High-water mark
341.6456
career-best overall
94.9% of a perfect 360
Their best day on record: 341.6456 at High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) — 94.9% of a perfect 360.
- Backyard
- May 15, 2026
LWS Smokin Aces
LWS Smokin Aces is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 7th of 18 at the Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (2024). They are ranked #5671 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “LWS Smokin' Aces”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1447
peak 1447 · rated over 17 contests
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
May 5, 2022
latest Sep 18, 2026 · 4.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
1
6% of 17 contests
Avg finish
top 75%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
329.50 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 326.47 (+3.03)
Walk rate
18%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.76
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 163.49 · weakest Pork (162.23)
Road miles
960
across 17 mapped stops · furthest 110 mi
Schedule strength
61%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1577)
Purse competed for
$112K
listed at 17 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
326.47 / 360
17 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
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 LWS Smokin Aces, each with one reason worth a look.
104 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,677 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1447
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,668 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1447
Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,674 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1447
13 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#5,661 of the rated field
- Contests
- 23
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 4%
- Peak
- 1447
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before LWS Smokin Aces's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#5,660 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1447
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before LWS Smokin Aces's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#5,675 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1447
Level with LWS Smokin Aces 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bentley Que | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Pork Life | 12 | 2 | 10 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| Modest Meats | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLY SMOKIN!!! | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Bonnie Blue BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Budget BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Small Batch BBQ - TN | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1084 | 152.5372 | 163.49 | top 73% |
| Pork Ribs | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 175.4172 | 145.0744 | 162.98 | top 71% |
| Pork | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1084 | 153.0744 | 162.23 | top 73% |
“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 82% |
| Medium (20–39) | 11 | 0 | top 73% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 73% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 68% | Mar 27, 2026 |
| Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 20 | 0 | top 70% | Oct 10, 2025 |
| O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 86% | May 3, 2025 |
| O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 | 2 | 16 | 0 | top 71% | May 2, 2025 |
| Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 94% | Sep 6, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
5 contests
Contests a season
3.4
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
16 of 17 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
12
5 of them more than once
Opponents faced
277
finished ahead 141 times, behind 411
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Career-best overall score341.6456 High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff
20251 milestone
- 10th tracked contest O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2
20244 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score335.9656 Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)175.4172 Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20222 milestones
- First tracked contest Poosa Q
- Peak power rating (1494) Poosa Q
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +8.7 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 27, 2024 |
| +6.7 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 15, 2026 |
| +3.2 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 | May 2, 2025 |
| +1.7 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 22, 2024 |
| +1.5 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Jun 5, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.9 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 8, 2023 |
| -9.7 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 | May 1, 2026 |
| -9.3 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 6, 2024 |
| -7.8 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 5, 2025 |
| -7.6 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 | May 3, 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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40% | top 77% | 94.9% | 91.5% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 76% | 93.3% | 91.7% |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20% | top 72% | 94.3% | 91.7% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 85.8% | 85.8% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 70% | 89.2% | 86.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Columbiana, AL | 15 / 16 (317.0056) | 10 (162.2400) | 17 (154.7656) | — | — |
| Jun 5, 2026 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 17 / 26 (340.4912) | 12 (173.1084) | 19 (167.3828) | 9 (173.1084) | — |
| May 15, 2026 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 13 / 29 (341.6456) | 15 (170.8228) | 13 (170.8228) | — | — |
| May 1, 2026 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Cleveland, AL | 17 / 17 (321.6116) | 17 (154.2172) | 15 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 34 / 43 (326.7428) | 31 (165.0972) | 33 (161.6456) | — | — |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 20 / 30 (323.3260) | 22 (162.8000) | 22 (160.5260) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 27 / 29 (326.7772) | 27 (166.2744) | 28 (160.5028) | — | — |
| May 3, 2025 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 Oneonta, AL | 20 / 23 (334.7888) | 14 (168.5372) | 20 (166.2516) | 22 (153.0744) | — |
| May 2, 2025 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Oneonta, AL | 16 / 28 (335.9544) | 18 (167.4172) | 16 (168.5372) | 25 (160.5028) | — |
| Sep 27, 2024 | Central AL BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Clanton, AL | 7 / 18 (339.3600) | 13 (163.9428) | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Sep 6, 2024 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 25 / 27 (319.3260) | 26 (158.8000) | 25 (160.5260) | — | — |
| May 4, 2024 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 2 Oneonta, AL | 17 / 20 (327.8972) | 18 (159.3716) | 16 (168.5256) | — | — |
| May 3, 2024 | O'So Good BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Day 1 Oneonta, AL | 23 / 27 (327.3488) | 25 (158.2288) | 11 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 22 / 38 (335.9656) | 20 (168.5372) | 19 (167.4284) | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 18 / 19 (309.0284) | 14 (163.9540) | 18 (145.0744) | — | — |
| Oct 7, 2022 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 28 / 38 (321.0740) | 27 (163.3828) | 29 (157.6912) | — | — |
| May 5, 2022 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 48 / 72 (301.6572) | 48 (152.5372) | 48 (149.1200) | — | — |