Their season
2016
their best year
2016 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 35%.
- 3 contests
- 2 overall top-10s
- 2 category wins
- average top 35%
Holy Smokes NY
Holy Smokes NY is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 5th of 32 at the Salt City BBQ Festival (2016). They are ranked #2897 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1508
peak 1517 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
12
in the data
First seen
Jun 19, 2015
latest May 24, 2024 · 8.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
2
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
17% of 12 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 50%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
632.30 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 631.41 (+0.88)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±15.07
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 164.85 · weakest Chicken (150.82)
Road miles
1,023
across 12 mapped stops · furthest 198 mi
Schedule strength
23%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1532)
Purse competed for
$12K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
631.41 / 720
12 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 ↗ | Master | #921 (96 pts) | #1019 (86 pts) | #1007 (116 pts) | #989 (86 pts) | #907 (111 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1044 (93 pts) | #1196 (73 pts) | #1199 (88 pts) | #1054 (103 pts) | #1023 (108 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1471 (120 pts) | #1946 (75 pts) | #1697 (115 pts) | #2029 (60 pts) | #1322 (175 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1954 (60 pts) | #2012 (60 pts) | #1996 (60 pts) | #2030 (60 pts) | #1825 (95 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1666 (130 pts) | #1802 (120 pts) | #1120 (305 pts) | #1489 (180 pts) | #1442 (190 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #915 (370 pts) | #1632 (170 pts) | #526 (795 pts) | #859 (455 pts) | #1173 (275 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1676 (120 pts) | #1456 (185 pts) | #1590 (160 pts) | #1790 (120 pts) | #1327 (210 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Holy Smokes NY, each with one reason worth a look.
107 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,888 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 31%
- Peak
- 1526
Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,883 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1509
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,910 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1514
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 6 years before Holy Smokes NY's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,891 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1508
Level with Holy Smokes NY on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,903 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1518
16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#2,907 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KISS MY BBQ | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| GOOD SMOKE BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| MORT'S MEAT MAFIA | 9 | 5 | 3 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Sweet Heat BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| BEHIND BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Priorville BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RED VALLEY BBQ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| THE GOOD CUE CREW | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| THREE DOGS BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' AIN'T EASY | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| BLACK HART BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN BOYS AND HOT GRILLS | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| VALLEY SMOKE BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| BUTTS & LINKS BBQ | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 162.2744 | 138.8460 | 150.82 | top 74% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 178.3200 | 150.2060 | 164.85 | top 34% |
| Pork | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 169.6800 | 145.0628 | 156.10 | top 55% |
| Brisket | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 170.8572 | 146.8572 | 159.64 | top 40% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 46% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 53% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oinktoberfest | 4 | 13 | 0 | top 50% | Sep 21, 2019 |
| Salt City BBQ Festival | 3 | 5 | 0 | top 42% | May 18, 2018 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
3 contests
Contests a season
2
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NY
11 of 12 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
7
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
216
finished ahead 236 times, behind 253
Longest layoff
4.7 yrs
Sep 21, 2019 → May 24, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20241 milestone
- Most recent contest Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest
20191 milestone
- Career-best overall score655.8972 Oinktoberfest
20181 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Oinktoberfest
20166 milestones
- First call Salt City BBQ Festival
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Salt City BBQ Festival
- First overall top-10 Salt City BBQ Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.0116 Salt City BBQ Festival
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.3200 Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest
- Peak power rating (1517) Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest
20151 milestone
- First tracked contest Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.3 | Salt City BBQ Festival | May 20, 2016 |
| +6.8 | Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest | Aug 12, 2016 |
| +3.3 | Oinktoberfest | Sep 21, 2019 |
| +1.1 | Oinktoberfest | Sep 22, 2018 |
| +0.5 | Salt City BBQ Festival | May 18, 2018 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.1 | Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest | May 24, 2024 |
| -3.6 | Oinktoberfest | Sep 22, 2017 |
| -2.1 | Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que | Jun 19, 2015 |
| -1 | Oinktoberfest | Sep 19, 2015 |
| -0.9 | Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues | Jul 15, 2017 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 70% | 90.1% | 90.1% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 30% | 91.1% | 91.1% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 52% | 86.8% | 85.9% |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 59% | 86.6% | 86.1% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 100% | top 35% | 90.9% | 89.4% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 58% | 86.8% | 86.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2024 | Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 16 / 23 (648.3656) | 20 (154.2056) | 17 (165.0972) | 14 (162.8228) | 13 (166.2400) |
| Sep 21, 2019 | Oinktoberfest 🏅 Clarence, NY | 13 / 43 (655.8972) | 22 (162.2744) | 14 (166.2744) | 32 (156.4912) | 6 (170.8572) |
| Sep 22, 2018 | Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY | 26 / 51 (611.3260) | 35 (152.5372) | 30 (153.1316) | 32 (151.4172) | 18 (154.2400) |
| May 18, 2018 | Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY | 18 / 34 (624.9600) | 21 (157.0972) | 16 (158.2400) | 23 (149.0972) | 15 (160.5256) |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY | 34 / 53 (620.9372) | 52 (140.4800) | 23 (161.1316) | 32 (155.9428) | 11 (163.3828) |
| Jul 15, 2017 | Rotary Ribs and Rhythm & Blues Auburn, NY | 14 / 25 (614.6744) | 20 (139.9428) | 6 (166.8688) | 19 (145.0628) | 6 (162.8000) |
| May 19, 2017 | Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY | 23 / 41 (623.2572) | 39 (146.7772) | 3 (169.6800) | 13 (159.9428) | 26 (146.8572) |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Ointoberfest BBQ Cookoff Clarence, NY | 29 / 54 (628.5260) | 53 (138.8460) | 3 (172) | 19 (163.4172) | 28 (154.2628) |
| Aug 12, 2016 | Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest Salamanca, NY | 10 / 28 (654.2056) | 25 (150.8456) | 1 (178.3200) | 4 (169.6800) | 21 (155.3600) |
| May 20, 2016 | Salt City BBQ Festival Syracuse, NY | 5 / 32 (648.0116) | 27 (143.4400) | 1 (177.1772) | 7 (163.9772) | 9 (163.4172) |
| Sep 19, 2015 | Oinktoberfest Clarence, NY | 29 / 52 (625.0632) | 17 (161.7372) | 39 (150.2060) | 42 (150.2400) | 11 (162.8800) |
| Jun 19, 2015 | Crossborder Blues, Brews & Que Wilson, NY | 28 / 47 (621.7256) | 20 (161.7028) | 17 (160.0228) | 37 (145.1200) | 21 (154.8800) |