Smokin' Good Times

Smokin' Good Times is a competition barbecue team with 18 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Downtown BBQ Showdown (2014). They are ranked #2937 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES - LA” and “SMOKIN GOOD TIMES”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,937

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1507

peak 1532 · rated over 16 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Mar 1, 2013

latest Aug 17, 2024 · 11.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#774

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 6% of the time

Category wins

7 podiums

Overall top-10s

17% of 18 contests

Avg finish

top 55%

overall standings

Best overall

698.2744 / 720

Master · Downtown BBQ Showdown

Perfect 180s

Current form

654.13 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 660.47 (-6.34)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.2972

Pork · Smokin Blues & BBQ

Consistency

±17.20

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 167.49 · weakest Brisket (163.02)

Road miles

2,615

across 18 mapped stops · furthest 1,415 mi

Schedule strength

44%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1558)

Purse competed for

$27K

listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

660.47 / 720

16 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (12 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

They almost always walk

67% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 12 of 18 contests

A top-10 category call in 67% of their 18 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

698.2744 career-best overall

97.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 698.2744 at Downtown BBQ Showdown — 97.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 3, 2014

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

WINK'S BARBEQUE has finished one call ahead of Smokin' Good Times 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 44%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10
1 category win
average top 44%

A tough matchup

10–0 behind in the head-to-head

BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ has come out ahead in 10 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.47 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 25% of the time against 47%.

Brisket avg 163.02
Pork Ribs avg 167.49
4 calls in 16 entries

The drought

15 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Downtown BBQ Showdown on Oct 3, 2014 — 15 contests and 12 years ago.

last GC Oct 3, 2014
12 years ago

Show 5 more storylines

The comeback

3.4 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.4 years, then back at Kora Shriner's BBQ Competition (Aug 27, 2022).

last seen Mar 22, 2019
back Aug 27, 2022

Pork Ribs nemesis

8 of 10 shared pork ribs entries lost

BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ ahead 80% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ has out-cooked them in 8 of 10 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

LIBERTY BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 47% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 47% across 4 contests, versus top 55% the rest of the year.

4 May contests
top 55% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.39% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.39% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.7% of a perfect score
18 contests

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
2022 ↗	Master	#1640 (56 pts)	#1647 (56 pts)	#908 (181 pts)	#1644 (56 pts)	#1227 (86 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2019 (92 pts)	#1934 (117 pts)	#2051 (102 pts)	#2917 (52 pts)	#1154 (277 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#774 (448 pts)	#709 (528 pts)	#788 (463 pts)	#578 (673 pts)	#987 (338 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#2446 (68 pts)	#1929 (98 pts)	#1917 (98 pts)	#2489 (68 pts)	#2693 (53 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Smokin' Good Times, each with one reason worth a look.

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

LITTLE BIT OF R AND R

#2,959 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1510

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Smokin' Good Times)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Smokin' Good Times has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Feb 26, 2016

⚔ Head-to-head

SOUTHERN HEAT BBQ

#2,943 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1519

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Smokin' Good Times)

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

rated over 5 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

EAST TENNESSE Q CREW

#2,924 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1523

Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Jul 16, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

HASHTAG BBQ

#2,947 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 41%
Peak: 1507

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 17 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Aug 1, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

JD'S LIPSMAKIN SMOKERS

#2,927 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1511

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 18% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Jul 28, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

WOODSHED BBQ

#2,935 of the rated field

1507 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1508

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Oct 29, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
CAJUN BLAZE	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' SOBER...SOMETIMES	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
KOKOMO Q	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
COCHON 225	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
THE BLUE BLOODS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
LIBERTY BBQ	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
PLUMB CRAZY Q	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
GIVE IT TO GOD	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
BOOTYQUE	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
GRILL DOCTOR'S	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
C4-Que	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
RED EYED SMOKERS	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
Sweet Bayou BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
CROSSROADS GRILLIN	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	16	4	0	1	174.8572	156.0344	166.48	top 53%
Pork Ribs	17	8	2	2	177.7372	161.1430	167.49	top 43%
Pork	16	5	0	3	178.2972	142.8228	163.73	top 55%
Brisket	16	4	1	1	177.7028	148	163.02	top 58%

“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)	1	0	top 26%
Medium (20–39)	10	1	top 55%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 62%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MS	7	1	top 40%
LA	6	0	top 65%
ME	2	0	top 83%
AL	1	0	top 47%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival	3	12	0	top 51%	Apr 28, 2017
Hammond BBQ	2	34	0	top 74%	Mar 22, 2019

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 5 contests

Contests a season 2 across 9 seasons in the data

Most contests held in LA 7 of 18 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 13 2 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 17 entries · 2 wins · 8 calls

First title Oct 3, 2014 Downtown BBQ Showdown

Opponents faced 344 finished ahead 247 times, behind 341

Longest layoff 3.4 yrs Mar 22, 2019 → Aug 27, 2022

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

20241 milestone

Aug 17 Most recent contest Kora Kares for Kids

20181 milestone

May 4 Peak power rating (1532) Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival

20161 milestone

May 27 10th tracked contest Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival

20151 milestone

Mar 27 Career-best single call (Pork)178.2972 Smokin Blues & BBQ

20147 milestones

Oct 3 First call Downtown BBQ Showdown
Oct 3 First category win (Pork Ribs) Downtown BBQ Showdown
Oct 3 First overall top-10 Downtown BBQ Showdown
Oct 3 First overall podium Downtown BBQ Showdown
Oct 3 First Grand Championship Downtown BBQ Showdown
Oct 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score698.2744 Downtown BBQ Showdown
Oct 3 Career-best overall score698.2744 Downtown BBQ Showdown

20131 milestone

Mar 1 First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.6	Downtown BBQ Showdown	Oct 3, 2014
+9.6	Downtown BBQ Throwdown	Oct 7, 2016
+9.1	Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival	May 4, 2018
+5.9	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Feb 27, 2015
+4.8	Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival	May 29, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-14.5	Kora Shriner's BBQ Competition	Aug 27, 2022
-8.9	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Mar 1, 2013
-6.5	Hammond BBQ	Mar 22, 2019
-4.3	Hammond BBQ	Mar 23, 2018
-3.6	Kora Kares for Kids	Aug 17, 2024

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	2	0	0	0	100%	top 67%	91.3%	91.3%
2022	1	0	0	0	100%	top 100%	86.6%	86.6%
2019	1	0	0	0	0%	top 71%	91.8%	91.8%
2018	2	0	1	0	50%	top 52%	93.6%	92.3%
2017	1	0	0	1	100%	top 63%	91.3%	91.3%
2016	3	0	1	1	67%	top 44%	92.8%	92.5%
2015	5	0	0	0	80%	top 53%	93.7%	92.2%
2014	2	1	1	1	50%	top 4%	97%	97%
2013	1	0	0	0	0%	top 79%	86.7%	86.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Aug 17, 2024	Kora Kares for Kids 🏅 Hiram, ME	26 / 39 (657.1204)	35 (157.6684)	7 (172.0116)	30 (160.0116)	14 (167.4288)
Aug 17, 2024	Kora Kares for Kids (ONE MEAT RIBS) Hiram, ME	—	—	10 (171.4628)	—	—
Aug 27, 2022	Kora Shriner's BBQ Competition 🏅 Hiram, ME	31 / 31 (623.4976)	29 (156.0344)	5 (168.0460)	31 (142.8228)	19 (156.5944)
Mar 22, 2019	Hammond BBQ 🏅 Hammond, LA	34 / 48 (661.0400)	29 (167.3944)	30 (164.5600)	17 (169.1200)	43 (159.9656)
May 4, 2018	Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival Brookhaven, MS	5 / 19 (673.7256)	9 (167.4400)	6 (169.7028)	10 (164.5600)	5 (172.0228)
Mar 23, 2018	Hammond BBQ Hammond, LA	37 / 48 (655.2684)	27 (167.3940)	32 (162.8228)	45 (158.2288)	24 (166.8228)
Apr 28, 2017	Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival Brookhaven, MS	17 / 27 (657.0516)	12 (169.1544)	15 (165.6800)	27 (144.5144)	1 (177.7028)
Oct 7, 2016	Downtown BBQ Throwdown Hattiesburg, MS	7 / 26 (666.2628)	3 (174.8572)	1 (174.8572)	13 (165.1428)	23 (151.4056)
May 27, 2016	Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival Brookhaven, MS	12 / 25 (663.9428)	18 (162.2512)	15 (162.2972)	5 (171.4172)	7 (167.9772)
Mar 25, 2016	Hamond BBQ Hammond, LA	33 / 58 (667.8856)	21 (170.8572)	36 (165.1084)	28 (168.5256)	44 (163.3944)
Sep 25, 2015	Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown Vidalia, LA	21 / 45 (667.8856)	11 (170.8228)	29 (162.8344)	27 (167.3712)	25 (166.8572)
May 29, 2015	Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival Brookhaven, MS	13 / 31 (657.1200)	9 (170.2744)	9 (172)	17 (160.5828)	24 (154.2628)
May 1, 2015	George County Firefighters Association BBQ Challenge Lucedale, MS	19 / 27 (662.2284)	17 (165.7028)	21 (161.7028)	3 (176)	25 (158.8228)
Mar 27, 2015	Smokin Blues & BBQ Hammond, LA	32 / 56 (657.5424)	48 (158.7768)	31 (163.3828)	3 (178.2972)	41 (157.0856)
Feb 27, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Daphne, AL	14 / 30 (674.7540)	15 (170.8228)	10 (172)	25 (163.9656)	15 (167.9656)
Oct 3, 2014	Downtown BBQ Showdown Hattiesburg, MS	1 / 27 (698.2744)	6 (172)	1 (177.7372)	2 (176.5716)	6 (171.9656)
Mar 21, 2014	Hammond BBQ Hammond, LA	—	—	—	—	—
Mar 1, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Baton Rouge, LA	22 / 28 (624)	16 (162.2856)	16 (161.1430)	22 (152.5714)	26 (148)

Smokin' Good Times

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (12 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

The drought

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A May team

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)