Perfect scores on the board
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.
- Chicken ×3
Armstrong Smoke & Co.
Armstrong Smoke & Co. is a competition barbecue team with 21 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2025 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 23 at the Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES) (2026), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1244 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Armstrong Smoke Co”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1583
peak 1583 · rated over 11 contests6 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
21
in the data
First seen
Mar 21, 2025
latest Sep 11, 2026 · 1.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
4
6 podiums
Overall top-10s
9
43% of 21 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 34%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Current form
346.70 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 344.01 (+2.69)
Walk rate
71%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±9.74
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 173.51 · weakest Brisket (165.09)
Road miles
1,142
across 21 mapped stops · furthest 169 mi
Schedule strength
68%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1587)
Purse competed for
$81K
listed at 16 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
682.56 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
344.01 / 360
10 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #94 (504 pts) | #76 (674 pts) | #107 (524 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #537 (305 pts) | #450 (470 pts) | #500 (420 pts) | #593 (280 pts) | #581 (285 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #65 (774 pts) | #51 (933 pts) | #82 (715 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | #904 (139 pts) | #964 (135 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Armstrong Smoke & Co., each with one reason worth a look.
35 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,238 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1583
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,240 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 73%
- Peak
- 1589
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Armstrong Smoke & Co.'s most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,239 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 56%
- Peak
- 1583
Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 21, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,243 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 35%
- Peak
- 1588
17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 35% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,249 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1583
Level with Armstrong Smoke & Co. on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#1,245 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 63%
- Peak
- 1584
They were already cooking in 2016, 9 years before Armstrong Smoke & Co.'s first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| Electro-Que-ted | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Burnt Plow BBQ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Say My Name BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| Mind if I Smoke? | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Gustoso BBQ | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| Pork Life | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 19 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 180 🔥 | 157.6572 | 173.51 | top 33% |
| Pork Ribs | 18 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 177.7144 | 159.3600 | 171.50 | top 36% |
| Pork | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 159.9656 | 168.26 | top 53% |
| Brisket | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 154.7884 | 165.09 | top 72% |
“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 63% |
| Medium (20–39) | 10 | 0 | top 23% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 49% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 26% | May 15, 2026 |
| Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 17% | May 1, 2026 |
| Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 59% | Mar 27, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
12 contests
Contests a season
10.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
TN
12 of 21 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
13
3 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
19 entries · 4 wins · 11 calls
Opponents faced
396
finished ahead 510 times, behind 295
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20266 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First overall podium Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES)
- First Reserve Championship Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES)
- Career-best overall score689.0512 Smoke on the Ohio
- Peak power rating (1583) Smoke on the Ohio
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Ohio
20256 milestones
- First tracked contest Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES)
- First overall top-10 Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score516.5028 Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES)
- First category win (Chicken) Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.5 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 12, 2025 |
| +14.1 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 13, 2025 |
| +12.5 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 10, 2025 |
| +11.5 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 15, 2026 |
| +9.8 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 20, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.4 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 21, 2025 |
| -1.1 | BBQ for Bravery | Jun 19, 2026 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 58% | top 33% | 97.9% | 95.8% |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 89% | top 35% | 98.1% | 95.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | Smoke on the Ohio 🏅 Mt. Vernon, IN | 9 / 26 (689.0512) | 11 (171.9884) | 10 (171.9772) | 11 (170.8228) | 9 (174.2628) |
| Jun 19, 2026 | BBQ for Bravery 🏅 Alcoa, TN | 12 / 19 (685.6000) | 5 (176.5600) | 7 (173.1316) | 14 (169.6800) | 16 (166.2284) |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Springfield, TN | 8 / 32 (517.6800) | 1 (180) | 3 (177.7144) | 28 (159.9656) | — |
| May 24, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 14 / 82 (349.6684) | 24 (173.1084) | 7 (176.5600) | — | — |
| May 23, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 102 / 117 (673.0284) | 58 (173.1084) | 20 (176.0116) | 74 (169.1200) | 115 (154.7884) |
| May 22, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Chicken Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | — | 61 (169.6684) | — | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 4 / 29 (352.5600) | 1 (180) | 9 (172.5600) | — | — |
| May 1, 2026 | Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Murfreesboro, TN | 2 / 23 (522.8000) | 1 (176.5600) | 4 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 12 / 43 (345.0972) | 4 (177.7144) | 25 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 25 / 125 (340.4912) | 33 (169.6684) | 17 (170.8228) | 29 (167.4400) | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 59 (165.0972) | — | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 36 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 6 / 30 (345.6800) | 4 (175.4056) | 11 (170.2744) | — | — |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) Guntersville, AL | 5 / 28 (353.1200) | 1 (180) | 12 (173.1200) | — | — |
| Sep 12, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-off Qualifier "Battle of the Bones" (ONE MEAT RIBS) Guntersville, AL | — | — | 8 (173.1084) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 10 / 29 (344.5256) | 5 (177.1428) | 17 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cullman, AL | — | 8 (174.2628) | — | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 6 / 35 (347.9888) | 18 (171.4172) | 3 (176.5716) | — | — |
| May 16, 2025 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 12 / 32 (343.9656) | 10 (174.2628) | 16 (169.7028) | 9 (172.5600) | — |
| Apr 25, 2025 | Dr. George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Murfreesboro, TN | 8 / 31 (516.5028) | 6 (173.1200) | 13 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 39 / 43 (317.0172) | 39 (157.6572) | 35 (159.3600) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.