High-water mark
673.7028
career-best overall
93.6% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 673.7028 at BBQ Capital Cook Off — 93.6% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Apr 26, 2019
Tuff Smoke
Tuff Smoke is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 11th of 43 at the BBQ Capital Cook Off (2019). They are ranked #3482 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1494
peak 1510 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Apr 22, 2016
latest Oct 13, 2023 · 7.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 13 contests
Avg finish
top 64%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
656.36 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 648.29 (+8.07)
Walk rate
31%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±16.94
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 164.51 · weakest Brisket (157.51)
Road miles
1,429
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 164 mi
Schedule strength
73%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1592)
Purse competed for
$52K
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
648.29 / 720
13 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1196 (190 pts) | #1182 (215 pts) | #1188 (215 pts) | #1196 (215 pts) | #1227 (195 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1524 (120 pts) | #1598 (120 pts) | #1329 (185 pts) | #1412 (170 pts) | #1586 (120 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #957 (360 pts) | #1041 (350 pts) | #1084 (320 pts) | #954 (390 pts) | #984 (360 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1580 (161 pts) | #1452 (196 pts) | #1713 (151 pts) | #1658 (166 pts) | #1588 (171 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Tuff Smoke, each with one reason worth a look.
130 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,497 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1500
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Tuff Smoke)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Tuff Smoke has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,481 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1507
Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,501 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before Tuff Smoke's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,471 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
15 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#3,483 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1518
Level with Tuff Smoke on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,502 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1528
They've been 1528 at their best, 35 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN SKULLIES | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Grillin' Thyme | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| CAROLINA SMOKE | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| TWISTED PAIR BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| House of Smoke NC | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG DOG BBQ VA | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| FatHeads bbq | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 174.2856 | 155.9656 | 164.51 | top 59% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.4172 | 137.6228 | 162.30 | top 56% |
| Pork | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8228 | 155.9312 | 163.96 | top 55% |
| Brisket | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8684 | 143.3600 | 157.51 | top 69% |
“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) | 2 | 0 | top 91% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 67% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 53% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival | 3 | 11 | 0 | top 64% | May 17, 2019 |
| Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 52% | Oct 13, 2023 |
| Pigs & Pedals | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 64% | Aug 3, 2018 |
| Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 64% | Apr 28, 2017 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
4 contests
Contests a season
2.6
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NC
13 of 13 contests
Contests visited
8
4 of them more than once
Opponents faced
232
finished ahead 203 times, behind 309
Longest layoff
4.3 yrs
May 17, 2019 → Sep 15, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20231 milestone
- Most recent contest Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down
20193 milestones
- 10th tracked contest BBQ Capital Cook Off
- Career-best overall score673.7028 BBQ Capital Cook Off
- Peak power rating (1510) BBQ Capital Cook Off
20164 milestones
- First tracked contest Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.7312 Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.2856 Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off
- First call Currituck Heritage Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.6 | BBQ Capital Cook Off | Apr 26, 2019 |
| +10.2 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down | Oct 13, 2017 |
| +9.9 | Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival | May 19, 2017 |
| +3.6 | Pigs & Pedals | Aug 3, 2018 |
| +0.7 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off | Apr 22, 2016 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.9 | Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival | May 18, 2018 |
| -9.3 | Clayton BBQ Challenge | Sep 15, 2023 |
| -5.8 | Jiggy With the Piggy | May 6, 2016 |
| -5.5 | Currituck Heritage Festival | Sep 16, 2016 |
| -4.3 | Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival | May 17, 2019 |
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 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 87% | 90.9% | 90.8% |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 49% | 93.6% | 91.6% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 72% | 91.1% | 89.3% |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 51% | 92.9% | 90.3% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 72% | 92% | 88.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2023 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down 🏅 Rocky Mount, NC | 20 / 27 (654.7432) | 18 (166.8460) | 11 (170.8228) | 23 (158.8000) | 22 (158.2744) |
| Sep 15, 2023 | Clayton BBQ Challenge 🏅 Clayton, NC | 17 / 17 (652.4340) | 17 (159.3828) | 15 (161.6800) | 15 (162.8228) | 12 (168.5484) |
| May 17, 2019 | Kings of Q BBQ Cook-off and Festival 🏅 Ayden, NC | 26 / 36 (644.9712) | 34 (158.2284) | 8 (167.9772) | 28 (161.0856) | 26 (157.6800) |
| Apr 26, 2019 | BBQ Capital Cook Off 🏅 Lexington, NC | 11 / 43 (673.7028) | 8 (172.5944) | 28 (160.5256) | 8 (169.7144) | 10 (170.8684) |
| Aug 3, 2018 | Pigs & Pedals Asheboro, NC | 26 / 48 (655.9544) | 38 (161.1316) | 12 (171.4172) | 15 (170.2628) | 41 (153.1428) |
| May 18, 2018 | Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival Ayden, NC | 34 / 38 (629.5540) | 34 (155.9656) | 28 (158.8572) | 35 (155.9312) | 25 (158.8000) |
| Oct 13, 2017 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down Rocky Mount, NC | 15 / 50 (669.0744) | 24 (168.5600) | 27 (163.4288) | 19 (167.3828) | 12 (169.7028) |
| Aug 4, 2017 | Pigs & Pedals Asheboro, NC | 34 / 46 (622.2516) | 30 (157.1544) | 22 (161.1428) | 24 (160.5372) | 44 (143.4172) |
| May 19, 2017 | Kings of Q BBQ cook off and Festival Ayden, NC | 11 / 36 (657.6340) | 19 (164.5368) | 14 (165.1316) | 13 (164.5256) | 14 (163.4400) |
| Apr 28, 2017 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC | 26 / 38 (651.2224) | 10 (170.8228) | 23 (163.9656) | 14 (169.1084) | 36 (147.3256) |
| Sep 16, 2016 | Currituck Heritage Festival Powells Point, NC | 13 / 16 (615.3028) | 8 (163.4400) | 15 (137.6228) | 12 (157.0856) | 11 (157.1544) |
| May 6, 2016 | Jiggy With the Piggy Kannapolis, NC | 57 / 76 (638.1484) | 41 (165.7028) | 33 (165.7028) | 38 (163.3828) | 73 (143.3600) |
| Apr 22, 2016 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC | 32 / 54 (662.7312) | 13 (174.2856) | 41 (161.6800) | 16 (170.8228) | 45 (155.9428) |