Their season
2023
their best year
2023 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 51%.
- 3 contests
- 0 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 51%
Struttin Smokers
Struttin Smokers is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 8th of 14 at the Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD) (2021). They are ranked #3278 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Struttin' Smokers”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1499
peak 1500 · rated over 10 contests
Contests
10
in the data
First seen
May 21, 2021
latest Dec 1, 2023 · 2.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
10% of 10 contests
Avg finish
top 64%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
325.63
last 5 Backyard vs avg 325.14 (+0.50)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.98
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 166.78 · weakest Pork Ribs (158.12)
Road miles
1,253
across 10 mapped stops · furthest 205 mi
Schedule strength
61%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1577)
Purse competed for
$125K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 5 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
325.14 / 360
8 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
486.74 / 540
2 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.
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)
The teams rated closest to Struttin Smokers, 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.
#3,284 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1498
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,272 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1531
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before Struttin Smokers's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,286 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1498
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,277 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1500
They were already cooking in 2013, 8 years before Struttin Smokers's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#3,276 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1499
Level with Struttin Smokers on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,282 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1506
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before Struttin Smokers's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIBLIFE | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| REDBONES BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| The Real Squeal BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BatWing BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| COCAMOKE SMOKE BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| ETOWAH SMOKE | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Poppa Pig | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| VETERAN PORK PULLERS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 177.1544 | 151.9428 | 166.78 | top 47% |
| Pork Ribs | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.1316 | 140.4572 | 158.12 | top 76% |
| Pork | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 168.5488 | 157.0628 | 162.81 | top 50% |
“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) | 4 | 0 | top 75% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 67% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 36% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship | 3 | 11 | 0 | top 80% | Dec 1, 2023 |
| Poosa Q | 2 | 19 | 0 | top 36% | Oct 5, 2023 |
| Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 13 | 0 | top 50% | Mar 10, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2022
4 contests
Contests a season
3.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
8 of 10 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
265
finished ahead 222 times, behind 245
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20232 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship
- Most recent contest Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship
20223 milestones
- Career-best overall score491.3144 Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.1544 Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1500) Poosa Q
20214 milestones
- First tracked contest Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score326.2288 Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD)
- First overall top-10 Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.8 | Poosa Q | May 5, 2022 |
| +5 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 10, 2023 |
| +4 | Poosa Q | Oct 5, 2023 |
| +3.1 | Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD) | Jun 4, 2021 |
| +0.6 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship | Dec 1, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.6 | Barbecue With A View (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 21, 2022 |
| -7.1 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship | Dec 2, 2021 |
| -5.8 | Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 21, 2021 |
| -2.7 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship | Dec 1, 2022 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 51% | 92.4% | 90.6% |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 66% | 93.2% | 90.2% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 73% | 94.3% | 90.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2023 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship 🏅 Demopolis, AL | 11 / 17 (325.0168) | 6 (167.3712) | 14 (157.6456) | — | — |
| Oct 5, 2023 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 33 / 73 (332.5372) | 46 (163.4056) | 23 (169.1316) | — | — |
| Mar 10, 2023 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Foley, AL | 13 / 31 (482.1716) | 18 (161.1428) | 23 (152.4800) | 7 (168.5488) | — |
| Dec 1, 2022 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship 🏅 Demopolis, AL | 12 / 13 (326.8000) | 6 (172.0344) | 19 (154.7656) | — | — |
| Oct 21, 2022 | Barbecue With A View (BACKYARD ONLY) Vicksburg, MS | 25 / 28 (308.4228) | 17 (167.9656) | 27 (140.4572) | — | — |
| May 5, 2022 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 19 / 72 (335.3944) | 22 (167.9772) | 22 (167.4172) | — | — |
| Mar 12, 2022 | Foley BBQ & Blues Cook Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Foley, AL | 15 / 26 (491.3144) | 2 (177.1544) | 20 (157.0972) | 20 (157.0628) | — |
| Dec 2, 2021 | Christmas on the River State Bar B Q Championship 🏅 Demopolis, AL | 16 / 19 (307.3028) | 18 (151.9428) | 13 (155.3600) | — | — |
| Jun 4, 2021 | Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD) Butler, AL | 8 / 14 (339.4056) | 2 (172.5600) | 9 (166.8456) | — | — |
| May 21, 2021 | Twin States Barbecue Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) Meridian, MS | 17 / 22 (326.2288) | 14 (166.2744) | 19 (159.9544) | — | — |