QSS SMOKIN

QSS SMOKIN is a competition barbecue team with 22 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 31 at the Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q (2016). They are ranked #1122 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,122

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1593

peak 1601 · rated over 22 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 12, 2013

latest Apr 12, 2019 · 6 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#535

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

5 podiums

Overall top-10s

23% of 22 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 37%

overall standings

Best overall

685.6572 / 720

Master · Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q

Perfect 180s

Current form

659.68 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 663.45 (-3.76)

Walk rate

77%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7028

Pork · Smoke in the Spring

Consistency

±13.19

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 169.80 · weakest Brisket (163.92)

Road miles

2,297

across 22 mapped stops · furthest 111 mi

Schedule strength

38%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1550)

State championships

0 🏅

won from 1 state-championship entry

Master avg

663.45 / 720

22 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (10 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

77% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 17 of 22 contests

A top-10 category call in 77% of their 22 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

685.6572 career-best overall

95.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 685.6572 at Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q — 95.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
May 6, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

OLD STYLE BBQ has finished one call ahead of QSS SMOKIN 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 13%.

3 contests
2 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 13%

A tough matchup

10–2 behind in the head-to-head

R BUTTS R SMOKIN ahead in 83% of their meetings

R BUTTS R SMOKIN has come out ahead in 10 of their 12 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.9 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.88 points below their pork, and turns into a call 18% of the time against 55%.

Brisket avg 163.92
Pork avg 169.80
4 calls in 22 entries

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of F.O.M.S.B. in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

Show 3 more storylines

An August team

Top 20% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 20% across 3 contests, versus top 37% the rest of the year.

3 August contests
top 37% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.83% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.83% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.1% of a perfect score
22 contests

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked Smoke in the Spring (WFC Quilfyer) every year from 2013 to 2017 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 4th

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1955 (60 pts)	#2049 (60 pts)	#2026 (60 pts)	#2029 (60 pts)	#2010 (60 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1765 (100 pts)	#1863 (90 pts)	#1433 (165 pts)	#1610 (120 pts)	#1873 (85 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1338 (190 pts)	#1802 (120 pts)	#1084 (320 pts)	#1391 (205 pts)	#1715 (135 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#755 (496 pts)	#862 (436 pts)	#940 (401 pts)	#1097 (321 pts)	#1009 (346 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#808 (426 pts)	#812 (446 pts)	#862 (416 pts)	#483 (816 pts)	#916 (381 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#593 (625 pts)	#725 (520 pts)	#734 (505 pts)	#703 (540 pts)	#766 (470 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#535 (589 pts)	#680 (484 pts)	#717 (464 pts)	#340 (894 pts)	#524 (609 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to QSS SMOKIN, each with one reason worth a look.

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

GONNA GET MESSY

#1,118 of the rated field

1593 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1602

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to QSS SMOKIN)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team QSS SMOKIN has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 25 contests
last seen Apr 12, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

Shark Q

#1,125 of the rated field

1593 power rating

Contests: 42
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1595

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to QSS SMOKIN)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 40 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 40 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

MOE CASON BBQ

#1,120 of the rated field

1593 power rating

Contests: 50
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 34%
Peak: 1615

2–3 in 5 shared contests (40% to QSS SMOKIN)

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 50 contests to 22.

rated over 49 contests
last seen Sep 29, 2022

⚔ Head-to-head

BROTHER OF SWEET SMOKE Q

#1,121 of the rated field

1593 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1593

21 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Smokin Steve's BBQ

#1,126 of the rated field

1593 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 5
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1599

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

rated over 24 contests
last seen Aug 1, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

QUBED

#1,119 of the rated field

1593 power rating

Contests: 25
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 36%
Peak: 1597

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 3 years before QSS SMOKIN's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 24 contests

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Theslabs.com	13	4	9	31%	⚔ compare
R BUTTS R SMOKIN	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
WOODWARD BARBEQUE	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
Lazy Butt BBQ	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
BLACK EYE BBQ	9	7	2	78%	⚔ compare
Four Men and A Pig	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
BLUE BUCKET BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
B & C SMOKERS	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' SAUCED	9	2	7	22%	⚔ compare
SQUEAL OF APPROVAL	8	7	1	88%	⚔ compare
PIG NEWTON	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
PORK ME PURPLE	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
K.C. CAN CREW	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKING HILLS	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
F.O.M.S.B.	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	22	3	0	1	176	150.8116	164.85	top 50%
Pork Ribs	22	6	0	1	176.5828	151.4284	164.87	top 44%
Pork	22	12	2	3	177.7028	161.0856	169.80	top 25%
Brisket	22	4	0	0	171.4056	145.1200	163.92	top 45%

“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)	10	0	top 41%
Large (40+)	12	0	top 34%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MO	11	top 33%
KS	10	top 38%
NE	1	top 74%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke in the Spring (WFC Quilfyer)	5	4	top 39%	Apr 7, 2017
Laurie Hillbilly BBQ	4	8	top 24%	Aug 4, 2017
Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q	3	3	top 37%	May 4, 2018
Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest	2	13	top 22%	Jun 6, 2014
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	8	top 37%	May 2, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 5 contests

Contests a season 3.1 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 11 of 22 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 11 5 of them more than once

Opponents faced 1,011 finished ahead 1,107 times, behind 639

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

20191 milestone

Apr 12 Most recent contest Smoke In the Springs

20163 milestones

May 6 First overall podium Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q
May 6 Career-best overall score685.6572 Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q
Aug 5 Peak power rating (1601) Laurie Hillbilly BBQ

20152 milestones

Apr 10 10th tracked contest Smoke in the Spring
Apr 10 Career-best single call (Pork)177.7028 Smoke in the Spring

20135 milestones

Apr 12 First tracked contest Smoke In The Spring
Apr 12 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.2856 Smoke In The Spring
Apr 26 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
May 3 First category win (Pork) Apple Blossom Barbecue Contest
Aug 2 First overall top-10 Laurie Hillbilly BBQ

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.8	Smoke In The Spring	Apr 11, 2014
+13.2	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q	May 6, 2016
+12.2	Smoke in the Spring	Apr 8, 2016
+11.5	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ	Aug 2, 2013
+10.2	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest	Jun 7, 2013

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.1	Smoke in the Spring (WFC Quilfyer)	Apr 7, 2017
-6.3	Sauce & Cycles	Jul 10, 2015
-5.5	Smoke In the Springs	Apr 12, 2019
-2.8	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q	May 5, 2017
-1.2	Smoke In The Spring	Apr 12, 2013

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)
2019	1	0	0	0%	top 67%	90.7%	90.7%
2018	1	0	0	100%	top 46%	93.2%	93.2%
2017	3	0	0	67%	top 52%	94.5%	91.4%
2016	3	2	0	67%	top 13%	95.2%	94.8%
2015	5	0	1	80%	top 46%	93.6%	91.6%
2014	4	2	0	100%	top 24%	94.1%	92.3%
2013	5	1	1	80%	top 36%	93.5%	91.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Apr 12, 2019	Smoke In the Springs 🏅 Osage City, KS	70 / 104 (653.0284)	93 (155.9428)	42 (167.4056)	34 (169.1200)	69 (160.5600)
May 4, 2018	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q St. Joseph, MO	17 / 37 (670.8344)	19 (166.2744)	7 (172)	13 (168.5944)	20 (163.9656)
Aug 4, 2017	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	11 / 40 (680.5144)	28 (164.5372)	2 (176.5828)	9 (172)	22 (167.3944)
May 5, 2017	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q St. Joseph, MO	22 / 39 (650.7316)	35 (150.8116)	22 (162.2628)	8 (173.7028)	19 (163.9544)
Apr 7, 2017	Smoke in the Spring (WFC Quilfyer) Osage City, KS	71 / 100 (643.3032)	91 (154.2632)	51 (164.5600)	71 (161.0856)	52 (163.3944)
Aug 5, 2016	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	9 / 50 (683.9088)	13 (172.5716)	4 (175.4172)	21 (167.3828)	17 (168.5372)
May 6, 2016	Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q St. Joseph, MO	3 / 31 (685.6572)	4 (173.1544)	10 (171.4172)	7 (169.6800)	10 (171.4056)
Apr 8, 2016	Smoke in the Spring Osage City, KS	13 / 109 (678.2172)	15 (172.5828)	49 (163.9772)	21 (170.8228)	14 (170.8344)
Oct 3, 2015	36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO	214 / 606 (662.2976)	364 (161.7372)	302 (163.4172)	122 (169.7488)	183 (167.3944)
Jul 31, 2015	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	13 / 38 (674.1372)	11 (173.1200)	33 (160.5028)	8 (170.8228)	12 (169.6916)
Jul 10, 2015	Sauce & Cycles Falls City, NE	23 / 31 (642.2180)	31 (153.7032)	12 (166.2972)	7 (171.4288)	26 (150.7888)
May 1, 2015	Apple Blossom BBQ Contest St. Joseph, MO	13 / 36 (669.7260)	13 (169.7488)	14 (168.5944)	8 (169.7028)	21 (161.6800)
Apr 10, 2015	Smoke in the Spring Osage City, KS	51 / 97 (648.4456)	21 (169.7028)	77 (155.9200)	1 (177.7028)	91 (145.1200)
Jul 11, 2014	Johnson County Fair BBQ Warrensburg, MO	14 / 36 (658.1716)	16 (166.2400)	17 (160.5600)	8 (168.5372)	18 (162.8344)
Jun 6, 2014	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest Mayetta, KS	13 / 54 (668.5260)	26 (165.7144)	5 (172.5944)	19 (167.4172)	24 (162.8000)
May 2, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Overland Park, KS	8 / 29 (654.8228)	23 (159.4056)	23 (155.4056)	4 (172.5944)	7 (167.4172)
Apr 11, 2014	Smoke In The Spring Osage City, KS	4 / 73 (677.6572)	2 (176)	12 (169.7372)	25 (165.0972)	13 (166.8228)
Aug 2, 2013	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	8 / 51 (673.0284)	18 (165.6800)	9 (170.8456)	6 (170.8228)	16 (165.6800)
Jun 7, 2013	Keepers of the Fire BBQ Contest Mayetta, KS	14 / 69 (665.1430)	10 (170.2858)	21 (168)	23 (166.8572)	40 (160)
May 3, 2013	Apple Blossom Barbecue Contest St. Joseph, MO	17 / 39 (654.8570)	31 (158.2856)	30 (151.4284)	1 (176.5716)	6 (168.5714)
Apr 26, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Overland Park, KS	14 / 30 (650.2852)	20 (160.5714)	22 (151.9998)	2 (169.7142)	7 (167.9998)
Apr 12, 2013	Smoke In The Spring Osage City, KS	39 / 71 (650.2856)	24 (166.2858)	51 (158.2858)	26 (166.2856)	47 (159.4284)

QSS SMOKIN

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

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (10 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

An August team

The metronome

A standing appointment

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)