Royal Schmidt's BBQ competition team

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

Power ranking

#1403

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1570

peak 1592 · rated over 35 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2021-05-14

latest 2025-07-26

Best ToY finish

#177

Master 2022

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

9 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 36 contests

Avg finish

top 47%

overall standings

Best overall

696.5028 / 720

Master · Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

680.82 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 679.95 (+0.86)

Walk rate

81%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Chicken · Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1)

Consistency

±12.08

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 171.45 · weakest Brisket (167.54)

Road miles

7,184

mi across 36 mapped stops · furthest 377 mi

Schedule strength

73%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1592)

Purse competed for

$362K

listed at 33 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 34 state-championship entries

Master avg

679.95 / 720

35 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (14 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.

Perfect scores on the board

2 perfect 180s

2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.

Chicken ×1
Pork Ribs ×1

They almost always walk

81% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 29 of 36 contests

A top-10 category call in 81% of their 36 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

696.5028 career-best overall

96.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 696.5028 at Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition — 96.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
2023-04-21

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Texas Smoke Whisperer has finished one call ahead of Royal Schmidt's BBQ competition team 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

17–4 behind in the head-to-head

MAN MEAT BBQ ahead in 81% of their meetings

MAN MEAT BBQ has come out ahead in 17 of their 21 shared contests.

A strong matchup

11–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 92% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ROCKIN' D BARBEQUE in 11 of their 12 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

14 of 21 shared chicken entries lost

MAN MEAT BBQ ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, MAN MEAT BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 21 shared chicken entries.

Announced themselves early

4th at their very first contest

Finished 4 of 33 at their very first tracked contest, Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) (2021-05-14).

2021-05-14
33-team field

Built for the big stage

Top 39% average finish in large fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 39% finish in large fields against top 52% in small ones.

Large (40+): top 39% (6)
Small (<20 teams): top 52% (4)

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BUTCHER BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 34% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 34% across 7 contests, versus top 47% the rest of the year.

7 May contests
top 47% the rest of the year

The long haul

7,184 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 7,184 miles across 36 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 377 miles to SLV Beat the Heat BBQ.

36 mapped stops
furthest 377 mi

The metronome

±1.68% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.68% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 94.4% of a perfect score
36 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Wild West BBQ Cook-Off every year from 2022 to 2025 — the contest they never miss.

4 visits in all
best finish 3rd

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.

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

BUCKAROO BBQ

#1405 of the rated field

1570 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 35
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1607

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1607 at their best, 37 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 35 contests
last seen 2019-04-26

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN' R'S 2.0

#1410 of the rated field

1570 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1616

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Royal Schmidt's BBQ competition team's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 38 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

BAR-B-Q 101

#1408 of the rated field

1570 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 45
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1579

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 45 contests to 36, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 43 contests
last seen 2022-05-20

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKEVILLE

#1399 of the rated field

1570 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 44
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1584

No shared contest yet.

44 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 23% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 44 contests
last seen 2020-08-28

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN SUZY

#1406 of the rated field

1570 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1570

No shared contest yet.

They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Royal Schmidt's BBQ competition team's first contest.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2017-09-01

⚔ Head-to-head

SmoQued On Main St

#1412 of the rated field

1570 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 51
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1573

No shared contest yet.

Level with Royal Schmidt's BBQ competition team on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 50 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
MAN MEAT BBQ	21	4	17	19%	⚔ compare
Smoked & Furious	18	5	13	28%	⚔ compare
POPPA PIG AND PORKCHOP	17	4	13	24%	⚔ compare
BrewsCue	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN' D BARBEQUE	12	11	1	92%	⚔ compare
MUNNY'S STOVE	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
FINGER LEIKAM GOOD	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
Cities Edge BBQ	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
HOLLOW Q	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
SCORE ONE SMOKIN'	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
CLARK CREW BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
WELL SAUCED BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
Bushmaster BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	35	14	1	2	180.0000 🔥	158.2512	171.45	top 44%
Pork Ribs	39	18	1	4	180.0000 🔥	155.9544	170.08	top 44%
Pork	36	14	0	2	179.4400	155.9312	169.91	top 48%
Brisket	35	11	1	1	176.5716	150.2172	167.54	top 51%

“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	Avg finish
KS	17	top 53%
TX	7	top 35%
CO	6	top 45%
OK	5	top 47%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	4	top 52%
Medium (20–39)	25	top 49%
Large (40+)	6	top 39%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Wild West BBQ Cook-Off	4	3	top 41%	2025-04-25
Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest	3	5	top 35%	2023-06-09
Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2)	2	7	top 56%	2025-07-26
Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest	2	26	top 68%	2025-06-13
Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championships	2	9	top 20%	2024-08-16
Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2)	2	10	top 55%	2024-07-27
The National Beef Smokin' Saddles Official BBQ Contest (Day 2)	2	18	top 73%	2023-07-29
Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition (Day 2)	2	7	top 41%	2022-07-30
Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 2)	2	4	top 40%	2021-05-15

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

On the trail 4.2 yrs 2021-05-14 → 2025-07-26

Busiest season 2022 9 contests

Contests a season 7.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in KS 18 of 36 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 23 9 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 39 entries · 1 win · 18 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 171.45 · weakest Brisket (167.54)

Walk rate 81% a top-10 call in 29 of 36 contests

Overall top-10 rate 42% 15 of 36 contests

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 679.95 out of 720 · 35 contests · 0 GCs

Perfect 180s 2 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 495 604–536 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 7,184 36 mapped stops · furthest 377 mi

Schedule strength 1592 average field rating faced — tougher than 73% of rated contests

Purse competed for $361,965 listed at 33 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 34 state-championship entries

Power rating 1570 peak 1592 · #1403 of 6,413 rated

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

2021
May 14 First tracked contest Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)
May 14 First call Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)
May 14 First category win (Brisket) Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)
May 14 First overall top-10 Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)
May 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score683.9084 Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)
2022
Mar 19 10th tracked contest Inaugural Yellow City BBQ Shootout
May 6 First overall podium Wild West BBQ Cook-Off
2023
Apr 21 First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition
Apr 21 Career-best overall score696.5028 Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition
Aug 18 25th tracked contest Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championships
2024
Sep 20 Peak power rating (1592) Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cook-Off
2025
Jul 26 Most recent contest Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.5	Wild West BBQ Cook-Off	2022-05-06
+14.3	Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)	2021-05-14
+12.6	3rd Annual Alva Police Department Cars, Concerts and BBQ Contest	2024-05-03
+11.6	Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest	2021-06-11
+11.2	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition (Day 1)	2022-07-29

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.4	Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest	2025-06-13
-9.3	Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest	2023-06-09
-9	Wild West BBQ Cook-Off	2025-04-25
-8.4	Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest	2024-06-07
-6.5	The National Beef Smokin' Saddles Official BBQ Contest (Day 1)	2023-07-28

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)
2025	4	1	1	50%	top 66%	96.5%	94.4%
2024	7	5	1	86%	top 40%	96.7%	95.4%
2023	7	2	0	57%	top 49%	96.7%	94.5%
2022	9	4	0	100%	top 43%	96.5%	94%
2021	9	3	1	89%	top 48%	96.7%	94%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2025-07-26	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2) 🏅 Dodge City, KS	14 / 19 (687.9200)	12 (170.8228)	13 (171.4172)	3 (177.1428)	14 (168.5372)
2025-07-25	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1) 🏅 Dodge City, KS	7 / 18 (694.7768)	1 (180.0000)	11 (171.4056)	4 (177.7028)	15 (165.6684)
2025-06-13	Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	26 / 36 (672.4796)	29 (165.7028)	28 (164.5256)	11 (173.1428)	23 (169.1084)
2025-04-25	Wild West BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Lamar, CO	24 / 30 (664.4228)	20 (169.1200)	23 (162.8228)	14 (168.5372)	19 (163.9428)
2024-09-20	Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cook-Off 🏅 Ponca City, OK	7 / 26 (684.4800)	12 (168.5372)	1 (177.1544)	10 (172.5600)	15 (166.2284)
2024-08-16	Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championships 🏅 Lubbock, TX	9 / 41 (687.3368)	12 (170.8456)	9 (173.1084)	18 (167.9772)	5 (175.4056)
2024-07-27	Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2) 🏅 Dodge City, KS	10 / 20 (693.6340)	7 (176.5600)	10 (172.5600)	10 (171.9656)	11 (172.5484)
2024-07-26	Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1) 🏅 Dodge City, KS	12 / 20 (686.7544)	11 (174.2628)	11 (171.9772)	16 (169.6800)	9 (170.8344)
2024-06-07	Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	27 / 43 (676.9940)	28 (169.6684)	27 (167.3944)	27 (170.2628)	17 (169.6684)
2024-05-10	Wild West BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Lamar, CO	9 / 29 (682.1828)	10 (170.8456)	5 (174.2744)	7 (173.1200)	20 (163.9428)
2024-05-03	3rd Annual Alva Police Department Cars, Concerts and BBQ Contest 🏅 Alva, OK	5 / 20 (695.9540)	4 (177.7372)	14 (172.5600)	9 (175.4056)	11 (170.2512)
2023-08-18	Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championships 🏅 Lubbock, TX	9 / 48 (693.6456)	10 (173.1200)	7 (176.5600)	17 (170.8456)	10 (173.1200)
2023-07-29	The National Beef Smokin' Saddles Official BBQ Contest (Day 2) 🏅 Dodge City, KS	18 / 27 (685.0744)	13 (174.8572)	18 (169.7144)	14 (171.9656)	22 (168.5372)
2023-07-28	The National Beef Smokin' Saddles Official BBQ Contest (Day 1) 🏅 Dodge City, KS	20 / 25 (673.0516)	23 (165.6916)	11 (172.5600)	12 (172.5600)	21 (162.2400)
2023-06-09	Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	19 / 32 (671.3144)	13 (172.0116)	23 (162.2516)	22 (167.3712)	11 (169.6800)
2023-05-27	Veterans of Foreign Wars Colorado KCBS Pitmaster BBQ Contest 🏅 Castle Rock, CO	17 / 37 (678.7424)	12 (171.9884)	19 (168.5484)	30 (165.0856)	9 (173.1200)
2023-05-12	Wild West BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Lamar, CO	13 / 30 (665.6228)	14 (168.0000)	13 (166.8572)	10 (172.5484)	24 (158.2172)
2023-04-21	Rod Trowbridge Memorial Cook Flyin BBQ Competition 🏅 Derby, KS	8 / 28 (696.5028)	13 (171.9656)	2 (180.0000)	15 (169.6800)	9 (174.8572)
2022-10-21	OKC BBQ Fest 🏅 Oklahoma City, OK	16 / 35 (685.0284)	19 (168.5372)	23 (167.3828)	3 (179.4400)	16 (169.6684)
2022-08-19	Raider Red Meat BBQ & Ribeye Championships 🏅 Lubbock, TX	15 / 59 (677.0972)	22 (167.4400)	19 (168.5716)	19 (168.5256)	6 (172.5600)
2022-07-30	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition (Day 2) 🏅 Dodge City, KS	14 / 25 (689.6344)	14 (173.1200)	9 (173.7028)	21 (166.2400)	4 (176.5716)
2022-07-29	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition (Day 1) 🏅 Dodge City, KS	7 / 26 (694.7772)	9 (173.1200)	10 (173.1200)	7 (175.4172)	7 (173.1200)
2022-06-10	Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	8 / 29 (677.6456)	4 (176.0228)	9 (170.2744)	10 (169.1084)	20 (162.2400)
2022-05-06	Wild West BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Lamar, CO	3 / 33 (686.2060)	21 (167.3944)	3 (176.0000)	7 (171.9772)	5 (170.8344)
2022-04-22	17th Annual HANOR Smokin' Red Dirt BBQ Enid, OK	20 / 26 (655.2456)	10 (173.1200)	23 (157.6456)	16 (168.5256)	22 (155.9544)
2022-04-15	Pork-A-Palooza 🏅 Weatherford, OK	18 / 29 (674.1484)	3 (178.8572)	4 (174.2628)	11 (170.8112)	27 (150.2172)
2022-03-19	Inaugural Yellow City BBQ Shootout 🏅 Amarillo, TX	10 / 17 (650.6968)	6 (168.0000)	2 (169.1200)	15 (155.9312)	15 (157.6456)
2021-10-15	Harper County Bullseye BBQ 🏅 Harper, KS	6 / 16 (694.2628)	7 (172.5828)	10 (170.8228)	4 (176.5600)	5 (174.2972)
2021-08-20	Raider Red Meat BBQ & Ribeye Championship 🏅 Lubbock, TX	18 / 43 (663.8852)	28 (158.2512)	4 (174.8456)	13 (169.6684)	21 (161.1200)
2021-08-06	SLV Beat the Heat BBQ 🏅 Alamosa, CO	26 / 42 (664.5372)	28 (164.5828)	9 (173.7372)	28 (165.6684)	28 (160.5488)
2021-08-01	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 2 🏅 Dodge City, KS	18 / 26 (673.5656)	6 (175.4056)	18 (167.9772)	22 (163.9428)	16 (166.2400)
2021-07-30	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition-Day 1 🏅 Dodge City, KS	20 / 27 (675.2912)	20 (169.6684)	6 (174.2628)	24 (165.6800)	17 (165.6800)
2021-07-30	Dodge City Days Smokin' Saddles BBQ Competition - One Meat Rib Contest Dodge City, KS	—	—	14 (162.8000)	—	—
2021-06-11	Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	5 / 28 (695.9312)	6 (177.7028)	7 (173.7028)	10 (172.5600)	11 (171.9656)
2021-05-15	Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 2) 🏅 Plainview, TX	15 / 22 (665.5656)	7 (174.2972)	12 (169.6800)	5 (166.8456)	13 (163.9428)
2021-05-14	Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) 🏅 Plainview, TX	4 / 33 (683.9084)	12 (170.8344)	5 (173.1428)	20 (164.5256)	1 (175.4056)

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
2025 ↗	Master	#1148 (60 pts)	#1147 (80 pts)	#1278 (65 pts)	#1020 (110 pts)	#1094 (85 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#242 (900 pts)	#262 (890 pts)	#245 (995 pts)	#285 (780 pts)	#278 (825 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#290 (757 pts)	#295 (772 pts)	#266 (897 pts)	#311 (687 pts)	#301 (742 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#177 (1140 pts)	#170 (1200 pts)	#148 (1300 pts)	#173 (1155 pts)	#189 (1110 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#203 (957 pts)	#198 (952 pts)	#135 (1275 pts)	#261 (767 pts)	#185 (1007 pts)