RJ'S BOW TIE BARBECUE

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

Power ranking

#3546

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1492

peak 1512 · rated over 9 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2015-07-24

latest 2019-09-20

Best ToY finish

#1114

Master 2017

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 9 contests

Avg finish

top 62%

overall standings

Best overall

669.6232 / 720

Master · Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual

Perfect 180s

Current form

648.73 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 651.33 (-2.60)

Walk rate

33%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Pork · Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual

Consistency

±13.19

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 164.60 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.44)

Road miles

1,043

mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 117 mi

Schedule strength

53%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1567)

Purse competed for

$12K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

651.33 / 720

9 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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

669.6232 career-best overall

93.0% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 669.6232 at Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual — 93.0% of a perfect 720.

Master
2017-06-30

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 49%.

3 contests
0 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 49%

A tough matchup

8–0 behind in the head-to-head

One2BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

One2BBQ has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.2 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.16 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 11%.

Pork Ribs avg 159.44
Chicken avg 164.60
1 calls in 9 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of KCBEER'S SMOKE SHACK in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

7 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

One2BBQ ahead 88% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, One2BBQ has out-cooked them in 7 of 8 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±1.83% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.83% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.5% 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.

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

SMOKIN' BUTTS

#3558 of the rated field

1492 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 108
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1568

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to RJ'S BOW TIE BARBECUE)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team RJ'S BOW TIE BARBECUE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 107 contests
last seen 2025-05-09

⚔ Head-to-head

BROTHA K'S BOARBECUE

#3547 of the rated field

1492 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1516

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2023-04-28

⚔ Head-to-head

HEAD COUNTRY II

#3533 of the rated field

1492 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1502

No shared contest yet.

Level with RJ'S BOW TIE BARBECUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2017-09-15

⚔ Head-to-head

RUMPLEPIGSKIN BBQ

#3548 of the rated field

1492 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 8 years after RJ'S BOW TIE BARBECUE did, first appearing in 2023.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2026-07-11

⚔ Head-to-head

Scott’s Smoke Shack BBQ

#3544 of the rated field

1492 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1510

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 2025-06-20

⚔ Head-to-head

Gourmet Rednecks

#3532 of the rated field

1492 ▲ 0 power rating

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

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 2025-01-24

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
QUAU	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
PORK PARADISE	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
One2BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
Its 5 Oclock Somewhere	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
ALL IN QUE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
BOSS HAWG BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Oui Oui Oui BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Outsiders BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Carrol Lou's Smokehouse	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKEY'S Q	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	1	0	1	172.5716	157.0856	164.60	top 57%
Pork Ribs	9	1	0	0	173.1200	143.3144	159.44	top 64%
Pork	9	2	1	1	176.5600	154.2400	163.90	top 56%
Brisket	9	1	0	0	171.9772	155.9428	163.39	top 51%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 38%
Medium (20–39)	1	top 80%
Large (40+)	7	top 63%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff	2	43	0	top 78%	2017-09-22

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

On the trail 4.2 yrs 2015-07-24 → 2019-09-20

Busiest season 2017 3 contests

Contests a season 1.8 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IL 9 of 9 contests

Contests visited 8 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 9 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 164.60 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.44)

Walk rate 33% a top-10 call in 3 of 9 contests

Overall top-10 rate 11% 1 of 9 contests

Master average 651.33 out of 720 · 9 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 224 152–253 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,043 9 mapped stops · furthest 117 mi

Schedule strength 1567 average field rating faced — tougher than 53% of rated contests

Purse competed for $12,200 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2017-10-06 → 2018-10-12

Power rating 1492 peak 1512 · #3546 of 6,413 rated

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

2015
Jul 24 First tracked contest 5th Annual Morton BBQ Throwdown
Sep 25 First call Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off
Sep 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score663.2800 Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off
2017
Jun 30 First category win (Pork) Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual
Jun 30 First overall top-10 Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual
Jun 30 Career-best overall score669.6232 Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual
Jun 30 Career-best single call (Pork)176.5600 Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual
Jun 30 Peak power rating (1512) Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual
2019
Sep 20 Most recent contest Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+6.8	Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual	2017-06-30
+3.8	Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off	2015-09-25
+2.2	Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off	2019-09-20
+2	Central Illinois Bragging Rights	2015-10-09
+2	5th Annual Morton BBQ Throwdown	2015-07-24

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.9	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff	2017-09-22
-6.2	*Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival(JUDGES FULL)	2017-10-06
-6	CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ	2018-10-12
-2.7	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff	2016-09-23

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	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	0	0%	top 56%	92%	92%
2018	1	0	0	0%	top 80%	87.8%	87.8%
2017	3	1	1	33%	top 69%	93%	90.2%
2016	1	0	0	0%	top 67%	91.1%	91.1%
2015	3	0	0	67%	top 49%	92.1%	90.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-09-20	Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Murphysboro, IL	30 / 54 (662.1376)	28 (166.2400)	27 (167.3828)	30 (166.2516)	33 (162.2632)
2018-10-12	CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ Arthur, IL	36 / 45 (632.3200)	15 (169.7144)	43 (143.3144)	37 (155.3484)	24 (163.9428)
2017-10-06	*Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival(JUDGES FULL) Decatur, IL	24 / 30 (650.6856)	27 (157.6572)	24 (157.6800)	14 (167.9656)	12 (167.3828)
2017-09-22	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff Murphysboro, IL	49 / 55 (628.8912)	48 (159.3828)	54 (150.1828)	53 (154.8000)	28 (164.5256)
2017-06-30	Assumption Fest Smokin Hot BBQ 2nd Annual Assumption, IL	6 / 16 (669.6232)	3 (172.5716)	8 (164.5372)	1 (176.5600)	12 (155.9544)
2016-09-23	Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff Murphysboro, IL	43 / 64 (655.8744)	32 (168.5372)	11 (173.1200)	60 (154.2400)	45 (159.9772)
2015-10-09	Central Illinois Bragging Rights Arthur, IL	24 / 48 (655.8628)	35 (159.3828)	35 (157.0972)	9 (170.8572)	14 (168.5256)
2015-09-25	Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off Murphysboro, IL	26 / 55 (663.2800)	20 (170.8228)	41 (155.9544)	30 (164.5256)	8 (171.9772)
2015-07-24	5th Annual Morton BBQ Throwdown Morton, IL	24 / 47 (643.3372)	33 (157.0856)	17 (165.7260)	22 (164.5828)	31 (155.9428)

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)	#2010 (60 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1114 (276 pts)	#1072 (331 pts)	#1244 (256 pts)	#891 (436 pts)	#1135 (286 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2274 (60 pts)	#2353 (60 pts)	#1818 (130 pts)	#2326 (60 pts)	#2345 (60 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1338 (190 pts)	#1384 (205 pts)	#1335 (220 pts)	#1172 (280 pts)	#1000 (330 pts)