HEAVY SMOKERS

HEAVY SMOKERS is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 4th of 32 at the Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (2019). They are ranked #1973 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “HEAVY-SMOKERS”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,973

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1539

peak 1542 · rated over 9 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Sep 7, 2013

latest Mar 1, 2024 · 10.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#373

Backyard 2024 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

36% of 11 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 38%

overall standings

Best overall

615.9084 / 720

Master · Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival

Perfect 180s

Walk rate

55%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.2744

Pork · Sip & Swine BBQ Festival

Consistency

±6.82

spread of their Backyard (3-meat) overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 161.43 · weakest Brisket (154.85)

Road miles

2,406

across 11 mapped stops · furthest 741 mi

Schedule strength

41%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)

Purse competed for

$54K

listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 7 state-championship entries

Master avg

596.76 / 720

2 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

328.51 / 360

2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Backyard (3-meat) avg

493.18 / 540

5 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs

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.

Storylines (7 found in their record)

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

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN has finished one call ahead of HEAVY SMOKERS 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 11%.

3 contests
3 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 11%

A tough matchup

4–0 behind in the head-to-head

GRAND SLAM BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

GRAND SLAM BBQ has come out ahead in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Wiggle Butts BBQ in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The comeback

4.5 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 4.5 years, then back at Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (Mar 2, 2018).

last seen Sep 7, 2013
back Mar 2, 2018

Chicken nemesis

4 of 4 shared chicken entries lost

GRAND SLAM BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GRAND SLAM BBQ has out-cooked them in 4 of 4 shared chicken entries.

A March team

Top 26% average finish in March

Something about March: average finish in the top 26% across 4 contests, versus top 38% the rest of the year.

4 March contests
top 38% the rest of the year

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 ↗	Backyard	#373 (60 pts)	#321 (110 pts)	#379 (60 pts)	—	—
2022 ↗	Backyard	—	#332 (60 pts)	#332 (60 pts)	—	—
2020 ↗	Backyard	—	#114 (59 pts)	#42 (259 pts)	—	—

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to HEAVY SMOKERS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

SWINAL TAP

#1,989 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1546

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to HEAVY SMOKERS)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team HEAVY SMOKERS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Mar 5, 2021

⚔ Head-to-head

FOOD'VENTURE GRILL & BBQ

#1,980 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 64%
Peak: 1539

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen May 9, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

RIVER CITY IA BARBEQUE

#1,976 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1539

Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 7 years before HEAVY SMOKERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 10 contests

⚔ Compare careers

OAK STREET BBQ CO.

#1,986 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1539

Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Mar 24, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

United Pork Smokers

#1,971 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1553

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 12 contests, alongside a 25% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Apr 14, 2023

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Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team

#1,987 of the rated field

1539 power rating

Contests: 7
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1539

They turned up 10 years after HEAVY SMOKERS did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 7 contests
last seen Oct 5, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
COOL HAND QUE	7	5	1	71%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
Wiggle Butts BBQ	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Wine Me, Dine Me and Swine Me	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
STANK BUTT BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
THE FAT GUYZ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN' PIG BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
Peckerwood Country Club	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
Quenut BBQ	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
MAYA JANE BBQ CO.	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
ZIPS BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
I.B.O.K. HOLY SMOKERS	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	4	0	0	169.1084	141.6684	161.43	top 39%
Pork Ribs	9	3	0	1	173.1316	143.9884	159.34	top 42%
Pork	8	3	1	1	174.2744	145.1084	158.75	top 44%
Brisket	2	0	0	0	162.8456	146.8456	154.85	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	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	4	0	top 38%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 37%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
GA	7	top 23%
OK	1	top 84%
NJ	1	top 96%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Sip & Swine BBQ Festival	3	14	0	top 32%	Mar 1, 2024

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 3 contests

Contests a season 1.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in GA 9 of 11 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 7 1 of them more than once

Opponents faced 384 finished ahead 374 times, behind 228

Longest layoff 4.5 yrs Sep 7, 2013 → Mar 2, 2018

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

20241 milestone

Mar 1 Most recent contest Sip & Swine BBQ Festival

20224 milestones

Mar 4 First category win (Pork) Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
Mar 4 Career-best single call (Pork)174.2744 Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
Jun 3 10th tracked contest Honeybee BBQ Competition
Jun 3 Peak power rating (1542) Honeybee BBQ Competition

20193 milestones

Mar 1 First call Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
Mar 1 First overall top-10 Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
Mar 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score500.5032 Sip & Swine BBQ Festival

20181 milestone

May 4 Career-best overall score615.9084 Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival

20131 milestone

Sep 7 First tracked contest Red, White and Que

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.5	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival	Mar 1, 2019
+13	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival	Aug 23, 2019
+12.1	Smokin' Bike Fest	May 31, 2019
+8.9	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival	Mar 6, 2020
+8.5	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival	Mar 4, 2022

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.7	Red, White and Que	Sep 7, 2013
-8.7	Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival	May 4, 2018
-2.4	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival	Mar 1, 2024

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2024	1	0	0	0%	top 49%	87.4%	87.4%
2022	2	1	1	100%	top 28%	91.5%	90.6%
2020	1	0	0	100%	top 23%	90%	90%
2019	3	3	0	100%	top 11%	95.1%	93.5%
2018	3	0	0	0%	top 84%	85.5%	85.5%
2013	1	0	0	0%	top 96%	80.2%	80.2%

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	29 / 59 (314.7772)	15 (166.2744)	34 (148.5028)	36 (150.2056)	—
Jun 3, 2022	Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA	8 / 25 (484.5256)	6 (166.8228)	11 (161.1428)	12 (156.5600)	—
Mar 4, 2022	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA	17 / 73 (494.2632)	27 (162.8572)	27 (157.1316)	1 (174.2744)	—
Mar 6, 2020	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA	14 / 61 (486.1488)	25 (153.6344)	2 (171.4172)	19 (161.0972)	—
Aug 23, 2019	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA	4 / 32 (500.4800)	6 (167.9772)	4 (166.2400)	6 (166.2628)	—
May 31, 2019	Smokin' Bike Fest 🏅 Peachtree City, GA	4 / 31 (342.2400)	6 (169.1084)	5 (173.1316)	—	—
Mar 1, 2019	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA	5 / 62 (500.5032)	9 (166.2628)	13 (165.1204)	4 (169.1200)	—
Aug 24, 2018	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival Kennesaw, GA	—	—	—	—	—
May 4, 2018	Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival Bixby, OK	57 / 68 (615.9084)	51 (158.2972)	64 (147.3600)	64 (147.4056)	30 (162.8456)
Mar 2, 2018	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival Lawrenceville, GA	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 7, 2013	Red, White and Que Cresskill, NJ	25 / 26 (577.6108)	25 (141.6684)	24 (143.9884)	24 (145.1084)	19 (146.8456)

HEAVY SMOKERS

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Backyard (3-meat) avg

Storylines (7 found in their record)

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

A March team

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

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 — 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)