On the rise
+31
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 31 points across 7 contests since Mar 17, 2023 — from 1508 up to 1539.
- 7 contests since Mar 17, 2023
- now 1539
Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team
Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record in 2023. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 39 at the Smoke on the Falls (2023). They are ranked #1987 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1539
peak 1539 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Mar 17, 2023
latest Oct 5, 2023
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
38% of 8 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 40%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
339.60 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 338.51 (+1.09)
Walk rate
38%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±7.49
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 168.62 · weakest Pork (160.50)
Road miles
560
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 151 mi
Schedule strength
59%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$80K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
338.51 / 360
6 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
490.16 / 540
1 Backyard (3-meat) contest · 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 Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team, each with one reason worth a look.
77 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,998 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 38%
- Peak
- 1558
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,989 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1546
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,986 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1539
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,999 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1539
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,984 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1547
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 6 contests, alongside a 50% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,973 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1542
They were already cooking in 2013, 10 years before Secondhand Smoke BBQ Team's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REDBONES BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 Swine Crew | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| RIBLIFE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Say My Name BBQ | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| ETOWAH SMOKE | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Bourbon & Blues BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 163.9660 | 168.62 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 162.8000 | 168.26 | top 38% |
| Pork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 160.5028 | 160.5028 | 160.50 | top 86% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 47% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 53% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 24% |
More numbers
Most contests held in
AL
5 of 8 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
7
a different one every time
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
8 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls
Opponents faced
320
finished ahead 321 times, behind 159
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20239 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score333.0628 Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
- First call Smoke on the Falls
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Falls
- First overall podium Smoke on the Falls
- Career-best single call (Chicken)176.5600 Smoke on the Falls
- Career-best overall score490.1600 Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1539) Poosa Q
- Most recent contest Poosa Q
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.2 | Smoke on the Falls | Apr 7, 2023 |
| +15.2 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) | Aug 4, 2023 |
| +8 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 17, 2023 |
| +6.8 | Poosa Q | Oct 5, 2023 |
| +4.4 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 8, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.3 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 28, 2023 |
| -4.6 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 19, 2023 |
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)
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 5, 2023 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 24 / 73 (338.2172) | 39 (166.2400) | 15 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Bernard Blues and BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 9 / 19 (331.3604) | 13 (163.9660) | 6 (167.3944) | — | — |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) Madison, AL | 5 / 58 (349.6800) | 9 (174.2628) | 6 (175.4172) | — | — |
| May 19, 2023 | The High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 25 / 34 (331.3256) | 21 (168.5256) | 22 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Apr 28, 2023 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 28 / 36 (490.1600) | 22 (166.2284) | 26 (163.4288) | 31 (160.5028) | — |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 3 / 39 (347.3944) | 4 (176.5600) | 9 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 24 / 80 (333.0628) | 31 (164.5256) | 14 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Mar 17, 2023 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (One Meat Ribs) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 37 (165.6800) | — | — |