The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
CARVER'S Q has finished one call ahead of Smoke or be Smoked 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Smoke or be Smoked
Smoke or be Smoked is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 11th of 65 at the New Jersey State Barbecue Championship (2016). They are ranked #4408 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1475
peak 1475 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
May 10, 2013
latest Jul 14, 2023 · 10.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 13 contests
Avg finish
top 63%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
628.19 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 619.61 (+8.58)
Walk rate
15%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±19.50
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 158.88 · weakest Brisket (150.97)
Road miles
593
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 97 mi
Schedule strength
22%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1531)
Purse competed for
$28K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
619.61 / 720
13 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #2158 (60 pts) | #2209 (60 pts) | #2142 (70 pts) | #2116 (80 pts) | #2214 (60 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Smoke or be Smoked, each with one reason worth a look.
155 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,407 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1526
2–4 in 6 shared contests (33% to Smoke or be Smoked)
These two have cooked 6 of the same contests — Whats Smokin ahead 4–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,401 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1502
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 3 years before Smoke or be Smoked's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#4,416 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1508
They've been 1508 at their best, 33 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#4,390 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1475
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#4,397 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1475
17 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#4,413 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1511
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PHILLY BLIND PIG BBQ | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| Nice Racks | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| CARVER'S Q | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| Fire Ants BBQ | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Palm tree smokehouse | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| SWINE AND CHEESE | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKOPOLIS BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| THE BBQ GURU | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SHADY CREW | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| WILBUR'S REVENGE | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' TEX BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| B'S QUE | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| GLAZED AND INFUSED NEW JERSEY BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 173.1656 | 141.1426 | 155.28 | top 65% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 163.4288 | 142.7772 | 154.48 | top 59% |
| Pork | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5256 | 146.8344 | 158.88 | top 47% |
| Brisket | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2628 | 132.5944 | 150.97 | top 62% |
“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
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | 6 | 11 | 0 | top 50% | Jul 14, 2023 |
| Que for the Troops | 2 | 45 | 0 | top 73% | Jun 1, 2018 |
| Smoke in the Valley BBQ competition | 2 | 42 | 0 | top 84% | May 6, 2016 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2018
2 contests
Contests a season
1.4
across 9 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NJ
7 of 13 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
6
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
329
finished ahead 305 times, behind 488
Longest layoff
3 yrs
Jul 12, 2019 → Jul 9, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20233 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score652.4224 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
- Career-best overall score652.4224 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
- Most recent contest New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
20181 milestone
- 10th tracked contest New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
20171 milestone
- Career-best single call (Chicken)173.1656 New Jersey State Barbecue Championship
20141 milestone
- First call Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition
20132 milestones
- First tracked contest Green Lane Fire CO's
- Peak power rating (1489) Green Lane Fire CO's
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.1 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 8, 2016 |
| +4.8 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 7, 2017 |
| +4.6 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 14, 2023 |
| +2.8 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 12, 2019 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.6 | Green Lane Fire CO's | May 10, 2013 |
| -8.8 | Smoke in the Valley BBQ competition | May 6, 2016 |
| -7.6 | Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition | May 9, 2014 |
| -6 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 14, 2018 |
| -6 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship | Jul 9, 2022 |
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 44% | 90.6% | 90.6% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 75% | 85.8% | 85.8% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 48% | 89.3% | 89.3% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 74% | 87.4% | 85.3% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 57% | 87.4% | 86.9% |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 53% | 89.1% | 86.7% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 63% | 87.1% | 87.1% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 80% | 82.5% | 82.5% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 73% | 84.4% | 82.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2023 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 28 / 64 (652.4224) | 39 (161.6912) | 41 (158.8228) | 19 (168.5256) | 23 (163.3828) |
| Jul 9, 2022 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 46 / 61 (618.0912) | 56 (150.7884) | 57 (142.7772) | 29 (162.2628) | 27 (162.2628) |
| Jul 12, 2019 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship 🏅 North Wildwood, NJ | 31 / 64 (642.7544) | 40 (158.8344) | 58 (149.6800) | 16 (167.9772) | 15 (166.2628) |
| Jul 14, 2018 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ | 48 / 64 (598.6628) | 56 (143.3256) | 14 (163.4288) | 48 (150.2284) | 54 (141.6800) |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Que for the Troops Levittown, PA | 45 / 61 (629.0168) | 30 (162.9028) | 53 (150.7884) | 29 (160.5028) | 46 (154.8228) |
| Jul 7, 2017 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ | 28 / 67 (629.6344) | 3 (173.1656) | 39 (150.8000) | 16 (163.4056) | 50 (142.2632) |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Que for the Troops Levittown, PA | 45 / 63 (621.6000) | 59 (142.2284) | 25 (162.2628) | 42 (154.8344) | 24 (162.2744) |
| Jul 8, 2016 | New Jersey State Barbecue Championship North Wildwood, NJ | 11 / 65 (641.7488) | 25 (158.8572) | 27 (158.3088) | 13 (162.8800) | 18 (161.7028) |
| May 6, 2016 | Smoke in the Valley BBQ competition Greenlane, PA | 42 / 47 (606.2400) | 21 (164.0116) | 43 (146.8456) | 26 (160) | 44 (135.3828) |
| May 8, 2015 | Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition & Festival Green Lane, PA | 36 / 57 (627.3712) | 42 (157.0856) | 23 (160.5828) | 21 (162.3200) | 44 (147.3828) |
| May 9, 2014 | Smoke in the Valley BBQ Competition Green Lane, PA | 43 / 54 (594.2636) | 37 (151.9660) | 9 (162.8688) | 40 (146.8344) | 52 (132.5944) |
| Oct 5, 2013 | DO AC Smokin' Hot Atlantic City BBQ Championship Atlantic City, NJ | 53 / 85 (607.9540) | 58 (152.5828) | 37 (154.8344) | 35 (155.9656) | 61 (144.5712) |
| May 10, 2013 | Green Lane Fire CO's Green Lane, PA | 48 / 58 (585.1420) | 56 (141.1426) | 44 (146.2854) | 38 (149.7140) | 38 (148) |