PIT"SBURGH SMOKERS

PIT"SBURGH SMOKERS is a competition barbecue team with 12 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 14 at the Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest (2026). They are ranked #3688 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#3,688

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1489

peak 1489 · rated over 12 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 18, 2014

latest May 22, 2026 · 11.8 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#184

Backyard 2026 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

3 podiums

Overall top-10s

42% of 12 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s, still running

Avg finish

top 62%

overall standings

Best overall

687.3716 / 720

Master · Marietta River City BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

655.42 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 643.41 (+12.01)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4056

Chicken · Marietta River City BBQ

Consistency

±24.09

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 164.39 · weakest Brisket (157.91)

Road miles

2,053

across 12 mapped stops · furthest 192 mi

Schedule strength

35%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1547)

Purse competed for

$7,200

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

643.41 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

326.21 / 360

2 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

Storylines (10 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

67% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 8 of 12 contests

A top-10 category call in 67% of their 12 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

687.3716 career-best overall

95.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 687.3716 at Marietta River City BBQ — 95.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 10, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

THREE DOGS BBQ has finished one call ahead of PIT"SBURGH SMOKERS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

DRILLING & GRILLING ahead in 100% of their meetings

DRILLING & GRILLING has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.49 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 20% of the time against 42%.

Brisket avg 157.91
Chicken avg 164.39
2 calls in 10 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of A 2 Z in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

6.1 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 6.1 years, then back at Big Knob BBQ Fest (May 23, 2025).

last seen Apr 26, 2019
back May 23, 2025

Show 3 more storylines

Chicken nemesis

5 of 6 shared chicken entries lost

LO' -N- SLO' BBQ ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LO' -N- SLO' BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 6 shared chicken entries.

A big fish in small ponds

Top 49% average finish in small fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 49% finish in small fields against top 76% in large ones.

Small (<20 teams): top 49% (4)
Large (40+): top 76% (4)

A June team

Top 49% average finish in June

Something about June: average finish in the top 49% across 4 contests, versus top 62% the rest of the year.

4 June contests
top 62% the rest of the year

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
2026 ↗	Backyard	#184 (206 pts)	#227 (156 pts)	#196 (206 pts)	—	—
2025 ↗	Backyard	#287 (131 pts)	#265 (151 pts)	#312 (121 pts)	—	—
2019 ↗	Master	#1809 (81 pts)	#1881 (86 pts)	#1689 (116 pts)	#1927 (76 pts)	#1800 (91 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1320 (196 pts)	#1078 (326 pts)	#1439 (196 pts)	#1175 (281 pts)	#1561 (171 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1113 (280 pts)	#1058 (330 pts)	#1346 (230 pts)	#1637 (170 pts)	#995 (350 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1147 (247 pts)	#994 (337 pts)	#1321 (227 pts)	#1087 (307 pts)	#1294 (222 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#2084 (75 pts)	#2167 (75 pts)	#2161 (75 pts)	#2172 (75 pts)	#2148 (75 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to PIT"SBURGH SMOKERS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Old Man Joes

#3,667 of the rated field

1490 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1509

Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 12, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Jun 7, 2024

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KICKEN ASH AND MAKEN FLAMES

#3,714 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1489

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Jun 16, 2022

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ROCKABILLY BBQ

#3,694 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1489

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before PIT"SBURGH SMOKERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 12 contests

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Turnpike Smokers

#3,703 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1489

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 25% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Oct 8, 2016

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SMACKIN' BUTTS BBQ, NE

#3,710 of the rated field

1489 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1489

Level with PIT"SBURGH SMOKERS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Apr 4, 2025

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MARIE'S

#3,682 of the rated field

1490 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1490

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Apr 6, 2020

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
DRILLING & GRILLING	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
HAWG NATION BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
THREE DOGS BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
PULLIN' MY MONEY MUSCLE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	12	5	1	2	175.4056	151.9428	164.39	top 52%
Pork Ribs	12	4	0	1	170.8688	149.0628	159.49	top 63%
Pork	10	3	0	0	169.6916	150.2400	162.09	top 56%
Brisket	10	2	0	0	173.1200	145.0972	157.91	top 66%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	4	top 49%
Medium (20–39)	4	top 61%
Large (40+)	4	top 76%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
PA	7	top 68%
OH	4	top 49%
WV	1	top 71%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Marietta River City BBQ	4	3	0	top 49%	Apr 26, 2019
Keystone Classic Barbeque	2	42	0	top 78%	Oct 2, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 3 contests

Contests a season 1.7 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in PA 7 of 12 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 8 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 213 finished ahead 124 times, behind 242

Longest layoff 6.1 yrs Apr 26, 2019 → May 23, 2025

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

20262 milestones

May 22 Peak power rating (1489) Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest
May 22 Most recent contest Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest

20191 milestone

Apr 26 10th tracked contest Marietta River City BBQ

20164 milestones

Jun 10 First category win (Chicken) Marietta River City BBQ
Jun 10 First overall podium Marietta River City BBQ
Jun 10 Career-best overall score687.3716 Marietta River City BBQ
Jun 10 Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4056 Marietta River City BBQ

20152 milestones

Jun 12 First overall top-10 Marietta River City BBQ
Jun 12 First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.2288 Marietta River City BBQ

20142 milestones

Jul 18 First tracked contest Warren County All American BBQ Festival
Jul 18 First call Warren County All American BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.1	Marietta River City BBQ	Jun 10, 2016
+10.3	Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest	May 22, 2026
+2.6	Marietta River City BBQ	Jun 12, 2015
+1.9	Marietta River City BBQ	Jun 9, 2017
+1.6	Keystone Classic BBQ	Oct 6, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13	Warren County All American BBQ Festival	Jul 18, 2014
-9	Keystone Classic Barbeque	Oct 3, 2014
-5.1	Keystone Classic Barbeque	Oct 2, 2015
-5.1	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship	Oct 7, 2016
-4.7	Marietta River City BBQ	Apr 26, 2019

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	1	1	0	100%	top 21%	92.7%	92.7%
2025	1	1	0	100%	top 67%	88.5%	88.5%
2019	1	0	0	0%	top 73%	89.4%	89.4%
2017	2	1	0	100%	top 58%	92.6%	91.2%
2016	2	1	1	100%	top 46%	95.5%	91.7%
2015	3	1	0	33%	top 66%	91.4%	89.9%
2014	2	0	0	50%	top 89%	84.9%	84.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
May 22, 2026	Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA	3 / 14 (333.6456)	5 (166.8112)	3 (166.8344)	—	—
May 23, 2025	Big Knob BBQ Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA	8 / 12 (318.7656)	6 (166.8112)	9 (151.9544)	—	—
Apr 26, 2019	Marietta River City BBQ 🏅 Marietta, OH	19 / 26 (643.8508)	18 (163.3712)	12 (165.7028)	20 (154.2856)	17 (160.4912)
Oct 6, 2017	Keystone Classic BBQ Harrisburg, PA	23 / 39 (646.7316)	15 (166.8228)	23 (158.2400)	9 (169.6916)	33 (151.9772)
Jun 9, 2017	Marietta River City BBQ Marietta, OH	9 / 16 (666.7200)	3 (170.8572)	9 (166.2400)	8 (163.3828)	11 (166.2400)
Oct 7, 2016	Keystone Classic BBQ State Championship 🏅 Harrisburg, PA	36 / 47 (632.4460)	45 (153.0744)	43 (152.5144)	34 (158.8572)	8 (168)
Jun 10, 2016	Marietta River City BBQ Marietta, OH	3 / 20 (687.3716)	1 (175.4056)	5 (170.8688)	12 (167.9772)	4 (173.1200)
Oct 2, 2015	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	42 / 57 (627.3028)	46 (156.5256)	35 (158.2628)	11 (167.4172)	52 (145.0972)
Jun 19, 2015	Almost Heaven BBQ Bash Buckhannon, WV	29 / 41 (655.9088)	13 (173.7256)	34 (161.0972)	23 (165.1200)	32 (155.9660)
Jun 12, 2015	Marietta River City BBQ Marietta, OH	9 / 17 (658.2288)	6 (173.7028)	12 (161.6916)	12 (163.9772)	13 (158.8572)
Oct 3, 2014	Keystone Classic Barbeque Harrisburg, PA	44 / 53 (604.3200)	42 (151.9428)	43 (149.0628)	43 (150.2400)	38 (153.0744)
Jul 18, 2014	Warren County All American BBQ Festival Pittsfield, PA	20 / 21 (611.2680)	18 (153.6684)	19 (151.4056)	10 (159.9656)	19 (146.2284)

PIT"SBURGH SMOKERS

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

Backyard avg

Storylines (10 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Chicken nemesis

A big fish in small ponds

A June team

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)