SMOKIN YANKEES

SMOKIN YANKEES is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2016. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Wine Country Big Q (2015). They are ranked #1454 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,454

of 6,485 rated · rankings

Rating

1568

peak 1572 · rated over 11 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Mar 15, 2013

latest Oct 29, 2016 · 3.6 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#745

Master 2015 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 8% of the time

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

23% of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 36%

overall standings

Best overall

682.7428 / 720

Master · Wine Country Big Q

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

658.86 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 656.74 (+2.12)

Walk rate

62%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Brisket · Smokin' on the Water

Consistency

±16.26

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 165.21 · weakest Pork Ribs (163.06)

Road miles

6,790

across 13 mapped stops · furthest 1,865 mi

Schedule strength

21%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1529)

Master avg

656.74 / 720

12 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

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

Brisket ×1

Against the odds

23-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 77 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Wine Country Big Q (Jul 10, 2015) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 23-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ.

Giant slayer

38 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 38-team field at Wine Country Big Q.

Jul 10, 2015

They almost always walk

62% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 8 of 13 contests

A top-10 category call in 62% of their 13 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

682.7428 career-best overall

94.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 682.7428 at Wine Country Big Q — 94.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 10, 2015

Their season

2015 1 Grand Championship

2015 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 17%.

4 contests
1 overall top-10
1 category win
average top 17%

A tough matchup

6–1 behind in the head-to-head

Rooftop BBQ ahead in 86% of their meetings

Rooftop BBQ has come out ahead in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

Show 4 more storylines

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Holy Smokers in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

6 of 7 shared chicken entries lost

Rooftop BBQ ahead 86% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Rooftop BBQ has out-cooked them in 6 of 7 shared chicken entries.

The long haul

6,790 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 6,790 miles across 13 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,865 miles to Backyard BBQ Brawl (Competitor's Series).

13 mapped stops
furthest 1,865 mi

The metronome

±2.26% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.26% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.2% of a perfect score
13 contests

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
2016 ↗	Master	#1454 (180 pts)	#1547 (180 pts)	#1416 (210 pts)	#1564 (180 pts)	#1309 (235 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#745 (470 pts)	#767 (480 pts)	#928 (380 pts)	#627 (615 pts)	#831 (435 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2084 (75 pts)	#2167 (75 pts)	#2141 (80 pts)	#2172 (75 pts)	#2148 (75 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1631 (135 pts)	#1859 (110 pts)	#2043 (75 pts)	#1888 (110 pts)	#1742 (125 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMOKIN YANKEES, each with one reason worth a look.

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

PORK PULLIN PLOWBOYS

#1,459 of the rated field

1568 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 16%
Peak: 1588

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to SMOKIN YANKEES)

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

rated over 23 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2023

⚔ Head-to-head

HAWG DOCTORS

#1,462 of the rated field

1568 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1568

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Oct 3, 2015

⚔ Compare careers

Ramblin Fork BBQ Co

#1,457 of the rated field

1568 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1568

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen Jan 24, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

CROSSCUT BBQ2

#1,451 of the rated field

1568 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1568

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen May 1, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

The Art of Que

#1,453 of the rated field

1568 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 37%
Peak: 1568

They turned up 6 years after SMOKIN YANKEES did, first appearing in 2019.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Sep 13, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

Big Horn Cookers

#1,458 of the rated field

1568 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1568

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

rated over 7 contests
last seen Nov 5, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
SON OF SMOKE	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
TOO ASHAMED TO NAME	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Rooftop BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
BOWLING OVER PIGS	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
WOODHOUSE BARBECUE	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
KNOCK UR SOX OFF BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
ROYAL SMOKIN' HOT	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
Burnin and Lootin	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
Holy Smokers	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	4	0	1	176.5600	157.1200	165.21	top 40%
Pork Ribs	13	3	0	1	175.4400	149.6228	163.06	top 45%
Pork	12	4	1	2	175.4056	152	164.89	top 40%
Brisket	12	3	1	2	180 🔥	139.9428	163.37	top 39%

“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
Medium (20–39)	2	1	top 9%
Large (40+)	10	0	top 42%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
CA	10	1	top 28%
KS	2	0	top 79%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	2	170	0	top 79%	Oct 29, 2016
Silicon Valley BBQ Championships	2	12	0	top 27%	Jun 26, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 5 contests

Contests a season 3.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Most contests held in CA 10 of 13 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 10 2 of them more than once

First title Jul 10, 2015 Wine Country Big Q

Opponents faced 830 finished ahead 613 times, behind 678

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

20162 milestones

Apr 1 Peak power rating (1572) 5th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship
Oct 29 Most recent contest 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)

20154 milestones

Jul 10 First Grand Championship Wine Country Big Q
Jul 10 10th tracked contest Wine Country Big Q
Jul 10 Biggest field won (38 teams) Wine Country Big Q
Jul 10 Career-best overall score682.7428 Wine Country Big Q

20137 milestones

Mar 15 First tracked contest 2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship
May 10 First call West Coast BBQ Classic
May 10 First overall top-10 West Coast BBQ Classic
May 10 First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.2856 West Coast BBQ Classic
Aug 23 First category win (Brisket) Smokin' on the Water
Aug 23 First overall podium Smokin' on the Water
Aug 23 First perfect 180 (Brisket) Smokin' on the Water

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.7	Wine Country Big Q	Jul 10, 2015
+12.4	Smokin' on the Water	Aug 23, 2013
+11.8	West Coast BBQ Classic	May 10, 2013
+9.3	2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship	Mar 15, 2013
+8.2	4th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship	Mar 20, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-4.2	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	Oct 29, 2016
-1.5	3rd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship	Mar 21, 2014
-0.6	The Great American Cookoff	Jul 26, 2013

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)
2016	3	0	0	0	0%	top 64%	92.4%	90.6%
2015	4	1	1	1	100%	top 17%	94.8%	93.4%
2014	1	0	0	0	0%	top 54%	88.5%	88.5%
2013	5	0	2	1	80%	top 27%	94.2%	90.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 29, 2016	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	350 / 557 (645.6004)	313 (163.3944)	244 (166.2744)	280 (164.5488)	453 (151.3828)
Oct 28, 2016	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) unrated Kansas City, KS	170 / 180 (645.5888)	175 (157.1200)	165 (158.8344)	127 (165.6916)	145 (163.9428)
Apr 1, 2016	5th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arciadia, CA	26 / 72 (665.6112)	51 (162.2400)	19 (170.2628)	47 (162.2284)	14 (170.8800)
Jul 10, 2015	Wine Country Big Q Rohnert Park, CA	1 / 38 (682.7428)	3 (171.9772)	2 (174.8456)	1 (175.4056)	14 (160.5144)
Jun 26, 2015	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA	12 / 49 (654.7428)	15 (162.8116)	37 (149.6228)	2 (171.9656)	2 (170.3428)
Apr 24, 2015	Backyard BBQ Brawl (Competitor's Series) Murfreesboro, TN	—	7 (167.9656)	18 (157.6916)	—	—
Mar 20, 2015	4th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA	25 / 100 (679.3488)	10 (176.5600)	71 (159.9544)	23 (171.9772)	25 (170.8572)
Mar 21, 2014	3rd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA	37 / 69 (637.5432)	32 (163.9428)	24 (162.2516)	41 (155.9544)	41 (155.3944)
Aug 23, 2013	Smokin' on the Water Lakeport, CA	3 / 20 (678.3316)	12 (164)	4 (175.4400)	16 (158.8916)	1 (180)
Jul 26, 2013	The Great American Cookoff Woodlake, CA	28 / 53 (636.4796)	17 (166.2740)	18 (161.7028)	10 (168.5600)	44 (139.9428)
Jun 28, 2013	Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA	17 / 56 (646.2854)	4 (168.5712)	32 (155.4284)	37 (152)	6 (170.2858)
May 10, 2013	West Coast BBQ Classic Long Beach, CA	8 / 54 (666.2856)	27 (160.5714)	4 (171.9998)	4 (170.8572)	17 (162.8572)
Mar 15, 2013	2nd Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA	13 / 57 (642.2854)	18 (162.2858)	32 (155.4286)	18 (160.5712)	15 (163.9998)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

SMOKIN YANKEES

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

Master avg

Storylines (11 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

Giant slayer

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

The long haul

The metronome

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

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

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)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 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)