High-water mark
667.9996
career-best overall
92.8% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 667.9996 at BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival — 92.8% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Mar 8, 2013
Smokin Section
Smokin Section is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 13th of 54 at the Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) (2013). They are ranked #4384 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1475
peak 1510 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
Feb 22, 2013
latest May 24, 2025 · 12.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 62%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
622.53 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 638.86 (-16.33)
Walk rate
36%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±30.98
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 163.77 · weakest Pork (153.58)
Road miles
4,297
across 11 mapped stops · furthest 1,943 mi
Schedule strength
17%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1524)
Purse competed for
$5,000
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
638.86 / 720
10 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #515 (603 pts) | #356 (853 pts) | #518 (638 pts) | #680 (488 pts) | #339 (913 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smokin Section, each with one reason worth a look.
144 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,390 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1475
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#4,378 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1475
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Smokin Section's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,368 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,388 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careers#4,402 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1509
Level with Smokin Section on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#4,403 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1475
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organizer Portal | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HOUSE OF Q | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| BEAN BANDITS | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| South Pork | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.1428 | 143.3828 | 163.19 | top 48% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 167.9656 | 142.2400 | 158.33 | top 67% |
| Pork | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2856 | 135.3604 | 153.58 | top 84% |
| Brisket | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.8570 | 147.3600 | 163.77 | top 42% |
“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) | 4 | 0 | top 86% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 46% |
More numbers
Busiest season
2013
7 contests
Contests a season
2.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
4 of 11 contests · 7 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
10
a different one every time
Opponents faced
390
finished ahead 233 times, behind 266
Longest layoff
5.8 yrs
Jul 20, 2019 → May 24, 2025
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20251 milestone
- Most recent contest Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship
20191 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Ribs and Rhythm & Blues
20136 milestones
- First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First call BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score667.9996 BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival
- Career-best overall score667.9996 BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival
- Career-best single call (Brisket)174.8570 The Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ
- Peak power rating (1510) Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.6 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) | Aug 23, 2013 |
| +7.1 | BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival | Mar 8, 2013 |
| +6.3 | Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel | Mar 15, 2013 |
| +3.4 | The Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ | May 3, 2013 |
| +0.2 | Stand By Your Grill | Aug 16, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.5 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | May 24, 2025 |
| -12 | Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle | Jun 21, 2014 |
| -10.1 | Ribs and Rhythm & Blues | Jul 20, 2019 |
| -8.8 | Smoke on the Falls | Apr 12, 2013 |
| -7.9 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Feb 22, 2013 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 94% | 86% | 86% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 94% | 81.2% | 81.2% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 80.9% | 80.9% |
| 2013 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57% | top 48% | 92.8% | 91.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2025 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 32 / 34 (619.2916) | 22 (160.5600) | 30 (153.6916) | 27 (157.6800) | 33 (147.3600) |
| Jul 20, 2019 | Ribs and Rhythm & Blues 🏅 Auburn, NY | 32 / 34 (584.9944) | 31 (143.3828) | 33 (142.2400) | 34 (135.3716) | 11 (164) |
| Jun 21, 2014 | Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle Washington, DC | 38 / 41 (582.1608) | 34 (146.8344) | 34 (149.7144) | 39 (135.3604) | 31 (150.2516) |
| Mar 21, 2014 | Hammond BBQ Hammond, LA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 23, 2013 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA | 13 / 54 (663.9768) | 7 (171.4172) | 9 (167.9656) | 42 (157.1312) | 14 (167.4628) |
| Aug 16, 2013 | Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS | 33 / 62 (662.2284) | 22 (169.6800) | 45 (161.6684) | 58 (156.5600) | 8 (174.3200) |
| May 3, 2013 | The Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL | 26 / 62 (661.1422) | 13 (171.4286) | 49 (157.7140) | 51 (157.1426) | 4 (174.8570) |
| Apr 12, 2013 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 27 / 34 (638.8564) | 11 (170.8570) | 29 (155.4282) | 30 (157.7142) | 26 (154.8570) |
| Mar 15, 2013 | Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Tupelo, MS | 31 / 100 (661.7138) | 36 (167.4284) | 51 (162.8570) | 49 (162.2856) | 26 (169.1428) |
| Mar 8, 2013 | BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival Mobile, AL | 17 / 56 (667.9996) | 6 (173.1428) | 20 (167.4284) | 45 (157.1428) | 12 (170.2856) |
| Feb 22, 2013 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Daphne, AL | 22 / 29 (646.2854) | 26 (157.1428) | 17 (164.5716) | 26 (159.4284) | 13 (165.1426) |