High-water mark
672.4800
career-best overall
93.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 672.4800 at Puckaway Pigfest — 93.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Sep 5, 2014
Smoke Syndicate
Smoke Syndicate is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 5th of 40 at the Puckaway Pigfest (2014). They are ranked #3106 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1503
peak 1531 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Jun 15, 2013
latest Sep 6, 2024 · 11.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
2
22% of 9 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 54%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
627.36 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 641.35 (-14.00)
Walk rate
44%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±19.92
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 162.83 · weakest Chicken (156.42)
Road miles
750
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 202 mi
Schedule strength
32%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1543)
Purse competed for
$5,750
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
641.35 / 720
9 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 Smoke Syndicate, each with one reason worth a look.
113 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,112 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1505
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,117 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1503
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,090 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1525
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 3 years before Smoke Syndicate's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,122 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1518
Level with Smoke Syndicate on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,089 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1503
They turned up 12 years after Smoke Syndicate did, first appearing in 2025.
⚔ Compare careers#3,119 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1515
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| A BOY NAMED QUE | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE INFUSION | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| SCRAPYARD SMOKERS | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| CHEFS GONE GRILLIN | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| DD'S BBQ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| ARCHIE'S MEATHEADS | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| FOX RIVER BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG "E" BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| CRASH TEST SMOKERS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.1430 | 135.9084 | 156.42 | top 70% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.2858 | 153.7140 | 162.83 | top 45% |
| Pork | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 169.1428 | 149.6228 | 160.03 | top 53% |
| Brisket | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 174.2628 | 150.8116 | 162.07 | top 47% |
“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 64% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 46% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puckaway Pigfest | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 48% | Sep 9, 2016 |
| Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 48% | Jul 10, 2015 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2015
2 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
WI
8 of 9 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
270
finished ahead 185 times, behind 225
Longest layoff
6.9 yrs
Oct 20, 2017 → Sep 6, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20241 milestone
- Most recent contest Puckaway Pigfest
20143 milestones
- First overall top-10 Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay
- Career-best overall score672.4800 Puckaway Pigfest
- Peak power rating (1531) Puckaway Pigfest
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest Treasure Island International BBQ Championship
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.1426 Treasure Island International BBQ Championship
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.2858 Treasure Island International BBQ Championship
- First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.9 | Puckaway Pigfest | Sep 5, 2014 |
| +11.2 | Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay | Jul 11, 2014 |
| +5.7 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Jul 5, 2013 |
| +1.3 | Treasure Island International BBQ Championship | Jun 15, 2013 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.2 | Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay | Jul 10, 2015 |
| -7 | Puckaway Pigfest | Sep 11, 2015 |
| -6.8 | Puckaway Pigfest | Sep 6, 2024 |
| -4.8 | Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off | Oct 20, 2017 |
| -1.5 | Puckaway Pigfest | Sep 9, 2016 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 86% | 88.5% | 88.5% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 71% | 86.6% | 86.6% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 57% | 90.1% | 90.1% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 77% | 85.3% | 85.3% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 16% | 93.4% | 92% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 43% | 92.4% | 91% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2024 | Puckaway Pigfest 🏅 Montello, WI | 32 / 37 (637.0056) | 28 (162.2512) | 33 (154.2628) | 34 (149.6228) | 11 (170.8688) |
| Oct 20, 2017 | Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off Union Grove, WI | 37 / 52 (623.7828) | 36 (157.1200) | 30 (159.3484) | 42 (152.5144) | 37 (154.8000) |
| Sep 9, 2016 | Puckaway Pigfest Montello, WI | 21 / 37 (648.3656) | 23 (161.6916) | 22 (161.0856) | 21 (165.0856) | 20 (160.5028) |
| Sep 11, 2015 | Puckaway Pigfest Montello, WI | 25 / 33 (613.5656) | 29 (148.5028) | 21 (153.7140) | 10 (160.5372) | 26 (150.8116) |
| Jul 10, 2015 | Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay Green Bay, WI | 62 / 80 (614.0572) | 77 (135.9084) | 36 (161.6572) | 64 (154.2400) | 38 (162.2516) |
| Sep 5, 2014 | Puckaway Pigfest Montello, WI | 5 / 40 (672.4800) | 20 (166.2516) | 7 (170.8344) | 20 (161.1312) | 2 (174.2628) |
| Jul 11, 2014 | Gold Ribbin' BBQ Fest of Greater Green Bay Green Bay, WI | 8 / 42 (652.6400) | 28 (153.1656) | 4 (168.5944) | 7 (164.0344) | 9 (166.8456) |
| Jul 5, 2013 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Madison, WI | 11 / 30 (645.1424) | 25 (153.7142) | 13 (161.7142) | 4 (169.1428) | 15 (160.5712) |
| Jun 15, 2013 | Treasure Island International BBQ Championship Welch, MN | 33 / 68 (665.1426) | 28 (169.1430) | 11 (174.2858) | 41 (163.9998) | 45 (157.7140) |