The heartbreaker
4.0456
points from the title
Came within 4.0456 points of the Grand Championship at Smokin Blues & BBQ (Mar 27, 2015).
smokin in the dark!
smokin in the dark! is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 56 at the Smokin Blues & BBQ (2015), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2208 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “Smokin' In the Dark”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1531
peak 1553 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
Apr 19, 2013
latest Aug 25, 2023 · 10.3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
3
50% of 6 contests
Best top-10 run
3
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 38%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
654.91 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 659.19 (-4.28)
Walk rate
67%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±37.39
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 165.62 · weakest Pork (163.31)
Road miles
2,020
across 6 mapped stops · furthest 1,525 mi
Schedule strength
41%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1554)
Purse competed for
$13K
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 1 state-championship entry
Master avg
659.19 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to smokin in the dark!, each with one reason worth a look.
82 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,209 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1531
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to smokin in the dark!)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team smokin in the dark! has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,213 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1531
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,217 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1531
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before smokin in the dark!'s most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,207 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1531
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careers#2,210 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1531
Level with smokin in the dark! on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,218 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1531
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 9 contests to 6.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 175.4056 | 154.3428 | 165.62 | top 46% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 175.4286 | 142.2628 | 164.84 | top 40% |
| Pork | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 149.6684 | 163.31 | top 56% |
| Brisket | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 177.7028 | 142.8572 | 165.42 | top 35% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 81% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 29% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana Pitmaster Classic | 2 | 21 | 0 | top 82% | Aug 25, 2023 |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
LA
3 of 6 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
5
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
222
finished ahead 216 times, behind 90
Longest layoff
5 yrs
Aug 24, 2018 → Aug 25, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20231 milestone
- Most recent contest Montana Pitmaster Classic
20162 milestones
- Career-best single call (Brisket)177.7028 Hamond BBQ
- Peak power rating (1553) Hamond BBQ
20153 milestones
- First overall podium Smokin Blues & BBQ
- First Reserve Championship Smokin Blues & BBQ
- Career-best overall score695.9200 Smokin Blues & BBQ
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival
- First call Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival
- First overall top-10 Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score680.5714 Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.5 | Smokin Blues & BBQ | Mar 27, 2015 |
| +13.7 | Hammond BBQ | Mar 21, 2014 |
| +12.7 | Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival | Apr 19, 2013 |
| +9 | Hamond BBQ | Mar 25, 2016 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.2 | Montana Pitmaster Classic | Aug 24, 2018 |
| -10.9 | Montana Pitmaster Classic | Aug 25, 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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 87.5% | 87.5% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 81.8% | 81.8% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 31% | 94.3% | 94.3% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 4% | 96.7% | 96.7% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 16% | 94.5% | 94.5% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 12% | 94.5% | 94.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2023 | Montana Pitmaster Classic 🏅 Bozeman, MT | 37 / 44 (630.2400) | 39 (156.0116) | 32 (159.9656) | 34 (158.2856) | 35 (155.9772) |
| Aug 24, 2018 | Montana Pitmaster Classic Bozeman, MT | 21 / 26 (589.1312) | 20 (154.3428) | 22 (142.2628) | 24 (149.6684) | 20 (142.8572) |
| Mar 25, 2016 | Hamond BBQ Hammond, LA | 18 / 58 (678.7428) | 10 (173.7028) | 33 (165.6800) | 44 (161.6572) | 4 (177.7028) |
| Mar 27, 2015 | Smokin Blues & BBQ Hammond, LA | 2 / 56 (695.9200) | 6 (175.4056) | 9 (171.9772) | 6 (176.5600) | 10 (171.9772) |
| Mar 21, 2014 | Hammond BBQ Hammond, LA | 10 / 61 (680.5144) | 35 (166.2628) | 5 (173.7144) | 35 (163.3828) | 5 (177.1544) |
| Apr 19, 2013 | Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival Springfield, MO | 8 / 68 (680.5714) | 16 (167.9998) | 3 (175.4286) | 14 (170.2858) | 12 (166.8572) |