The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
MARK'S SMOKIN QUE has finished one call ahead of MIDWEST JUNCTION BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
MIDWEST JUNCTION BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1495
peak 1495 · rated over 5 contests ⓘ
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
2015-05-23
latest 2017-07-14
Best ToY finish
#1101
Master 2015
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 62%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
645.82
last 5 Master vs avg 645.82 (+0.00)
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±4.87
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 167.22 · weakest Brisket (151.51)
Road miles
1,266
mi across 6 mapped stops · furthest 372 mi
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)
Master avg
645.82 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (4 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.
A tough matchup
4–0
behind in the head-to-head
DRY 2 DA BONE ahead in 100% of their meetings
DRY 2 DA BONE has come out ahead in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
The weak link
−15.7
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 15.71 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 17%.
- Brisket avg 151.51
- Chicken avg 167.22
- 0 calls in 5 entries
The comeback
1.8 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at *BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! (2017-07-14).
- last seen 2015-09-25
- back 2017-07-14
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.
124 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3400 of the rated field
- Contests
- 33
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1511
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to MIDWEST JUNCTION BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team MIDWEST JUNCTION BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3388 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1496
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3406 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1495
No shared contest yet.
Level with MIDWEST JUNCTION BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#3404 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1516
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3402 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1495
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3415 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1495
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-headBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 173.1428 | 158.7884 | 167.22 | top 42% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2632 | 148.4684 | 159.19 | top 60% |
| Pork | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 159.9772 | 166.92 | top 36% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.9772 | 140.5144 | 151.51 | top 77% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA | 4 | 0 | top 59% |
| IL | 1 | 0 | top 75% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 59% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 68% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! | 2 | 19 | 0 | top 57% | 2017-07-14 |
The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
2.1 yrs
2015-05-23 → 2017-07-14
Busiest season
2015
5 contests
Contests a season
3
across 2 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
IA
4 of 6 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
4
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
6 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 167.22 · weakest Brisket (151.51)
Walk rate
33%
a top-10 call in 2 of 6 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 6 contests
Master average
645.82
out of 720 · 5 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
166
80–133 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
1,266
6 mapped stops · furthest 372 mi
Schedule strength
1566
average field rating faced — tougher than 51% of rated contests
Longest layoff
1.8 yrs
2015-09-25 → 2017-07-14
Power rating
1495
peak 1495 · #3396 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2015
- First tracked contest Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship (Competitor's Series)
- First call Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship (Competitor's Series)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)173.1428 Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship (Competitor's Series)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score648.5376 BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!
- Peak power rating (1500) BBQ'Loo & Blues Too!
- Career-best overall score651.3148 Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
- 2017
- Most recent contest *BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +1.1 | BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! | 2015-07-17 |
| +1 | *BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! | 2017-07-14 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -5 | Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off | 2015-09-25 |
| -1.3 | Smokin' in the Junction | 2015-05-23 |
| -0.5 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash | 2015-07-24 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 58% | 89.9% | 89.9% |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40% | top 64% | 90.5% | 89.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-07-14 | *BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA | 19 / 33 (647.3032) | 13 (167.9772) | 13 (162.8116) | 19 (159.9772) | 22 (156.5372) |
| 2015-09-25 | Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off Murphysboro, IL | 41 / 55 (636.9944) | 38 (162.8228) | 38 (157.6688) | 15 (171.4056) | 53 (145.0972) |
| 2015-07-24 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 33 / 54 (651.3148) | 13 (171.4172) | 22 (166.2632) | 4 (173.1200) | 54 (140.5144) |
| 2015-07-17 | BBQ'Loo & Blues Too! Waterloo, IA | 22 / 39 (648.5376) | 13 (169.1544) | 28 (154.8460) | 11 (169.1200) | 25 (155.4172) |
| 2015-05-23 | Smokin' in the Junction West Des Moines, IA | 23 / 37 (644.9484) | 30 (158.7884) | 19 (165.0972) | 25 (161.0856) | 22 (159.9772) |
| 2015-02-27 | Fire on Ice Barbecue World Championship (Competitor's Series) Isle, MN | — | 3 (173.1428) | 43 (148.4684) | 12 (166.8344) | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2047 (88 pts) | #1925 (118 pts) | #1953 (118 pts) | #2109 (88 pts) | #2187 (73 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1101 (265 pts) | #947 (360 pts) | #1128 (285 pts) | #739 (510 pts) | #1169 (255 pts) |