SMOKE OF THE SHOALS

SMOKE OF THE SHOALS is a competition barbecue team with 38 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 55 at the Music City Festival & BBQ Championship (2013). They are ranked #4912 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,912

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1465

peak 1540 · rated over 38 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Mar 15, 2013

latest Dec 1, 2017 · 4.7 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#299

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

8 podiums

Overall top-10s

11% of 38 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

690.2056 / 720

Master · Music City Festival & BBQ Championship

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

642.31 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 657.73 (-15.42)

Walk rate

45%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Brisket · Music City Festival & BBQ Championship

Consistency

±15.37

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 166.38 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.60)

Road miles

3,962

across 38 mapped stops · furthest 154 mi

Schedule strength

42%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1556)

State championships

0 🏅

won from 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

657.73 / 720

38 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (13 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, across 2 different meats.

Pork ×1
Brisket ×1

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 Music City Festival & BBQ Championship (Aug 23, 2013).

Pork 1st
Brisket 1st

High-water mark

690.2056 career-best overall

95.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 690.2056 at Music City Festival & BBQ Championship — 95.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
Aug 23, 2013

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 9 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 41%.

9 contests
2 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 41%

A tough matchup

27–4 behind in the head-to-head

JIGGY PIGGY ahead in 87% of their meetings

JIGGY PIGGY has come out ahead in 27 of their 31 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.8 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.77 points below their pork, and turns into a call 8% of the time against 29%.

Pork Ribs avg 161.60
Pork avg 166.38
3 calls in 38 entries

A strong matchup

10–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMOKE-N-ASHES in 10 of their 12 shared contests.

Show 6 more storylines

Pork nemesis

23 of 29 shared pork entries lost

Organizer Portal ahead 79% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Organizer Portal has out-cooked them in 23 of 29 shared pork entries.

Going the wrong way

-34 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 34 points across 7 contests since Dec 2, 2016 — from 1498 down to 1465.

7 contests since Dec 2, 2016
now 1465

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

PE LITTLE THRIGS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An October team

Top 43% average finish in October

Something about October: average finish in the top 43% across 3 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.

3 October contests
top 60% the rest of the year

The long haul

3,962 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,962 miles across 38 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 154 miles to Music City Festival & BBQ Championship.

38 mapped stops
furthest 154 mi

The metronome

±2.13% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.13% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.4% of a perfect score
38 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
2017 ↗	Master	#985 (345 pts)	#1101 (315 pts)	#1048 (340 pts)	#975 (380 pts)	#763 (510 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#609 (640 pts)	#554 (730 pts)	#643 (635 pts)	#543 (755 pts)	#557 (720 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#723 (487 pts)	#838 (432 pts)	#690 (552 pts)	#545 (717 pts)	#720 (512 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#608 (611 pts)	#560 (701 pts)	#595 (651 pts)	#397 (931 pts)	#618 (596 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#299 (1,030 pts)	#259 (1,090 pts)	#436 (740 pts)	#167 (1,410 pts)	#211 (1,290 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to SMOKE OF THE SHOALS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

CROSSROADS GRILLIN

#4,937 of the rated field

1464 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1464

2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to SMOKE OF THE SHOALS)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team SMOKE OF THE SHOALS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Aug 17, 2018

⚔ Head-to-head

OUR BARK IS BETTER THAN YOUR BITE

#4,915 of the rated field

1465 power rating

Contests: 39
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1535

They've been 1535 at their best, 71 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 39 contests
last seen Jun 14, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

Q-INATOR!

#4,903 of the rated field

1465 power rating

Contests: 46
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1537

Careers of much the same size, 46 contests to 38, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 46 contests
last seen May 29, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

HawgWash BBQ.

#4,909 of the rated field

1465 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1465

24 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 13% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 24 contests
last seen Oct 14, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

JOEPEANUTS BBQ TEAM

#4,931 of the rated field

1464 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1464

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

rated over 21 contests
last seen Oct 6, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

LAKEVIEW BBQ

#4,928 of the rated field

1464 power rating

Contests: 72
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1519

Level with SMOKE OF THE SHOALS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 71 contests
last seen Oct 9, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
JIGGY PIGGY	31	4	27	13%	⚔ compare
Organizer Portal	29	3	26	10%	⚔ compare
The Specialists	24	4	20	17%	⚔ compare
South Pork	23	2	21	9%	⚔ compare
BEAN BANDITS	21	3	18	14%	⚔ compare
BIG BLUE QUE	20	3	17	15%	⚔ compare
WHY YOU GRILLIN' ME ...DAWG?	18	7	11	39%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN BUTT CREW	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
SWIGGIN PIG	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
RED EYED SMOKERS	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
Chokin "N" tha Smoke	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
1709 BBQ	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare
HOUSE OF Q	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
SMOKE-N-ASHES	12	10	2	83%	⚔ compare
SOUTHERN QUE	12	4	8	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	38	7	0	1	178.8572	144.4800	165.80	top 56%
Pork Ribs	38	3	0	0	174.8572	146.7772	161.60	top 66%
Pork	38	11	1	3	180 🔥	154.1940	166.38	top 47%
Brisket	38	7	1	4	180 🔥	151.3600	163.95	top 56%

“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)	21	0	top 63%
Large (40+)	17	0	top 56%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
AL	25	top 64%
MS	11	top 53%
TN	2	top 48%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ	3	20	top 63%	May 5, 2017
Hog Wild BBQ Festival	3	12	top 48%	Sep 29, 2016
Stand by Your Grill	3	9	top 54%	Aug 19, 2016
Christmas on the River	2	13	top 68%	Dec 1, 2017
Smoke on the Falls	2	17	top 70%	Apr 7, 2017
Tupelo BBQ Duel- Comp 1	2	64	top 84%	Mar 17, 2017
Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off	2	12	top 72%	Jul 29, 2016
Christmas on the River State Championship BBQ	2	11	top 52%	Dec 4, 2015
Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cookoff	2	20	top 83%	May 15, 2015

More numbers

Busiest season 2013 9 contests

Contests a season 7.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in AL 25 of 38 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 26 9 of them more than once

Opponents faced 685 finished ahead 717 times, behind 991

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

20171 milestone

Dec 1 Most recent contest Christmas on the River

20161 milestone

Mar 18 25th tracked contest Tupelo BBQ Duel- Comp 1

20141 milestone

Mar 14 10th tracked contest Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Benefiting Link Centre

201310 milestones

Mar 15 First tracked contest Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel
Mar 15 First call Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel
Mar 15 First overall past 90% of a perfect score663.9998 Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel
Aug 23 First category win (Pork) Music City Festival & BBQ Championship
Aug 23 First overall top-10 Music City Festival & BBQ Championship
Aug 23 First overall podium Music City Festival & BBQ Championship
Aug 23 First multi-meat day Music City Festival & BBQ Championship
Aug 23 First perfect 180 (Pork) Music City Festival & BBQ Championship
Aug 23 Career-best overall score690.2056 Music City Festival & BBQ Championship
Oct 4 Peak power rating (1540) KC Hog Wild Corinth BBQ

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.1	Music City Festival & BBQ Championship	Aug 23, 2013
+13.4	Stand by Your Grill	Aug 19, 2016
+11.2	Decatur Jaycees 19th Annual Riverfest	Sep 13, 2013
+9.8	Boda Getta BBQ	May 8, 2015
+7.9	Christmas on the River	Dec 1, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.9	Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off	Jul 29, 2016
-10	Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cookoff	May 15, 2015
-9.7	Christmas on the River State Championship	Dec 6, 2013
-9.6	Tupelo BBQ Duel- Comp 1	Mar 17, 2017
-9.4	Great American BBQ Festival	Aug 25, 2017

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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)
2017	6	0	0	17%	top 82%	92.3%	89.1%
2016	8	1	0	38%	top 68%	94.4%	91.1%
2015	8	1	0	38%	top 58%	93.6%	91.9%
2014	7	0	0	43%	top 58%	93.6%	91.3%
2013	9	2	2	78%	top 41%	95.9%	92.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Dec 1, 2017	Christmas on the River Demopolis, AL	13 / 27 (664.4344)	22 (160.5372)	14 (165.0972)	8 (168.5372)	7 (170.2628)
Sep 15, 2017	Big Brother Big Sister Riverfest Decatur, AL	35 / 39 (619.1764)	36 (144.4800)	30 (159.9540)	34 (154.2512)	30 (160.4912)
Aug 25, 2017	Great American BBQ Festival Franklin, TN	36 / 40 (647.8856)	25 (166.8572)	35 (159.9772)	38 (159.3828)	31 (161.6684)
May 5, 2017	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL	57 / 69 (642.0228)	63 (150.1944)	44 (163.9428)	61 (157.0512)	15 (170.8344)
Apr 7, 2017	Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL	25 / 28 (638.0336)	22 (165.0856)	27 (149.6340)	27 (154.1940)	11 (169.1200)
Mar 17, 2017	Tupelo BBQ Duel- Comp 1 Tupelo, MS	64 / 68 (636.4112)	61 (158.2288)	49 (161.1200)	58 (159.4056)	57 (157.6568)
Dec 2, 2016	Christmas on the River Demopolis, AL	30 / 34 (646.0912)	26 (161.6684)	9 (170.2628)	31 (159.3716)	31 (154.7884)
Sep 29, 2016	Hog Wild BBQ Festival Corinth, MS	13 / 28 (675.3372)	3 (178.8572)	14 (169.1200)	16 (166.2400)	19 (161.1200)
Sep 9, 2016	Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL	26 / 41 (663.8396)	26 (165.6684)	32 (162.7884)	12 (170.2628)	29 (165.1200)
Aug 19, 2016	Stand by Your Grill Fulton, MS	9 / 40 (679.3256)	17 (170.8228)	33 (158.8000)	4 (174.2628)	2 (175.4400)
Jul 29, 2016	Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off Hartselle, AL	33 / 33 (647.1764)	28 (162.7768)	31 (162.7884)	31 (161.6456)	29 (159.9656)
May 6, 2016	The Whistlestop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL	49 / 67 (635.7832)	30 (168.5372)	59 (152.5144)	54 (160.5028)	51 (154.2288)
Apr 8, 2016	Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest Gadsden, AL	18 / 25 (654.1484)	14 (165.6916)	18 (162.2400)	18 (161.6912)	19 (164.5256)
Mar 18, 2016	Tupelo BBQ Duel- Comp 1 Tupelo, MS	71 / 95 (644.4228)	38 (170.2628)	87 (150.8000)	80 (156.5256)	41 (166.8344)
Dec 4, 2015	Christmas on the River State Championship BBQ 🏅 Demopolis, AL	24 / 36 (650.2400)	18 (167.9656)	14 (166.3200)	14 (164.5944)	33 (151.3600)
Oct 1, 2015	Hog Wild BBQ Festival Corinth, MS	12 / 25 (674.1372)	13 (168.5372)	18 (165.0972)	5 (171.9772)	8 (168.5256)
Sep 25, 2015	Bama Brew & Que Tuscaloosa, AL	11 / 26 (660.9828)	17 (164.5372)	14 (166.2516)	13 (166.2400)	13 (163.9540)
Sep 11, 2015	Decatur Jaycee's 21st Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL	26 / 55 (667.8856)	42 (161.6684)	33 (163.3944)	9 (173.7028)	25 (169.1200)
Aug 14, 2015	Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS	45 / 57 (655.8856)	44 (163.9656)	19 (169.7028)	55 (155.9200)	33 (166.2972)
May 15, 2015	Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cookoff Hartselle, AL	24 / 27 (651.3716)	25 (161.0972)	19 (162.8344)	15 (165.1772)	20 (162.2628)
May 8, 2015	Boda Getta BBQ Auburn, AL	6 / 21 (660.4684)	8 (167.9772)	15 (159.4172)	4 (169.1200)	10 (163.9540)
Apr 10, 2015	Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL	22 / 34 (672.4340)	28 (165.1084)	11 (174.8572)	12 (169.6684)	27 (162.8000)
Dec 5, 2014	Christmas on the River State Championship BBQ 🏅 Demopolis, AL	11 / 29 (674.2056)	22 (164.5372)	6 (172.5600)	7 (170.2744)	14 (166.8340)
Oct 2, 2014	Hog Wild BBQ Festival Corinth, MS	16 / 32 (671.9084)	10 (172.5716)	27 (159.3828)	11 (174.2628)	22 (165.6912)
Sep 19, 2014	20th Annual Decatur Jaycee's Riverfest Decatur, AL	56 / 75 (643.1884)	67 (157.6456)	62 (157.6456)	25 (168.5372)	51 (159.3600)
May 16, 2014	Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cookoff Hartselle, AL	20 / 26 (647.8168)	17 (162.2168)	19 (163.3944)	14 (165.1200)	20 (157.0856)
May 2, 2014	The WhistleStop Festival & Rocket City BBQ (JUDGES SIGN UP STARTS DECEMBER 2, 2013) Huntsville, AL	20 / 62 (672.4228)	41 (162.2400)	13 (171.9772)	20 (166.2400)	14 (171.9656)
Apr 11, 2014	Smoke on the Falls Noccalula BBQ Fest Gadsden, AL	27 / 34 (647.8400)	9 (170.8572)	33 (149.0744)	2 (174.8456)	30 (153.0628)
Mar 14, 2014	Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Benefiting Link Centre Tupelo, MS	54 / 95 (645.4972)	17 (171.9772)	79 (150.7888)	19 (170.8112)	74 (151.9200)
Dec 6, 2013	Christmas on the River State Championship 🏅 Demopolis, AL	24 / 29 (643.2232)	20 (163.9544)	29 (154.2288)	17 (165.0972)	19 (159.9428)
Oct 4, 2013	KC Hog Wild Corinth BBQ Corinth, MS	9 / 30 (679.8972)	4 (177.1428)	8 (170.8460)	13 (169.1200)	17 (162.7884)
Sep 13, 2013	Decatur Jaycees 19th Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL	12 / 80 (674.7432)	16 (169.6800)	27 (165.0972)	40 (164.5372)	3 (175.4288)
Aug 23, 2013	Music City Festival & BBQ Championship Nashville, TN	3 / 55 (690.2056)	20 (166.8228)	25 (163.3828)	1 (180)	1 (180)
Aug 16, 2013	Stand By Your Grill Fulton, MS	37 / 62 (661.0056)	8 (175.4400)	62 (146.7772)	11 (171.4056)	31 (167.3828)
May 17, 2013	Cotton Pickin' BBQ Cook-Off Hartselle, AL	12 / 27 (677.7144)	21 (163.9998)	18 (161.7144)	2 (176.0002)	2 (176)
May 3, 2013	The Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ Huntsville, AL	35 / 62 (650.2856)	21 (169.7140)	56 (152.0002)	38 (162.8572)	23 (165.7142)
Apr 12, 2013	Smoke on the Falls Gadsden, AL	17 / 34 (662.2852)	9 (170.8572)	22 (163.4284)	6 (169.7144)	22 (158.2852)
Mar 15, 2013	Don't Be Cruel BBQ Duel Tupelo, MS	27 / 100 (663.9998)	19 (170.2858)	56 (161.7142)	7 (173.7144)	68 (158.2854)

SMOKE OF THE SHOALS

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (13 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

A multi-meat day

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

Going the wrong way

Looking over their shoulder

An October team

The long haul

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)

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)