Happy hunting ground
Top 17%
average finish here
Poosa Q is their spot: an average finish in the top 17% across 3 visits.
- 3 visits
- best finish 5th
- average top 17%
ETOWAH SMOKE
ETOWAH SMOKE is a competition barbecue team with 34 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2020 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 13 at the Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship (2022). They are ranked #1168 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1589
peak 1596 · rated over 31 contests
Contests
34
in the data
First seen
Jul 31, 2020
latest Nov 15, 2024 · 4.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
5 podiums
Overall top-10s
16
47% of 34 contests
Best top-10 run
6
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 39%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
491.87 ▼
last 5 Backyard (3-meat) vs avg 495.27 (-3.40)
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.95
spread of their Backyard (3-meat) overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 170.87 · weakest Pork Ribs (164.77)
Road miles
6,194
across 34 mapped stops · furthest 756 mi
Schedule strength
56%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1572)
Purse competed for
$364K
listed at 30 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 24 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
333.07 / 360
14 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
495.27 / 540
16 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (4-meat) avg
646.17 / 720
1 Backyard (4-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540, Backyard (4-meat) out of 720), 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #346 (80 pts) | #348 (80 pts) | #326 (110 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #204 (233 pts) | #232 (193 pts) | #208 (243 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #112 (566 pts) | #79 (779 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #883 (193 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #48 (851 pts) | #70 (712 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #65 (586 pts) | #71 (461 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1109 (112 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to ETOWAH SMOKE, each with one reason worth a look.
39 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,161 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 35%
- Peak
- 1589
1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to ETOWAH SMOKE)
These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — Red, White & Que ahead 2–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,171 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1606
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 3 years before ETOWAH SMOKE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,170 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 19%
- Peak
- 1589
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 23 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,166 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 48%
- Peak
- 1594
Careers of much the same size, 25 contests to 34, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,165 of the rated field
- Contests
- 44
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 16%
- Peak
- 1589
44 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 16% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,167 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1593
They were already cooking in 2014, 6 years before ETOWAH SMOKE's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEE LA Q | 20 | 4 | 16 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 19 | 8 | 9 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| Stewbabys BBQ | 18 | 13 | 4 | 72% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 18 | 6 | 12 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Willingham's | 17 | 13 | 3 | 76% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | 17 | 8 | 8 | 47% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 17 | 6 | 11 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| RIBLIFE | 17 | 4 | 13 | 24% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 Swine Crew | 16 | 5 | 11 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| REDBONES BBQ | 16 | 3 | 13 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| Wine Me, Dine Me and Swine Me | 15 | 12 | 3 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| COOL HAND QUE | 15 | 9 | 5 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 15 | 5 | 9 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 15 | 3 | 12 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Organizer Portal | 15 | 3 | 11 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 31 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 176.5600 | 153.6344 | 165.93 | top 40% |
| Pork Ribs | 34 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 177.1544 | 150.2400 | 164.77 | top 42% |
| Pork | 18 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 150.1828 | 165.61 | top 31% |
| Brisket | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 178.8572 | 162.8800 | 170.87 | top 11% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 45% |
| Medium (20–39) | 17 | 0 | top 46% |
| Large (40+) | 11 | 0 | top 27% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival | 4 | 3 | 0 | top 31% | Aug 16, 2024 |
| Poosa Q | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 17% | Oct 4, 2024 |
| Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 26% | Nov 15, 2024 |
| Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 40% | Aug 11, 2023 |
| Smoke on the Falls | 2 | 20 | 0 | top 70% | Apr 7, 2023 |
| Sip & Swine BBQ Festival | 2 | 27 | 0 | top 42% | Mar 3, 2023 |
| Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 46% | Dec 1, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
14 contests
Contests a season
6.8
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
GA
15 of 34 contests · 6 states in all
Contests visited
21
7 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
34 entries · 0 wins · 13 calls
Opponents faced
823
finished ahead 1,250 times, behind 762
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20241 milestone
- Most recent contest Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
20231 milestone
- 25th tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
20225 milestones
- Career-best overall score646.1716 Lakeland Pig Festival
- 10th tracked contest Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
- First category win (Brisket) BBQ Boogie & Blues
- Career-best single call (Brisket)178.8572 BBQ Boogie & Blues
- Peak power rating (1596) Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship
20211 milestone
- First overall podium Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival
20204 milestones
- First tracked contest Hawgin On Lanier
- First call Hawgin On Lanier
- First overall top-10 Hawgin On Lanier
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score506.8228 Hawgin On Lanier
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.7 | Poosa Q | Oct 5, 2023 |
| +12.7 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival | Aug 20, 2021 |
| +12.4 | Poosa Q | May 5, 2022 |
| +12.3 | Hawgin On Lanier | Jul 31, 2020 |
| +10.8 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship | Dec 1, 2022 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.9 | Barbecue With A View (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 21, 2022 |
| -9.4 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 19, 2023 |
| -9.3 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival | Aug 18, 2023 |
| -9.3 | Smoke on the Falls | Apr 7, 2023 |
| -5.6 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (Backyard) | Apr 22, 2022 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 32% | 95.7% | 94.2% |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 53% | 97.3% | 91.4% |
| 2022 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 64% | top 36% | 96.2% | 92% |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 67% | top 35% | 94.2% | 91.2% |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 19% | 93.9% | 93.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 2024 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cuming, GA | 21 / 58 (334.7768) | 21 (166.2512) | 15 (168.5256) | — | — |
| Oct 4, 2024 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 18 / 59 (344.5372) | 20 (173.1200) | 22 (171.4172) | — | — |
| Aug 16, 2024 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 8 / 26 (338.1940) | 12 (166.2284) | 5 (171.9656) | 11 (163.3828) | — |
| Oct 5, 2023 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 5 / 73 (350.2628) | 12 (173.1084) | 2 (177.1544) | — | — |
| Aug 18, 2023 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 17 / 27 (470.6168) | 16 (156.5028) | 13 (163.9312) | 17 (150.1828) | — |
| Aug 11, 2023 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 21 / 35 (494.1716) | 21 (167.3944) | 34 (154.8116) | 6 (171.9656) | — |
| May 19, 2023 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 27 / 34 (325.5996) | 24 (167.3712) | 27 (158.2284) | — | — |
| Apr 28, 2023 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 17 / 36 (509.0740) | 12 (170.8456) | 6 (173.7144) | 25 (164.5140) | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 32 / 39 (326.1712) | 41 (157.0512) | 18 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 33 / 80 (326.7428) | 29 (166.2516) | 34 (160.4912) | — | — |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 49 (160.4912) | — | — |
| Mar 3, 2023 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 31 / 65 (482.7544) | 35 (154.8000) | 28 (159.9544) | 11 (168) | — |
| Dec 1, 2022 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship 🏅 Demopolis, AL | 3 / 13 (342.7884) | 8 (171.9656) | 3 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Nov 18, 2022 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 9 / 57 (502.7312) | 7 (171.9656) | 12 (162.2400) | 9 (168.5256) | — |
| Nov 17, 2022 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic (One Meat Ribs) Cumming, GA | — | — | 10 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Oct 21, 2022 | Barbecue With A View (BACKYARD ONLY) Vicksburg, MS | 26 / 28 (307.8628) | 24 (156.5028) | 24 (151.3600) | — | — |
| Sep 16, 2022 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 8 / 18 (346.2516) | 3 (176.5600) | 10 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2022 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 6 / 30 (499.3144) | 7 (167.3828) | 6 (164.5488) | 7 (167.3828) | — |
| Aug 12, 2022 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL | 7 / 35 (514.7656) | 12 (170.8228) | 13 (170.8228) | 9 (173.1200) | — |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 7 / 25 (486.1372) | 4 (167.4056) | 10 (161.6688) | 11 (157.0628) | — |
| May 5, 2022 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 9 / 72 (342.2400) | 17 (169.1200) | 7 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Apr 29, 2022 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 9 / 37 (492.9828) | 15 (153.6344) | 7 (169.6800) | 5 (169.6684) | 1 (178.8572) |
| Apr 22, 2022 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (Backyard) Florence, AL | 23 / 34 (491.2800) | 29 (155.9200) | 15 (167.3944) | 14 (167.9656) | — |
| Apr 8, 2022 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 20 / 34 (334.8000) | 15 (168.5600) | 28 (166.2400) | — | — |
| Mar 4, 2022 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 27 / 73 (474.7084) | 19 (166.2744) | 32 (150.2400) | 26 (158.1940) | — |
| Jan 28, 2022 | Lakeland Pig Festival 🏅 Lakeland, FL | 16 / 60 (646.1716) | 14 (163.9772) | 25 (159.3600) | 22 (159.9544) | 12 (162.8800) |
| Dec 2, 2021 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship 🏅 Demopolis, AL | 13 / 19 (321.6112) | 13 (161.6684) | 11 (159.9428) | — | — |
| Nov 19, 2021 | GBC Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 10 / 28 (495.3260) | 6 (167.3828) | 13 (160.5488) | 5 (167.3944) | — |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 3 / 26 (508.4800) | 3 (171.9772) | 8 (164.5372) | 4 (171.9656) | — |
| Jul 30, 2021 | GBC Summer Showdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 10 / 39 (493.5772) | 15 (158.2172) | 12 (164.5372) | 5 (170.8228) | — |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS | 9 / 28 (321.0860) | 8 (164.5716) | 10 (156.5144) | — | — |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Smoke on the Plains Derby BBQ & Music Fest - One Meat Contest - Ribs Derby, KS | — | — | 11 (159.4516) | — | — |
| Nov 20, 2020 | Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 9 / 40 (501.5884) | 9 (169.6800) | 16 (165.0856) | 12 (166.8228) | — |
| Jul 31, 2020 | Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Cumming, GA | 9 / 55 (506.8228) | 10 (171.4056) | 6 (171.4400) | 20 (163.9772) | — |