The heartbreaker
0.5944
points from the title
Came within 0.5944 points of the Grand Championship at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (2016-05-20).
SOUTHERN SMOKERS
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1577
peak 1636 · rated over 28 contests ⓘ
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
28
in the data
First seen
2013-04-12
latest 2019-06-21
Best ToY finish
#373
Master 2016
Grand champs
2
3 reserve
Category wins
6
15 podiums
Overall top-10s
12
of 28 contests
Avg finish
top 43%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
636.01 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 660.12 (-24.11)
Walk rate
68%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±47.83
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 168.36 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.75)
Road miles
4,746
mi across 28 mapped stops · furthest 646 mi
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 1 state-championship entries
Master avg
660.12 / 720
28 Master contests · 2 GCs
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
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in brisket.
- Brisket ×2
Against the odds
18-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 82 times in 100
Their Grand Championship at Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest (2016-05-13) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 18-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, Organizer Portal.
Happy hunting ground
1×
Grand Championships here
Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.
- 2 visits
- best finish 1st
- average top 5%
They almost always walk
68%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 19 of 28 contests
A top-10 category call in 68% of their 28 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
701.1316
career-best overall
97.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 701.1316 at Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest — 97.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2016-05-13
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
JERRY'S TENDER BUTT BBQ has finished one call ahead of SOUTHERN SMOKERS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
A tough matchup
12–3
behind in the head-to-head
Organizer Portal ahead in 80% of their meetings
Organizer Portal has come out ahead in 12 of their 15 shared contests.
The weak link
−4.6
points behind their best meat
Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.61 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 25% of the time against 33%.
- Pork Ribs avg 163.75
- Chicken avg 168.36
- 7 calls in 28 entries
The drought
8
contests since the last title
Their last Grand Championship came at Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest on 2016-05-13 — 8 contests and 10.3 years ago.
- last GC 2016-05-13
- 10.3 years ago
A strong matchup
8–2
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 80% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of HOTTY TOTTY BBQ CREW in 8 of their 10 shared contests.
Chicken nemesis
9 of 15
shared chicken entries lost
Organizer Portal ahead 60% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Organizer Portal has out-cooked them in 9 of 15 shared chicken entries.
Always the bridesmaid
3
reserve championships
Runner-up for the whole thing 3 times against 2 Grand Championships — close enough to touch it, over and over.
- 2 Grand Championships
- 28 contests
An April team
Top 18%
average finish in April
Something about April: average finish in the top 18% across 3 contests, versus top 43% the rest of the year.
- 3 April contests
- top 43% the rest of the year
The long haul
4,746
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,746 miles across 28 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 646 miles to Jimmy's Roadhouse BBQ Championship.
- 28 mapped stops
- furthest 646 mi
A standing appointment
4
years running at one contest
They've cooked Stand by Your Grill every year from 2013 to 2016 — the contest they never miss.
- 4 visits in all
- best finish 10th
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.
30 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1316 of the rated field
- Contests
- 49
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 18%
- Peak
- 1615
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to SOUTHERN SMOKERS)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SOUTHERN SMOKERS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1310 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1632
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1632 at their best, 55 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#1312 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1583
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 25 contests to 28, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#1309 of the rated field
- Contests
- 33
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1577
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 33 contests, alongside a 24% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#1311 of the rated field
- Contests
- 41
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 15%
- Peak
- 1588
No shared contest yet.
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.
⚔ Head-to-head#1313 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 27%
- Peak
- 1577
No shared contest yet.
Level with SOUTHERN SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organizer Portal | 15 | 3 | 12 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| KILLER HOGS | 14 | 5 | 9 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| SWIGGIN PIG | 13 | 4 | 9 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| HEAVENLY MANNA BBQ | 12 | 8 | 4 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE DANCER BBQ | 11 | 6 | 5 | 55% | ⚔ compare |
| HOTTY TOTTY BBQ CREW | 10 | 8 | 2 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Q-BONES BBQ | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| JIGGY PIGGY | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE ON THIS | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| The Specialists | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Swine Life | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| South Pork | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| BEAN BANDITS | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| CUZ'S CUSTOM COOKING | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 27 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 178.2972 | 146.2400 | 168.36 | top 44% |
| Pork Ribs | 28 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 177.7372 | 133.1426 | 163.75 | top 55% |
| Pork | 28 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 176.5600 | 135.4284 | 167.10 | top 46% |
| Brisket | 28 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 180.0000 🔥 | 131.4176 | 166.92 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS | 14 | 1 | top 21% |
| TN | 8 | 0 | top 75% |
| GA | 2 | 0 | top 46% |
| AL | 2 | 1 | top 9% |
| AR | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
| MI | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 16 | 2 | top 47% |
| Large (40+) | 12 | 0 | top 39% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stand by Your Grill | 4 | 10 | 0 | top 20% | 2016-08-19 |
| Blount County BBQ Bash | 3 | 27 | 0 | top 98% | 2019-06-21 |
| Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 5% | 2016-05-13 |
The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
6.2 yrs
2013-04-12 → 2019-06-21
Busiest season
2016
9 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
4
across 7 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
MS
14 of 28 contests · 6 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
22
3 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
28 entries · 0 wins · 7 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 168.36 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.75)
Walk rate
68%
a top-10 call in 19 of 28 contests
Overall top-10 rate
43%
12 of 28 contests
Wins it all
7%
2 Grand Championships · 3 reserve
First title
2014-09-12
Bama Brew & Que
Best top-10 run
4
straight contests
Master average
660.12
out of 720 · 28 contests · 2 GCs
Perfect 180s
2
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
604
713–497 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
4,746
28 mapped stops · furthest 646 mi
Schedule strength
1566
average field rating faced — tougher than 51% of rated contests
State championships
0
from 1 state-championship entries
Power rating
1577
peak 1636 · #1317 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Grilling on the River '13
- First call Grilling on the River '13
- First overall top-10 Grilling on the River '13
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score674.2852 Grilling on the River '13
- 2014
- First category win (Brisket) Bama Brew & Que
- First overall podium Bama Brew & Que
- First Grand Championship Bama Brew & Que
- First Reserve Championship Roast N' Boast
- 10th tracked contest The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA)
- 2015
- First perfect 180 (Brisket) Stand By Your Grill
- 2016
- Career-best overall score701.1316 Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest
- Peak power rating (1636) Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash
- 25th tracked contest Stand by Your Grill
- 2019
- Most recent contest Blount County BBQ Bash
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +17.3 | Bama Brew & Que | 2014-09-12 |
| +14.8 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2016-05-20 |
| +14.7 | Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest | 2015-05-08 |
| +14.4 | Roast N' Boast | 2014-10-17 |
| +14.3 | Stand By Your Grill | 2014-08-15 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -19.2 | Delta Smoke BBQ Contest | 2016-06-10 |
| -17.4 | Blount County BBQ Bash | 2017-06-23 |
| -16.4 | Blount County BBQ Bash | 2019-06-21 |
| -16.1 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass | 2013-05-17 |
| -14.9 | Blount County BBQ Bash | 2018-06-22 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 83.2% | 83.2% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 83% | 83% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 86.5% | 86.5% |
| 2016 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 67% | top 37% | 97.4% | 94.1% |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 83% | top 24% | 97% | 95.3% |
| 2014 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 83% | top 44% | 97% | 89% |
| 2013 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 75% | top 44% | 94.7% | 90.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-06-21 | Blount County BBQ Bash 🏅 Maryville, TN | 27 / 27 (598.7316) | 26 (153.1200) | 25 (154.2516) | 27 (153.1084) | 27 (138.2516) |
| 2018-06-22 | Blount County BBQ Bash Maryville, TN | 35 / 36 (597.6576) | 35 (148.5372) | 34 (153.1316) | 34 (152.5944) | 34 (143.3944) |
| 2017-06-23 | Blount County BBQ Bash Maryville, TN | 34 / 35 (622.7660) | 34 (146.2400) | 32 (151.4288) | 31 (162.2400) | 27 (162.8572) |
| 2016-08-19 | Stand by Your Grill Fulton, MS | 11 / 40 (675.8624) | 23 (169.6684) | 19 (168.5256) | 18 (166.8456) | 15 (170.8228) |
| 2016-07-01 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Marietta, GA | 16 / 30 (685.0284) | 19 (170.8228) | 20 (169.1200) | 15 (170.8228) | 8 (174.2628) |
| 2016-06-10 | Delta Smoke BBQ Contest Wynne, AR | 39 / 39 (621.0400) | 38 (155.3828) | 38 (154.2628) | 36 (162.2972) | 37 (149.0972) |
| 2016-06-03 | Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash Memphis, TN | 8 / 25 (686.7656) | 6 (175.4056) | 8 (168.5600) | 10 (169.6800) | 5 (173.1200) |
| 2016-05-20 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Southhaven, MS | 2 / 29 (695.9084) | 11 (173.1200) | 9 (173.1200) | 2 (176.5600) | 7 (173.1084) |
| 2016-05-13 | Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest Ashland, MS | 1 / 26 (701.1316) | 1 (177.7144) | 2 (176.0000) | 5 (174.2744) | 10 (173.1428) |
| 2016-04-22 | Southaven Springfest Southaven, MS | 4 / 41 (699.3712) | 7 (175.4056) | 6 (175.4056) | 18 (168.5600) | 2 (180.0000) |
| 2016-03-19 | Tupelo BBQ Duel- Comp 2 Tupelo, MS | 36 / 61 (665.0056) | 19 (173.1316) | 54 (159.3828) | 11 (173.1428) | 50 (159.3484) |
| 2016-03-18 | Tupelo BBQ Duel- Comp 1 Tupelo, MS | 37 / 95 (666.7772) | 46 (167.4056) | 58 (161.7028) | 9 (175.4288) | 57 (162.2400) |
| 2015-08-14 | Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS | 12 / 57 (687.9316) | 13 (174.2628) | 36 (164.5488) | 24 (169.1200) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2015-07-03 | Blues Hog Barbecue, Music & Craft Festival Jackson, TN | 6 / 51 (689.6688) | 1 (178.2972) | 27 (166.8228) | 12 (170.8344) | 5 (173.7144) |
| 2015-05-29 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Hendersonville, TN | 19 / 29 (674.1368) | 23 (167.9656) | 17 (169.1200) | 20 (167.3828) | 12 (169.6684) |
| 2015-05-08 | Mississippi Springfest BBQ Contest Ashland, MS | 2 / 31 (698.2512) | 1 (177.7372) | 6 (175.4400) | 13 (170.8112) | 4 (174.2628) |
| 2015-04-10 | Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL | 5 / 34 (691.3484) | 17 (170.8112) | 2 (177.7372) | 9 (170.8228) | 12 (171.9772) |
| 2015-03-13 | Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Tupelo, MS | 24 / 94 (677.0056) | 56 (165.0972) | 55 (161.6456) | 18 (172.5600) | 3 (177.7028) |
| 2014-11-21 | The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA) Cumming, GA | 33 / 86 (678.7200) | 9 (176.5600) | 53 (165.1088) | 62 (165.0856) | 28 (171.9656) |
| 2014-10-17 | Roast N' Boast Columbus, MS | 2 / 25 (692.4568) | 1 (177.7028) | 8 (167.3828) | 5 (173.1084) | 3 (174.2628) |
| 2014-09-12 | Bama Brew & Que Tuscaloosa, AL | 1 / 26 (698.2400) | 2 (176.5600) | 12 (169.6800) | 2 (174.8572) | 1 (177.1428) |
| 2014-08-15 | Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS | 10 / 65 (685.0400) | 21 (171.4172) | 18 (170.8344) | 37 (166.2284) | 6 (176.5600) |
| 2014-08-08 | Jimmy's Roadhouse BBQ Championship Newaygo, MI | 32 / 32 (598.1832) | 21 (161.7028) | 31 (137.6572) | 10 (167.4056) | 32 (131.4176) |
| 2014-05-16 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN | 55 / 56 (492.4916) | — | 34 (163.4172) | 19 (169.7144) | 38 (159.3600) |
| 2013-08-16 | Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS | 11 / 62 (681.6228) | 25 (169.1200) | 25 (167.9772) | 21 (168.5256) | 4 (176.0000) |
| 2013-05-17 | Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN | 47 / 47 (578.8566) | 43 (153.1426) | 47 (133.1426) | 47 (135.4284) | 35 (157.1430) |
| 2013-05-10 | Mississippi Springfest Ashland, MS | 8 / 29 (669.1420) | 14 (165.1426) | 15 (162.8568) | 13 (165.7142) | 2 (175.4284) |
| 2013-04-12 | Grilling on the River '13 Columbus, MS | 9 / 31 (674.2852) | 4 (174.2858) | 15 (166.8570) | 14 (165.7140) | 15 (167.4284) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #373 (1025 pts) | #461 (870 pts) | #498 (825 pts) | #374 (1030 pts) | #489 (840 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #527 (714 pts) | #617 (624 pts) | #602 (644 pts) | #750 (499 pts) | #386 (969 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #2084 (75 pts) | #1617 (160 pts) | #2161 (75 pts) | #2172 (75 pts) | #2148 (75 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #619 (507 pts) | #713 (462 pts) | #888 (357 pts) | #839 (392 pts) | #488 (657 pts) |