THE 4 SMOKEMEN BBQ

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

Power ranking

#5686

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1445

peak 1445 · rated over 10 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2016-10-21

latest 2021-10-22

Best ToY finish

#829

Master 2017

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 79%

overall standings

Best overall

657.0860 / 720

Master · *McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

607.32 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 611.73 (-4.41)

Walk rate

30%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

173.7372

Chicken · *McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ

Consistency

±38.93

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 160.68 · weakest Brisket (132.36)

Road miles

717

mi across 10 mapped stops · furthest 83 mi

Schedule strength

48%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1563)

Purse competed for

$8K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

611.73 / 720

10 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

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

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

−28.3 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 28.31 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 20%.

Brisket avg 132.36
Chicken avg 160.68
0 calls in 10 entries

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at Best of the Midwest BBQ (2021-10-22).

last seen 2018-10-19
back 2021-10-22

Chicken nemesis

5 of 8 shared chicken entries lost

One2BBQ ahead 63% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, One2BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 8 shared chicken 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.

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

BUEHRLE'S BACKYARD BARBECUE

#5685 of the rated field

1445 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1445

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 2016-08-19

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN' ASS BBQ

#5674 of the rated field

1446 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1446

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2022-08-26

⚔ Head-to-head

BREWER'S BEST BBQ

#5688 of the rated field

1445 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1445

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 5 years before THE 4 SMOKEMEN BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 11 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

DND BBQ

#5691 of the rated field

1445 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1445

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 6 years after THE 4 SMOKEMEN BBQ did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2026-08-22

⚔ Head-to-head

Pork & Boots

#5698 of the rated field

1445 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1445

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2024-10-30

⚔ Head-to-head

Team GottaQ

#5680 of the rated field

1445 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1445

No shared contest yet.

Level with THE 4 SMOKEMEN BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2021-11-11

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
One2BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
CARNIVORE'S PARADISE	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
BIG "E" BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO.	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
CHANNABILLY BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
RACK MASTERS BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
WICKED SMOKE BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
D.F.G.'S BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
THE BBQ BUS	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
QUAU	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKY LINCS	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	10	2	1	1	173.7372	148.5028	160.68	top 60%
Pork Ribs	10	3	0	1	172.0000	142.2744	159.00	top 54%
Pork	10	0	0	0	169.7144	151.9772	159.70	top 65%
Brisket	10	0	0	0	161.7256	20.0000	132.36	top 83%

“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 70%
WI	4	0	top 91%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	3	0	top 64%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 85%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
*Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off	3	36	0	top 91%	2018-10-19
*Route 66 Smoke Out	2	27	0	top 85%	2018-05-04

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

On the trail 5 yrs 2016-10-21 → 2021-10-22

Busiest season 2017 6 contests

Contests a season 2.5 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IL 6 of 10 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 10 entries · 1 win · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 160.68 · weakest Brisket (132.36)

Walk rate 30% a top-10 call in 3 of 10 contests

Overall top-10 rate 10% 1 of 10 contests

Master average 611.73 out of 720 · 10 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 247 87–353 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 717 10 mapped stops · furthest 83 mi

Schedule strength 1563 average field rating faced — tougher than 48% of rated contests

Purse competed for $7,500 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 3 yrs 2018-10-19 → 2021-10-22

Power rating 1445 peak 1445 · #5686 of 6,413 rated

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

2016
Oct 21 First tracked contest Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
Oct 21 Peak power rating (1489) Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
2017
Jun 23 First call *Heritage Days BBQ Showdown
Aug 19 First category win (Chicken) *McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ
Aug 19 First overall top-10 *McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ
Aug 19 First overall past 90% of a perfect score657.0860 *McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ
Aug 19 Career-best overall score657.0860 *McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ
Aug 19 Career-best single call (Chicken)173.7372 *McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ
2021
Oct 22 10th tracked contest Best of the Midwest BBQ
Oct 22 Most recent contest Best of the Midwest BBQ

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.1	*McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ	2017-08-19
+2.5	*Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL)	2017-07-21

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.7	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off	2017-10-20
-11	*Route 66 Smoke Out	2017-05-05
-10.8	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off	2016-10-21
-9	*RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2)	2017-05-27
-8.5	Best of the Midwest BBQ	2021-10-22

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)
2021	1	0	0	0%	top 91%	84.3%	84.3%
2018	2	0	0	50%	top 81%	89.7%	87.7%
2017	6	1	1	33%	top 74%	91.3%	84.4%
2016	1	0	0	0%	top 88%	83.4%	83.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2021-10-22	Best of the Midwest BBQ 🏅 Union Grove, WI	40 / 44 (607.2920)	40 (153.1316)	39 (149.6800)	24 (166.8456)	44 (137.6348)
2018-10-19	*Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off Union Grove, WI	36 / 42 (616.9832)	41 (148.5028)	37 (147.3716)	11 (169.7144)	33 (151.3944)
2018-05-04	*Route 66 Smoke Out Dwight, IL	29 / 38 (646.1596)	33 (158.2400)	9 (168.5256)	32 (157.6684)	25 (161.7256)
2017-10-20	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off Union Grove, WI	52 / 52 (509.0972)	28 (160.5828)	12 (168.5716)	29 (159.9428)	52 (20.0000)
2017-08-19	*McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ McHenry, IL	8 / 36 (657.0860)	1 (173.7372)	2 (171.4172)	20 (159.9772)	20 (151.9544)
2017-07-21	*Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL) Peoria, IL	26 / 48 (634.1604)	17 (165.0856)	26 (157.6800)	32 (154.8688)	25 (156.5260)
2017-06-23	*Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Belvidere, IL	34 / 42 (630.8348)	7 (171.4516)	4 (172.0000)	30 (158.2744)	41 (129.1088)
2017-05-27	*RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2) Westmont, IL	56 / 59 (595.3028)	55 (153.1428)	51 (151.3600)	41 (160.5600)	58 (130.2400)
2017-05-05	*Route 66 Smoke Out Dwight, IL	27 / 29 (619.9200)	25 (158.2972)	20 (161.1200)	23 (157.1428)	28 (143.3600)
2016-10-21	Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off Union Grove, WI	45 / 51 (600.5028)	20 (164.5828)	48 (142.2744)	46 (151.9772)	43 (141.6684)

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
2021 ↗	Master	#1236 (60 pts)	#1286 (60 pts)	#1309 (60 pts)	#1247 (65 pts)	#1245 (60 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1524 (120 pts)	#1598 (120 pts)	#1271 (205 pts)	#1302 (190 pts)	#1586 (120 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#829 (449 pts)	#554 (724 pts)	#497 (794 pts)	#957 (389 pts)	#951 (379 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2274 (60 pts)	#2207 (85 pts)	#2349 (60 pts)	#2326 (60 pts)	#2345 (60 pts)