FIGHTIN' RIBTIPS

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

Power ranking

#2578

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1517

peak 1529 · rated over 9 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-10-11

latest 2019-06-28

Best ToY finish

#1009

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 9 contests

Avg finish

top 49%

overall standings

Best overall

679.9660 / 720

Master · Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)

Perfect 180s

Current form

648.23 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 652.17 (-3.94)

Walk rate

78%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7260

Pork Ribs · Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)

Consistency

±11.49

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 163.22 · weakest Brisket (162.91)

Road miles

760

mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 83 mi

Schedule strength

38%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1549)

Purse competed for

$6K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

652.17 / 720

9 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (9 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

78% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 7 of 9 contests

A top-10 category call in 78% of their 9 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

679.9660 career-best overall

94.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 679.9660 at Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) — 94.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-05-01

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

HUSKY HOG BBQ has finished one call ahead of FIGHTIN' RIBTIPS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

QUAU ahead in 100% of their meetings

QUAU has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

A strong matchup

6–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 86% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of MEATSMACK in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

The comeback

3.1 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.1 years, then back at BBQ SmokeDown at Chicagoland (2019-06-28).

last seen 2016-05-28
back 2019-06-28

Chicken nemesis

6 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

QUAU ahead 75% of the time

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

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

DAD'S SMOKIN' BUTT BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±1.60% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.60% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.6% of a perfect score
9 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.

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

CANETUCK'S BBQ TEAM

#2581 of the rated field

1517 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1532

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 5 years before FIGHTIN' RIBTIPS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 9 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOAKWOOD

#2577 of the rated field

1517 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1517

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2025-10-25

⚔ Head-to-head

Hogz Backyard BBQ

#2565 of the rated field

1518 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2021-08-06

⚔ Head-to-head

Ribs in Peace

#2572 of the rated field

1517 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 78%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 11 years after FIGHTIN' RIBTIPS did, first appearing in 2024.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2026-07-17

⚔ Head-to-head

PO BACON BBQ

#2570 of the rated field

1517 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1526

No shared contest yet.

Level with FIGHTIN' RIBTIPS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2018-09-14

⚔ Head-to-head

CAPTAIN PJ'S BBQ

#2566 of the rated field

1517 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1517

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 2018-05-11

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
QUAU	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
MEATSMACK	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
Its 5 Oclock Somewhere	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
2 SKINNY COOKS	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
One2BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKY LINCS	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO.	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
BONEHEAD BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
iBQ'n	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	2	173.1428	150.7884	163.22	top 52%
Pork Ribs	9	2	173.7260	154.8228	162.97	top 49%
Pork	9	2	169.6800	155.3944	163.07	top 51%
Brisket	9	3	170.8572	150.2744	162.91	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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	1	0	top 32%
Large (40+)	8	0	top 51%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Central Illinois Bragging Rights	3	12	top 49%	2015-10-09
Route 66 Smoke Out	2	6	top 31%	2016-05-06
Red, White and BBQ (Day 2)	2	24	top 44%	2015-05-23

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.7 yrs 2013-10-11 → 2019-06-28

Busiest season 2015 3 contests

Contests a season 1.8 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IL 9 of 9 contests

Contests visited 5 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 9 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 163.22 · weakest Brisket (162.91)

Walk rate 78% a top-10 call in 7 of 9 contests

Overall top-10 rate 11% 1 of 9 contests

Master average 652.17 out of 720 · 9 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 231 224–212 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 760 9 mapped stops · furthest 83 mi

Schedule strength 1549 average field rating faced — tougher than 38% of rated contests

Purse competed for $6,300 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 3.1 yrs 2016-05-28 → 2019-06-28

Power rating 1517 peak 1529 · #2578 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Oct 11 First tracked contest Central Illinois Bragging Rights
Oct 11 First call Central Illinois Bragging Rights
2014
May 24 First overall past 90% of a perfect score652.4800 Red, White, And BBQ
2015
May 1 First overall top-10 Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)
May 1 Career-best overall score679.9660 Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)
May 1 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)173.7260 Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)
May 23 Peak power rating (1529) Red, White and BBQ (Day 2)
2019
Jun 28 Most recent contest BBQ SmokeDown at Chicagoland

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL)	2015-05-01
+7.4	Central Illinois Bragging Rights	2014-10-10
+4.6	Red, White and BBQ (Day 2)	2015-05-23
+2.9	Red, White, And BBQ	2014-05-24
+2.1	Route 66 Smoke Out	2016-05-06

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.1	BBQ SmokeDown at Chicagoland	2019-06-28
-3.8	Central Illinois Bragging Rights	2015-10-09
-2.8	Red, White & BBQ (Day 2)	2016-05-28

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)
2019	1	0	0%	top 83%	88.6%	88.6%
2016	2	0	50%	top 56%	90.7%	90.6%
2015	3	1	100%	top 40%	94.4%	91.6%
2014	2	0	100%	top 39%	90.6%	90.6%
2013	1	0	100%	top 49%	89.4%	89.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-06-28	BBQ SmokeDown at Chicagoland 🏅 Joliet, IL	35 / 42 (637.6116)	38 (153.7144)	39 (154.8228)	28 (162.2400)	24 (166.8344)
2016-05-28	Red, White & BBQ (Day 2) Westmont, IL	35 / 55 (653.0172)	40 (162.8572)	19 (166.2516)	45 (158.8000)	17 (165.1084)
2016-05-06	Route 66 Smoke Out Dwight, IL	19 / 40 (651.3372)	26 (158.2512)	20 (166.8344)	30 (155.3944)	4 (170.8572)
2015-10-09	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	31 / 48 (642.1484)	44 (150.7884)	27 (161.6800)	32 (160.5372)	10 (169.1428)
2015-05-23	Red, White and BBQ (Day 2) Westmont, IL	24 / 58 (657.0172)	15 (169.6800)	46 (155.9772)	10 (169.6800)	31 (161.6800)
2015-05-01	Route 66 Smoke Out (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Dwight, IL	6 / 40 (679.9660)	15 (167.9656)	4 (173.7260)	11 (169.1200)	10 (169.1544)
2014-10-10	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	12 / 37 (652.5828)	6 (169.7256)	10 (164.5944)	29 (157.1200)	20 (161.1428)
2014-05-24	Red, White, And BBQ Westmont, IL	33 / 72 (652.4800)	42 (162.8228)	17 (168.0000)	10 (169.6800)	58 (151.9772)
2013-10-11	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	26 / 53 (643.3600)	7 (173.1428)	35 (154.8572)	19 (165.0856)	37 (150.2744)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#1955 (60 pts)	#2049 (60 pts)	#2026 (60 pts)	#2029 (60 pts)	#1973 (65 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1624 (150 pts)	#1883 (120 pts)	#1593 (175 pts)	#1872 (120 pts)	#1078 (310 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1009 (300 pts)	#1122 (280 pts)	#1022 (330 pts)	#1034 (325 pts)	#1000 (330 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1358 (202 pts)	#1248 (252 pts)	#1234 (252 pts)	#1407 (212 pts)	#1615 (162 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1970 (75 pts)	#1412 (180 pts)	#2043 (75 pts)	#1918 (105 pts)	#2034 (75 pts)