STEEL SMOKIN' BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#2197

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1530

peak 1564 · rated over 15 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-04

latest 2015-07-17

Best ToY finish

#231

Master 2013

Grand champs

1 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 15 contests

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

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

175.4286

Pork · 5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off

Consistency

±13.43

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 166.04 · weakest Brisket (160.04)

Road miles

2,589

mi 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

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (12 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

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
2013-07-19

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

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of PIGS-N-DIGS BBQ TEAM in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

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 (2015-06-19).

last seen 2013-09-27
back 2015-06-19

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

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

Boots Style BBQ

#2201 of the rated field

1530 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

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 2016-07-29

⚔ Head-to-head

BLAZIN BARRELS BBQ

#2198 of the rated field

1530 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 19 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2026-01-30

⚔ Head-to-head

EADS DOWNHOME

#2209 of the rated field

1530 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1536

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 36% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2018-07-06

⚔ Head-to-head

BR.BQ

#2203 of the rated field

1530 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1541

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2016-07-02

⚔ Head-to-head

Smokin' Beaver BBQ

#2208 of the rated field

1530 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1542

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 10 years after STEEL SMOKIN' BBQ did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2026-08-21

⚔ Head-to-head

MOODSWING BBQ

#2200 of the rated field

1530 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

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 2022-04-08

⚔ Head-to-head

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
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
HOLY SMOKERS MI	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	15	4	0	1	172.0000	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 state / province

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

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	13	0	top 47%
Large (40+)	2	0	top 23%

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 2.2 yrs 2013-05-04 → 2015-07-17

Busiest season 2013 11 contests

Contests a season 7.5 across 2 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MI 9 of 15 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 15 0 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 15 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 166.04 · weakest Brisket (160.04)

Walk rate 73% a top-10 call in 11 of 15 contests

Overall top-10 rate 47% 7 of 15 contests

Best top-10 run 4 straight contests

Master average 652.94 out of 720 · 15 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 274 287–201 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,589 15 mapped stops · furthest 245 mi

Schedule strength 1527 average field rating faced — tougher than 20% of rated contests

Longest layoff 1.7 yrs 2013-09-27 → 2015-06-19

Power rating 1530 peak 1564 · #2197 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
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
2015
Jul 17 Most recent contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.5	Marshall County	2013-09-20
+10.4	5th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off	2013-06-21
+9.7	Taste of Grand Rapids	2013-07-19
+9.4	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2013-06-28
+8.6	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival	2013-09-13

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	2013-08-02
-11	7th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off	2015-06-19
-8.7	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2015-06-26
-8.6	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2015-07-17
-5.6	9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff	2015-07-10

Category scores over time

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

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
2015-07-17	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)
2015-07-10	9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff Kettering, OH	26 / 39 (651.8744)	15 (170.2860)	33 (157.6800)	16 (169.6684)	33 (154.2400)
2015-06-26	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Ypsilanti, MI	24 / 30 (627.8284)	26 (149.1316)	9 (163.9428)	7 (166.2512)	27 (148.5028)
2015-06-19	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)
2013-09-27	Ohio Veteran Battle of the Barbecue Xenia, OH	13 / 35 (660.4456)	25 (162.8112)	21 (161.6800)	18 (165.1200)	10 (170.8344)
2013-09-20	Marshall County Plymouth, IN	2 / 27 (671.9888)	9 (167.3828)	9 (166.9032)	5 (169.1200)	4 (168.5828)
2013-09-13	Silver Lake Apple BBQ Festival Mears, MI	10 / 47 (650.7888)	24 (160.5372)	18 (161.1544)	6 (166.8572)	13 (162.2400)
2013-08-23	Blues, Brews & Barbecues Birch Run, MI	10 / 31 (649.6572)	21 (159.4288)	11 (163.4516)	14 (162.2628)	9 (164.5140)
2013-08-09	Dam Good BBQ Championship Newaygo, MI	13 / 31 (651.8632)	2 (172.0000)	11 (163.9660)	20 (155.9544)	18 (159.9428)
2013-08-02	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)
2013-07-19	Taste of Grand Rapids Comstock Park, MI	7 / 39 (672.4452)	13 (167.9540)	11 (169.1200)	2 (171.4400)	15 (163.9312)
2013-07-12	Ohio Veterans Barbeque Cook-off Kettering, OH	10 / 41 (659.8628)	12 (166.8228)	7 (166.8456)	5 (170.8228)	30 (155.3716)
2013-06-28	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)
2013-06-21	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)
2013-05-04	Smokin' on the Water Liberty, IN	13 / 37 (657.1424)	6 (170.8570)	17 (161.7142)	16 (165.1426)	21 (159.4286)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — 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 (1282 pts)	#228 (1177 pts)	#182 (1377 pts)	#153 (1472 pts)	#314 (967 pts)