ZIP'S Q

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

Power ranking

#3460

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1494

peak 1494 · rated over 8 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2017-04-28

latest 2018-10-05

Best ToY finish

#738

Master 2017

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 8 contests

Avg finish

top 64%

overall standings

Best overall

658.7204 / 720

Master · *Hog Capital Challenge(JUDGES FULL)

Perfect 180s

Current form

646.99 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 644.26 (+2.73)

Walk rate

63%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

171.4400

Chicken · *Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL)

Consistency

±14.67

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 163.41 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.49)

Road miles

1,100

mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 201 mi

Schedule strength

59%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)

Master avg

644.26 / 720

8 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 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

63% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 5 of 8 contests

A top-10 category call in 63% of their 8 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

TREEFROG BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

TREEFROG BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.9 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.93 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 13% of the time against 25%.

Pork Ribs avg 157.49
Chicken avg 163.41
1 calls in 8 entries

Chicken nemesis

5 of 5 shared chicken entries lost

TREEFROG BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, TREEFROG BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 5 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±2.04% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.04% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.5% of a perfect score
8 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.

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

Rub Runners

#3476 of the rated field

1494 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1506

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to ZIP'S Q)

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

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2022-05-06

⚔ Head-to-head

Red & Black BBQ Shack

#3477 of the rated field

1494 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1494

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 2026-08-08

⚔ Head-to-head

Black Sail BBQ

#3444 of the rated field

1494 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2026-07-24

⚔ Head-to-head

BBQ Bravado

#3472 of the rated field

1494 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1506

No shared contest yet.

Level with ZIP'S Q on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2022-09-16

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKE 'M ALL ST. LOUIS

#3452 of the rated field

1494 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1514

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2019-04-26

⚔ Head-to-head

SOUTH COAST BBQ

#3465 of the rated field

1494 ▼ 0 power rating

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

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 4 years before ZIP'S Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 9 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
TREEFROG BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	8	2	1	171.4400	156.0344	163.41	top 58%
Pork Ribs	8	1	0	171.4172	145.7144	157.49	top 71%
Pork	8	2	0	170.2628	147.8856	162.60	top 59%
Brisket	8	1	0	171.4056	146.8228	160.76	top 58%

“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	5	0	top 66%
IL	3	0	top 62%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 50%
Medium (20–39)	5	top 69%
Large (40+)	2	top 59%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
*Hog Capital Challenge	2	14	0	top 65%	2018-06-15
Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)	2	21	0	top 82%	2017-04-29

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 1.4 yrs 2017-04-28 → 2018-10-05

Busiest season 2017 6 contests

Contests a season 4 across 2 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IA 5 of 8 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 6 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 8 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 163.41 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.49)

Walk rate 63% a top-10 call in 5 of 8 contests

Overall top-10 rate 13% 1 of 8 contests

Master average 644.26 out of 720 · 8 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 168 89–157 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,100 8 mapped stops · furthest 201 mi

Schedule strength 1575 average field rating faced — tougher than 59% of rated contests

Power rating 1494 peak 1494 · #3460 of 6,413 rated

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

2017
Apr 28 First tracked contest Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1)
Apr 28 First call Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1)
Apr 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.2744 Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1)
Apr 28 Peak power rating (1498) Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1)
Jun 16 Career-best overall score658.7204 *Hog Capital Challenge(JUDGES FULL)
Jul 21 Career-best single call (Chicken)171.4400 *Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL)
Sep 1 First overall top-10 Smoke the Town
2018
Oct 5 Most recent contest *SMOKEToBERFEST

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+4.4	Smoke the Town	2017-09-01
+3.4	*BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO!	2017-07-14
+1.5	*Hog Capital Challenge	2018-06-15
+1	*SMOKEToBERFEST	2018-10-05
+0.8	*Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL)	2017-07-21

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.1	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2)	2017-04-29
-4.6	*Hog Capital Challenge(JUDGES FULL)	2017-06-16
-1.7	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1)	2017-04-28

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	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	2	0	0	0	50%	top 59%	91%	90.6%
2017	6	0	1	0	67%	top 66%	91.5%	89.1%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-10-05	*SMOKEToBERFEST Ottumwa, IA	25 / 40 (649.0628)	23 (161.1084)	26 (161.1200)	16 (167.4172)	25 (159.4172)
2018-06-15	*Hog Capital Challenge Kewanee, IL	14 / 25 (655.3488)	8 (169.6800)	22 (155.9544)	5 (169.1544)	15 (160.5600)
2017-09-01	Smoke the Town Leon, IA	8 / 16 (648.4688)	13 (161.7144)	4 (171.4172)	11 (159.9428)	12 (155.3944)
2017-07-21	*Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL) Peoria, IL	27 / 48 (633.0060)	3 (171.4400)	32 (151.9888)	42 (147.8856)	17 (161.6916)
2017-07-14	*BBQ 'Loo & Blues TOO! Waterloo, IA	17 / 33 (649.0744)	23 (159.3828)	25 (152.0116)	11 (166.2744)	6 (171.4056)
2017-06-16	*Hog Capital Challenge(JUDGES FULL) Kewanee, IL	19 / 26 (658.7204)	11 (168.5372)	19 (163.4288)	25 (161.6572)	15 (165.0972)
2017-04-29	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (DAY 2) Boone, IA	34 / 35 (610.1600)	30 (159.4172)	35 (145.7144)	34 (158.2056)	35 (146.8228)
2017-04-28	Central Iowa Expo BBQ & Cruise (Day 1) Boone, IA	21 / 31 (650.2744)	27 (156.0344)	23 (158.2628)	8 (170.2628)	16 (165.7144)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1354 (165 pts)	#1230 (215 pts)	#1584 (125 pts)	#1060 (280 pts)	#1445 (160 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#738 (511 pts)	#624 (641 pts)	#783 (516 pts)	#730 (561 pts)	#618 (641 pts)