The heartbreaker
0.0112
points from the title
Came within 0.0112 points of the Grand Championship at BBQ Boogie & Blues (Sep 24, 2021).
Gardenvalley Smokers
Gardenvalley Smokers is a competition barbecue team with 29 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2024. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (2020), and finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #1232 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Garden Valley Smokers”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1584
peak 1606 · rated over 18 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
29
in the data
First seen
Mar 1, 2019
latest Mar 1, 2024 · 5 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
2 reserve · wins it all 3% of the time
Category wins
4
7 podiums
Overall top-10s
8
28% of 29 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 33%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
504.14 ▲
last 5 Backyard (3-meat) vs avg 500.63 (+3.50)
Walk rate
38%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.00
spread of their Backyard (3-meat) overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 169.39 · weakest Brisket (165.82)
Road miles
1,311
across 29 mapped stops · furthest 168 mi
Schedule strength
60%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1576)
Purse competed for
$217K
listed at 16 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 18 state-championship entries
Master avg
675.55 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
338.23 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
500.63 / 540
11 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 1 GC
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)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #878 (120 pts) | #840 (170 pts) | #962 (135 pts) | #938 (120 pts) | #922 (120 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #255 (125 pts) | #222 (178 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #463 (415 pts) | #499 (420 pts) | #626 (338 pts) | #529 (375 pts) | #746 (220 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #145 (259 pts) | #98 (484 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #807 (180 pts) | #675 (280 pts) | #779 (240 pts) | #584 (345 pts) | #792 (205 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #62 (615 pts) | #83 (400 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #23 (538 pts) | #20 (558 pts) | — | — |
| 2019 ↗ | Backyard | — | #13 (167 pts) | #16 (147 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Gardenvalley Smokers, each with one reason worth a look.
34 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,233 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1584
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Gardenvalley Smokers)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Gardenvalley Smokers has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,228 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 68%
- Peak
- 1584
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 16 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,226 of the rated field
- Contests
- 22
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1597
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 5 years before Gardenvalley Smokers's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,229 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 49%
- Peak
- 1612
Careers of much the same size, 35 contests to 29, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,230 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1593
35 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 23% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,234 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1616
Level with Gardenvalley Smokers on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | 17 | 11 | 6 | 65% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 17 | 7 | 9 | 41% | ⚔ compare |
| Wine Me, Dine Me and Swine Me | 16 | 12 | 4 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Stewbabys BBQ | 16 | 11 | 4 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| COOL HAND QUE | 16 | 9 | 7 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Wiggle Butts BBQ | 15 | 14 | 1 | 93% | ⚔ compare |
| Peckerwood Country Club | 15 | 13 | 2 | 87% | ⚔ compare |
| MAYA JANE BBQ CO. | 15 | 9 | 6 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 15 | 7 | 8 | 47% | ⚔ compare |
| CLAUDE'S Q | 14 | 13 | 1 | 93% | ⚔ compare |
| Willingham's | 14 | 11 | 3 | 79% | ⚔ compare |
| ROLLIN KOLBZ | 14 | 9 | 5 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| ZIPS BBQ | 14 | 7 | 6 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Geaux 2 bbq | 14 | 7 | 7 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| ATLANTA BBQ STORE | 13 | 10 | 3 | 77% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 21 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 177.7144 | 156.5372 | 169.39 | top 30% |
| Pork Ribs | 21 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 176.5716 | 160.5028 | 167.95 | top 36% |
| Pork | 19 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 177.7144 | 158.2512 | 166.94 | top 32% |
| Brisket | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8228 | 155.9428 | 165.82 | top 61% |
“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 26% |
| Large (40+) | 15 | 1 | top 35% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sip & Swine BBQ Festival | 5 | 1 | 1 | top 21% | Mar 1, 2024 |
| Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 53% | Nov 17, 2023 |
| BBQ Boogie & Blues | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 40% | Apr 29, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
9 contests
Contests a season
2.9
across 10 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
GA
26 of 29 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
14
3 of them more than once
First title
Mar 6, 2020
Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
Opponents faced
611
finished ahead 967 times, behind 615
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20241 milestone
- Most recent contest Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
20232 milestones
- Career-best overall score694.2056 Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
- Peak power rating (1606) Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
20222 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork)177.7144 BBQ Boogie & Blues
- 25th tracked contest Atlanta BBQ Store Classic (One Meat Ribs)
20211 milestone
- First Reserve Championship BBQ Boogie & Blues
20205 milestones
- First category win (Chicken) Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
- First Grand Championship Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
- First state championship Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
- First multi-meat day Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
- Biggest field won (61 teams) Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
20195 milestones
- First call Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown
- First overall top-10 Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown
- First overall podium Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score500.4456 Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown
- 10th tracked contest Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown
20151 milestone
- First tracked contest Hawgin on Lanier (GBC Qualifier)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.5 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival | Mar 6, 2020 |
| +16 | Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown | Nov 15, 2019 |
| +14.5 | Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown | Nov 20, 2020 |
| +14.1 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival | Mar 3, 2023 |
| +13.3 | BBQ Boogie & Blues | Sep 24, 2021 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.1 | BBQ Boogie & Blues | Apr 29, 2022 |
| -11.2 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | Nov 17, 2023 |
| -10.4 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival | Mar 1, 2024 |
| -1 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | Nov 18, 2022 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 66% | 93.2% | 93.2% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 39% | 96.4% | 94.8% |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 47% | 94.4% | 93.5% |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 100% | top 18% | 96.8% | 93.4% |
| 2020 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 67% | top 14% | 96% | 94% |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 24% | 92.7% | 90.3% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2024 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 39 / 59 (671.3256) | 24 (171.9656) | 22 (169.7028) | 42 (164.5372) | 41 (165.1200) |
| Nov 17, 2023 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 45 / 60 (670.7200) | 16 (174.2628) | 52 (163.3944) | 41 (166.2400) | 44 (166.8228) |
| Mar 3, 2023 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 2 / 65 (694.2056) | 6 (174.2628) | 17 (171.9772) | 3 (177.1428) | 17 (170.8228) |
| Nov 18, 2022 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 18 / 57 (678.2056) | 5 (176.5600) | 36 (164.5372) | 21 (169.1428) | 27 (167.9656) |
| Nov 17, 2022 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic (One Meat Ribs) Cumming, GA | — | — | 13 (170.8688) | — | — |
| Nov 12, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Gadsden, AL | 23 / 49 (338.2284) | 12 (174.8456) | 34 (163.3828) | — | — |
| Nov 11, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Gadsden, AL | 73 / 91 (664.4572) | 37 (171.9772) | 80 (163.3828) | 26 (173.1544) | 86 (155.9428) |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que Music Festival 🏅 Grovetown, GA | 27 / 51 (679.9772) | 45 (164.5256) | 13 (173.7372) | 17 (171.4172) | 20 (170.2972) |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que Music Festival - One Meat Chicken Grovetown, GA | — | 30 (162.2284) | — | — | — |
| May 5, 2022 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 25 / 72 (677.6112) | 17 (172.5484) | 37 (168.5600) | 32 (169.1200) | 39 (167.3828) |
| Apr 29, 2022 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 27 / 37 (667.8628) | 34 (162.8228) | 27 (165.0856) | 5 (177.7144) | 30 (162.2400) |
| Mar 4, 2022 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 9 / 73 (502.1944) | 29 (162.8228) | 2 (176.5716) | 20 (162.8000) | — |
| Nov 19, 2021 | GBC Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 5 / 28 (501.6460) | 4 (168.5488) | 3 (171.4400) | 14 (161.6572) | — |
| Sep 24, 2021 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 2 / 27 (522.8000) | 1 (177.7144) | 4 (175.4172) | 5 (169.6684) | — |
| Jul 30, 2021 | GBC Summer Showdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 9 / 39 (496.4568) | 9 (167.9656) | 9 (167.3712) | 12 (161.1200) | — |
| Mar 5, 2021 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 18 / 81 (497.5884) | 4 (173.1084) | 23 (162.8344) | 26 (161.6456) | — |
| Nov 20, 2020 | Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 3 / 40 (518.2172) | 1 (177.7144) | 4 (169.6800) | 5 (170.8228) | — |
| Jul 31, 2020 | Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Cumming, GA | 18 / 55 (499.9312) | 19 (166.2972) | 11 (169.7028) | 21 (163.9312) | — |
| Mar 6, 2020 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 1 / 61 (504.5712) | 1 (174.8800) | 1 (171.4400) | 25 (158.2512) | — |
| Nov 15, 2019 | Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown 🏅 Cedartown, GA | 3 / 35 (500.4456) | 5 (167.3944) | 7 (166.2284) | 4 (166.8228) | — |
| Aug 2, 2019 | Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Gainesville, GA | 15 / 45 (479.3144) | 15 (156.5372) | 11 (161.0972) | 12 (161.6800) | — |
| Mar 1, 2019 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 18 / 62 (483.8168) | 20 (158.2284) | 21 (160.5028) | 11 (165.0856) | — |
| Aug 24, 2018 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival Kennesaw, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 17, 2017 | Que'n In Cumming (DAY 1) Cumming, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 3, 2017 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 18, 2016 | Que'n in Cumming (Day 1) Cumming, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 4, 2016 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Lawrenceville, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 20, 2015 | The National BBQ Cup Cumming, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 28, 2015 | Hawgin on Lanier (GBC Qualifier) Gainesville, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.