SWIMMIN IN SMOKE

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

Power ranking

#4349

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1475

peak 1524 · rated over 17 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-03

latest 2017-01-20

Best ToY finish

#636

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

675.9080 / 720

Master · Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship

Perfect 180s

Current form

648.22 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 643.85 (+4.37)

Walk rate

65%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7142

Chicken · Memorial Day Salute to Service

Consistency

±31.20

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 164.92 · weakest Brisket (151.71)

Road miles

3,541

mi across 17 mapped stops · furthest 361 mi

Schedule strength

27%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1536)

Master avg

643.85 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (10 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

65% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 11 of 17 contests

A top-10 category call in 65% of their 17 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

675.9080 career-best overall

93.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 675.9080 at Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship — 93.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-04-26

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

KNIFE PORK AND SPOON has finished one call ahead of SWIMMIN IN SMOKE 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 48%.

5 contests
1 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 48%

A tough matchup

14–1 behind in the head-to-head

LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ ahead in 93% of their meetings

LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ has come out ahead in 14 of their 15 shared contests.

The weak link

−13.2 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 13.21 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 6% of the time against 24%.

Brisket avg 151.71
Pork Ribs avg 164.92
1 calls in 17 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of DIFFERENT SMOKES BBQ in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Pork Ribs nemesis

9 of 15 shared pork ribs entries lost

LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ ahead 60% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 15 shared pork ribs entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

DJS SMOKIN' BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The long haul

3,541 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,541 miles across 17 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 361 miles to 2nd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship.

17 mapped stops
furthest 361 mi

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.

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

AZ BEER BELLY BBQ

#4339 of the rated field

1476 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1476

2–3 in 5 shared contests (40% to SWIMMIN IN SMOKE)

These two have cooked 5 of the same contests — AZ BEER BELLY BBQ ahead 3–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2018-01-19

⚔ Head-to-head

Hogs Breath BBQ

#4323 of the rated field

1476 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1514

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1514 at their best, 39 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

JUICE'S SMOKEN BBQ

#4328 of the rated field

1476 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1476

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 17 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2017-07-07

⚔ Head-to-head

PORKTERA BBQ

#4358 of the rated field

1475 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1475

No shared contest yet.

17 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 18% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 17 contests
last seen 2016-07-29

⚔ Head-to-head

FATTMIKES BBQ

#4330 of the rated field

1476 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1512

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2025-06-27

⚔ Head-to-head

Griller Unchained

#4327 of the rated field

1476 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1503

No shared contest yet.

Level with SWIMMIN IN SMOKE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2026-06-20

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
DJS SMOKIN' BBQ	12	6	6	50%	⚔ compare
Phil the Grill	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
Bad Boyz BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
Karnivorous	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
COW TIPPIN BBQ	9	4	5	44%	⚔ compare
MONSOON BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
KNIFE PORK AND SPOON	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Your Behind BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
Lip S-Macn BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
LEFT COAST Q	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
RANCH 13 BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	3	1	1	177.7142	156.5256	164.91	top 57%
Pork Ribs	17	4	0	1	174.8800	153.7144	164.92	top 45%
Pork	17	4	0	0	172.5828	153.1428	162.31	top 58%
Brisket	17	1	0	0	170.8456	20.0000	151.71	top 60%

“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
AZ	11	top 68%
NV	4	top 43%
CA	2	top 52%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 89%
Medium (20–39)	12	top 63%
Large (40+)	4	top 43%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Holbrook	2	17	0	top 88%	2015-07-10

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

On the trail 3.7 yrs 2013-05-03 → 2017-01-20

Busiest season 2014 5 contests

Contests a season 3.4 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in AZ 11 of 17 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 16 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 17 entries · 1 win · 3 calls

Strongest meat Pork Ribs averages 164.92 · weakest Brisket (151.71)

Walk rate 65% a top-10 call in 11 of 17 contests

Overall top-10 rate 12% 2 of 17 contests

Master average 643.85 out of 720 · 17 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 292 270–343 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 3,541 17 mapped stops · furthest 361 mi

Schedule strength 1536 average field rating faced — tougher than 27% of rated contests

Power rating 1475 peak 1524 · #4349 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 3 First tracked contest 1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown
May 3 First call 1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown
May 3 First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.5710 1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown
May 24 First category win (Chicken) Memorial Day Salute to Service
May 24 First overall top-10 Memorial Day Salute to Service
May 24 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7142 Memorial Day Salute to Service
2014
Apr 26 Career-best overall score675.9080 Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship
Apr 26 Peak power rating (1524) Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship
Jul 11 10th tracked contest Holbrook
2017
Jan 20 Most recent contest Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.6	Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship	2014-04-26
+5.9	Memorial Day Salute to Service	2013-05-24
+4.9	2nd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship	2013-06-21
+2.5	3rd Annual Holbrook	2013-07-12
+1.3	Show Low BBQ Throwdown	2015-05-01

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15.6	Northern Arizona BBQ Festival	2014-06-13
-10.6	Holbrook	2014-07-11
-9.4	Holbrook	2015-07-10
-8.6	*The Queen Creek BBQ Battle	2016-02-19
-3.5	2nd Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown	2014-05-02

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	1	0	0	0%	top 68%	90.3%	90.3%
2016	2	0	0	0%	top 73%	91.5%	89.7%
2015	4	0	0	50%	top 65%	91.4%	90.8%
2014	5	1	0	100%	top 62%	93.9%	87.8%
2013	5	1	1	80%	top 48%	91.5%	89.6%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-01-20	Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ	27 / 40 (650.1368)	26 (164.5484)	16 (166.8228)	36 (154.8228)	22 (163.9428)
2016-05-06	4th Annual BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	24 / 39 (658.7428)	33 (157.6456)	18 (166.2516)	15 (167.4172)	15 (167.4284)
2016-02-19	*The Queen Creek BBQ Battle Queen Creek, AZ	31 / 37 (632.9944)	28 (158.8228)	25 (158.2744)	31 (157.0744)	25 (158.8228)
2015-11-13	Indio California State BBQ Championship- JUDGES FULL Indio, CA	23 / 34 (652.5260)	10 (175.4172)	24 (165.1316)	28 (157.7028)	27 (154.2744)
2015-07-10	Holbrook Holbrook, AZ	25 / 29 (646.7200)	12 (170.2628)	19 (164.5372)	19 (165.7028)	29 (146.2172)
2015-05-22	Best Dam Barbecue Boulder City, NV	21 / 38 (658.1944)	32 (162.2628)	14 (164.5372)	30 (162.8344)	14 (168.5600)
2015-05-01	Show Low BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	18 / 35 (657.6000)	33 (158.2400)	13 (167.3944)	21 (161.1200)	8 (170.8456)
2014-07-11	Holbrook Holbrook, AZ	17 / 19 (647.8512)	14 (164.5372)	17 (161.0856)	5 (172.5828)	18 (149.6456)
2014-06-13	Northern Arizona BBQ Festival Williams, AZ	35 / 35 (525.7372)	12 (169.1200)	2 (174.8800)	20 (161.7372)	35 (20.0000)
2014-05-23	10th Annual Best Dam Barbecue Challenge Boulder City, NV	17 / 35 (658.1712)	23 (161.1200)	6 (171.4056)	13 (165.6800)	23 (159.9656)
2014-05-02	2nd Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	21 / 35 (654.8228)	27 (164.5256)	7 (170.8572)	29 (158.2972)	22 (161.1428)
2014-04-26	Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship Mesquite, NV	5 / 51 (675.9080)	7 (173.1084)	14 (167.4284)	9 (169.1084)	16 (166.2628)
2013-08-31	Smokin in Mesquite BBQ Championship Mesquite, NV	32 / 54 (633.0512)	40 (156.5256)	6 (166.8572)	41 (154.2628)	32 (155.4056)
2013-07-12	3rd Annual Holbrook Holbrook, AZ	13 / 27 (642.2056)	13 (165.1200)	13 (162.2400)	19 (153.1428)	14 (161.7028)
2013-06-21	2nd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship Temecula, CA	26 / 70 (643.4286)	42 (159.9998)	24 (162.8572)	6 (169.7142)	46 (150.8574)
2013-05-24	Memorial Day Salute to Service Mesa, AZ	10 / 29 (658.8572)	1 (177.7142)	17 (159.4286)	22 (160.5714)	14 (161.1430)
2013-05-03	1st Annual Show Low BBQ Throwdown Show Low, AZ	15 / 24 (648.5710)	12 (164.5712)	21 (153.7144)	7 (167.4284)	11 (162.8570)

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
2016 ↗	Master	#2274 (60 pts)	#2353 (60 pts)	#2349 (60 pts)	#2326 (60 pts)	#2345 (60 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1263 (218 pts)	#1049 (313 pts)	#1171 (268 pts)	#1365 (223 pts)	#1139 (268 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#636 (490 pts)	#492 (655 pts)	#613 (545 pts)	#584 (570 pts)	#668 (485 pts)