SMOKIN GUNS BBQ

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

Power ranking

#2313

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1526

peak 1603 · rated over 42 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-08-16

latest 2024-09-20

Best ToY finish

#530

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 42 contests

Avg finish

top 48%

overall standings

Best overall

685.5996 / 720

Master · BBQ at the Races Kansas Speedway

Perfect 180s

Current form

645.79 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 652.55 (-6.76)

Walk rate

52%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.3200

Pork Ribs · Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest

Consistency

±30.89

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 165.18 · weakest Chicken (162.61)

Road miles

3,284

mi across 42 mapped stops · furthest 786 mi

Schedule strength

55%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1570)

Purse competed for

$187K

listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 13 state-championship entries

Master avg

652.55 / 720

42 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.

Happy hunting ground

Top 16% average finish here

Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest is their spot: an average finish in the top 16% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 3rd
average top 16%

High-water mark

685.5996 career-best overall

95.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 685.5996 at BBQ at the Races Kansas Speedway — 95.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
2013-08-17

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

SOCIAL SMOKERS BBQ SQUAD has finished one call ahead of SMOKIN GUNS BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 20%.

3 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 20%

A tough matchup

20–4 behind in the head-to-head

GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 83% of their meetings

GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 20 of their 24 shared contests.

A strong matchup

15–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 94% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DUSTY ROADS BBQ in 15 of their 16 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST (2021-09-16).

last seen 2019-09-28
back 2021-09-16

Brisket nemesis

16 of 24 shared brisket entries lost

GETTIN' BASTED ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GETTIN' BASTED has out-cooked them in 16 of 24 shared brisket entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

PIG NEWTON has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An October team

Top 36% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 36% across 4 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.

4 October contests
top 48% the rest of the year

The long haul

3,284 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,284 miles across 42 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 786 miles to Covington Cork & Pork Festival.

42 mapped stops
furthest 786 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.

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

MOTLEY QUE CREW

#2319 of the rated field

1526 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 41
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1608

3–4 in 7 shared contests (43% to SMOKIN GUNS BBQ)

These two have cooked 7 of the same contests — MOTLEY QUE CREW ahead 4–3 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 40 contests
last seen 2024-10-30

⚔ Head-to-head

BEER & BUTTS QUE

#2305 of the rated field

1526 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1527

4–3 in 7 shared contests (57% to SMOKIN GUNS BBQ)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 21 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2016-09-09

⚔ Head-to-head

COACH'S DECISION BBQ

#2309 of the rated field

1526 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1540

2–1 in 3 shared contests (67% to SMOKIN GUNS BBQ)

Fewer contests behind them than SMOKIN GUNS BBQ has cooked, 14 to 42, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2022-06-24

⚔ Head-to-head

TWO BUTTS AND A HAM

#2306 of the rated field

1526 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1526

1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to SMOKIN GUNS BBQ)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 5 years before SMOKIN GUNS BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 13 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Smokin' Story BBQ

#2314 of the rated field

1526 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1534

No shared contest yet.

21 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 5% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2022-05-13

⚔ Head-to-head

Aussie TongMasters

#2318 of the rated field

1526 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 8 years after SMOKIN GUNS BBQ did, first appearing in 2021.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2026-08-01

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SLAPS BBQ	24	5	19	21%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	24	4	20	17%	⚔ compare
S&S BBQ	23	13	10	57%	⚔ compare
DIRT ROAD BBQ	21	3	18	14%	⚔ compare
PIG NEWTON	19	11	8	58%	⚔ compare
GRILLAS	19	8	11	42%	⚔ compare
Sons of a Brisket	19	7	12	37%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' SAUCED	18	5	13	28%	⚔ compare
4 LEGS UP BBQ	18	4	14	22%	⚔ compare
Wabash BBQ	17	5	12	29%	⚔ compare
SMOKE THIS BBQ MO	17	5	12	29%	⚔ compare
DUSTY ROADS BBQ	16	15	1	94%	⚔ compare
T'S SMOKIN PIT	16	11	5	69%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	16	8	8	50%	⚔ compare
LOVE 2 Q	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	42	5	0	0	172.5600	142.8684	162.61	top 63%
Pork Ribs	42	9	0	0	178.3200	141.7144	163.68	top 53%
Pork	43	12	0	2	176.5716	138.2512	164.51	top 50%
Brisket	42	13	1	4	177.1428	147.4400	165.18	top 43%

“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
MO	26	top 47%
KS	14	top 43%
AR	1	top 91%
VA	1	top 92%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	18	0	top 60%
Large (40+)	24	0	top 40%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ and Fly In on the River	5	9	top 43%	2019-08-16
The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake	3	26	top 67%	2019-04-12
2024 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off	2	24	top 86%	2024-07-12
Big Blue BBQ Championship	2	23	top 96%	2024-05-31
Hog Wild West BBQ Contest	2	3	top 26%	2018-09-07
Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest	2	3	top 16%	2015-09-11

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

On the trail 11.1 yrs 2013-08-16 → 2024-09-20

Busiest season 2015 8 contests

Contests a season 4.2 across 10 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MO 26 of 42 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 32 6 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork 43 entries · 0 wins · 12 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 165.18 · weakest Chicken (162.61)

Walk rate 52% a top-10 call in 22 of 42 contests

Overall top-10 rate 21% 9 of 42 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 652.55 out of 720 · 42 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 2,254 3,338–2,153 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 3,284 42 mapped stops · furthest 786 mi

Schedule strength 1570 average field rating faced — tougher than 55% of rated contests

Purse competed for $187,385 listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 13 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 2 yrs 2019-09-28 → 2021-09-16

Power rating 1526 peak 1603 · #2313 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Aug 16 First tracked contest BBQ and Fly In on the River
Aug 16 First call BBQ and Fly In on the River
Aug 16 First overall top-10 BBQ and Fly In on the River
Aug 16 First overall past 90% of a perfect score673.6572 BBQ and Fly In on the River
Aug 17 Career-best overall score685.5996 BBQ at the Races Kansas Speedway
2014
Sep 12 First category win (Brisket) Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest
Sep 12 First overall podium Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest
2015
Jun 26 10th tracked contest Covington Cork & Pork Festival
Sep 11 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.3200 Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest
2018
Apr 13 25th tracked contest The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake
May 18 Peak power rating (1603) 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort
2024
Sep 20 Most recent contest 36th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.8	American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST	2021-09-16
+13.6	BBQ and Fly In on the River	2013-08-16
+12.9	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open	2015-10-03
+12.9	The Best Damn BBQ Contest	2015-04-10
+12.6	Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest	2014-09-12

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.9	Big Blue BBQ Championship	2023-06-02
-14.6	Bikes Blues & BBQ	2015-09-25
-13.4	Covington Cork & Pork Festival	2015-06-26
-11	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake	2019-04-12
-10.7	Big Blue BBQ Championship	2024-05-31

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)
2024	3	0	0	33%	top 85%	91.3%	88.4%
2023	3	0	0	33%	top 85%	92.8%	89.2%
2021	1	1	0	0%	top 2%	—	—
2019	5	0	0	20%	top 66%	92.4%	89.5%
2018	6	2	0	50%	top 52%	94.2%	91.5%
2017	6	1	0	83%	top 34%	94.7%	93.1%
2016	3	0	0	67%	top 53%	92.2%	90.9%
2015	8	2	0	63%	top 39%	95%	88.3%
2014	4	1	1	50%	top 35%	95.1%	91.4%
2013	3	2	0	67%	top 20%	95.2%	93.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2024-09-20	36th Annual Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out 🏅 Kearney, MO	22 / 32 (657.6000)	21 (169.1200)	23 (162.2744)	10 (163.9544)	14 (168.5372)
2024-07-12	2024 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Cameron, MO	26 / 28 (626.7088)	27 (160.5260)	25 (156.5256)	24 (159.4172)	27 (150.2400)
2024-05-31	Big Blue BBQ Championship 🏅 Marysville, KS	23 / 25 (624.3888)	24 (151.9200)	15 (167.4172)	25 (150.2172)	23 (154.8344)
2023-08-18	BBQ & Fly-In on the River 🏅 Excelsior Springs, MO	42 / 57 (651.8172)	43 (162.2516)	49 (158.2400)	37 (167.3828)	35 (163.9428)
2023-07-07	Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Cameron, MO	24 / 30 (668.4456)	27 (163.9544)	26 (159.9656)	13 (172.5484)	9 (171.9772)
2023-06-02	Big Blue BBQ Championship 🏅 Marysville, KS	28 / 28 (607.2912)	28 (148.5256)	27 (148.5144)	28 (150.8572)	21 (159.3940)
2021-09-16	American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	8 / 467 (519.3940)	351 (159.3944)	224 (166.8344)	357 (157.7028)	327 (158.1940)
2019-09-28	West Bottoms BBQ Contest 🏅 Kansas City, MO	25 / 29 (651.3488)	16 (170.8344)	27 (158.8572)	25 (162.2516)	25 (159.4056)
2019-09-12	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	85 / 468 (489.6228)	124 (169.7488)	362 (158.2172)	49 (173.7028)	287 (160.5028)
2019-08-16	BBQ and Fly In on the River 🏅 Excelsior Springs, MO	53 / 68 (641.4972)	63 (155.9544)	50 (161.0972)	57 (159.3600)	34 (165.0856)
2019-07-12	2nd Annual Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off (JUDGES FULL) 🏅 Cameron, MO	22 / 35 (665.0060)	28 (162.8000)	19 (165.6916)	5 (174.2744)	27 (162.2400)
2019-04-12	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake 🏅 Smithville, MO	45 / 54 (620.3888)	53 (147.9200)	37 (161.6800)	35 (161.7144)	50 (149.0744)
2018-09-15	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	280 / 467 (654.1252)	428 (153.0856)	284 (163.4172)	217 (165.6568)	83 (171.9656)
2018-09-07	Hog Wild West BBQ Contest Leavenworth, KS	10 / 25 (667.3488)	8 (169.7144)	18 (154.8116)	6 (173.1544)	5 (169.6684)
2018-08-17	*BBQ and Fly In on the River(JUDGES FULL) Excelsior Springs, MO	40 / 57 (643.8284)	44 (159.3944)	24 (165.6800)	32 (164.5600)	47 (154.1940)
2018-07-13	*1st Annual Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off(JUDGES FULL) Cameron, MO	13 / 24 (657.0056)	7 (171.9772)	8 (169.1316)	19 (153.1084)	15 (162.7884)
2018-05-18	23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort Platte City, MO	8 / 37 (678.1944)	25 (166.2400)	21 (166.2516)	10 (168.5600)	2 (177.1428)
2018-04-13	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake Smithville, MO	35 / 51 (650.1716)	35 (162.2400)	38 (159.3944)	33 (164.0000)	25 (164.5372)
2017-09-08	Hog Wild West BBQ Contest Leavenworth, KS	3 / 25 (681.6348)	4 (171.9772)	14 (164.5488)	2 (176.5716)	7 (168.5372)
2017-09-01	38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	186 / 407 (664.4572)	308 (159.9428)	316 (157.6688)	59 (173.7028)	41 (173.1428)
2017-08-18	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	22 / 65 (674.1600)	46 (163.3944)	17 (169.1200)	27 (168.5256)	8 (173.1200)
2017-06-02	McLouth BBQ Blowout 26th Anniversary(JUDGES FULL) McLouth, KS	18 / 32 (652.4912)	19 (163.9656)	26 (157.7028)	5 (171.9656)	21 (158.8572)
2017-05-19	22nd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort Platte City, MO	11 / 59 (681.6804)	48 (158.8000)	12 (171.4516)	2 (175.4172)	4 (176.0116)
2017-04-07	The Best Damn BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake Smithville, MO	19 / 54 (669.0400)	47 (158.2400)	7 (173.1316)	7 (175.4400)	26 (162.2284)
2016-10-29	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN) Kansas City, KS	334 / 557 (647.9200)	380 (159.9544)	267 (165.1544)	312 (162.8572)	328 (159.9540)
2016-06-03	McLouth BBQ Blowout 25th Anniversary (Judges full) McLouth, KS	22 / 33 (651.3716)	17 (166.8800)	32 (150.2516)	25 (157.6800)	3 (176.5600)
2016-05-13	21st Annual Platte City BBQ Cook-off At Basswood Resort Platte City, MO	16 / 51 (663.9432)	20 (166.2400)	10 (168.5832)	27 (164.0000)	19 (165.1200)
2015-10-03	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	26 / 606 (507.9544)	485 (155.9772)	38 (174.8456)	287 (164.5372)	39 (174.2628)
2015-09-25	Bikes Blues & BBQ Fayetteville, AR	32 / 35 (595.4400)	15 (167.4744)	33 (141.7144)	34 (138.2512)	31 (148.0000)
2015-09-18	Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO	11 / 41 (670.8004)	21 (166.2744)	21 (163.4288)	7 (170.8228)	9 (170.2744)
2015-09-11	Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest Leavenworth, KS	6 / 28 (683.9540)	12 (172.5484)	4 (178.3200)	14 (168.5484)	15 (164.5372)
2015-08-14	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	14 / 67 (674.8688)	25 (166.8344)	44 (161.7144)	4 (176.0344)	13 (170.2856)
2015-06-26	Covington Cork & Pork Festival Covington, VA	23 / 25 (605.7828)	25 (142.8684)	11 (161.7600)	19 (153.7144)	22 (147.4400)
2015-04-10	The Best Damn BBQ Contest Smithville, MO	6 / 52 (680.0116)	17 (168.0344)	6 (172.0000)	10 (172.0000)	12 (167.9772)
2015-04-03	Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief(Judges Full) Pleasant Hill, MO	30 / 71 (665.6344)	40 (165.7144)	40 (163.3944)	50 (162.2400)	6 (174.2856)
2014-10-02	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	325 / 552 (648.3996)	391 (159.9772)	149 (169.1084)	465 (153.6456)	199 (165.6684)
2014-09-12	Leavenworth Hog Wild BBQ Contest Leavenworth, KS	3 / 29 (684.5600)	8 (168.5944)	5 (173.1544)	9 (168.5484)	1 (174.2628)
2014-04-11	The Best Dam BBQ Contest at Smithville Lake Smithville, MO	26 / 54 (647.3372)	30 (162.2972)	47 (152.5488)	19 (166.2284)	15 (166.2628)
2014-03-14	NKC MO State Championship BBQ 🏅 N. Kansas City, MO	15 / 61 (653.0284)	16 (165.7028)	9 (166.2744)	48 (153.0512)	7 (168.0000)
2013-10-03	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	121 / 535 (657.0400)	324 (158.8116)	25 (173.1428)	199 (163.9656)	218 (161.1200)
2013-08-17	BBQ at the Races Kansas Speedway Kansas City, KS	7 / 31 (685.5996)	8 (172.5600)	8 (171.9656)	13 (170.2628)	9 (170.8112)
2013-08-16	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	9 / 66 (673.6572)	39 (161.1200)	9 (169.7144)	30 (165.6800)	2 (177.1428)

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
2024 ↗	Master	#865 (125 pts)	#944 (130 pts)	#1021 (120 pts)	#1001 (115 pts)	#831 (165 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#938 (120 pts)	#1092 (115 pts)	#1196 (115 pts)	#825 (175 pts)	#782 (200 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#1236 (60 pts)	#1286 (60 pts)	#1309 (60 pts)	#1262 (60 pts)	#1245 (60 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#901 (309 pts)	#887 (339 pts)	#933 (324 pts)	#771 (419 pts)	#989 (294 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#603 (569 pts)	#673 (539 pts)	#728 (494 pts)	#661 (559 pts)	#519 (714 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#586 (672 pts)	#755 (527 pts)	#666 (612 pts)	#394 (977 pts)	#550 (717 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1237 (238 pts)	#1305 (243 pts)	#1267 (253 pts)	#1602 (178 pts)	#922 (383 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#530 (708 pts)	#771 (478 pts)	#614 (638 pts)	#527 (738 pts)	#516 (728 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#708 (504 pts)	#864 (419 pts)	#755 (489 pts)	#915 (394 pts)	#562 (659 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#779 (396 pts)	#1025 (301 pts)	#837 (386 pts)	#1126 (266 pts)	#660 (491 pts)