A tough matchup
5–0
behind in the head-to-head
SON OF SMOKE ahead in 100% of their meetings
SON OF SMOKE has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
Cowabunga BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1476
peak 1476 · rated over 5 contests ⓘ
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
2014-03-28
latest 2024-08-23
Best ToY finish
#1616
Master 2015
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 67%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
616.51
last 5 Master vs avg 616.51 (+0.00)
Walk rate
43%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.34
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 158.19 · weakest Brisket (152.08)
Road miles
417
mi across 7 mapped stops · furthest 100 mi
Schedule strength
22%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1531)
Purse competed for
$3K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
Master avg
616.51 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (4 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.
The weak link
−6.1
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.11 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 29%.
- Brisket avg 152.08
- Pork Ribs avg 158.19
- 0 calls in 5 entries
A strong matchup
3–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 75% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of PIPIN' HOT SMOKERS BBQ in 3 of their 4 shared contests.
The comeback
7.9 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 7.9 years, then back at All American Rib Cookoff (COMPETITOR SERIES) (2024-08-23).
- last seen 2016-10-14
- back 2024-08-23
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.
150 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4328 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1476
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Cowabunga BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Cowabunga BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4299 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 4%
- Peak
- 1520
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Cowabunga BBQ)
They've been 1520 at their best, 44 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#4293 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1477
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 7, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#4324 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 8 years after Cowabunga BBQ did, first appearing in 2022.
⚔ Head-to-head#4314 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1476
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 3 years before Cowabunga BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#4309 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1476
No shared contest yet.
Level with Cowabunga BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SON OF SMOKE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PIRATES OF THE PIG | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 164.0000 | 143.9884 | 153.26 | top 68% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.8800 | 143.9656 | 158.19 | top 60% |
| Pork | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2400 | 146.2972 | 155.65 | top 59% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 161.6800 | 141.0284 | 152.08 | top 60% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 5 | 0 | top 65% |
| NV | 1 | 0 | top 73% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 46% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 70% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 73% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the River | 2 | 27 | 0 | top 64% | 2016-10-14 |
The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
10.4 yrs
2014-03-28 → 2024-08-23
Busiest season
2015
3 contests
Contests a season
1.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
CA
6 of 7 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
5
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
7 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
averages 158.19 · weakest Brisket (152.08)
Walk rate
43%
a top-10 call in 3 of 7 contests
Overall top-10 rate
14%
1 of 7 contests
Master average
616.51
out of 720 · 5 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
134
62–132 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
417
7 mapped stops · furthest 100 mi
Schedule strength
1531
average field rating faced — tougher than 22% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$2,825
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
Longest layoff
7.9 yrs
2016-10-14 → 2024-08-23
Power rating
1476
peak 1476 · #4308 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2014
- First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Career-best overall score631.9656 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Peak power rating (1498) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- 2024
- First overall top-10 All American Rib Cookoff (COMPETITOR SERIES)
- 2026
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.8800 California State Fair BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Most recent contest California State Fair BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +0.1 | Smoke on the River | 2015-09-18 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.5 | 1st Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship | 2015-10-02 |
| -5.4 | Smoke on the River | 2016-10-14 |
| -5.1 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2015-03-27 |
| -1.9 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2014-03-28 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 46% | — | — |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 74% | 84.7% | 84.7% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 73% | 87.3% | 85.2% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 62% | 87.8% | 87.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | California State Fair BBQ Competition (ONE MEAT RIBS) Sacramento, CA | — | — | 4 (174.8800) | — | — |
| 2024-08-23 | All American Rib Cookoff (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Auburn, CA | 6 / 13 (154.8228) | — | 6 (154.8228) | — | — |
| 2016-10-14 | Smoke on the River Sacramento, CA | 28 / 38 (609.5996) | 34 (145.7140) | 19 (163.4172) | 13 (159.4400) | 32 (141.0284) |
| 2015-10-02 | 1st Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA | 37 / 41 (607.3484) | 40 (143.9884) | 33 (155.3944) | 34 (151.9656) | 26 (156.0000) |
| 2015-09-18 | Smoke on the River Sacramento, CA | 27 / 49 (628.4800) | 20 (160.5944) | 43 (143.9656) | 18 (162.2400) | 14 (161.6800) |
| 2015-03-27 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Reno, NV | 22 / 30 (605.1660) | 23 (151.9888) | 24 (153.7144) | 16 (158.3200) | 24 (141.1428) |
| 2014-03-28 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Sacramento, CA | 18 / 29 (631.9656) | 10 (164.0000) | 12 (161.1200) | 25 (146.2972) | 12 (160.5484) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #722 (187 pts) | — | — |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #2274 (60 pts) | #2353 (60 pts) | #2190 (90 pts) | #1872 (120 pts) | #2345 (60 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1616 (130 pts) | #1629 (150 pts) | #1776 (120 pts) | #1458 (195 pts) | #1480 (175 pts) |