SMOKE FREAKS IL
Rating
1602
peak 1606 · rated over 16 contests
Best runs
3
straight top-10s
Contests
20
in the data
First seen
2019-04-05
latest 2019-10-18
Best ToY finish
#66
Master 2017
Grand champs
1
1 reserve
Category wins
1
8 podiums
Overall top-10s
12
of 20 contests
Avg finish
top 25%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
679.12 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 674.63 (+4.48)
Walk rate
80%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
3
best run (overall)
Consistency
±13.10
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 171.02 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.26)
Road miles
2839
mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 363 mi
Schedule strength
24%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1519)
Purse competed for
$147K
listed at 16 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 17 state-championship entries
Master avg
674.63 / 720
16 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
One2BBQ has finished one call ahead of SMOKE FREAKS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
THE BBQ BUS has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of SmokinGhost BBQ in 8 of their 10 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
8th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 2) is their spot: an average finish in the top 12% across 2 visits.
😤 Pork nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, One2BBQ has out-cooked them in 8 of 11 shared pork entries.
📅 A August team
Something about August: average finish in the top 16% across 3 contests, versus top 25% the rest of the year.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 1 of 9 at their very first tracked contest, Honor-Q Competitor's Series ().
🔁 The comeback
Off the trail for 3.9 years, then back at 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) (2026-05-22).
Teams like this (closest power rating, IL first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE BBQ BUS | 13 | 7 | 6 | 54% | ⚔ compare |
| Carrol Lou's Smokehouse | 13 | 4 | 9 | 31% | ⚔ compare |
| One2BBQ | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 10 | 8 | 2 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| QUE U | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG "E" BBQ | 10 | 4 | 6 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| PORKRASTINATORS | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| Rusty Pig BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| PAPA'S BARBQ | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| WICKED SMOKE BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| D.F.G.'S BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 177.1428 | 152.5144 | 169.12 | top 35% |
| Pork Ribs | 19 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 174.8800 | 153.0972 | 167.26 | top 39% |
| Pork | 16 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 176.0000 | 163.3944 | 171.02 | top 26% |
| Brisket | 16 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 177.7144 | 155.9200 | 167.65 | top 36% |
“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 | 13 | 1 | top 26% |
| WI | 3 | 0 | top 25% |
| IN | 2 | 0 | top 17% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 1 | top 11% |
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 20% |
| Large (40+) | 11 | 0 | top 28% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 12% | 2019-08-24 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2019 (16 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IL (14 of 20 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (19 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Honor-Q Competitor's Series (null)
- Wins it all in 5% of contests
- Average Master overall score: 674.63 / 720
Milestones
- 🚩 — First tracked contest · Honor-Q Competitor's Series
- 📣 — First call · Honor-Q Competitor's Series
- 🏆 — First Grand Championship · Honor-Q Competitor's Series
- ⭐ 2019-08-23 — Career-best overall score (689.0856) · 8th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 1)
- 📈 2019-10-11 — Peak power rating (1606) · Central Illinois Bragging Rights(CIBR-BBQ)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.6 | CCSFest | 2019-04-05 |
| +13 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | 2019-07-19 |
| +11.5 | Route 66 Smoke Out | 2019-05-03 |
| +11.2 | 8th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 2) | 2019-08-24 |
| +10.9 | Red, White, and BBQ- Day 2 | 2019-05-25 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -5.8 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 2 | 2019-06-22 |
| -4.2 | Best of the Midwest | 2019-10-18 |
| -1.5 | Red, White, and BBQ Day 1 | 2019-05-24 |
| -0.4 | Blues,Brews & Barbecue | 2019-06-07 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 17% | — | — |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2019 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 88% | top 25% | 95.7% | 93.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-22 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: World Rib Finals (Friday, May 22, 2026) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 75 (163.9544) | — | — |
| 2022-06-25 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day Two) 🏅 Belvidere, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019-10-18 | Best of the Midwest 🏅 Union Grove, WI | 27 / 52 (649.6232) | 18 (166.2744) | 43 (153.0972) | 12 (170.2744) | 31 (159.9772) |
| 2019-10-11 | Central Illinois Bragging Rights(CIBR-BBQ) 🏅 Arthur, IL | 10 / 43 (681.6344) | 16 (170.8572) | 6 (173.1200) | 14 (170.2628) | 21 (167.3944) |
| 2019-09-20 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 11 / 54 (686.1712) | 20 (168.5256) | 11 (173.1200) | 12 (171.9656) | 12 (172.5600) |
| 2019-08-24 | 8th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 2) 🏅 Washington Island, WI | 3 / 29 (689.0632) | 10 (171.9772) | 15 (166.2516) | 4 (173.1200) | 2 (177.7144) |
| 2019-08-23 | 8th Annual Death Door Barbeque(DAY 1) 🏅 Washington Island, WI | 4 / 30 (689.0856) | 3 (175.4056) | 10 (167.9772) | 3 (174.8456) | 10 (170.8572) |
| 2019-08-16 | Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival 🏅 Madsion, IN | 11 / 47 (679.3256) | 2 (177.1428) | 9 (173.1200) | 29 (165.0856) | 28 (163.9772) |
| 2019-07-19 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Peoria, IL | 2 / 40 (686.7772) | 9 (169.6916) | 10 (167.9656) | 6 (175.4172) | 6 (173.7028) |
| 2019-06-28 | BBQ SmokeDown at Chicagoland 🏅 Joliet, IL | 9 / 42 (679.9428) | 33 (162.2400) | 2 (174.8572) | 4 (174.2972) | 17 (168.5484) |
| 2019-06-22 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 2 🏅 Belvidere, IL | 30 / 45 (654.7888) | 4 (173.7144) | 38 (157.7028) | 24 (166.2628) | 36 (157.1088) |
| 2019-06-21 | Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Day 1 🏅 Belvidere, IL | 12 / 50 (670.7544) | 20 (166.8572) | 33 (158.8000) | 3 (175.4172) | 13 (169.6800) |
| 2019-06-14 | Hog Capital Challenge 🏅 Kewanee, IL | 5 / 25 (675.3832) | 5 (171.9772) | 17 (161.1316) | 8 (169.1544) | 4 (173.1200) |
| 2019-06-07 | Blues,Brews & Barbecue 🏅 Beardstown, IL | 9 / 25 (659.3260) | 22 (152.5144) | 4 (169.7028) | 4 (170.8572) | 5 (166.2516) |
| 2019-05-25 | Red, White, and BBQ- Day 2 🏅 Westmont, IL | 8 / 48 (675.3372) | 24 (165.1200) | 12 (169.1316) | 1 (176.0000) | 20 (165.0856) |
| 2019-05-24 | Red, White, and BBQ Day 1 🏅 Westmont, IL | 20 / 40 (651.2688) | 8 (171.9772) | 24 (159.9772) | 24 (163.3944) | 29 (155.9200) |
| 2019-05-03 | Route 66 Smoke Out 🏅 Dwight, IL | 5 / 33 (682.2632) | 4 (174.8688) | 7 (170.2744) | 14 (167.9772) | 8 (169.1428) |
| 2019-04-05 | CCSFest 🏅 Indianapois, IN | 4 / 40 (683.3484) | 31 (165.0972) | 4 (174.8800) | 8 (171.9656) | 7 (171.4056) |
| Saluting With Smoke (COMPETITORS SERIES) Yorkville, IL | 9 / 38 (499.9540) | 5 (170.8684) | 4 (169.7028) | — | — | |
| Honor-Q Competitor's Series Plainfield, IL | 1 / 9 (345.6800) | — | 3 (173.1200) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1013 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #97 (1832 pts) | #103 (1712 pts) | #110 (1673 pts) | #60 (1964 pts) | #126 (1602 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #75 (2038 pts) | #50 (2025 pts) | #21 (2265 pts) | #161 (1486 pts) | #155 (1560 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #66 (2203 pts) | #70 (2018 pts) | #15 (2344 pts) | #218 (1360 pts) | #42 (2200 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #190 (1568 pts) | #233 (1308 pts) | #157 (1563 pts) | #275 (1233 pts) | #280 (1218 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1268 (215 pts) | #1099 (290 pts) | #1395 (200 pts) | #1387 (215 pts) | #1534 (165 pts) |