JUST SMOKIN' AROUND

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

Power ranking

#2893

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1508

peak 1515 · rated over 16 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-25

latest 2017-03-31

Best ToY finish

#633

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 16 contests

Avg finish

top 54%

overall standings

Best overall

652.0116 / 720

Master · Smoke in the Park

Perfect 180s

Current form

637.36 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 633.56 (+3.80)

Walk rate

56%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7372

Pork Ribs · Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest

Consistency

±16.00

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 159.29 · weakest Chicken (157.26)

Road miles

973

mi across 16 mapped stops · furthest 88 mi

Schedule strength

30%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1541)

Master avg

633.56 / 720

16 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

FAT MAXINE'S BBQ has finished one call ahead of JUST SMOKIN' AROUND 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

14–1 behind in the head-to-head

3 EYZ BBQ ahead in 93% of their meetings

3 EYZ BBQ has come out ahead in 14 of their 15 shared contests.

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Buddhist From Mecca BBQ in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

12 of 13 shared pork entries lost

CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ ahead 92% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ has out-cooked them in 12 of 13 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

BIG BLOCK BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 44% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 44% across 3 contests, versus top 54% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 54% the rest of the year

The metronome

±2.22% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.22% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 88.0% of a perfect score
16 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.

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

MARKS FAMILY BBQ

#2902 of the rated field

1508 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1508

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to JUST SMOKIN' AROUND)

2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team JUST SMOKIN' AROUND has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2016-09-16

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG MONEY BBQ

#2890 of the rated field

1508 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 16 contests to 16, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2020-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

BUFFALO MEATHEADS

#2891 of the rated field

1508 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 27% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2018-09-22

⚔ Head-to-head

OLE MAN LARRY'S BBQ

#2898 of the rated field

1508 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1514

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2018-04-27

⚔ Head-to-head

Slapshot BBQ

#2899 of the rated field

1508 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1539

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1539 at their best, 32 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2019-05-10

⚔ Head-to-head

JB'S SMOKESHACK

#2900 of the rated field

1508 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 35%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2017-04-22

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
3 EYZ BBQ	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
4:20 Q	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
BIG BLOCK BBQ	8	3	5	38%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Team Meat Coma	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
BONE TO BARK BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
APORKALYPSE NOW	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
Buddhist From Mecca BBQ	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
SIR-PORK'S-ALOT BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	16	0	0	167.4400	143.9200	157.26	top 63%
Pork Ribs	16	5	1	173.7372	138.7540	158.41	top 51%
Pork	16	2	0	165.7028	150.7772	159.29	top 51%
Brisket	16	5	1	172.0000	146.7656	158.61	top 46%

“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
MD	10	top 51%
PA	3	top 55%
VA	2	top 52%
WV	1	top 81%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	10	0	top 51%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 58%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest	2	13	0	top 52%	2016-10-14

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3.8 yrs 2013-05-25 → 2017-03-31

Busiest season 2013 5 contests

Contests a season 3.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MD 10 of 16 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 15 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 16 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 159.29 · weakest Chicken (157.26)

Walk rate 56% a top-10 call in 9 of 16 contests

Overall top-10 rate 13% 2 of 16 contests

Master average 633.56 out of 720 · 16 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 373 313–383 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 973 16 mapped stops · furthest 88 mi

Schedule strength 1541 average field rating faced — tougher than 30% of rated contests

Power rating 1508 peak 1515 · #2893 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 25 First tracked contest The Memorial Day Pignic
May 25 First call The Memorial Day Pignic
May 25 First overall top-10 The Memorial Day Pignic
Jun 14 Peak power rating (1515) Central MD Swinetastic BBQ Festival
2015
Jul 31 10th tracked contest Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ
Sep 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score652.0116 Smoke in the Park
Sep 25 Career-best overall score652.0116 Smoke in the Park
Oct 16 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)173.7372 Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest
2017
Mar 31 Most recent contest The Ironman

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+8.4	The Memorial Day Pignic	2013-05-25
+7.3	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest	2015-10-16
+6.9	Central MD Swinetastic BBQ Festival	2013-06-14
+6.8	Smoke in the Park	2015-09-25
+6.1	4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle	2014-10-10

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12	MD State BBQ Bash, Presented by Mars Super Markets	2014-08-08
-9.4	Pickin' in the Panhandle	2013-09-06
-5.5	6th Annual Southern York County BBQ Cook-off	2014-09-05
-4	12th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash	2013-08-09
-3.4	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ	2015-07-31

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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	1	0	0%	top 51%	88.2%	88.2%
2016	3	0	33%	top 60%	90%	88.1%
2015	4	0	75%	top 45%	90.6%	89.4%
2014	3	1	67%	top 68%	89.7%	86.1%
2013	5	1	60%	top 49%	89.8%	87.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-03-31	The Ironman Greencastle, PA	30 / 59 (635.3716)	31 (159.4056)	29 (159.9772)	28 (158.8344)	34 (157.1544)
2016-10-14	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest Woodstock, VA	26 / 38 (633.5544)	19 (164.5944)	16 (162.8000)	32 (154.2172)	31 (151.9428)
2016-06-03	Beltway BBQ Showdown Fort Washington, MD	19 / 37 (647.8624)	12 (167.4400)	26 (155.9428)	32 (153.0740)	7 (171.4056)
2016-05-06	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	31 / 51 (622.1372)	32 (157.6800)	44 (145.6800)	34 (154.8000)	13 (163.9772)
2015-10-16	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest Woodstock, VA	13 / 37 (647.8628)	27 (157.6684)	2 (173.7372)	14 (162.8000)	24 (153.6572)
2015-09-25	Smoke in the Park Lemoyne, PA	14 / 34 (652.0116)	21 (159.4516)	7 (166.8572)	8 (165.7028)	15 (160.0000)
2015-07-31	Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Leonardtown, MD	30 / 54 (639.8628)	20 (166.2628)	31 (158.2744)	21 (163.9544)	37 (151.3712)
2015-05-29	Beltway BBQ Showdown Ft. Washington, MD	18 / 39 (633.5996)	36 (144.4912)	8 (166.2972)	15 (162.2628)	15 (160.5484)
2014-10-10	4th Annual High Point BBQ Battle Clarksburg, MD	10 / 25 (646.1712)	14 (161.1200)	9 (163.4172)	10 (161.1084)	6 (160.5256)
2014-09-05	6th Annual Southern York County BBQ Cook-off York, PA	29 / 39 (627.9084)	31 (153.6684)	33 (149.0972)	20 (162.2856)	9 (162.8572)
2014-08-08	MD State BBQ Bash, Presented by Mars Super Markets Bel Air, MD	49 / 54 (586.5252)	47 (150.2284)	49 (138.7540)	42 (150.7772)	40 (146.7656)
2013-10-11	3rd Annual High Point BBQ Clarksburg, MD	14 / 31 (638.1372)	14 (162.8228)	4 (167.3828)	14 (158.8460)	20 (149.0856)
2013-09-06	Pickin' in the Panhandle Inwood, WV	30 / 37 (624.4344)	35 (143.9200)	28 (156.5716)	16 (164.0000)	22 (159.9428)
2013-08-09	12th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash Bel Air, MD	38 / 60 (612.9368)	37 (153.6800)	37 (152.5600)	27 (157.0856)	36 (149.6112)
2013-06-14	Central MD Swinetastic BBQ Festival Frederick, MD	18 / 63 (646.2856)	40 (156.5714)	29 (158.2858)	28 (159.4284)	3 (172.0000)
2013-05-25	The Memorial Day Pignic Fort Ritchie, MD	10 / 38 (642.2854)	24 (157.1426)	19 (158.8570)	20 (159.4286)	8 (166.8572)

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
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#2266 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1317 (210 pts)	#1200 (275 pts)	#1366 (225 pts)	#1564 (180 pts)	#1012 (345 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#862 (389 pts)	#1118 (284 pts)	#610 (639 pts)	#805 (459 pts)	#979 (344 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1130 (264 pts)	#1532 (180 pts)	#1392 (210 pts)	#1457 (200 pts)	#1255 (240 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#633 (496 pts)	#825 (391 pts)	#652 (511 pts)	#729 (456 pts)	#499 (641 pts)