The Smoking J's

The Smoking J's is a competition barbecue team with 24 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2020. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship (2019), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1092 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,092

of 6,485 rated · rankings

Rating

1596

peak 1597 · rated over 22 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 8, 2016

latest Jan 24, 2020 · 3.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#237

Master 2019 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time

Category wins

9 podiums

Overall top-10s

42% of 24 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 41%

overall standings

Best overall

698.8456 / 720

Master · Clayton BBQ Cook-off

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

667.43 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 656.24 (+11.19)

Walk rate

79%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Pork · Clayton BBQ Cook-off

Consistency

±36.53

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 165.35 · weakest Chicken (161.75)

Road miles

4,149

across 24 mapped stops · furthest 1,423 mi

Schedule strength

45%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1559)

Purse competed for

$165K

listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

won from 9 state-championship entries

Master avg

656.24 / 720

23 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (15 found in their record)

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

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 pork.

Pork ×2

Against the odds

7-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 93 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship (May 3, 2019) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 7-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, BIG POPPA SMOKERS.

On the rise

+45 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 45 points across 8 contests since Apr 26, 2019 — from 1550 up to 1596.

8 contests since Apr 26, 2019
now 1596

Happy hunting ground

Top 15% average finish here

Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship is their spot: an average finish in the top 15% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 5th
average top 15%

A multi-meat day

1 contest 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 Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship (May 3, 2019).

Pork 1st
Brisket 1st

They almost always walk

79% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 19 of 24 contests

A top-10 category call in 79% of their 24 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

698.8456 career-best overall

97.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 698.8456 at Clayton BBQ Cook-off — 97.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 12, 2019

Show 8 more storylines

State champions

1 state championship won

They've taken 1 state championship from 9 entries at contests carrying the title.

9 state-championship entries

Their season

2019 1 Grand Championship

2019 was the year it came together: 8 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 3 category wins, at an average finish in the top 31%.

8 contests
5 overall top-10s
3 category wins
average top 31%

A tough matchup

15–4 behind in the head-to-head

Smokey and the Pirate ahead in 79% of their meetings

Smokey and the Pirate has come out ahead in 15 of their 19 shared contests.

A strong matchup

16–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 89% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKIN' AXE BBQ in 16 of their 18 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

12 of 19 shared brisket entries lost

Smokey and the Pirate ahead 63% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Smokey and the Pirate has out-cooked them in 12 of 19 shared brisket entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

JACK9 BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 31% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 31% across 6 contests, versus top 41% the rest of the year.

6 July contests
top 41% the rest of the year

The long haul

4,149 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,149 miles across 24 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,423 miles to 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST.

24 mapped stops
furthest 1,423 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
2020 ↗	Master	#803 (80 pts)	#798 (100 pts)	#913 (60 pts)	#883 (65 pts)	#819 (85 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#237 (1,188 pts)	#281 (1,068 pts)	#307 (988 pts)	#266 (1,093 pts)	#243 (1,183 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#666 (511 pts)	#595 (626 pts)	#733 (491 pts)	#479 (771 pts)	#574 (631 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to The Smoking J's, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Backroads BBQ

#1,091 of the rated field

1596 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1596

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 26 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 26 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR BBQ

#1,095 of the rated field

1595 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 47%
Peak: 1595

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 4 years before The Smoking J's's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 18 contests

⚔ Compare careers

BRIGBOYS BBQ TEAM

#1,099 of the rated field

1595 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 4
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1595

Careers of much the same size, 21 contests to 24, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen May 11, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

M-Dubs BBQ

#1,086 of the rated field

1596 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1596

31 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 32% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 31 contests
last seen Sep 6, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

LaTa-Que

#1,097 of the rated field

1595 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 45%
Peak: 1614

Level with The Smoking J's on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 36 contests
last seen Aug 14, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Rankin County BBQ Company

#1,098 of the rated field

1595 power rating

Contests: 42
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1623

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 42 contests to 24.

rated over 37 contests
last seen May 24, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
PIRATES OF THE PIG	19	8	11	42%	⚔ compare
Smokey and the Pirate	19	4	15	21%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' AXE BBQ	18	16	2	89%	⚔ compare
Old Town Franklin BBQ	17	8	9	47%	⚔ compare
RBQ	16	10	6	63%	⚔ compare
SMOKED SEDUCTION	15	6	9	40%	⚔ compare
NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT	14	9	5	64%	⚔ compare
Cynical BBQ	14	3	11	21%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-CUDA BBQ	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
SON OF SMOKE	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
FLAME THROWER BBQ CO.	12	9	3	75%	⚔ compare
BULL MARKET BBQ	12	6	6	50%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-Q'S-2GO	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
Saltworks BBQ	11	9	2	82%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	24	14	1	1	177.1772	20	161.75	top 38%
Pork Ribs	24	9	1	2	178.2972	148.5828	163.68	top 48%
Pork	23	8	2	3	180 🔥	145.6684	165.20	top 43%
Brisket	23	10	1	3	172.5828	157.1200	165.35	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)	1	0	top 47%
Medium (20–39)	13	1	top 41%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 39%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
CA	21	1	top 40%
KS	2	0	top 50%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship	3	1	1	top 42%	May 3, 2019
Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival	3	10	0	top 29%	Jul 6, 2018
Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-Off	2	9	0	top 66%	Aug 16, 2019
Clayton BBQ Cook-off	2	2	0	top 27%	Jul 12, 2019
Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship	2	5	0	top 15%	Apr 26, 2019

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 8 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 4.8 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in CA 22 of 24 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 16 5 of them more than once

First title May 3, 2019 Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship

Opponents faced 740 finished ahead 812 times, behind 562

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

20201 milestone

Jan 24 Most recent contest The Golden State Battle II

20198 milestones

May 3 First overall podium Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship
May 3 First Grand Championship Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship
May 3 First state championship Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship
May 3 First multi-meat day Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship
May 3 First perfect 180 (Pork) Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship
Jul 12 First Reserve Championship Clayton BBQ Cook-off
Jul 12 Career-best overall score698.8456 Clayton BBQ Cook-off
Sep 12 Peak power rating (1597) 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST

20181 milestone

Apr 20 10th tracked contest Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship

20171 milestone

Jul 7 First category win (Pork Ribs) Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival

20164 milestones

Jul 8 First tracked contest Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival
Jul 8 First call Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival
Oct 14 First overall top-10 Smoke on the River
Oct 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.7372 Smoke on the River

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.4	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship	May 3, 2019
+14.6	Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship	Apr 20, 2018
+12.7	Clayton BBQ Cook-off	Jul 12, 2019
+11.8	Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival	Jul 7, 2017
+11.1	Smoke on the River	Oct 14, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15	Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-Off	Aug 17, 2018
-6.9	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship	May 5, 2017
-6.4	Grills 'N' Grilles (presented by the United Way of Nevada Country)	Aug 26, 2016
-2	2nd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship	Sep 16, 2016
-1.4	The Golden State Battle II	Jan 24, 2020

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)
2020	1	0	0	0	0%	top 46%	93.2%	93.2%
2019	8	1	5	3	75%	top 31%	97.1%	93.2%
2018	6	0	2	1	100%	top 45%	94.1%	89%
2017	4	0	2	1	75%	top 46%	93.9%	91.2%
2016	5	0	1	0	80%	top 48%	90.8%	88.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jan 24, 2020	The Golden State Battle II 🏅 Hollister, CA	21 / 46 (670.7196)	17 (170.8228)	27 (163.9428)	24 (167.4284)	20 (168.5256)
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	89 / 468 (484.4572)	41 (174.8572)	309 (161.7144)	71 (172.5484)	196 (166.2400)
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- INVITATIONAL CONTEST 🏅 unrated Kansas City, KS	110 / 135 (669.0400)	77 (170.8228)	118 (161.1200)	79 (169.1200)	98 (167.9772)
Aug 16, 2019	Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Susanville, CA	9 / 25 (654.7544)	10 (164.5372)	23 (152.5144)	8 (168)	3 (169.7028)
Jul 26, 2019	Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge 🏅 Gilroy, CA	16 / 36 (667.2796)	10 (171.9656)	19 (166.8112)	16 (165.6800)	20 (162.8228)
Jul 12, 2019	Clayton BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Clayton, CA	2 / 31 (698.8456)	8 (174.2628)	5 (172)	1 (180)	5 (172.5828)
May 31, 2019	Throwdown in the Vineyards 🏅 Murphy, CA	7 / 20 (660.4456)	4 (169.1428)	6 (166.2400)	13 (159.3828)	8 (165.6800)
May 3, 2019	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship 🏅 Elk Grove, CA	1 / 27 (695.9772)	5 (171.4172)	6 (172.5600)	1 (180)	1 (172)
Apr 26, 2019	Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA	9 / 48 (677.7372)	7 (172.5600)	4 (174.2972)	32 (158.8456)	8 (172.0344)
Sep 14, 2018	4th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA	17 / 43 (666.8116)	33 (162.8344)	14 (167.4172)	7 (171.4400)	17 (165.1200)
Aug 17, 2018	Lassen Annual BBQ Cook-Off Susanville, CA	26 / 27 (507.9544)	26 (20)	18 (158.2744)	20 (161.6800)	3 (168)
Jul 13, 2018	2018 Clayton BBQ Cook-off Clayton, CA	9 / 19 (658.7772)	6 (167.9772)	17 (152.5372)	4 (172.0116)	8 (166.2512)
Jul 6, 2018	Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival Petaluma, CA	13 / 38 (675.4172)	4 (174.8572)	26 (160.5028)	2 (176.5716)	21 (163.4856)
May 4, 2018	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	15 / 35 (656.5484)	9 (170.8228)	9 (167.4744)	22 (159.4284)	20 (158.8228)
Apr 20, 2018	Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship Lodi, CA	5 / 48 (677.7256)	1 (177.1772)	28 (160)	10 (168.5828)	7 (171.9656)
Sep 15, 2017	3rd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA	25 / 48 (657.5768)	24 (165.1084)	9 (173.7144)	43 (154.8228)	24 (163.9312)
Aug 25, 2017	Grills N Grills penn Valley, CA	9 / 27 (665.0284)	6 (173.7028)	10 (168.5600)	15 (162.2284)	15 (160.5372)
Jul 7, 2017	Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival Petaluma, CA	10 / 50 (675.9316)	18 (167.4172)	1 (178.2972)	23 (163.3828)	15 (166.8344)
May 5, 2017	Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA	26 / 33 (627.9312)	18 (161.1200)	30 (148.5828)	18 (160.5256)	17 (157.7028)
Oct 14, 2016	Smoke on the River Sacramento, CA	8 / 38 (653.7372)	10 (170.2972)	17 (163.9772)	16 (156.0228)	6 (163.4400)
Sep 16, 2016	2nd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA	40 / 61 (627.9656)	47 (153.7256)	36 (157.7028)	31 (159.4172)	37 (157.1200)
Aug 26, 2016	Grills 'N' Grilles (presented by the United Way of Nevada Country) Penn Valley, CA	21 / 28 (628)	10 (166.3316)	20 (156)	26 (145.6684)	9 (160)
Aug 5, 2016	2016 Clayton Rib Cook-off (COMPETITOR SERIES ) Clayton, CA	—	8 (157.7144)	2 (161.7144)	—	—
Jul 8, 2016	Wine Country Big Q Competition and Festival Petaluma, CA	12 / 38 (643.9432)	25 (152.5832)	12 (162.2628)	7 (166.8344)	11 (162.2628)

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

The Smoking J's

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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (15 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

On the rise

Happy hunting ground

A multi-meat day

They almost always walk

High-water mark

State champions

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Brisket nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

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)