JT'S SMOKE SHACK

JT'S SMOKE SHACK is a competition barbecue team with 40 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 4th of 23 at the Elkmont Lions Club Smokin Railroad St. BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY) (2019). They are ranked #5503 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “J.T.'s Smoke Shack”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,503

of 6,485 rated · rankings

Rating

1451

peak 1525 · rated over 25 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 12, 2019

latest Jun 5, 2026 · 7.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#250

Backyard 2026 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

8% of 40 contests

Avg finish

top 75%

overall standings

Best overall

504.4800 / 540

Backyard · Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)

Perfect 180s

Current form

324.01 ▼

last 5 Backyard vs avg 328.37 (-4.36)

Walk rate

20%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7028

Chicken · RiverFest

Consistency

±5.92

spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 164.99 · weakest Pork (161.37)

Road miles

2,548

across 40 mapped stops · furthest 128 mi

Schedule strength

51%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)

Purse competed for

$152K

listed at 22 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 13 state-championship entries

Backyard avg

328.37 / 360

21 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Backyard (3-meat) avg

481.13 / 540

4 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (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.

Storylines (9 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

504.4800 career-best overall

93.4% of a perfect 540

Their best day on record: 504.4800 at Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) — 93.4% of a perfect 540.

Backyard
Aug 6, 2021

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BAMA BOYS BBQ has finished one call ahead of JT'S SMOKE SHACK 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2019 their best year

2019 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 46%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 46%

A tough matchup

21–2 behind in the head-to-head

LEE LA Q ahead in 91% of their meetings

LEE LA Q has come out ahead in 21 of their 23 shared contests.

A strong matchup

6–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Circle W Meats in 6 of their 8 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

21 of 23 shared chicken entries lost

LEE LA Q ahead 91% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LEE LA Q has out-cooked them in 21 of 23 shared chicken entries.

A September team

Top 57% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 57% across 3 contests, versus top 75% the rest of the year.

3 September contests
top 75% the rest of the year

Show 2 more storylines

The metronome

±2.32% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.32% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.9% of a perfect score
40 contests

A standing appointment

4 years running at one contest

They've cooked Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) every year from 2021 to 2024 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 9th

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
2026 ↗	Backyard	#250 (122 pts)	#223 (162 pts)	#286 (107 pts)	—	—
2025 ↗	Backyard	#368 (60 pts)	#358 (70 pts)	#378 (65 pts)	—	—
2024 ↗	Backyard	#276 (143 pts)	#290 (138 pts)	#247 (183 pts)	—	—
2023 ↗	Backyard	—	#188 (250 pts)	#212 (185 pts)	—	—
2022 ↗	Backyard	—	#108 (414 pts)	#122 (339 pts)	—	—
2021 ↗	Backyard	—	#90 (387 pts)	#81 (407 pts)	—	—
2020 ↗	Backyard	—	#69 (133 pts)	#37 (273 pts)	—	—

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to JT'S SMOKE SHACK, each with one reason worth a look.

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

FAT BEAR BBQ

#5,495 of the rated field

1451 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1451

5–1 in 7 shared contests (71% to JT'S SMOKE SHACK)

These two have cooked 7 of the same contests — JT'S SMOKE SHACK ahead 5–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Apr 3, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Secondhand Smoke

#5,509 of the rated field

1451 power rating

Contests: 49
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1451

3–2 in 5 shared contests (60% to JT'S SMOKE SHACK)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 46 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 46 contests
last seen Sep 11, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Q & STEW BEST EVER BBQ

#5,496 of the rated field

1451 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1451

Fewer contests behind them than JT'S SMOKE SHACK has cooked, 27 to 40, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 27 contests
last seen May 3, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

PIRATES OF PORKSCENTS

#5,501 of the rated field

1451 power rating

Contests: 36
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1512

Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 6 years before JT'S SMOKE SHACK's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 36 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Big Alz BBQ

#5,490 of the rated field

1451 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1451

18 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

All Up In My Grill

#5,510 of the rated field

1451 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1504

Level with JT'S SMOKE SHACK on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Nov 21, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LEE LA Q	23	2	21	9%	⚔ compare
Hickory Hangover	21	3	18	14%	⚔ compare
PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q	18	1	17	6%	⚔ compare
LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY	17	4	13	24%	⚔ compare
REDBONES BBQ	16	3	13	19%	⚔ compare
RIBLIFE	16	2	14	13%	⚔ compare
NORALA BBQ TEAM	15	0	15	0%	⚔ compare
HELL ON SQUEALS	14	6	8	43%	⚔ compare
Pork Life	13	5	8	38%	⚔ compare
Deviant Smoke	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
Rollin Smoke BBQ	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
VETERAN PORK PULLERS	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
2 Swine Crew	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
Simply Smoked	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
The Real Squeal BBQ	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	27	3	173.7028	146.2056	164.99	top 67%
Pork Ribs	27	4	172.5484	154.2056	162.42	top 74%
Pork	9	2	169.1428	146.2400	161.37	top 59%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 147%
Medium (20–39)	19	top 64%
Large (40+)	3	top 68%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
AL	23	top 77%
TN	1	top 44%
MS	1	top 56%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Falls	6	10	top 63%	Apr 3, 2026
Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)	5	9	top 79%	Jun 5, 2026
Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY)	3	29	top 79%	Mar 27, 2026
Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023	2	16	top 173%	Oct 27, 2023

More numbers

Busiest season 2023 5 contests

Contests a season 2.9 across 14 seasons in the data

Most contests held in AL 35 of 40 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 13 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 571 finished ahead 479 times, behind 795

Longest layoff 1 yrs Sep 13, 2019 → Sep 18, 2020

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

20261 milestone

Jun 5 Most recent contest Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)

20221 milestone

Jun 10 25th tracked contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)

20211 milestone

Aug 6 Career-best overall score504.4800 Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)

20201 milestone

Sep 18 Peak power rating (1525) Smoke on the Falls

20193 milestones

Apr 12 First overall past 90% of a perfect score328.4912 Smoke on the Falls
Jun 21 First overall top-10 Elkmont Lions Club Smokin Railroad St. BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY)
Sep 13 Career-best single call (Chicken)173.7028 RiverFest

20171 milestone

Jun 9 10th tracked contest Elkmont Lions Club Smokin Railroad St. BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY)

20161 milestone

Oct 21 First call Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD)

20131 milestone

Sep 13 First tracked contest Decatur Jaycees 19th Annual Riverfest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.8	Elkmont Lions Club Smokin Railroad St. BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY)	Jun 21, 2019
+9.8	Smoke on the Falls	Sep 18, 2020
+9.5	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)	Aug 6, 2021
+4.2	RiverFest	Sep 13, 2019
+2	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship	Mar 17, 2023

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY)	Aug 12, 2022
-10.5	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)	Jun 5, 2026
-9.5	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)	Sep 20, 2024
-7.5	Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023	Oct 27, 2023
-6.5	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)	Aug 11, 2023

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

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	3	0	0%	top 81%	90.9%	89.4%
2025	2	0	0%	top 83%	91.4%	90.8%
2024	3	0	33%	top 74%	91.6%	90.7%
2023	5	0	0%	top 94%	91.6%	90.8%
2022	4	0	50%	top 100%	91.9%	90.6%
2021	3	1	33%	top 53%	93.4%	92%
2020	3	1	33%	top 53%	93.3%	89.4%
2019	3	1	67%	top 46%	95.7%	93.4%
2018	3	0	0%	—	—	—
2017	3	0	0%	—	—	—
2016	3	0	33%	—	—	—
2015	2	0	0%	—	—	—
2014	2	0	0%	—	—	—
2013	1	0	0%	—	—	—

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 5, 2026	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL	26 / 26 (313.5884)	25 (159.3828)	26 (154.2056)	26 (154.7656)	—
Apr 3, 2026	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	22 / 36 (327.3488)	14 (170.2744)	27 (157.0744)	—	—
Mar 27, 2026	Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL	35 / 43 (325.0284)	33 (163.3828)	32 (161.6456)	—	—
Apr 11, 2025	Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition 🏅 Gadsden, AL	27 / 31 (329.0400)	23 (167.3944)	24 (161.6456)	—	—
Mar 21, 2025	Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL	34 / 43 (325.0400)	25 (169.6800)	39 (155.3600)	—	—
Sep 20, 2024	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL	17 / 18 (323.3028)	18 (159.3600)	12 (163.9428)	10 (166.8456)	—
Apr 12, 2024	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	16 / 31 (326.7544)	19 (158.2172)	11 (168.5372)	—	—
Mar 22, 2024	Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL	29 / 38 (329.6344)	34 (163.3828)	22 (166.2516)	—	—
Oct 27, 2023	Railyard BBQ Brawl 2023 🏅 Madison, AL	26 / 14 (325.6000)	19 (167.3828)	30 (158.2172)	—	—
Aug 11, 2023	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL	28 / 35 (490.7200)	26 (165.6684)	29 (158.8116)	16 (166.2400)	—
Apr 7, 2023	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	26 / 39 (329.6228)	34 (163.3828)	24 (166.2400)	—	—
Mar 17, 2023	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN	35 / 80 (324.4684)	17 (169.6800)	40 (154.7884)	—	—
Mar 17, 2023	Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Lebanon, TN	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 28, 2022	Railyard BBQ Brawl 🏅 Madison, AL	16 / 10 (326.7656)	8 (167.9656)	19 (158.8000)	—	—
Aug 12, 2022	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL	32 / 35 (482.6860)	24 (163.9544)	23 (163.9544)	34 (154.7772)	—
Jun 10, 2022	Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL	15 / 23 (325.0284)	18 (158.2056)	10 (166.8228)	—	—
Apr 8, 2022	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	29 / 34 (330.7656)	14 (169.1200)	38 (161.6456)	—	—
Oct 22, 2021	Railyard BBQ Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Madison, AL	15 / 30 (332.5028)	14 (167.4056)	13 (165.0972)	—	—
Aug 6, 2021	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL	9 / 31 (504.4800)	14 (169.6800)	10 (170.8228)	16 (163.9772)	—
Apr 9, 2021	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	30 / 38 (324.4800)	25 (167.9656)	37 (156.5144)	—	—
Nov 20, 2020	Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL	14 / 21 (331.9084)	13 (165.6684)	14 (166.2400)	—	—
Oct 9, 2020	Roast-N-Boast 🏅 Columbus, MS	20 / 36 (446.6512)	20 (146.2056)	17 (154.2056)	23 (146.2400)	—
Sep 18, 2020	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	10 / 28 (335.9084)	25 (165.0856)	5 (170.8228)	—	—
Sep 13, 2019	RiverFest 🏅 Decatur, AL	15 / 37 (335.9312)	5 (173.7028)	22 (162.2284)	—	—
Jun 21, 2019	Elkmont Lions Club Smokin Railroad St. BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY) Elkmont, AL	4 / 23 (344.5140)	6 (171.9656)	5 (172.5484)	15 (161.6800)	—
Apr 12, 2019	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	24 / 30 (328.4912)	36 (160.5140)	19 (167.9772)	—	—
Oct 26, 2018	Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD) (JUDGES FULL) Lynchburg, TN	—	29 (160.5256)	30 (161.0856)	12 (168.6172)	—
Sep 14, 2018	Riverfest BBQ and Music Festival Decatur, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Apr 13, 2018	Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 15, 2017	Big Brother Big Sister Riverfest Decatur, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Jun 9, 2017	Elkmont Lions Club Smokin Railroad St. BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY) Elkmont, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Apr 7, 2017	Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 21, 2016	Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD) Lynchburg, TN	—	12 (169.6800)	31 (159.9772)	9 (169.1428)	—
Sep 9, 2016	Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Apr 8, 2016	Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest Gadsden, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 11, 2015	Decatur Jaycee's 21st Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Apr 10, 2015	Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 19, 2014	20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest Decatur, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Apr 11, 2014	Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest Gadsden, AL	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 13, 2013	Decatur Jaycees 19th Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL	—	—	—	—	—

JT'S SMOKE SHACK

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

Backyard avg

Backyard (3-meat) avg

Storylines (9 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

A September team

The metronome

A standing appointment

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, 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

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)