STEEL SMOKIN' BBQ

STEEL SMOKIN' BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 15 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2015. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 27 at the Marshall County (2013), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2216 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,216

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1531

peak 1564 · rated over 15 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 4, 2013

latest Jul 17, 2015 · 2.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#231

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

47% of 15 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 44%

overall standings

Best overall

672.4452 / 720

Master · Taste of Grand Rapids

Perfect 180s

Current form

641.34 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 652.94 (-11.59)

Walk rate

73%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4286

Pork · 5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off

Consistency

±13.43

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 166.04 · weakest Brisket (160.04)

Road miles

2,589

across 15 mapped stops · furthest 245 mi

Schedule strength

20%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1527)

Master avg

652.94 / 720

15 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (12 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

73% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 11 of 15 contests

A top-10 category call in 73% of their 15 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

672.4452 career-best overall

93.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 672.4452 at Taste of Grand Rapids — 93.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 19, 2013

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ has finished one call ahead of STEEL SMOKIN' BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 11 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 32%.

11 contests
7 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 32%

A tough matchup

9–0 behind in the head-to-head

BIG BROTHERS BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

BIG BROTHERS BBQ has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.0 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.00 points below their pork, and turns into a call 20% of the time against 47%.

Brisket avg 160.04
Pork avg 166.04
3 calls in 15 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of PIGS-N-DIGS BBQ TEAM in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Show 5 more storylines

The comeback

1.7 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.7 years, then back at 7th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off (Jun 19, 2015).

last seen Sep 27, 2013
back Jun 19, 2015

Pork nemesis

7 of 10 shared pork entries lost

YELLOW RIVER BBQ ahead 70% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, YELLOW RIVER BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 10 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

PORK OF THE NORTH has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A September team

Top 22% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 22% across 3 contests, versus top 44% the rest of the year.

3 September contests
top 44% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.86% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.86% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.7% of a perfect score
15 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
2015 ↗	Master	#1661 (123 pts)	#1562 (168 pts)	#1730 (133 pts)	#1532 (178 pts)	#1614 (148 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#231 (1,282 pts)	#228 (1,177 pts)	#182 (1,377 pts)	#153 (1,472 pts)	#314 (967 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to STEEL SMOKIN' BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

GO BIG OR GO BBQ

#2,223 of the rated field

1530 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1530

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 15 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

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Boots Style BBQ

#2,220 of the rated field

1530 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1534

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

rated over 15 contests
last seen Jul 29, 2016

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BLAZIN BARRELS BBQ

#2,222 of the rated field

1530 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 26%
Peak: 1533

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 19 contests, alongside a 26% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Jan 30, 2026

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TWO BUTTS AND A HAM

#2,221 of the rated field

1530 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1530

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Sep 12, 2019

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Big Time BBQ Buddies

#2,211 of the rated field

1531 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1540

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

rated over 12 contests
last seen May 13, 2022

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MOODSWING BBQ

#2,226 of the rated field

1530 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1531

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 Apr 8, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
THE REAL SMOKIN ACES	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' IN THE D	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
YELLOW RIVER BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
iBQ'n	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
BIG BROTHERS BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Mac Attack BBQ	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
AWW HELL	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
WOODPILE BBQ SHACK	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
MOTLEY QUE CREW	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
PIGS-N-DIGS BBQ TEAM	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
PB&J'S BBQ TEAM	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
Kalamazoo Pit Posse	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
DETROIT PIGSKIN BARBEQUE	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	15	4	0	1	172	149.1316	163.18	top 50%
Pork Ribs	15	5	1	2	174.8570	157.1200	163.68	top 43%
Pork	15	7	1	2	175.4286	155.9544	166.04	top 36%
Brisket	15	3	0	0	170.8344	148.5028	160.04	top 55%

“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)	13	0	top 47%
Large (40+)	2	0	top 23%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MI	9	top 44%
OH	3	top 43%
IN	2	top 21%
IL	1	top 90%

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 11 contests

Contests a season 7.5 across 2 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MI 9 of 15 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 15 a different one every time

Opponents faced 269 finished ahead 287 times, behind 201

Longest layoff 1.7 yrs Sep 27, 2013 → Jun 19, 2015

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

20151 milestone

Jul 17 Most recent contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

201311 milestones

May 4 First tracked contest Smokin' on the Water
May 4 First call Smokin' on the Water
May 4 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.1424 Smokin' on the Water
Jun 21 First category win (Pork) 5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off
Jun 21 First overall top-10 5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off
Jun 21 Career-best single call (Pork)175.4286 5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off
Jul 19 Career-best overall score672.4452 Taste of Grand Rapids
Sep 20 First overall podium Marshall County
Sep 20 First Reserve Championship Marshall County
Sep 20 10th tracked contest Marshall County
Sep 27 Peak power rating (1564) Ohio Veteran Battle of the Barbecue

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.5	Marshall County	Sep 20, 2013
+10.4	5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off	Jun 21, 2013
+9.7	Taste of Grand Rapids	Jul 19, 2013
+9.4	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jun 28, 2013
+8.6	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	Sep 13, 2013

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.5	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	Aug 2, 2013
-11	7th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off	Jun 19, 2015
-8.7	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jun 26, 2015
-8.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jul 17, 2015
-5.6	9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff	Jul 10, 2015

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)
2015	4	0	0	0	25%	top 78%	90.5%	88.4%
2013	11	0	7	2	91%	top 32%	93.4%	91.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 17, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Auburn Hills, MI	23 / 28 (636.9944)	24 (157.1088)	21 (159.4056)	21 (158.8344)	18 (161.6456)
Jul 10, 2015	9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff Kettering, OH	26 / 39 (651.8744)	15 (170.2860)	33 (157.6800)	16 (169.6684)	33 (154.2400)
Jun 26, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Ypsilanti, MI	24 / 30 (627.8284)	26 (149.1316)	9 (163.9428)	7 (166.2512)	27 (148.5028)
Jun 19, 2015	7th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off Auburn Hills, MI	26 / 32 (629.5772)	25 (154.8000)	20 (157.1200)	16 (162.8572)	25 (154.8000)
Sep 27, 2013	Ohio Veteran Battle of the Barbecue Xenia, OH	13 / 35 (660.4456)	25 (162.8112)	21 (161.6800)	18 (165.1200)	10 (170.8344)
Sep 20, 2013	Marshall County Plymouth, IN	2 / 27 (671.9888)	9 (167.3828)	9 (166.9032)	5 (169.1200)	4 (168.5828)
Sep 13, 2013	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	10 / 47 (650.7888)	24 (160.5372)	18 (161.1544)	6 (166.8572)	13 (162.2400)
Aug 23, 2013	Blues, Brews & Barbecues Birch Run, MI	10 / 31 (649.6572)	21 (159.4288)	11 (163.4516)	14 (162.2628)	9 (164.5140)
Aug 9, 2013	Dam Good BBQ Championship Newaygo, MI	13 / 31 (651.8632)	2 (172)	11 (163.9660)	20 (155.9544)	18 (159.9428)
Aug 2, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Rockford, IL	27 / 30 (643.3256)	25 (161.6800)	25 (157.1200)	18 (165.6684)	23 (158.8572)
Jul 19, 2013	Taste of Grand Rapids Comstock Park, MI	7 / 39 (672.4452)	13 (167.9540)	11 (169.1200)	2 (171.4400)	15 (163.9312)
Jul 12, 2013	Ohio Veterans Barbeque Cook-off Kettering, OH	10 / 41 (659.8628)	12 (166.8228)	7 (166.8456)	5 (170.8228)	30 (155.3716)
Jun 28, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Traverse City, MI	6 / 26 (665.7142)	5 (167.9998)	1 (170.2858)	7 (165.1428)	12 (162.2858)
Jun 21, 2013	5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off Auburn Hills, MI	6 / 30 (664.5712)	16 (158.8570)	2 (174.8570)	1 (175.4286)	18 (155.4286)
May 4, 2013	Smokin' on the Water Liberty, IN	13 / 37 (657.1424)	6 (170.8570)	17 (161.7142)	16 (165.1426)	21 (159.4286)

STEEL SMOKIN' BBQ

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 (12 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A September team

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)

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)