Perfect scores on the board
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
- Chicken ×1
- Pork Ribs ×1
205 Smoke
205 Smoke is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 16 at the Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff (2026). They are ranked #1081 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1596
peak 1596 · rated over 12 contests
Contests
16
in the data
First seen
Sep 16, 2022
latest Sep 18, 2026 · 4 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
3
6 podiums
Overall top-10s
7
44% of 16 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 34%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
344.64
last 5 Backyard vs avg 344.24 (+0.40)
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.06
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 173.04 · weakest Pork (169.68)
Road miles
469
across 16 mapped stops · furthest 74 mi
Schedule strength
68%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1586)
Purse competed for
$69K
listed at 16 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
344.24 / 360
12 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
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)
The teams rated closest to 205 Smoke, each with one reason worth a look.
37 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,077 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 73%
- Peak
- 1597
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,087 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 67%
- Peak
- 1596
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before 205 Smoke's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,078 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1598
Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,085 of the rated field
- Contests
- 24
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 79%
- Peak
- 1596
Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 24 contests, alongside a 79% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#1,079 of the rated field
- Contests
- 26
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 54%
- Peak
- 1621
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before 205 Smoke's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,082 of the rated field
- Contests
- 33
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 48%
- Peak
- 1612
Level with 205 Smoke on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| Pork Life | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | 8 | 7 | 1 | 88% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey Bees BBQ - MS | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Modest Meats | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Electro-Que-ted | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Mind if I Smoke? | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Say My Name BBQ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 180 🔥 | 165.0856 | 171.53 | top 46% |
| Pork Ribs | 14 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 180 🔥 | 167.3828 | 173.04 | top 34% |
| Pork | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171.4056 | 167.3828 | 169.68 | top 58% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 47% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 27% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 38% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 11 | 0 | top 44% | Mar 27, 2026 |
| Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 17% | Jun 5, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
10 contests
Contests a season
4
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
16 of 16 contests
Contests visited
9
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
14 entries · 2 wins · 7 calls
Opponents faced
192
finished ahead 264 times, behind 122
Longest layoff
1.5 yrs
Sep 16, 2022 → Mar 22, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Peak power rating (1596) Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff
- Most recent contest Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff
20257 milestones
- First call Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best overall score354.8572 Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 10th tracked contest The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT PORK)
20222 milestones
- First tracked contest Mission Q (Backyard Only)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score337.1088 Mission Q (Backyard Only)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.6 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 12, 2025 |
| +14.1 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Jun 5, 2026 |
| +14.1 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Sep 5, 2025 |
| +12.1 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Sep 19, 2025 |
| +12 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 1, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -2.4 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) | Sep 16, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50% | top 24% | 98.1% | 95.7% |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 70% | top 30% | 98.6% | 96.3% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 55% | 93.5% | 93.5% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 72% | 93.6% | 93.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Columbiana, AL | 3 / 16 (340.5028) | 8 (166.2400) | 2 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Jun 5, 2026 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 3 / 26 (353.1200) | 1 (180) | 12 (173.1200) | 13 (171.4056) | — |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 15 / 36 (338.2056) | 12 (170.8228) | 20 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 11 / 43 (345.6916) | 13 (174.2628) | 15 (171.4288) | — | — |
| Oct 25, 2025 | Last Chance Points Dance (BACKYARD) Cleveland, AL | 8 / 16 (345.6800) | 7 (175.4172) | 9 (170.2628) | — | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Cleveland, AL | — | 2 (176.5716) | — | — | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT PORK) Cleveland, AL | — | — | — | 15 (167.3828) | — |
| Oct 24, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Cleveland, AL | — | — | 7 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 7 / 30 (348.5372) | 10 (173.1200) | 7 (175.4172) | 18 (170.2628) | — |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Smoke on the Water Guntersville (BACKYARD ONLY) Guntersville, AL | 3 / 28 (354.8572) | 11 (174.8572) | 1 (180) | — | — |
| Sep 12, 2025 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-off Qualifier "Battle of the Bones" (ONE MEAT RIBS) Guntersville, AL | — | — | 12 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2025 | Bernard Blues & BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Cullman, AL | 6 / 29 (346.2284) | 25 (168.5256) | 1 (177.7028) | — | — |
| Aug 1, 2025 | Smoke on the Water BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Florence, AL | 6 / 23 (347.3944) | 11 (170.8228) | 2 (176.5716) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 22 / 43 (337.0744) | 27 (166.2400) | 14 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 21 / 38 (336.4912) | 30 (165.0856) | 13 (171.4056) | — | — |
| Sep 16, 2022 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 13 / 18 (337.1088) | 15 (167.9772) | 11 (169.1316) | — | — |