High-water mark
685.6916
career-best overall
95.2% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 685.6916 at Rocking BBQ Warsaw — 95.2% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2023-05-19
Smokin' Bones Barbecue
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1506
peak 1506 · rated over 17 contests ⓘ
Contests
19
in the data
First seen
2020-05-29
latest 2023-08-25
Best ToY finish
#458
Master 2023
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 19 contests
Avg finish
top 63%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
677.99 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 661.62 (+16.37)
Walk rate
47%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
2
best run (overall)
Consistency
±12.96
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 169.46 · weakest Pork (163.33)
Road miles
2,237
mi across 19 mapped stops · furthest 206 mi
Schedule strength
77%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1600)
Purse competed for
$78K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 17 state-championship entries
Master avg
661.62 / 720
17 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (11 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
B&R SMOKE has finished one call ahead of Smokin' Bones Barbecue 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2023
their best year
2023 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 45%.
- 4 contests
- 2 overall top-10s
- 1 category wins
- average top 45%
A tough matchup
15–1
behind in the head-to-head
iBQ'n ahead in 94% of their meetings
iBQ'n has come out ahead in 15 of their 16 shared contests.
The weak link
−6.1
points behind their best meat
Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.13 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 6% of the time against 29%.
- Pork avg 163.33
- Chicken avg 169.46
- 1 calls in 17 entries
A strong matchup
6–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 86% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of DETROIT SIBLING RIVALRY in 6 of their 7 shared contests.
Chicken nemesis
13 of 16
shared chicken entries lost
iBQ'n ahead 81% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, iBQ'n has out-cooked them in 13 of 16 shared chicken entries.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company has landed one call behind them 2 times.
An August team
Top 50%
average finish in August
Something about August: average finish in the top 50% across 5 contests, versus top 63% the rest of the year.
- 5 August contests
- top 63% the rest of the year
The metronome
±1.80%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.80% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 91.9% of a perfect score
- 19 contests
A standing appointment
4
years running at one contest
They've cooked All American BBQ Throwdown every year from 2020 to 2023 — the contest they never miss.
- 4 visits in all
- best finish 10th
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.
110 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2980 of the rated field
- Contests
- 37
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1576
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Smokin' Bones Barbecue)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Smokin' Bones Barbecue has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2986 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 12%
- Peak
- 1531
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 19, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#2994 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1519
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before Smokin' Bones Barbecue's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#2991 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 58%
- Peak
- 1512
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 19 contests, alongside a 58% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#2984 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1521
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 5 years after Smokin' Bones Barbecue did, first appearing in 2025.
⚔ Head-to-head#2998 of the rated field
- Contests
- 22
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1520
No shared contest yet.
Level with Smokin' Bones Barbecue on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iBQ'n | 16 | 1 | 15 | 6% | ⚔ compare |
| KEVLAR BBQ | 15 | 3 | 12 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Mac Attack BBQ | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| The Yellow Rose Texas BBQ Company | 14 | 3 | 11 | 21% | ⚔ compare |
| TIRE SMOKE BBQ | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Shiggin aint easy | 13 | 2 | 11 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| FIREHOUSE SMOKE | 12 | 5 | 7 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| Blowing Smoke BBQ | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| BooyaQ | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| BAD HABIT BBQ | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| B&R SMOKE | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOOSIERS | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Q-JITSU | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| THE BBQ BUS | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 177.7028 | 155.9428 | 169.46 | top 48% |
| Pork Ribs | 19 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 177.1544 | 151.9316 | 164.73 | top 59% |
| Pork | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 141.0400 | 163.33 | top 61% |
| Brisket | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 169.6912 | 153.0744 | 163.70 | top 63% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IN | 12 | 0 | top 68% |
| MI | 5 | 0 | top 53% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 9 | 0 | top 62% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 0 | top 64% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All American BBQ Throwdown | 4 | 10 | 0 | top 51% | 2023-08-04 |
| Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1 | 2 | 28 | 0 | top 70% | 2022-06-17 |
| 8th Annual Rockin' BBQ (Day 2) | 2 | 22 | 0 | top 84% | 2022-05-14 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3.2 yrs
2020-05-29 → 2023-08-25
Busiest season
2022
6 contests
Contests a season
4.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
IN
13 of 19 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
12
3 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
19 entries · 1 win · 2 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 169.46 · weakest Pork (163.33)
Walk rate
47%
a top-10 call in 9 of 19 contests
Overall top-10 rate
16%
3 of 19 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight contests
Master average
661.62
out of 720 · 17 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
205
249–413 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
2,237
19 mapped stops · furthest 206 mi
Schedule strength
1600
average field rating faced — tougher than 77% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$78,000
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 17 state-championship entries
Power rating
1506
peak 1506 · #2989 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2020
- First tracked contest Rockin BBQ
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.8348 Rockin BBQ
- First call All American BBQ Throwdown
- 2022
- 10th tracked contest CCSFEST
- First overall top-10 All American BBQ Throwdown
- 2023
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Rocking BBQ Warsaw
- Career-best overall score685.6916 Rocking BBQ Warsaw
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7028 Hoosier BBQ Classic #1
- Peak power rating (1506) Rockin' BBQ Take 2
- Most recent contest Rockin' BBQ Take 2
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.2 | Rocking BBQ Warsaw | 2023-05-19 |
| +14.9 | All American BBQ Throwdown | 2022-08-05 |
| +6.6 | Rockin' BBQ Take 2 | 2023-08-25 |
| +4.4 | Rockin BBQ | 2020-05-29 |
| +3.3 | Hoosier BBQ Classic #1 | 2023-06-09 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.3 | Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 | 2021-05-14 |
| -7.3 | CCSFEST | 2022-04-08 |
| -7 | 8th Annual Rockin' BBQ (Day 2) | 2022-05-14 |
| -5.8 | Rockin' BBQ - Day 2 | 2021-05-15 |
| -4.8 | 8th Annual Rockin' BBQ (Day 1) | 2022-05-13 |
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 75% | top 45% | 95.2% | 93.9% |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 70% | 95.1% | 92.1% |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 72% | 92% | 90.6% |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 63% | 91.9% | 90.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-25 | Rockin' BBQ Take 2 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 10 / 23 (683.9544) | 9 (174.2972) | 12 (172.5600) | 15 (167.4172) | 10 (169.6800) |
| 2023-08-04 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 25 / 44 (668.4340) | 23 (169.1084) | 26 (167.4172) | 25 (165.6800) | 21 (166.2284) |
| 2023-06-09 | Hoosier BBQ Classic #1 🏅 Franklin, IN | 22 / 38 (667.3376) | 2 (177.7028) | 28 (163.4060) | 26 (162.8116) | 27 (163.4172) |
| 2023-05-19 | Rocking BBQ Warsaw 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 7 / 35 (685.6916) | 23 (169.1200) | 1 (177.1544) | 11 (171.4172) | 18 (168.0000) |
| 2022-08-05 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 10 / 50 (684.5488) | 7 (175.4172) | 13 (170.2972) | 17 (169.1544) | 15 (169.6800) |
| 2022-08-05 | All American BBQ Throwdown - One Meat Ribs Westland, MI | — | — | 34 (156.5488) | — | — |
| 2022-06-17 | Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1 🏅 Franklin, IN | 28 / 42 (666.1372) | 31 (167.9772) | 10 (171.4172) | 28 (166.2400) | 36 (160.5028) |
| 2022-05-14 | 8th Annual Rockin' BBQ (Day 2) 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 22 / 25 (654.7544) | 23 (162.8000) | 11 (170.8460) | 20 (162.8112) | 23 (158.2972) |
| 2022-05-13 | 8th Annual Rockin' BBQ (Day 1) 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 29 / 36 (661.0396) | 13 (172.5600) | 24 (164.5372) | 19 (168.5484) | 32 (155.3940) |
| 2022-04-08 | CCSFEST 🏅 Indianapolis, IN | 39 / 42 (649.5432) | 35 (167.3828) | 37 (157.6572) | 19 (171.4288) | 41 (153.0744) |
| 2021-09-10 | Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Competition 🏅 Mears, MI | 15 / 25 (648.9940) | 20 (155.9428) | 20 (160.5600) | 12 (166.2284) | 10 (166.2628) |
| 2021-08-06 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 19 / 32 (662.2400) | 20 (166.8572) | 20 (160.5716) | 18 (165.1200) | 10 (169.6912) |
| 2021-06-18 | Hoosier BBQ Classic Day 1 🏅 Franklin, IN | 37 / 51 (659.8860) | 34 (167.4288) | 28 (166.2400) | 46 (157.0972) | 24 (169.1200) |
| 2021-05-15 | Rockin' BBQ - Day 2 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 32 / 39 (641.5776) | 13 (172.5716) | 38 (155.9772) | 37 (156.5144) | 33 (156.5144) |
| 2021-05-14 | Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 35 / 41 (649.5428) | 12 (170.8572) | 13 (169.1200) | 41 (141.0400) | 24 (168.5256) |
| 2021-05-14 | Rockin' BBQ - Day 1 - One Meat Rib Contest Warsaw, IN | — | — | 22 (166.2512) | — | — |
| 2020-09-11 | Rockin' BBQ 2 Just Another BBQ Day 1 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 25 / 36 (661.5776) | 7 (171.9772) | 33 (151.9316) | 9 (172.5600) | 22 (165.1088) |
| 2020-08-07 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 29 / 42 (647.4172) | 2 (176.5828) | 29 (162.8684) | 37 (147.9660) | 30 (160.0000) |
| 2020-05-29 | Rockin BBQ 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 34 / 66 (654.8348) | 42 (162.2744) | 33 (164.5716) | 27 (164.5716) | 43 (163.4172) |
Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #458 (423 pts) | #421 (533 pts) | #466 (518 pts) | #551 (348 pts) | #532 (358 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #531 (380 pts) | #476 (465 pts) | #453 (560 pts) | #520 (415 pts) | #582 (350 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #602 (267 pts) | #494 (387 pts) | #507 (394 pts) | #612 (272 pts) | #567 (322 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #530 (180 pts) | #252 (485 pts) | #572 (180 pts) | #435 (265 pts) | #541 (195 pts) |