SMOKING BAD BBQ TEAM

SMOKING BAD BBQ TEAM is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2019. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the Bardo-Q BBQ Competition (2018), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1887 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,887

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1544

peak 1569 · rated over 16 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 20, 2015

latest Sep 14, 2019 · 4.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#855

Master 2019 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve · wins it all 12% of the time

Category wins

13 podiums

Overall top-10s

59% of 17 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 46%

overall standings

Best overall

696.5828 / 720

Master · Rugby Sound BBQ Competition

Perfect 180s

Current form

650.53 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 663.70 (-13.17)

Walk rate

82%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

178.8572

Pork · Rugby Sound BBQ Competition

Consistency

±19.70

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 166.98 · weakest Chicken (165.13)

Road miles

12,024

across 17 mapped stops · furthest 5,012 mi

Schedule strength

25%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1534)

Master avg

663.70 / 720

17 Master contests · 2 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

0.5368 points from the title

Came within 0.5368 points of the Grand Championship at Brixia 4 Star Championship (Sep 10, 2016).

Happy hunting ground

1× Grand Championship here

Bardo-Q BBQ Competition is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 1st
average top 14%

Multi-meat days

2 contests with 2+ category wins

They've won two or more meats on the same day 2 times — the best of them 2 category wins at Bardo-Q BBQ Competition (Apr 21, 2018).

Pork Ribs 1st
Brisket 1st

They almost always walk

82% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 14 of 17 contests

A top-10 category call in 82% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

696.5828 career-best overall

96.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 696.5828 at Rugby Sound BBQ Competition — 96.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 25, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

THE BARKTENDERS has finished one call ahead of SMOKING BAD BBQ TEAM 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

6–1 behind in the head-to-head

BROS HOG ahead in 86% of their meetings

BROS HOG has come out ahead in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

Show 4 more storylines

A strong matchup

7–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 78% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of GRILLER INSTINCT in 7 of their 9 shared contests.

Announced themselves early

3rd at their very first contest

Finished 3 of 24 at their very first tracked contest, Italian Barbecue Championship 2015 (Jun 20, 2015).

Jun 20, 2015
24-team field

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

White Squirrel BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The long haul

12,024 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 12,024 miles across 17 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 5,012 miles to 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL).

17 mapped stops
furthest 5,012 mi

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
2019 ↗	Master	#855 (334 pts)	#1073 (249 pts)	#921 (334 pts)	#905 (339 pts)	#810 (394 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1536 (162 pts)	#1380 (212 pts)	#1997 (112 pts)	#1599 (162 pts)	#1197 (262 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1148 (265 pts)	#1791 (135 pts)	#1224 (265 pts)	#1237 (265 pts)	#1285 (240 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMOKING BAD BBQ TEAM, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Good Grief BBQ

#1,889 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1563

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SMOKING BAD BBQ TEAM)

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

rated over 18 contests
last seen Sep 12, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

RIB CAGE BBQ

#1,888 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1545

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to SMOKING BAD BBQ TEAM)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 21 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Sep 15, 2018

⚔ Head-to-head

Hoosier BBQ

#1,895 of the rated field

1543 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1543

Careers of much the same size, 15 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Sep 19, 2026
on a 5-contest top-10 run

⚔ Compare careers

BBQ WorX

#1,890 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1544

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 16 contests, alongside a 56% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Jun 19, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

CARTER-QUE-ING

#1,881 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 46%
Peak: 1556

Level with SMOKING BAD BBQ TEAM on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 13 contests
last seen May 25, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

FOUR SCORE AND SEVEN RIBS AGO BBQ

#1,886 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1566

Careers of much the same size, 20 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Apr 22, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
STICKY FINGERS BARBECUE TEAM	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
GRILLER INSTINCT	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
ITALIAN STYLE BBQ TEAM	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
SMOKE'N'FIRE BBQ TEAM	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
DRAGON BBQ	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
Griller Unchained	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
TORINO RIBS	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
GECKO BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
BROS HOG	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
SMOKEY JOB	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
BURROS BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
White Squirrel BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
THE BARKTENDERS	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
Burnt Bros BBQ Team	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
BBQ4ALL DEFENDERS	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	8	1	2	178.2972	150.3084	165.13	top 55%
Pork Ribs	17	9	2	3	173.1656	151.3944	165.53	top 51%
Pork	17	9	2	4	178.8572	141.1316	166.07	top 47%
Brisket	17	11	3	4	175.4628	158.2512	166.98	top 37%

“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)	7	2	top 49%
Medium (20–39)	8	0	top 38%
Large (40+)	2	0	top 72%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
IT	4	1	top 33%
KS	2	0	top 72%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Italian Hardcore Barbecue (DAY 2)	3	7	0	top 65%	Sep 14, 2019
Bardo-Q BBQ Competition	2	1	1	top 14%	Apr 21, 2018
37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	2	177	0	top 72%	Oct 29, 2016
Italian Barbecue Championship 2016	2	3	0	top 39%	Jun 11, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 6 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 3.4 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IT 4 of 17 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 12 4 of them more than once

First title Jun 25, 2016 Rugby Sound BBQ Competition

Opponents faced 671 finished ahead 483 times, behind 539

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

20192 milestones

Mar 22 Peak power rating (1569) Country Road & BBQ Contest -Day1
Sep 14 Most recent contest Italian Hardcore Barbecue (DAY 2)

20181 milestone

Apr 21 10th tracked contest Bardo-Q BBQ Competition

20165 milestones

Jun 25 First Grand Championship Rugby Sound BBQ Competition
Jun 25 First multi-meat day Rugby Sound BBQ Competition
Jun 25 Career-best overall score696.5828 Rugby Sound BBQ Competition
Jun 25 Career-best single call (Pork)178.8572 Rugby Sound BBQ Competition
Sep 10 First Reserve Championship Brixia 4 Star Championship

20156 milestones

Jun 20 First tracked contest Italian Barbecue Championship 2015
Jun 20 First call Italian Barbecue Championship 2015
Jun 20 First category win (Pork) Italian Barbecue Championship 2015
Jun 20 First overall top-10 Italian Barbecue Championship 2015
Jun 20 First overall podium Italian Barbecue Championship 2015
Jun 20 First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.8912 Italian Barbecue Championship 2015

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.9	Rugby Sound BBQ Competition	Jun 25, 2016
+14.9	Bardo-Q BBQ Competition	Apr 21, 2018
+14.4	Brixia 4 Star Championship	Sep 10, 2016
+13.5	Italian Barbecue Championship 2015	Jun 20, 2015
+8.9	Bardo-Q BBQ Competition	Apr 22, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.9	Italian Hardcore Barbecue (Day 1)	Jun 8, 2018
-10.1	Country Road & BBQ Contest -Day2	Mar 23, 2019
-7.9	The War of Barbeque	Jun 22, 2019
-7	Italian Hardcore Barbecue (DAY 2)	Sep 14, 2019
-4.8	Italian Barbecue Championship 2016	Jun 11, 2016

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)
2019	4	0	2	0	75%	top 63%	93.3%	91.1%
2018	4	1	3	3	100%	top 46%	96%	91.4%
2017	2	0	2	2	100%	top 32%	95.1%	94.7%
2016	6	1	2	2	67%	top 46%	96.7%	92.5%
2015	1	0	1	1	100%	top 13%	92.6%	92.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 14, 2019	Italian Hardcore Barbecue (DAY 2) Carugate MI	9 / 13 (647.8056)	10 (161.6340)	2 (168.5372)	9 (159.3600)	9 (158.2744)
Jun 22, 2019	The War of Barbeque Jesolo, Venezia	14 / 19 (652.5600)	15 (165.1772)	8 (166.8344)	16 (158.8684)	11 (161.6800)
Mar 23, 2019	Country Road & BBQ Contest -Day2 Torreglia	20 / 25 (651.8284)	24 (154.2172)	18 (162.2400)	13 (166.8456)	11 (168.5256)
Mar 22, 2019	Country Road & BBQ Contest -Day1 Torreglia	6 / 20 (671.9660)	14 (165.1428)	12 (167.9772)	8 (172.5716)	6 (166.2744)
Oct 13, 2018	Bataille Sur La Sorgue L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue	8 / 16 (628.5028)	4 (168.5600)	5 (160.5600)	13 (141.1316)	5 (158.2512)
Jun 9, 2018	Italian Hardcore Barbecue (Day 2) Milano	7 / 20 (674.2172)	15 (165.7256)	14 (163.3944)	3 (177.7028)	8 (167.3944)
Jun 8, 2018	Italian Hardcore Barbecue (Day 1) Milano	11 / 12 (639.9080)	11 (150.3084)	5 (165.1428)	12 (149.6112)	1 (174.8456)
Apr 21, 2018	Bardo-Q BBQ Competition Bardonecchia	1 / 15 (690.8912)	8 (168.5828)	1 (172)	2 (174.8456)	1 (175.4628)
May 27, 2017	Italian Hardcore Barbcue Anzola dell'Emilia, Italy	5 / 12 (678.8116)	3 (170.8572)	10 (167.9772)	5 (167.3828)	1 (172.5944)
Apr 22, 2017	Bardo-Q BBQ Competition Bardonecchia	6 / 28 (685.0284)	1 (178.2972)	16 (168.5372)	14 (169.6684)	13 (168.5256)
Oct 29, 2016	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS	251 / 557 (657.6232)	349 (161.6688)	358 (161.1088)	240 (165.7372)	135 (169.1084)
Oct 28, 2016	37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) unrated Kansas City, KS	177 / 180 (633.5888)	179 (154.2400)	164 (159.9544)	175 (158.2628)	160 (161.1316)
Sep 10, 2016	Brixia 4 Star Championship Brescia, Italy	2 / 26 (686.8000)	4 (173.1428)	5 (170.2628)	6 (171.4172)	6 (171.9772)
Jun 25, 2016	Rugby Sound BBQ Competition Parabiago, Italy	1 / 15 (696.5828)	8 (169.1200)	1 (173.1656)	1 (178.8572)	2 (175.4400)
Jun 11, 2016	Italian Barbecue Championship 2016 Perugia, Italy	19 / 29 (666.2284)	9 (173.1084)	24 (164)	13 (170.2628)	24 (158.8572)
Jan 15, 2016	W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol 2016 Rein in Taufers, Italy	16 / 30 (653.6344)	12 (165.1084)	29 (151.3944)	8 (168)	6 (169.1316)
Jun 20, 2015	Italian Barbecue Championship 2015 Percorso Verde, Perugia	3 / 24 (666.8912)	11 (162.2628)	5 (170.8572)	1 (172.6056)	9 (161.1656)

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

SMOKING BAD BBQ TEAM

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

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)

The heartbreaker

Happy hunting ground

Multi-meat days

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Announced themselves early

Looking over their shoulder

The long haul

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)