SMOKIN' N THE DARK

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#789

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1628

peak 1628 · rated over 12 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-03-01

latest 2017-03-03

Best ToY finish

#628

Master 2014

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

11 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 12 contests

Avg finish

top 25%

overall standings

Best overall

696.4912 / 720

Master · Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

675.33 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 681.78 (-6.45)

Walk rate

100%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Pork Ribs · Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

Consistency

±10.93

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 172.61 · weakest Brisket (168.59)

Road miles

2,794

mi across 12 mapped stops · furthest 374 mi

Schedule strength

86%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1616)

Master avg

681.78 / 720

12 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (16 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180s

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork ribs.

Pork Ribs ×1

Against the odds

28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (2014-03-07) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 28-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, LOTTA BULL BBQ.

Signature meat

25% pork ribs entries won

3 wins from 12 entries

When pork ribs is on the table, watch out — they've won it in 25% of their entries (3 of 12).

best 180.0000
average 172.61
9 calls

Happy hunting ground

1× Grand Championships here

Sam's Club National BBQ Tour is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 1st
average top 9%

A multi-meat day

1 contests with 2+ category wins

They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (2016-03-04).

Chicken 1st
Pork Ribs 1st

They almost always walk

100% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 12 of 12 contests

A top-10 category call in 100% of their 12 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

696.4912 career-best overall

96.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 696.4912 at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship — 96.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-10-09

Their season

2014 1 Grand Championship

2014 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 15%.

3 contests
3 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 15%

A tough matchup

4–1 behind in the head-to-head

SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ ahead in 80% of their meetings

SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ has come out ahead in 4 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.0 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.02 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 50% of the time against 75%.

Brisket avg 168.59
Pork Ribs avg 172.61
6 calls in 12 entries

The drought

10 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour on 2014-03-07 — 10 contests and 12.5 years ago.

last GC 2014-03-07
12.5 years ago

A strong matchup

5–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 71% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HABITUAL SMOKERS in 5 of their 7 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

5 of 8 shared pork ribs entries lost

CLARK CREW BBQ ahead 63% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, CLARK CREW BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 8 shared pork ribs entries.

Announced themselves early

4th at their very first contest

Finished 4 of 28 at their very first tracked contest, Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (2013-03-01).

2013-03-01
28-team field

They cook the hard rooms

1616 average field rating faced

A tougher draw than 86% of rated fields

The fields they enter average a 1616 power rating — a tougher draw than 86% of every rated contest in the data.

12 rated contests

The metronome

±1.52% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.52% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 94.7% of a perfect score
12 contests

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

SMOKEN DUDES BBQ

#788 of the rated field

1628 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1644

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SMOKIN' N THE DARK)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SMOKIN' N THE DARK has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 33 contests
last seen 2018-09-28

⚔ Head-to-head

WORTH SMOKIN' BBQ

#792 of the rated field

1628 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1628

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2015-10-03

⚔ Head-to-head

HOT CHIHUAHUA BARBECUE

#794 of the rated field

1628 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1628

No shared contest yet.

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 27 contests to 12.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2024-08-16

⚔ Head-to-head

FRONT DOOR GANG

#790 of the rated field

1628 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 47%
Peak: 1641

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 30 contests, alongside a 47% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 29 contests
last seen 2016-08-05

⚔ Head-to-head

FAT ANDY'S BBQ

#793 of the rated field

1628 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1633

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 30 contests
last seen 2017-09-08

⚔ Head-to-head

KCQ

#791 of the rated field

1628 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 35
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 26%
Peak: 1638

No shared contest yet.

Level with SMOKIN' N THE DARK on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 34 contests
last seen 2019-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
CLARK CREW BBQ	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
HABITUAL SMOKERS	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
LONGNECK SIPPERS	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	7	2	4	178.8572	159.3712	170.55	top 36%
Pork Ribs	12	9	3	3	180.0000 🔥	164.5256	172.61	top 28%
Pork	12	6	1	1	178.8572	161.0740	170.03	top 41%
Brisket	12	6	0	3	175.4056	153.6568	168.59	top 40%

“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 state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
LA	5	1	top 17%
OK	3	0	top 32%
TX	2	0	top 37%
AR	2	0	top 18%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	8	1	top 23%
Large (40+)	4	0	top 28%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	3	2	0	top 23%	2017-03-03
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	3	7	0	top 32%	2016-09-23
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	1	1	top 9%	2014-03-07
* Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown(JUDGES FULL)	2	10	0	top 37%	2017-02-16
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship	2	9	0	top 18%	2015-10-09

The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4 yrs 2013-03-01 → 2017-03-03

Busiest season 2016 3 contests

Contests a season 2.4 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in LA 5 of 12 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 5 5 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 12 entries · 2 wins · 7 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 172.61 · weakest Brisket (168.59)

Walk rate 100% a top-10 call in 12 of 12 contests

Overall top-10 rate 75% 9 of 12 contests

Wins it all 8% 1 Grand Championship · 1 reserve

First title 2014-03-07 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

Best top-10 run 7 straight contests

Master average 681.78 out of 720 · 12 contests · 1 GC

Perfect 180s 1 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 253 308–91 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,794 12 mapped stops · furthest 374 mi

Schedule strength 1616 average field rating faced — tougher than 86% of rated contests

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2013-03-01 → 2014-03-07

Power rating 1628 peak 1628 · #789 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Mar 1 First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Mar 1 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Mar 1 First overall top-10 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Mar 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score677.1426 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
2014
Mar 7 First category win (Pork Ribs) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Mar 7 First overall podium Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Mar 7 First Grand Championship Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Mar 7 First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
2015
Oct 9 Career-best overall score696.4912 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship
2016
Mar 4 First Reserve Championship Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Mar 4 First multi-meat day Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Sep 23 10th tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)
2017
Feb 16 Peak power rating (1628) * Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown(JUDGES FULL)
Mar 3 Most recent contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.9	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2014-03-07
+16.9	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship	2015-10-09
+16.3	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship	2014-09-26
+14	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	2014-09-19
+13.8	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2016-03-04

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-0.9	Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown	2016-02-25
-0.2	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2017-03-03

Category scores over time

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	2	0	1	1	100%	top 36%	95.9%	94.3%
2016	3	0	1	2	100%	top 32%	94.6%	93.5%
2015	3	0	3	2	100%	top 22%	96.7%	95.2%
2014	3	1	3	1	100%	top 15%	96.4%	95.9%
2013	1	0	1	0	100%	top 14%	94%	94%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-03-03	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Shreveport, LA	14 / 29 (667.2796)	26 (159.3712)	19 (164.5256)	6 (169.6800)	3 (173.7028)
2017-02-16	* Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown(JUDGES FULL) Huntsville, TX	10 / 41 (690.7540)	33 (159.9312)	4 (176.5600)	1 (178.8572)	8 (175.4056)
2016-09-23	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Midwest City, OK	12 / 30 (679.8968)	3 (177.7028)	27 (167.3828)	6 (173.7256)	30 (161.0856)
2016-03-04	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Shreveport, LA	2 / 30 (681.1200)	1 (174.3200)	1 (175.4288)	5 (171.4056)	18 (159.9656)
2016-02-25	Shotgun Fred BBQ Showdown Huntsville, TX	21 / 42 (657.6108)	22 (164.5256)	8 (169.7028)	9 (169.7256)	34 (153.6568)
2015-10-09	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship Bentonville, AR	9 / 50 (696.4912)	29 (171.9656)	9 (176.5600)	29 (172.5600)	15 (175.4056)
2015-09-25	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Midwest City, OK	10 / 30 (679.8972)	1 (178.8572)	14 (169.1316)	18 (166.8228)	18 (165.0856)
2015-03-06	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Shreveport, LA	4 / 29 (680.4452)	12 (168.5484)	1 (177.7144)	22 (161.0740)	5 (173.1084)
2014-09-26	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship Bentonville, AR	9 / 50 (694.3088)	9 (177.1428)	7 (174.8916)	31 (169.7144)	26 (172.5600)
2014-09-19	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Midwest City, OK	7 / 29 (682.2172)	3 (176.0228)	9 (170.2628)	24 (166.2400)	10 (169.6916)
2014-03-07	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Baton Rouge, LA	1 / 23 (694.2284)	7 (171.9656)	1 (180.0000)	6 (171.4172)	2 (170.8456)
2013-03-01	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Baton Rouge, LA	4 / 28 (677.1426)	10 (166.2856)	9 (169.1428)	12 (169.1428)	2 (172.5714)

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

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

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017 ↗	Master	#1193 (244 pts)	#1962 (114 pts)	#1148 (294 pts)	#864 (454 pts)	#943 (384 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#798 (455 pts)	#688 (585 pts)	#813 (490 pts)	#790 (495 pts)	#1425 (205 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#736 (479 pts)	#794 (459 pts)	#713 (534 pts)	#1379 (219 pts)	#919 (379 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#628 (592 pts)	#701 (542 pts)	#647 (592 pts)	#1105 (297 pts)	#794 (452 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1264 (203 pts)	#1754 (128 pts)	#1691 (138 pts)	#1837 (118 pts)	#1141 (253 pts)