Perfect scores on the board
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
- Pork Ribs ×2
- Chicken ×1
Mind if I Smoke?
Mind if I Smoke? is a competition barbecue team with 21 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2026. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026). They are ranked #1026 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Mind if I Smoke”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1603
peak 1612 · rated over 21 contests
Contests
21
in the data
First seen
Oct 3, 2013
latest Sep 18, 2026 · 13 years on the trail
Grand champs
2
0 reserve · wins it all 10% of the time
Category wins
2
7 podiums
Overall top-10s
9
43% of 21 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 39%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Current form
345.33 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 346.54 (-1.21)
Walk rate
62%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±8.52
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 171.44 · weakest Brisket (152.27)
Road miles
4,483
across 21 mapped stops · furthest 569 mi
Schedule strength
44%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1557)
Purse competed for
$126K
listed at 17 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
642.54 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
346.54 / 360
12 Backyard contests · 2 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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.
In the record book (on 1 all-time board)
Where this team sits in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record they hold outright; the rest are boards they are on.
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 Mind if I Smoke?, each with one reason worth a look.
#1,028 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1615
3–1 in 4 shared contests (75% to Mind if I Smoke?)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — Mind if I Smoke? ahead 3–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,025 of the rated field
- Contests
- 48
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1651
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Mind if I Smoke?)
They've been 1651 at their best, 48 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,029 of the rated field
- Contests
- 31
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 32%
- Peak
- 1602
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Mind if I Smoke?'s most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,030 of the rated field
- Contests
- 41
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 32%
- Peak
- 1603
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 41 contests to 21.
⚔ Compare careers#1,027 of the rated field
- Contests
- 71
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1617
71 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 30% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,033 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 31%
- Peak
- 1605
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Mind if I Smoke?)
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| Southern Swine | 10 | 8 | 2 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Say My Name BBQ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| LOVE 2 Q | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Three Brothers Different Mothers | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Modest Meats | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| RIB I'S | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| Pork Life | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| OINK, MOO & COCK-A-DOODLE DOO | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Smoke Me Tender BBQ | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 21 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 180 🔥 | 142.2516 | 168.14 | top 45% |
| Pork Ribs | 21 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 180 🔥 | 145.0856 | 171.44 | top 25% |
| Pork | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 176.0228 | 132.4912 | 161.30 | top 56% |
| Brisket | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5256 | 128.5028 | 152.27 | top 71% |
“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 81% |
| Medium (20–39) | 9 | 1 | top 22% |
| Large (40+) | 11 | 1 | top 49% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | 4 | 19 | 0 | top 35% | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 11% | Jun 12, 2026 |
| Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 15% | Mar 27, 2026 |
| High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 10% | May 15, 2026 |
| Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 26% | Oct 10, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
8 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
2.6
across 8 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
10 of 21 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
14
5 of them more than once
First title
Jun 13, 2025
Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
Opponents faced
1,707
finished ahead 1,272 times, behind 2,120
Longest layoff
6.7 yrs
Oct 29, 2016 → Jun 23, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- Biggest field won (43 teams) Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1612) Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff
20255 milestones
- First overall podium High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Grand Championship Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 10th tracked contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
20241 milestone
- First overall top-10 Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE)
20232 milestones
- First call The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
- Career-best overall score683.9084 The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
20161 milestone
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.3828 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
20131 milestone
- First tracked contest 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.4 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 13, 2025 |
| +16.5 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 16, 2025 |
| +16 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 27, 2026 |
| +14.3 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | Jun 23, 2023 |
| +14 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Oct 11, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.2 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open | Oct 3, 2013 |
| -10.1 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open | Oct 3, 2015 |
| -7.6 | Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff | Sep 18, 2026 |
| -4.9 | 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open | Oct 2, 2014 |
| -2.7 | Shawnee Great Grillers | Sep 26, 2025 |
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 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 83% | top 30% | 99% | 95.2% |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 75% | top 30% | 99.7% | 95.5% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 35% | 96% | 92.9% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 11% | 95% | 95% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 55% | 90.5% | 90.5% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 91% | 83.6% | 83.6% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 73% | 88.1% | 88.1% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 79.7% | 79.7% |
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 | 13 / 16 (324.4572) | 13 (158.2172) | 8 (166.2400) | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2026 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 70 / 157 (659.7940) | 90 (162.8000) | 53 (169.6800) | 72 (167.3712) | 97 (159.9428) |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 6 / 31 (347.3828) | 10 (175.4056) | 12 (171.9772) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 3 / 29 (354.2744) | 3 (180) | 4 (174.2744) | — | — |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 9 / 36 (343.9544) | 8 (174.2628) | 14 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 1 / 43 (356.5716) | 8 (176.5716) | 1 (180) | — | — |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 10 / 30 (342.7884) | 16 (166.2284) | 2 (176.5600) | — | — |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Shawnee Great Grillers 🏅 Shawnee, KS | 37 / 67 (659.2796) | 20 (171.9656) | 38 (165.0856) | 32 (167.4400) | 57 (154.7884) |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 8 / 30 (348.5372) | 15 (171.9772) | 3 (176.5600) | 12 (173.1200) | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 15 / 29 (341.6572) | 22 (170.8228) | 8 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 51 / 159 (671.3256) | 98 (162.8000) | 35 (173.1428) | 13 (176.0228) | 107 (159.3600) |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 1 / 35 (358.8572) | 3 (178.8572) | 1 (180) | — | — |
| May 16, 2025 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 3 / 32 (350.2628) | 7 (174.8456) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 12 / 43 (344) | 24 (169.6800) | 6 (174.3200) | — | — |
| Oct 11, 2024 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Scottsboro, AL | 7 / 38 (345.6800) | 15 (171.4172) | 8 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 21, 2024 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 90 / 172 (646.7660) | 57 (167.4056) | 13 (172.5600) | 150 (153.6916) | 129 (153.1088) |
| Jun 23, 2023 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 19 / 167 (683.9084) | 33 (170.2628) | 7 (176.5600) | 63 (168.5600) | 37 (168.5256) |
| Oct 29, 2016 | 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 304 / 557 (651.3828) | 414 (157.6800) | 147 (169.7028) | 243 (165.7144) | 346 (158.2856) |
| Oct 3, 2015 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO | 553 / 606 (602.1368) | 274 (164.5828) | 15 (176.5600) | 598 (132.4912) | 596 (128.5028) |
| Oct 2, 2014 | 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 403 / 552 (634.1368) | 334 (162.8112) | 324 (161.6800) | 441 (155.4056) | 406 (154.2400) |
| Oct 3, 2013 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 506 / 535 (574.1600) | 509 (142.2516) | 464 (145.0856) | 404 (153.1428) | 511 (133.6800) |