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Smokin Gringos BBQ

Smokin Gringos BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 48 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2024. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the SC Festival of Discovery (2019). They are ranked #953 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “SMOKIN' GRINGO'S BBQ” and “Smokin' Gringos BBQ”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#953
of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1610
peak 1630 · rated over 42 contests5 invitational or side-series contests not counted

Contests

48
in the data

First seen

Aug 29, 2014
latest Jul 11, 2024 · 9.9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#265
Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

1
0 reserve · wins it all 2% of the time

Category wins

4
14 podiums

Overall top-10s

17
35% of 48 contests

Best top-10 run

5
straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 45%
overall standings

Best overall

697.1088 / 720
Competitor Series · Royal Oak Invitational Only (COMPETITOR SERIES)

Perfect 180s

0

Current form

676.49 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 662.01 (+14.49)

Walk rate

63%
contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7144
Chicken · Royal Oak Invitational Only (COMPETITOR SERIES)

Consistency

±22.35
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork
avg 166.57 · weakest Brisket (164.06)

Road miles

11,305
across 47 mapped stops · furthest 845 mi

Schedule strength

56%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1572)

Purse competed for

$275K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries

Master avg

662.01 / 720
44 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (14 found in their record)

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

Against the odds

11-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 89 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at SC Festival of Discovery (Jul 12, 2019) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 11-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Organizer Portal.

Giant slayer

83 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 83-team field at SC Festival of Discovery.

  • Jul 12, 2019

They almost always walk

63% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 30 of 48 contests

A top-10 category call in 63% of their 48 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

State champions

1 state championship won

They've taken 1 state championship from 7 entries at contests carrying the title.

  • 7 state-championship entries

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

ELITE BBQ SMOKERS has finished one call ahead of Smokin Gringos BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

Show 7 more storylines

Their season

2019 1 Grand Championship

2019 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 7%.

  • 3 contests
  • 3 overall top-10s
  • 0 category wins
  • average top 7%

A tough matchup

21–4 behind in the head-to-head

SAUCED! BBQ TEAM ahead in 84% of their meetings

SAUCED! BBQ TEAM has come out ahead in 21 of their 25 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at South Carolina Festival of Discovery (Jul 9, 2026).

  • last seen Jul 11, 2024
  • back Jul 9, 2026

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

PIG ON FIRE has landed one call behind them 3 times.

A November team

Top 34% average finish in November

Something about November: average finish in the top 34% across 6 contests, versus top 45% the rest of the year.

  • 6 November contests
  • top 45% the rest of the year

The long haul

11,305 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 11,305 miles across 47 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 845 miles to Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out.

  • 47 mapped stops
  • furthest 845 mi

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked SC Festival of Discovery every year from 2015 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

  • 5 visits in all
  • best finish 1st

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

YearSeriesOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
2018 ↗ Master #547 (652 pts) #591 (632 pts) #542 (697 pts) #490 (752 pts) #501 (737 pts)
2017 ↗ Master #334 (1,101 pts) #438 (876 pts) #571 (701 pts) #253 (1,266 pts) #186 (1,491 pts)
2016 ↗ Master #265 (1,280 pts) #203 (1,405 pts) #241 (1,345 pts) #268 (1,250 pts) #396 (1,005 pts)
2015 ↗ Master #837 (403 pts) #836 (433 pts) #895 (398 pts) #907 (398 pts) #691 (543 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Smokin Gringos BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

FRIENDS OF OBR
#951 of the rated field
1610 power rating
Contests
41
GCs
0
Top-10s
32%
Peak
1648

They've been 1648 at their best, 38 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

  • rated over 41 contests
  • last seen Aug 17, 2018
⚔ Compare careers
Nice Racks
#956 of the rated field
1609 power rating
Contests
46
GCs
2
Top-10s
30%
Peak
1630

Careers of much the same size, 46 contests to 48, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

  • rated over 44 contests
  • last seen Jul 11, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
Cities Edge BBQ
#961 of the rated field
1609 power rating
Contests
57
GCs
0
Top-10s
30%
Peak
1648

57 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 30% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

  • rated over 55 contests
  • last seen Sep 5, 2026
⚔ Compare careers
BIG BLOCK BBQ
#959 of the rated field
1609 power rating
Contests
33
GCs
1
Top-10s
30%
Peak
1640

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 8 years before Smokin Gringos BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

  • rated over 32 contests
⚔ Compare careers
Chicken Chokers
#952 of the rated field
1610 power rating
Contests
72
GCs
0
Top-10s
29%
Peak
1684

Level with Smokin Gringos BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

  • rated over 72 contests
  • last seen Sep 27, 2024
⚔ Compare careers
Duck Dog Bar-B-Que
#957 of the rated field
1609 power rating
Contests
17
GCs
0
Top-10s
53%
Peak
1612

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2014.

  • rated over 17 contests
  • last seen Jul 29, 2016
⚔ Compare careers

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

OpponentMeetingsAheadBehindWin rate
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ 28 9 19 32% ⚔ compare
ELITE BBQ SMOKERS 27 12 15 44% ⚔ compare
SAUCED! BBQ TEAM 25 4 21 16% ⚔ compare
MIDNIGHT BURN 24 8 16 33% ⚔ compare
Smoke Central BBQ 24 6 18 25% ⚔ compare
SMOKIN SKULLIES 23 8 15 35% ⚔ compare
THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA 23 5 18 22% ⚔ compare
YES, DEAR BBQ 19 10 9 53% ⚔ compare
PIG ON FIRE 18 13 5 72% ⚔ compare
HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY 17 8 9 47% ⚔ compare
Backwoods BBQ 17 7 10 41% ⚔ compare
ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ 17 6 11 35% ⚔ compare
REDNECK SCIENTIFIC 17 4 13 24% ⚔ compare
SMOKE THIS 15 6 9 40% ⚔ compare
Bald Hawg BBQ 15 5 10 33% ⚔ compare

By meat

CategoryEntriesCallsWinsPodiumsBestWorstAverageAvg finish
Chicken 46 15 2 4 177.7144 146.7884 166.40 top 48%
Pork Ribs 46 13 0 3 177.1428 149.1428 165.76 top 48%
Pork 46 12 0 0 175.4172 153.0744 166.57 top 46%
Brisket 46 18 2 7 177.7028 129.0744 164.06 top 45%

“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

FieldContestsGCsAvg finish
Small (<20 teams)30top 67%
Medium (20–39)230top 45%
Large (40+)201top 43%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

WhereContestsGCsAvg finish
SC241top 39%
GA90top 40%
NC80top 52%
MO40top 93%
TN20top 10%

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

ContestVisitsBestGCsAvg finishLast visit
SC Festival of Discovery 5 1 1 top 25% Jul 12, 2019
Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown 5 5 0 top 31% Nov 16, 2018
Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out 4 31 0 top 93% Sep 14, 2018
Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF 3 6 0 top 32% May 11, 2018
South Carolina Festival of Discovery 2 61 0 top 76% Jul 11, 2024
Royal Oak Invitational Only (COMPETITOR SERIES) 2 3 0 top 33% Oct 15, 2021
Squealin in the Square 2 8 0 top 38% Oct 5, 2018
Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival 2 15 0 top 25% May 25, 2018
Beach Boogie and BBQ Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) 2 4 0 top 31% Sep 1, 2017
Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off 2 8 0 top 43% Apr 28, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 12 contests
Contests a season 4 across 12 seasons in the data
Most contests held in SC 25 of 48 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited 28 10 of them more than once
First title Jul 12, 2019 SC Festival of Discovery
Opponents faced 896 finished ahead 1,212 times, behind 912
Longest layoff 2 yrs Jul 11, 2024 → Jul 9, 2026

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

20261 milestone
  1. Most recent contest South Carolina Festival of Discovery
20211 milestone
  1. Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7144 Royal Oak Invitational Only (COMPETITOR SERIES)
20196 milestones
  1. First overall podium SC Festival of Discovery
  2. First Grand Championship SC Festival of Discovery
  3. First state championship SC Festival of Discovery
  4. Biggest field won (83 teams) SC Festival of Discovery
  5. Peak power rating (1630) SC Festival of Discovery
  6. Career-best overall score697.1088 Royal Oak Invitational Only (COMPETITOR SERIES)
20172 milestones
  1. 25th tracked contest Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off
  2. First multi-meat day Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
20161 milestone
  1. First category win (Chicken) Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown
20151 milestone
  1. 10th tracked contest Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out
20142 milestones
  1. First call Low Country Hog Fest
  2. First overall top-10 Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN ON 6/15/2014)
—2 milestones
  1. First tracked contest Southern Hotwing Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES)
  2. First overall past 90% of a perfect score174.2628 Southern Hotwing Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

SwingContestDate
+14.6Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier)May 13, 2016
+14.4SC Festival of DiscoveryJul 12, 2019
+13.3Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluesgrass FestivalJul 29, 2016
+12.9Beach Boogie and BBQ Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)Sep 1, 2017
+12.7Squealin' on the SquareSep 30, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

SwingContestDate
-19.4Jesse James Barbeque Cook OutSep 14, 2018
-14.9Jesse James Barbeque Cook OutSep 16, 2016
-13.3Jesse James Barbeque Cook OutSep 15, 2017
-12.8Jesse James Barbeque Cook OutSep 18, 2015
-12.4South Carolina Festival of DiscoveryJul 11, 2024

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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

SeasonContestsGCsTop-10sCategory winsWalk rateAvg finishBest overall (% of perfect)Avg overall (% of perfect)
—1000 0% — 96.8% 96.8%
20261000 0% — — —
20241000 0% top 86% 91.3% 91.3%
20231000 0% top 97% 92.1% 92.1%
20221000 0% top 66% 90.9% 90.9%
20211000 100% top 56% 95.3% 95.3%
20193130 100% top 7% 96.8% 96.3%
20187020 57% top 47% 94.9% 92.3%
20179053 89% top 33% 95.2% 93.1%
201612051 58% top 43% 95.4% 91.8%
20159010 56% top 57% 92.2% 90.2%
20142010 100% top 52% 92.7% 89.5%

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

DateEventOverallChickenRibsPorkBrisket
Jul 9, 2026 South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC — — — — —
Jul 11, 2024 South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC 65 / 76 (657.5660) 68 (160.5028) 31 (171.4288) 65 (162.8000) 63 (162.8344)
Oct 20, 2023 Royal Oak Invitational (COMPETITOR SERIES) (PRIVATE EVENT BY INVITATION) unrated Roswell, GA 34 / 35 (663.2688) 14 (174.2744) 24 (169.6800) 34 (166.2516) 35 (153.0628)
Jul 7, 2022 South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC 61 / 92 (654.7772) 71 (159.9656) 60 (163.4172) 74 (159.4172) 24 (171.9772)
Oct 15, 2021 Royal Oak Invitational Only (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Roswell, GA 19 / 34 (686.2060) 5 (177.7144) 8 (175.4172) 12 (175.4172) 34 (157.6572)
Oct 25, 2019 31st Annual Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue (JUDGES FULL) (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Lynchburg, TN 10 / 97 (693.1084) 55 (168.5600) 13 (177.1428) 36 (170.2628) 4 (177.1428)
Oct 18, 2019 Royal Oak Invitational Only (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Roswell, GA 3 / 32 (697.1088) 2 (177.7144) 7 (175.4172) 18 (168.5372) 2 (175.4400)
Jul 12, 2019 SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC 1 / 83 (690.8112) 24 (170.8228) 14 (173.1428) 23 (169.1428) 3 (177.7028)
Nov 16, 2018 Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown Mt. Pleasant, SC 9 / 25 (667.9200) 15 (159.3716) 9 (168.5256) 6 (168.5828) 4 (171.4400)
Nov 2, 2018 Brew & Que on the Shrine Lake Summerville, SC 8 / 15 (677.6572) 12 (164.5372) 8 (171.4172) 13 (165.7028) 3 (176)
Oct 5, 2018 Squealin in the Square Laurens, SC 12 / 27 (671.2684) 10 (169.6684) 5 (171.9772) 14 (167.3944) 17 (162.2284)
Sep 14, 2018 Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO 35 / 35 (607.3716) 27 (161.7256) 35 (152.5144) 17 (164.0572) 35 (129.0744)
Jul 12, 2018 SC Festival Of Discovery Greenwood, SC 33 / 89 (671.3372) 46 (164.5372) 34 (166.8228) 17 (170.8572) 24 (169.1200)
May 25, 2018 Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival Evans, GA 20 / 72 (683.3600) 12 (174.8456) 50 (163.9544) 6 (174.2744) 23 (170.2856)
May 11, 2018 Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF 🏅 Waynesboro, GA 13 / 42 (675.2912) 14 (168.5372) 11 (171.4056) 16 (167.3828) 18 (167.9656)
Nov 10, 2017 Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Mt. Pleasant, SC 7 / 25 (675.8856) 1 (173.1084) 16 (157.6916) 6 (170.8228) 1 (174.2628)
Oct 6, 2017 Squealin in the Square (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Laurens, SC 8 / 26 (669.5656) 19 (162.8228) 15 (163.9428) 4 (171.9772) 6 (170.8228)
Sep 15, 2017 Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO 31 / 37 (623.8512) 29 (154.7656) 24 (165.1084) 27 (162.8684) 36 (141.1088)
Sep 1, 2017 Beach Boogie and BBQ Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Myrtle Beach, SC 4 / 25 (679.8856) 19 (165.0856) 12 (169.1200) 4 (171.4172) 3 (174.2628)
Jul 28, 2017 Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluegrass Festival (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Summerville, SC 6 / 25 (681.0972) 16 (166.8344) 20 (164.5828) 8 (171.9772) 1 (177.7028)
Jul 6, 2017 SC Festival of Discovery (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Greenwood, SC 19 / 89 (678.1828) 60 (162.2628) 24 (170.8228) 5 (174.2744) 16 (170.8228)
May 26, 2017 Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que & Music Festival (GBC Qualifier) Evans, GA 15 / 67 (685.6228) 37 (170.2628) 33 (169.1200) 5 (175.4172) 24 (170.8228)
May 12, 2017 Boss Hog State Championship Cook-OFF (GBC Qualifier) 🏅 Waynesboro, GA 21 / 42 (658.6512) 36 (155.3368) 27 (161.6572) 15 (168.5488) 3 (173.1084)
Apr 28, 2017 Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC 8 / 38 (677.0056) 7 (171.9656) 11 (169.6800) 22 (164.5372) 9 (170.8228)
Nov 11, 2016 Smoke on the Harbor BBQ throwdown Mt. Pleasant, SC 5 / 25 (664.4460) 1 (175.4172) 11 (161.1204) 7 (167.9656) 11 (159.9428)
Oct 14, 2016 Smoking in the Foothills Lenoir, NC 31 / 41 (652.3428) 32 (163.9312) 32 (160.5144) 22 (167.3828) 30 (160.5144)
Sep 30, 2016 Squealin' on the Square Laurens, SC 4 / 26 (685.0516) 4 (173.1200) 2 (174.8572) 13 (166.2400) 6 (170.8344)
Sep 16, 2016 Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO 34 / 35 (599.3940) 34 (147.4400) 32 (149.1428) 32 (157.1428) 31 (145.6684)
Sep 16, 2016 Tilley Harley-Davidson Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic Salisbury, NC 15 / 68 (675.3028) 7 (175.4056) 14 (169.7144) 23 (166.2400) 23 (163.9428)
Sep 2, 2016 Beach Boogie & BBQ Festival Myrtle Beach, SC 12 / 17 (657.5660) 6 (171.9656) 16 (152.5144) 7 (168.5488) 7 (164.5372)
Jul 29, 2016 Smoke on the Shrine Lake & Bluesgrass Festival Summerville, SC 4 / 22 (686.7312) 8 (173.1084) 3 (176.5600) 11 (169.6800) 12 (167.3828)
Jul 7, 2016 SC Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC 24 / 82 (666.1488) 18 (168.5372) 15 (169.1316) 27 (166.2400) 39 (162.2400)
May 20, 2016 Piggin In The Park Woodruff, SC 9 / 20 (656.9828) 15 (162.8000) 9 (163.4172) 10 (163.3828) 7 (167.3828)
May 13, 2016 Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier) 🏅 Waynesboro, GA 6 / 41 (666.7200) 8 (170.8228) 6 (169.6800) 4 (169.6800) 25 (156.5372)
May 6, 2016 Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC 35 / 76 (657.5548) 28 (169.6800) 55 (159.3716) 14 (170.8460) 51 (157.6572)
Apr 22, 2016 Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC 35 / 54 (660.5032) 47 (155.3944) 22 (169.7144) 11 (172.5600) 34 (162.8344)
Nov 13, 2015 Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown Mount Pleasant, SC 12 / 28 (654.6972) 5 (170.2744) 3 (168.5372) 11 (167.3828) 25 (148.5028)
Oct 9, 2015 Waxhaw Grill'n & Chill'n Waxhaw, NC 12 / 28 (660.9832) 10 (168.5372) 19 (162.8116) 14 (166.2400) 13 (163.3944)
Sep 18, 2015 Jesse James Barbeque Cook Out Kearney, MO 38 / 41 (598.0684) 37 (146.7884) 34 (154.8228) 38 (154.2400) 38 (142.2172)
Sep 4, 2015 Beach Boogie and BBQ Festival Myrtle Beach, SC 9 / 20 (663.9428) 3 (177.7144) 8 (165.1428) 19 (156.5484) 7 (164.5372)
Jul 31, 2015 Pigs & Pedals Asheboro, NC 21 / 31 (654.2172) 21 (161.1428) 31 (151.4056) 13 (167.3944) 4 (174.2744)
Jul 9, 2015 SC Festival of Discovery (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Greenwood, SC 33 / 90 (661.5312) 32 (169.1200) 30 (165.6800) 42 (163.9428) 42 (162.7884)
Jun 12, 2015 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour N. Charleston, SC 18 / 29 (644.4228) 20 (162.2512) 9 (166.2972) 26 (153.0744) 15 (162.8000)
May 22, 2015 Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que (GBC Qualifier) Evans, GA 35 / 65 (663.8516) 35 (167.3944) 27 (167.9772) 16 (169.1084) 52 (159.3716)
May 8, 2015 Jiggy with the Piggy BBQ Challenge Kannapolis, NC 54 / 74 (642.6632) 19 (170.8572) 60 (156.5260) 58 (160.5028) 51 (154.7772)
Nov 14, 2014 Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN ON 6/15/2014) Charleston, SC 8 / 30 (667.3488) 7 (168.5372) 8 (169.1200) 14 (161.7028) 7 (167.9888)
Aug 29, 2014 Low Country Hog Fest Charleston, SC 13 / 17 (621.4856) 14 (149.0628) 14 (157.0972) 14 (154.2400) 6 (161.0856)
— Southern Hotwing Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Memphis, TN 11 (174.2628) — — — —

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

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

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