Mind if I Smoke? AL
Rating
Contests
First seen
Best ToY finish
Grand champs
Category wins
Overall top-10s
Avg finish
Perfect 180s
Current form
Walk rate
Top-10 streak
Consistency
Strongest meat
Road miles
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
LEE LA Q has finished one call ahead of Mind if I Smoke? 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Rollin Smoke BBQ has come out ahead in 7 of their 10 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Southern Swine in 8 of their 10 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 43-team field at Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY).
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026-03-27) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 17-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ.
📈 Riding a hot streak
Currently on a 6-contest overall top-10 run.
Teams like this (closest power rating, AL first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 180.0000 🔥 | 166.2284 | 173.64 | top 35% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 180.0000 🔥 | 169.6916 | 174.90 | top 17% |
| Pork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 173.1200 | 173.12 | top 40% |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL | 9 | 2 | top 23% |
| TN | 2 | 0 | top 10% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 9 | 1 | top 22% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 1 | top 15% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (6 contests)
- Cooks mostly in AL (9 of 11 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (11 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025-06-13)
- Wins it all in 18% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 348.54
- 3 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 356.5716 | 350.55 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 358.8572 | 347.68 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 345.6800 | 345.68 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-12 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 6 / 31 (347.3828) | 10 (175.4056) | 12 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 3 / 29 (354.2744) | 3 (180.0000) | 4 (174.2744) | — | — |
| 2026-04-03 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 9 / 36 (343.9544) | 8 (174.2628) | 14 (169.6916) | — | — |
| 2026-03-27 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 1 / 43 (356.5716) | 8 (176.5716) | 1 (180.0000) | — | — |
| 2025-10-10 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Scottsboro, AL | 10 / 30 (342.7884) | 16 (166.2284) | 2 (176.5600) | — | — |
| 2025-09-19 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 8 / 30 (348.5372) | 15 (171.9772) | 3 (176.5600) | 12 (173.1200) | — |
| 2025-09-05 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 15 / 29 (341.6572) | 22 (170.8228) | 8 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 1 / 35 (358.8572) | 3 (178.8572) | 1 (180.0000) | — | — |
| 2025-05-16 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 3 / 32 (350.2628) | 7 (174.8456) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2025-03-21 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 12 / 43 (344.0000) | 24 (169.6800) | 6 (174.3200) | — | — |
| 2024-10-11 | Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Scottsboro, AL | 7 / 38 (345.6800) | 15 (171.4172) | 8 (174.2628) | — | — |
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #45 (685 pts) | #69 (515 pts) | #57 (610 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #53 (922 pts) | #85 (671 pts) | #22 (1177 pts) | — | — |