High-water mark
669.5656
career-best overall
93.0% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 669.5656 at Minnesota in May — 93.0% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- May 8, 2026
Prairie Smoke BBQ
Prairie Smoke BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 16 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2024 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 26th of 26 at the MN Masters BBQ (2025). They are ranked #6205 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1421
peak 1421 · rated over 11 contests
Contests
16
in the data
First seen
Aug 23, 2024
latest Jul 10, 2026 · 1.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 16 contests
Avg finish
top 89%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
653.59 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 638.42 (+15.18)
Walk rate
25%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±20.02
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 162.29 · weakest Brisket (157.48)
Road miles
1,816
across 16 mapped stops · furthest 193 mi
Schedule strength
72%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1591)
Purse competed for
$126K
listed at 15 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 11 state-championship entries
Master avg
638.42 / 720
11 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 ↗ | Master | #603 (238 pts) | #660 (238 pts) | #248 (877 pts) | #630 (238 pts) | #607 (253 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #645 (231 pts) | #698 (246 pts) | #611 (315 pts) | #679 (236 pts) | #536 (346 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #972 (112 pts) | #1057 (112 pts) | #1118 (112 pts) | #1014 (112 pts) | #1005 (112 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Prairie Smoke BBQ, 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.
#6,201 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
0–5 in 5 shared contests (0% to Prairie Smoke BBQ)
These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — Steel Smoke BBQ ahead 5–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#6,206 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1421
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 12 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#6,207 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1421
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Prairie Smoke BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#6,204 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1421
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#6,202 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1421
18 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#6,199 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1421
They were already cooking in 2013, 11 years before Prairie Smoke BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Shack | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RUB MY RACK | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RUM N' SMOKE BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SPITFIRE | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Dirty Little Pigs BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Sheyenne BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| BRAZEN BARREL BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BURNT TREES BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| OWENS BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Phoenix BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| Ash Kickin' BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| NECTAR OF THE HOGS | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.7028 | 151.9772 | 160.60 | top 84% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 147.3944 | 162.29 | top 71% |
| Pork | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5488 | 150.2400 | 160.22 | top 82% |
| Brisket | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 140.5600 | 157.48 | top 76% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 100% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 0 | top 85% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ND BBQ Championship | 3 | 31 | 0 | top 79% | May 1, 2026 |
| Original SD BBQ Championships | 2 | 35 | 0 | top 80% | Jun 5, 2026 |
| Minnesota in May | 2 | 57 | 0 | top 91% | May 8, 2026 |
| MN Masters BBQ | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 100% | Aug 22, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
8 contests
Contests a season
5.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MN
7 of 16 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
6
4 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
15 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls
Opponents faced
256
finished ahead 68 times, behind 535
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- 10th tracked contest ND BBQ Championship
- Career-best overall score669.5656 Minnesota in May
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5600 Original SD BBQ Championships
- Most recent contest KTD Smokn' Gobbler
20252 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.6572 Original SD BBQ Championships
- First call ND BBQ Championship
20242 milestones
- First tracked contest MN Masters BBQ
- Peak power rating (1488) MN Masters BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +0.6 | ND BBQ Championship | Oct 3, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.6 | ND BBQ Championship | Sep 27, 2024 |
| -12.2 | MN Masters BBQ | Aug 23, 2024 |
| -11.7 | Minnesota in May | May 9, 2025 |
| -11 | MN Masters BBQ | Aug 22, 2025 |
| -9.5 | SD BBQ Shootout @ Huset's Speedway | Aug 29, 2025 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38% | top 86% | 93% | 90.8% |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17% | top 88% | 90.8% | 88.6% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 84.8% | 84.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2026 | KTD Smokn' Gobbler 🏅 Worthington, MN | 33 / 33 (634.6972) | 28 (166.2400) | — | 33 (152.5144) | 22 (164.5600) |
| Jul 10, 2026 | KTD Smokn' Gobbler (ONE MEAT RIBS) Worthington, MN | — | — | 9 (164.5256) | — | — |
| Jun 5, 2026 | Original SD BBQ Championships 🏅 Huron, SD | 42 / 48 (654.7544) | 47 (154.2400) | 4 (176.5600) | 37 (163.3944) | 37 (160.5600) |
| Jun 5, 2026 | Original SD BBQ Championships (ONE MEAT RIBS) Huron, SD | — | — | 13 (169.6800) | — | — |
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 65 / 77 (669.5656) | 49 (169.7028) | 70 (162.8000) | 50 (168.5488) | 48 (168.5140) |
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 41 (159.9428) | — | — |
| May 1, 2026 | ND BBQ Championship 🏅 Fargo, ND | 50 / 71 (655.3368) | 62 (160) | 19 (171.9656) | 56 (161.7028) | 51 (161.6684) |
| May 1, 2026 | ND BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Fargo, ND | — | — | 7 (170.8572) | — | — |
| Oct 3, 2025 | ND BBQ Championship 🏅 Fargo, ND | 31 / 46 (653.6116) | 41 (156.5600) | 40 (157.0972) | 26 (167.3944) | 6 (172.5600) |
| Oct 3, 2025 | ND BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Fargo, ND | — | — | 18 (159.3828) | — | — |
| Aug 29, 2025 | SD BBQ Shootout @ Huset's Speedway 🏅 Brandon, SD | 44 / 44 (631.8636) | 42 (160.5716) | 39 (161.6916) | 43 (153.6460) | 41 (155.9544) |
| Aug 22, 2025 | MN Masters BBQ 🏅 Pierz, MN | 26 / 26 (614.1260) | 22 (157.6688) | 25 (153.6572) | 24 (162.2400) | 26 (140.5600) |
| Jun 6, 2025 | Original SD BBQ Championships 🏅 Huron, SD | 35 / 48 (653.6572) | 30 (168.5256) | 48 (151.9772) | 25 (168) | 26 (165.1544) |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 57 / 58 (637.5888) | 39 (167.4172) | 33 (168) | 58 (150.2400) | 57 (151.9316) |
| Sep 27, 2024 | ND BBQ Championship 🏅 Fargo, ND | 47 / 47 (606.7436) | 45 (153.6688) | 46 (147.3944) | 39 (158.2400) | 45 (147.4404) |
| Aug 23, 2024 | MN Masters BBQ 🏅 Pierz, MN | 27 / 27 (610.6516) | 26 (151.9772) | 25 (158.8344) | 26 (156.5028) | 27 (143.3372) |