The comeback
2.1 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2.1 years, then back at The Great Alabama Public Television BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT PORK) (May 4, 2024).
- last seen Apr 2, 2022
- back May 4, 2024
Smoke Showing BBQ
Smoke Showing BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 5 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 18th of 20 at the Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) (2022).
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1457
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 4
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
Oct 8, 2021
latest Jul 27, 2024 · 2.8 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 96%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 159.09 · weakest Pork Ribs (150.37)
Road miles
913
across 5 mapped stops · furthest 805 mi
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$26K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
619.79 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
297.54 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
482.66 / 540
1 Backyard (3-meat) contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smoke Showing BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
Smoke Showing BBQ has 4 rated contests, short of the five a power ranking needs, so its rating is still close to the 1500 every team starts on and 128 rated teams sit within a point of it.
#5,259 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,247 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Level with Smoke Showing BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,238 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,268 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 5 years before Smoke Showing BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,235 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1457
They were already cooking in 2015, 6 years before Smoke Showing BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#5,261 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 5 years before Smoke Showing BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5372 | 150.1828 | 159.09 | top 96% |
| Pork Ribs | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.9544 | 134.1716 | 150.37 | top 94% |
| Pork | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2284 | 149.6228 | 158.93 | top 86% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2628 | 150.2288 | 156.25 | top 85% |
“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
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2) | 2 | 19 | 0 | top 98% | Jul 27, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
3 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
3 of 5 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
3
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
60
finished ahead 3 times, behind 84
Longest layoff
2.1 yrs
Apr 2, 2022 → May 4, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20243 milestones
- Career-best overall score645.0060 Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)168.5372 Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1)
- Most recent contest Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2)
20212 milestones
- First tracked contest Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1486) Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.1 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) | Oct 8, 2021 |
| -10.8 | Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1) | Jul 26, 2024 |
| -9.5 | Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 2, 2022 |
| -8.7 | Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2) | Jul 27, 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 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 98% | 89.6% | 86.1% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 90% | 89.4% | 89.4% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 82.7% | 82.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2024 | Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 2) 🏅 Dodge City, KS | 19 / 20 (594.5832) | 20 (160.5600) | 20 (134.1716) | 19 (149.6228) | 19 (150.2288) |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Smokin' Saddles Double Header (Day 1) 🏅 Dodge City, KS | 20 / 20 (645.0060) | 18 (168.5372) | 20 (155.9888) | 20 (158.2172) | 15 (162.2628) |
| May 4, 2024 | The Great Alabama Public Television BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT PORK) Birmingham, AL | — | — | — | 11 (166.2284) | — |
| Apr 2, 2022 | Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) Chelsea, AL | 18 / 20 (482.6628) | 19 (157.0628) | 16 (163.9544) | 17 (161.6456) | — |
| Oct 8, 2021 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 31 / 31 (297.5428) | 31 (150.1828) | 30 (147.3600) | — | — |