THE REAL SMOKING BUTTS

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

Power ranking

#3302

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1498

peak 1516 · rated over 10 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-08-02

latest 2017-01-27

Best ToY finish

#706

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 55%

overall standings

Best overall

678.2516 / 720

Master · Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off

Perfect 180s

Current form

647.17 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 651.01 (-3.84)

Walk rate

40%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.1428

Chicken · Lakeland Pig Festival

Consistency

±13.78

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 167.52 · weakest Brisket (159.16)

Road miles

1,520

mi across 10 mapped stops · furthest 464 mi

Schedule strength

26%

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

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

651.01 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (6 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.

High-water mark

678.2516 career-best overall

94.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 678.2516 at Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off — 94.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
2013-08-23

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

SWAMP BOYS ahead in 100% of their meetings

SWAMP BOYS has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.4 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.36 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 20% of the time against 30%.

Brisket avg 159.16
Chicken avg 167.52
2 calls in 10 entries

A strong matchup

5–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 71% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BIG JOHN'S TEXAS BAR-B-QUE in 5 of their 7 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

6 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

SWAMP BOYS ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SWAMP BOYS has out-cooked them in 6 of 8 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±1.91% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.91% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.4% of a perfect score
10 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.

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

Southern Tailgates

#3291 of the rated field

1498 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1504

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2024-08-16

⚔ Head-to-head

CHILLIN N GRILLIN BBQ COMPANY

#3304 of the rated field

1498 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1506

No shared contest yet.

Level with THE REAL SMOKING BUTTS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2019-09-21

⚔ Head-to-head

BEAN CAN BBQ

#3311 of the rated field

1497 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1507

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2018-06-22

⚔ Head-to-head

Smoking Section

#3310 of the rated field

1497 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1497

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2021-09-25
on a 3-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

PECULIAR SMOKE

#3308 of the rated field

1498 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2016-04-01

⚔ Head-to-head

We Be Porken

#3320 of the rated field

1497 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1506

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 3 years before THE REAL SMOKING BUTTS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 9 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SWAMP BOYS	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BIG JOHN'S TEXAS BAR-B-QUE	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
HOT WACHULA'S	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
SWINOS	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
Smokin' Slimz	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN BLUE Q FL	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Two Crackers Cooking	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
The BBQ Shack	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
Shanty Town BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
JACK'S OLD SOUTH	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
WHISKEY BENT BBQ - FL	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
WICKED QUE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
United Pork Smokers	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	3	173.1428	155.9656	167.52	top 42%
Pork Ribs	10	0	170.2628	151.9428	160.71	top 57%
Pork	10	1	170.8572	154.2172	163.62	top 48%
Brisket	10	2	173.1316	147.3484	159.16	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	GCs	Avg finish
FL	7	0	top 53%
GA	3	0	top 61%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Lakeland Pig Festival	2	37	0	top 65%	2016-01-29
Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2	34	0	top 70%	2014-08-01

The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3.5 yrs 2013-08-02 → 2017-01-27

Busiest season 2013 4 contests

Contests a season 2 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in FL 7 of 10 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 8 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 10 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 167.52 · weakest Brisket (159.16)

Walk rate 40% a top-10 call in 4 of 10 contests

Overall top-10 rate 10% 1 of 10 contests

Master average 651.01 out of 720 · 10 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 335 241–303 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,520 10 mapped stops · furthest 464 mi

Schedule strength 1536 average field rating faced — tougher than 26% of rated contests

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Power rating 1498 peak 1516 · #3302 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Aug 2 First tracked contest Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)
Aug 2 First overall past 90% of a perfect score666.7544 Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)
Aug 23 First call Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off
Aug 23 First overall top-10 Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off
Aug 23 Career-best overall score678.2516 Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off
Nov 15 Peak power rating (1516) When Pigs Fly South
2015
Jan 30 Career-best single call (Chicken)173.1428 Lakeland Pig Festival
2017
Jan 27 10th tracked contest Lakeland Pig Festival
Jan 27 Most recent contest Lakeland Pig Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.3	Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off	2013-08-23
+3.3	When Pigs Fly South	2013-11-15
+3.2	The Tiger Town Pig Festival	2014-01-23
+2.9	Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier)	2014-05-09

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.8	Plant City Pig Jam	2013-11-22
-8.8	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2014-08-01
-4.7	Lakeland Pig Festival	2016-01-29
-1.4	Lakeland Pig Festival	2015-01-30
-1.2	Lakeland Pig Festival	2017-01-27

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 63%	89.7%	89.7%
2016	1	0	0%	top 71%	90%	90%
2015	1	0	100%	top 60%	90.6%	90.6%
2014	3	0	33%	top 57%	90.4%	89.8%
2013	4	1	50%	top 47%	94.2%	91.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017-01-27	Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL	38 / 60 (645.5196)	26 (168.5484)	51 (151.9428)	16 (167.3828)	36 (157.6456)
2016-01-29	Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL	41 / 58 (647.8972)	42 (161.1428)	26 (165.0972)	46 (158.2400)	29 (163.4172)
2015-01-30	Lakeland Pig Festival Lakeland, FL	37 / 62 (652.4572)	10 (173.1428)	43 (159.3600)	8 (170.8572)	50 (149.0972)
2014-08-01	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier) Dillard, GA	47 / 56 (639.2112)	35 (167.3828)	15 (170.2628)	50 (154.2172)	54 (147.3484)
2014-05-09	Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off (GBC Qualifier) 🏅 Waynesboro, GA	18 / 42 (650.7548)	11 (171.9772)	19 (161.1316)	20 (162.8460)	25 (154.8000)
2014-01-23	The Tiger Town Pig Festival Lakeland, FL	30 / 69 (649.5656)	36 (162.2400)	45 (155.3600)	39 (159.3828)	6 (172.5828)
2013-11-22	Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, FL	43 / 53 (624.4000)	42 (155.9656)	43 (153.0972)	15 (165.6800)	42 (149.6572)
2013-11-15	When Pigs Fly South Lakeland, FL	20 / 49 (655.2572)	6 (171.9656)	19 (166.8344)	22 (163.3944)	39 (153.0628)
2013-08-23	Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off Amelia Island, FL	5 / 44 (678.2516)	8 (171.9772)	15 (166.3088)	12 (169.1200)	4 (170.8456)
2013-08-02	Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival (GBC Qualifier) Dillard, GA	34 / 61 (666.7544)	25 (170.8228)	47 (157.6800)	38 (165.1200)	16 (173.1316)

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	#2158 (60 pts)	#1690 (135 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#1614 (155 pts)	#2214 (60 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1161 (252 pts)	#1139 (287 pts)	#1105 (297 pts)	#1294 (242 pts)	#992 (332 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#706 (443 pts)	#648 (503 pts)	#859 (373 pts)	#785 (423 pts)	#663 (488 pts)