PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS

PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 68th of 89 at the SC Festival of Discovery (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) (2017). They are ranked #6192 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#6,192

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1422

peak 1422 · rated over 9 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 10, 2014

latest Jul 6, 2023 · 9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#2158

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

0% of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 90%

overall standings

Best overall

622.7432 / 720

Master · SC Festival of Discovery (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)

Perfect 180s

Current form

584.81 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 589.02 (-4.21)

Walk rate

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

167.4400

Chicken · SC Festival of Discovery (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)

Consistency

±15.51

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 155.92 · weakest Brisket (137.83)

Road miles

across 10 mapped stops

Schedule strength

51%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)

Purse competed for

$90K

listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

589.02 / 720

9 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

SMALL TOWN BAR-B-QUE has finished one call ahead of PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

9–0 behind in the head-to-head

ELITE BBQ SMOKERS ahead in 100% of their meetings

ELITE BBQ SMOKERS has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

The weak link

−18.1 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 18.09 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.

Brisket avg 137.83
Chicken avg 155.92
0 calls in 9 entries

A strong matchup

6–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of THE SMOKIN' GRILL in 6 of their 8 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at SC Festival of Discovery (Jul 9, 2021).

last seen Jul 12, 2019
back Jul 9, 2021

Chicken nemesis

9 of 9 shared chicken entries lost

MUTTLEY CREW BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, MUTTLEY CREW BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 9 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±2.15% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.15% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 81.8% of a perfect score
10 contests

Show 1 more storyline

A standing appointment

6 years running at one contest

They've cooked SC Festival of Discovery every year from 2014 to 2019 — the contest they never miss.

7 visits in all
best finish 68th

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)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2225 (60 pts)	#2214 (60 pts)

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS, each with one reason worth a look.

31 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

CLAUDE'S Q

#6,189 of the rated field

1423 power rating

Contests: 69
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1510

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 67 contests
last seen May 8, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Brian's Beef

#6,195 of the rated field

1422 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1422

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Jul 19, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

SWEET FREEDOM BBQ

#6,197 of the rated field

1422 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1422

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 9 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Rock'm Sock'mmm BBQ

#6,191 of the rated field

1423 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1423

Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Aug 2, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

SULTANS OF SWINE, NC

#6,187 of the rated field

1423 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1423

13 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jun 3, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

JUST FOR FUN

#6,194 of the rated field

1422 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1422

Level with PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Apr 26, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
ELITE BBQ SMOKERS	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
MUTTLEY CREW BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
PIG ON FIRE	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN SKULLIES	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
ULTIMATE TAILGATERS BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKIN' GRILL	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
Backwoods BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
BLIND SWINE BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
BLUE SUEDE QUE	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
DEEP SOUTH BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BAYOU POKER SMOKERS	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
SUE E PIGG	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
OFF THE GRILL BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
QUALITY QUE	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
SKINT BACK BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	167.4400	142.2400	155.92	top 77%
Pork Ribs	9	156.6056	134.2172	142.50	top 91%
Pork	9	164.5716	139.8512	152.77	top 82%
Brisket	9	154.2516	106.1716	137.83	top 89%

“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.

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
SC Festival of Discovery	7	68	0	top 88%	Jul 9, 2021
South Carolina Festival of Discovery	2	74	0	top 94%	Jul 6, 2023

More numbers

Contests a season 1 across 10 seasons in the data

Most contests held in SC 10 of 10 contests

Contests visited 2 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 303 finished ahead 80 times, behind 688

Longest layoff 2 yrs Jul 12, 2019 → Jul 9, 2021

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20232 milestones

Jul 6 10th tracked contest South Carolina Festival of Discovery
Jul 6 Most recent contest South Carolina Festival of Discovery

20172 milestones

Jul 6 Career-best overall score622.7432 SC Festival of Discovery (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)
Jul 6 Career-best single call (Chicken)167.4400 SC Festival of Discovery (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES)

20141 milestone

Jul 10 Peak power rating (1488) SC Festival of Discovery

20131 milestone

Jul 11 First tracked contest SC Festival of Discovery

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.6	SC Festival of Discovery (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)	Jul 9, 2015
-12.2	SC Festival of Discovery	Jul 10, 2014
-9.4	SC Festival of Discovery	Jul 9, 2021
-8.8	South Carolina Festival of Discovery	Jul 6, 2023
-8.4	South Carolina Festival of Discovery	Jul 7, 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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	1	0%	top 97%	80.8%	80.8%
2022	1	0%	top 91%	79.9%	79.9%
2021	1	0%	top 93%	82%	82%
2019	1	0%	top 90%	80%	80%
2018	1	0%	top 84%	83.5%	83.5%
2017	1	0%	top 76%	86.5%	86.5%
2016	1	0%	top 85%	83.1%	83.1%
2015	1	0%	top 97%	79.1%	79.1%
2014	1	0%	top 93%	81.5%	81.5%
2013	1	0%	—	—	—

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 6, 2023	South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	74 / 76 (582.0684)	71 (154.2628)	65 (156.6056)	75 (139.8512)	75 (131.3488)
Jul 7, 2022	South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	84 / 92 (575.1084)	87 (142.2400)	83 (135.3028)	85 (152.5028)	81 (145.0628)
Jul 9, 2021	SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	75 / 81 (590.1372)	54 (163.4628)	76 (134.2172)	67 (157.6800)	76 (134.7772)
Jul 12, 2019	SC Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	75 / 83 (575.8624)	78 (144.5028)	73 (143.4284)	79 (145.6684)	75 (142.2628)
Jul 12, 2018	SC Festival Of Discovery Greenwood, SC	75 / 89 (600.8568)	63 (159.3828)	73 (149.6684)	69 (155.9428)	82 (135.8628)
Jul 6, 2017	SC Festival of Discovery (PALMETTO BBQ SERIES) Greenwood, SC	68 / 89 (622.7432)	33 (167.4400)	87 (139.9660)	61 (161.0856)	62 (154.2516)
Jul 7, 2016	SC Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC	70 / 82 (598.1832)	68 (156.0116)	72 (150.2744)	79 (144.5028)	64 (147.3944)
Jul 9, 2015	SC Festival of Discovery (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Greenwood, SC	87 / 90 (569.4976)	61 (160.5600)	86 (138.1944)	39 (164.5716)	89 (106.1716)
Jul 10, 2014	SC Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC	80 / 86 (586.7316)	73 (155.4172)	82 (134.8344)	72 (153.0972)	78 (143.3828)
Jul 11, 2013	SC Festival of Discovery Greenwood, SC	—	—	—	—	—

PALMETTO MOONLIGHT SMOKERS

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

The metronome

A standing appointment

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📉 Toughest weekends

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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)