Riding a hot streak
5
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 5-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 5
Mountain Smoke BBQ
Mountain Smoke BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 38 at the Montana Pitmaster Classic (2025), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1614 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1557
peak 1557 · rated over 11 contests
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
Aug 12, 2016
latest Aug 28, 2026 · 10 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
1 podium
Overall top-10s
6
35% of 17 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s, still running
Avg finish
top 42%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
694.48 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 675.93 (+18.55)
Walk rate
59%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±23.88
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 171.67 · weakest Brisket (165.69)
Road miles
3,223
across 17 mapped stops · furthest 1,628 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 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
675.93 / 720
11 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Mountain Smoke BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
51 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,611 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 25%
- Peak
- 1557
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,606 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1558
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.
⚔ Compare careers#1,605 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 64%
- Peak
- 1573
Fewer contests behind them than Mountain Smoke BBQ has cooked, 11 to 17, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#1,612 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 54%
- Peak
- 1559
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 13 contests, alongside a 54% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,625 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 62%
- Peak
- 1557
4 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.
⚔ Compare careers#1,618 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 31%
- Peak
- 1557
Level with Mountain Smoke BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar 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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 10 | 0 | top 45% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 20% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana Pitmaster Classic | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 11% | Aug 28, 2026 |
| Montana BBQ Cook-off | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 34% | Jun 11, 2021 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2016
6 contests
Contests a season
2.4
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MT
8 of 17 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
8
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
12 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls
Opponents faced
205
finished ahead 204 times, behind 113
Longest layoff
3 yrs
Jun 23, 2018 → Jun 11, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Peak power rating (1557) Montana Pitmaster Classic
- Most recent contest Montana Pitmaster Classic
20255 milestones
- First category win (Chicken) Montana Pitmaster Classic
- First overall podium Montana Pitmaster Classic
- First Reserve Championship Montana Pitmaster Classic
- Career-best overall score702.8112 Montana Pitmaster Classic
- Career-best single call (Chicken)178.8800 Montana Pitmaster Classic
20211 milestone
- First overall top-10 Montana BBQ Cook-off
20181 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Montana BBQ Cook-Off
20163 milestones
- First tracked contest Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ & Brews Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.1716 Atlanta Bar B Q Festival
- First call Smokin Butts & Tires (GBC Qualifier)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16 | Montana Pitmaster Classic | Aug 22, 2025 |
| +15.7 | Montana Pitmaster Classic | Aug 28, 2026 |
| +13.3 | Montana BBQ Cook-off | Jun 11, 2021 |
| +11.9 | Montana Pitmaster Classic | Aug 27, 2021 |
| +11.1 | Montana Pitmaster Classic | Aug 25, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.3 | Smokin Butts & Tires (GBC Qualifier) | Sep 23, 2016 |
| -10.1 | Atlanta Bar B Q Festival | Aug 12, 2016 |
| -4.3 | Atlanta BBQ Classic (At Atlanta Motor Speedway) | Apr 22, 2017 |
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 8% | 97.4% | 97.4% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 5% | 97.6% | 97.6% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 31% | 95.9% | 95.7% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 33% | 96.3% | 95.3% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 46% | 93.3% | 93.3% |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 74% | 89.3% | 89.3% |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 3 / 39 (701.1316) | 14 (174.8456) | 15 (173.1200) | 5 (176.5716) | 5 (176.5944) |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 2 / 38 (702.8112) | 1 (178.8800) | 21 (170.8228) | 10 (175.4056) | 5 (177.7028) |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 9 / 44 (688.5600) | 13 (172.5600) | 11 (174.2856) | 4 (176) | 22 (165.7144) |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 🏅 Miles City, MT | 9 / 22 (690.2284) | 10 (172.5484) | 8 (173.7028) | 6 (173.1200) | 11 (170.8572) |
| Aug 27, 2021 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 6 / 31 (689.6572) | 8 (173.7028) | 13 (166.2400) | 4 (176.0116) | 8 (173.7028) |
| Jun 25, 2021 | Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 🏅 Miles City, MT | 14 / 25 (676.4800) | 5 (176.5600) | 7 (170.8228) | 16 (169.1200) | 19 (159.9772) |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Montana BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Absarokee, MT | 6 / 27 (693.2004) | 5 (175.4400) | 9 (170.8688) | 7 (176.0228) | 7 (170.8688) |
| Jun 23, 2018 | Montana BBQ Cook-Off Absarokee, MT | 12 / 26 (671.9544) | 16 (165.1544) | 7 (172) | 7 (170.8572) | 11 (163.9428) |
| Jun 16, 2017 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Weston, WV | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 22, 2017 | 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) |
| Mar 3, 2017 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 18, 2016 | Que'n in Cumming (Day 1) Cumming, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 4, 2016 | Roarin' Lions Smokin' BBQ (GBC Qualifier) Winder, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Smokin Butts & Tires (GBC Qualifier) Conyers, GA | 23 / 25 (627.8288) | 23 (159.9656) | 24 (150.8116) | 8 (169.6800) | 24 (147.3716) |
| Aug 12, 2016 | Atlanta Bar B Q Festival Atlanta, GA | 23 / 28 (650.1716) | 20 (165.1084) | 23 (159.3944) | 17 (167.9772) | 25 (157.6916) |
| May 13, 2016 | Roman Roast on the River Rome, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 15, 2016 | Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ & Brews Festival Cornelia, GA | — | — | 12 (150.7772) | — | — |