A tough matchup
3–0
behind in the head-to-head
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS ahead in 100% of their meetings
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS has come out ahead in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
Smoke and Mirrors
Smoke and Mirrors is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 5th of 26 at the BBQ on the Bow (2013). They are ranked #3107 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1503
peak 1511 · rated over 5 contests
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
Aug 31, 2013
latest Aug 4, 2023 · 9.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
2
33% of 6 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 51%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±11.37
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 160.20 · weakest Pork Ribs (154.58)
Road miles
3,752
across 6 mapped stops · furthest 1,768 mi
Schedule strength
10%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1515)
Purse competed for
$4,300
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
Master avg
624.15 / 720
4 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
335.38 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 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.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smoke and Mirrors, each with one reason worth a look.
113 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,108 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1503
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,100 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1514
Level with Smoke and Mirrors on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,088 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1521
They turned up 11 years after Smoke and Mirrors did, first appearing in 2024.
⚔ Compare careers#3,118 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1506
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 4 years before Smoke and Mirrors's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,102 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1507
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 6 years before Smoke and Mirrors's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,129 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 7 years before Smoke and Mirrors's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 168.5944 | 150.2740 | 160.20 | top 56% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.2744 | 140.6172 | 154.58 | top 66% |
| Pork | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 164.5600 | 145.1084 | 154.84 | top 57% |
| Brisket | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 165.7488 | 143.3600 | 156.99 | top 44% |
“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 60% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 35% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 62% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ on the Bow | 2 | 18 | 0 | top 60% | Sep 2, 2017 |
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MO
1 of 6 contests · 5 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
4
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
150
finished ahead 82 times, behind 88
Longest layoff
5.9 yrs
Sep 2, 2017 → Aug 4, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest Gladfest Smokefest (ONE MEAT RIBS)
20232 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score335.3828 Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)170.2744 Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL)
20151 milestone
- Career-best overall score631.9772 BBQ on the Bow
20134 milestones
- First tracked contest BBQ on the Bow
- First call BBQ on the Bow
- First overall top-10 BBQ on the Bow
- Peak power rating (1511) BBQ on the Bow
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +10.7 | BBQ on the Bow | Aug 31, 2013 |
| +0.5 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) | Aug 4, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -5.7 | BBQ on the Bow | Sep 2, 2017 |
| -2.6 | Battle of the Bones | Jun 20, 2014 |
| -0.1 | BBQ on the Bow | Sep 5, 2015 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 55% | 93.2% | 93.2% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 69% | 84% | 84% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 51% | 87.8% | 87.8% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 60% | 87.5% | 87.5% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 19% | 87.5% | 87.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2026 | Gladfest Smokefest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Gladstone, MO | — | 18 (150.2740) | 19 (153.7372) | — | — |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Smoke in the Outfield (BACKYARD) (TEAM REGISTRATION FULL) Madison, AL | 32 / 58 (335.3828) | 42 (165.1084) | 28 (170.2744) | — | — |
| Sep 2, 2017 | BBQ on the Bow Calgary | 29 / 42 (604.5028) | 24 (156.5944) | 25 (150.2856) | 25 (154.2628) | 36 (143.3600) |
| Sep 5, 2015 | BBQ on the Bow Calgary, AB | 18 / 35 (631.9772) | 13 (168.5944) | 18 (154.8684) | 33 (145.1084) | 9 (163.4060) |
| Jun 20, 2014 | Battle of the Bones Central Point, OR | 9 / 15 (630.3084) | 5 (161.7372) | 10 (157.7028) | 9 (155.4400) | 8 (155.4284) |
| Aug 31, 2013 | BBQ on the Bow Calgary, Alberta, CA | 5 / 26 (629.8176) | 11 (158.8916) | 18 (140.6172) | 4 (164.5600) | 3 (165.7488) |