8%	97.4%	97.4%
2025	1	1	1	100%	top 5%	97.6%	97.6%
2023	2	2	0	100%	top 31%	95.9%	95.7%
2021	3	2	0	100%	top 33%	96.3%	95.3%
2018	1	0	0	100%	top 46%	93.3%	93.3%
2017	3	0	0	33%	top 74%	89.3%	89.3%
2016	6	0	0	17%	top 87%	90.3%	88.8%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-08-28	Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT	3 / 39 (701.1316)	14 (174.8456)	15 (173.1200)	5 (176.5716)	5 (176.5944)
2025-08-22	Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT	2 / 38 (702.8112)	1 (178.8800)	21 (170.8228)	10 (175.4056)	5 (177.7028)
2023-08-25	Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT	9 / 44 (688.5600)	13 (172.5600)	11 (174.2856)	4 (176.0000)	22 (165.7144)
2023-06-16	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 🏅 Miles City, MT	9 / 22 (690.2284)	10 (172.5484)	8 (173.7028)	6 (173.1200)	11 (170.8572)
2021-08-27	Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT	6 / 31 (689.6572)	8 (173.7028)	13 (166.2400)	4 (176.0116)	8 (173.7028)
2021-06-25	Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 🏅 Miles City, MT	14 / 25 (676.4800)	5 (176.5600)	7 (170.8228)	16 (169.1200)	19 (159.9772)
2021-06-11	Montana BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Absarokee, MT	6 / 27 (693.2004)	5 (175.4400)	9 (170.8688)	7 (176.0228)	7 (170.8688)
2018-06-23	Montana BBQ Cook-Off Absarokee, MT	12 / 26 (671.9544)	16 (165.1544)	7 (172.0000)	7 (170.8572)	11 (163.9428)
2017-06-16	Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Weston, WV	—	—	—	—	—
2017-04-22	Atlanta BBQ Classic (At Atlanta Motor Speedway) Hampton, GA	17 / 23 (643.2228)	9 (169.1200)	17 (158.2400)	22 (157.6456)	17 (158.2172)
2017-03-03	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA	—	—	—	—	—
2016-11-18	Que'n in Cumming (Day 1) Cumming, GA	—	—	—	—	—
2016-11-04	Roarin' Lions Smokin' BBQ (GBC Qualifier) Winder, GA	—	—	—	—	—
2016-09-23	Smokin Butts & Tires (GBC Qualifier) Conyers, GA	23 / 25 (627.8288)	23 (159.9656)	24 (150.8116)	8 (169.6800)	24 (147.3716)
2016-08-12	Atlanta Bar B Q Festival Atlanta, GA	23 / 28 (650.1716)	20 (165.1084)	23 (159.3944)	17 (167.9772)	25 (157.6916)
2016-05-13	Roman Roast on the River Rome, GA	—	—	—	—	—
2016-04-15	Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ & Brews Festival Cornelia, GA	—	—	12 (150.7772)	—	—

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

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
2017 ↗	Master	#2047 (88 pts)	#1738 (133 pts)	#2146 (88 pts)	#2251 (63 pts)	#2102 (88 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1761 (123 pts)	#1782 (138 pts)	#2024 (118 pts)	#1337 (238 pts)	#2076 (108 pts)