BRANDIN' IRON BBQ

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

Power ranking

#3293

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1498

peak 1505 · rated over 8 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-04-19

latest 2015-05-01

Best ToY finish

#850

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 8 contests

Avg finish

top 56%

overall standings

Best overall

662.8460 / 720

Master · 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest

Perfect 180s

Current form

623.92 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 626.51 (-2.59)

Walk rate

63%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

175.4172

Chicken · Central Illinois Bragging Rights

Consistency

±48.07

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 161.76 · weakest Pork Ribs (143.07)

Road miles

1,065

mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 173 mi

Schedule strength

17%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1524)

Master avg

626.51 / 720

8 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.

They almost always walk

63% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 5 of 8 contests

A top-10 category call in 63% of their 8 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

662.8460 career-best overall

92.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 662.8460 at 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest — 92.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-04-11

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

QUAU ahead in 100% of their meetings

QUAU has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The weak link

−18.7 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 18.70 points below their pork, and turns into a call 13% of the time against 13%.

Pork Ribs avg 143.07
Pork avg 161.76
1 calls in 8 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of I QUE & BREW in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

6 of 6 shared pork entries lost

QUAU ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, QUAU has out-cooked them in 6 of 6 shared pork entries.

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.

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

Big O' Dang O' BBQ

#3307 of the rated field

1498 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1508

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BRANDIN' IRON BBQ)

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

rated over 7 contests
last seen 2017-09-22

⚔ Head-to-head

Psycho Dog BBQ Team

#3290 of the rated field

1498 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 38%
Peak: 1498

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2019-09-14

⚔ Head-to-head

MEET MY MEAT

#3289 of the rated field

1498 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1498

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2018-04-27

⚔ Head-to-head

2ND TO LAST BBQ

#3284 of the rated field

1498 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1508

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2015-03-20

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKING GUN BBQ - DE

#3276 of the rated field

1498 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1517

No shared contest yet.

Level with BRANDIN' IRON BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2018-09-22

⚔ 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

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BOSS HAWG BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
QUAU	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
GILLY'S BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	8	1	175.4172	154.8572	160.77	top 59%
Pork Ribs	8	1	167.4284	20.0000	143.07	top 56%
Pork	8	1	172.5944	154.8000	161.76	top 55%
Brisket	8	2	169.1430	147.4284	160.91	top 48%

“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
IL	6	0	top 60%
MO	2	0	top 41%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 88%
Medium (20–39)	2	top 65%
Large (40+)	5	top 45%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Central Illinois Bragging Rights	2	19	0	top 49%	2014-10-10

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

On the trail 2 yrs 2013-04-19 → 2015-05-01

Busiest season 2013 4 contests

Contests a season 2.7 across 3 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IL 6 of 8 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 8 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 161.76 · weakest Pork Ribs (143.07)

Walk rate 63% a top-10 call in 5 of 8 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 8 contests

Master average 626.51 out of 720 · 8 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 224 160–169 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,065 8 mapped stops · furthest 173 mi

Schedule strength 1524 average field rating faced — tougher than 17% of rated contests

Power rating 1498 peak 1505 · #3293 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Apr 19 First tracked contest Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
Apr 19 First call Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
Oct 11 First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.3144 Central Illinois Bragging Rights
Oct 11 Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4172 Central Illinois Bragging Rights
2014
Apr 11 Career-best overall score662.8460 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
Apr 11 Peak power rating (1505) 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
2015
May 1 Most recent contest Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+6.4	Central Illinois Bragging Rights	2013-10-11
+6.2	6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest	2014-04-11
+4.7	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)	2015-05-01
+1.8	Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest	2013-04-19

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.2	Heart of Illinois BBQ, Beer & Bluegrass Festival	2014-09-05
-5.5	Westmont Red, White & BBQ	2013-05-24
-3.6	Q the Lou	2013-09-13
-2	Central Illinois Bragging Rights	2014-10-10

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2015	1	100%	top 40%	92%	92%
2014	3	33%	top 62%	92.1%	83.6%
2013	4	75%	top 55%	90.5%	88.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2015-05-01	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Dwight, IL	16 / 40 (662.2516)	30 (158.8228)	21 (166.8344)	5 (172.5944)	19 (164.0000)
2014-10-10	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	23 / 37 (639.2340)	23 (161.0856)	13 (162.8228)	25 (158.2284)	26 (157.0972)
2014-09-05	Heart of Illinois BBQ, Beer & Bluegrass Festival Peoria, IL	14 / 16 (503.9316)	11 (158.8460)	16 (20.0000)	12 (161.0856)	7 (164.0000)
2014-04-11	6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO	17 / 46 (662.8460)	16 (165.7144)	16 (166.8800)	24 (162.8572)	20 (167.3944)
2013-10-11	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	19 / 53 (651.3144)	4 (175.4172)	28 (160.5828)	40 (154.8000)	20 (160.5144)
2013-09-13	Q the Lou Litchfield, IL	17 / 25 (627.3488)	21 (155.9544)	19 (151.4172)	13 (162.2628)	13 (157.7144)
2013-05-24	Westmont Red, White & BBQ Westmont, IL	48 / 70 (630.2854)	58 (154.8572)	63 (148.5712)	53 (157.7140)	8 (169.1430)
2013-04-19	Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO	23 / 50 (634.8568)	29 (155.4286)	5 (167.4284)	15 (164.5714)	40 (147.4284)

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	#1909 (105 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2082 (80 pts)	#1492 (185 pts)	#2034 (90 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1089 (279 pts)	#1110 (299 pts)	#1034 (324 pts)	#1289 (244 pts)	#1060 (304 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#850 (355 pts)	#737 (445 pts)	#771 (430 pts)	#856 (385 pts)	#722 (455 pts)