TNT BBQ IL
Rating
1420
peak 1502 · rated over 19 contests
Contests
19
in the data
First seen
2019-05-31
latest 2026-07-24
Best ToY finish
#447
Master 2026
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
of 19 contests
Avg finish
top 71%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
317.31 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 277.66 (+39.65)
Walk rate
37%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±61.42
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 165.67 · weakest Pork Ribs (159.73)
Road miles
4890
mi across 19 mapped stops · furthest 633 mi
Schedule strength
64%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1559)
Purse competed for
$167K
listed at 14 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 14 state-championship entries
Master avg
657.61 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
277.66 / 360
10 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
PAPA'S BARBQ has finished one call ahead of TNT BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
⚔️ A tough matchup
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS has come out ahead in 8 of their 8 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of LOADED-N-ROLLIN BBQ in 3 of their 4 shared contests.
😤 Pork nemesis
Even in their strongest meat, FRED VEGAS SMOKERS has out-cooked them in 5 of 5 shared pork entries.
🔁 The comeback
Off the trail for 1.9 years, then back at Que' For a Cause (2023-08-04).
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 142.2172 | 160.23 | top 67% |
| Pork Ribs | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 175.4056 | 138.2744 | 159.73 | top 57% |
| Pork | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 175.4056 | 153.0856 | 165.67 | top 72% |
| Brisket | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 166.2628 | 153.6344 | 160.58 | top 85% |
“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 | 3 | 0 | top 47% |
| KY | 2 | 0 | top 84% |
| VA | 2 | 0 | top 78% |
| TN | 2 | 0 | top 81% |
| WV | 2 | 0 | top 65% |
| MD | 2 | 0 | top 80% |
| AL | 2 | 0 | top 77% |
| NC | 1 | 0 | top 97% |
| OK | 1 | 0 | top 50% |
| MI | 1 | 0 | top 43% |
| KS | 1 | 0 | top 91% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 95% |
| Medium (20–39) | 13 | 0 | top 66% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 71% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chillin & Grillin in the Glades | 2 | 23 | 0 | top 78% | 2026-07-17 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2019 (6 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IL (3 of 19 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (19 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 657.61 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 277.66 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 2019-05-31 — First tracked contest · Up In Smoke on the Square
- 📣 2019-05-31 — First call · Up In Smoke on the Square
- 📈 2019-05-31 — Peak power rating (1502) · Up In Smoke on the Square
- ⭐ 2026-07-24 — Career-best overall score (675.2452) · Fire on the Mountain BBQ
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +2.9 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash | 2021-06-18 |
| +2.5 | Chillin & Grillin in the Glades | 2026-07-17 |
| +2.1 | Fire on the Mountain BBQ | 2026-07-24 |
| +1.6 | Up In Smoke on the Square | 2019-05-31 |
| +1.1 | Que' For a Cause | 2023-08-04 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.7 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST | 2019-09-12 |
| -10.3 | Fire on the Mountain BBQ | 2025-07-25 |
| -8.7 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 2 | 2021-08-28 |
| -7.8 | WV Coalfields Cookoff WV KCBS State Championship | 2025-06-06 |
| -7.4 | Mission Farms - King of the Farm | 2026-02-27 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 81% | 93.8% | 93% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 67% | top 94% | 92.4% | 91.2% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 50% | 92% | 92% |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 66% | 91.9% | 87.9% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 78% | 89% | 89% |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 58% | 84.8% | 69.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-24 | Fire on the Mountain BBQ 🏅 Leburn, KY | 15 / 22 (675.2452) | 16 (167.3712) | 11 (171.9656) | 12 (169.6800) | 16 (166.2284) |
| 2026-07-17 | Chillin & Grillin in the Glades 🏅 Wise, VA | 23 / 35 (673.0288) | 16 (171.4172) | 19 (169.6800) | 16 (171.4172) | 29 (160.5144) |
| 2026-06-19 | BBQ for Bravery 🏅 Alcoa, TN | 18 / 19 (664.4228) | 19 (163.9772) | 15 (170.2628) | 11 (170.8344) | 18 (159.3484) |
| 2026-02-27 | Mission Farms - King of the Farm 🏅 Iron Station, NC | 32 / 33 (666.1144) | 15 (171.9772) | 10 (175.4056) | 30 (165.0972) | 33 (153.6344) |
| 2025-07-25 | Fire on the Mountain BBQ 🏅 Leburn, KY | 10 / 10 (665.5656) | 7 (167.3828) | 8 (167.4172) | 4 (175.4056) | 10 (155.3600) |
| 2025-07-18 | Chillin & Grillin in the Glades 🏅 Wise, VA | 31 / 34 (643.8288) | 31 (160.5372) | 34 (155.9544) | 30 (161.6572) | 27 (165.6800) |
| 2025-06-06 | WV Coalfields Cookoff WV KCBS State Championship 🏅 Welch, WV | 10 / 11 (659.8516) | 6 (167.4172) | 10 (163.9660) | 10 (167.3828) | 11 (161.0856) |
| 2023-08-04 | Que' For a Cause Tahlequah, OK | 18 / 36 (331.3716) | 17 (170.2744) | 18 (161.0972) | — | — |
| 2021-08-28 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 2 Boonsboro, MD | 17 / 20 (305.7028) | 16 (158.8456) | 16 (146.8572) | — | — |
| 2021-08-27 | Dirty Boots BBQ and Meat Contest - Day 1 Boonsboro, MD | 18 / 24 (310.8000) | 18 (156.5256) | 17 (154.2744) | — | — |
| 2021-06-18 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Roanoke, WV | 11 / 28 (318.2060) | 11 (154.7888) | 8 (163.4172) | — | — |
| 2021-03-19 | Smoke on The Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 38 / 57 (661.5656) | 32 (167.3828) | 20 (171.4172) | 53 (156.5028) | 34 (166.2628) |
| 2020-06-05 | Kick It In The Sticks (BACKYARD ONLY) Butler, AL | 18 / 23 (320.4800) | 21 (153.6456) | 8 (166.8344) | — | — |
| 2019-10-11 | Butlerfest 2019(BACKYARD ONLY) Butler, AL | 15 / 20 (305.1084) | 19 (151.9656) | 14 (153.1428) | — | — |
| 2019-09-13 | Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Festival 🏅 Mears, MI | 15 / 35 (165.1772) | — | 7 (165.1772) | — | — |
| 2019-09-12 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 426 / 468 (608.9028) | 402 (155.9428) | 453 (142.7888) | 402 (153.0856) | 341 (157.0856) |
| 2019-07-19 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Peoria, IL | 22 / 40 (151.3600) | — | 17 (151.3600) | — | — |
| 2019-06-14 | Hog Capital Challenge 🏅 Kewanee, IL | 13 / 25 (280.4916) | 13 (142.2172) | 12 (138.2744) | — | — |
| 2019-05-31 | Up In Smoke on the Square 🏅 Lincoln, IL | 12 / 36 (287.9428) | 13 (142.2856) | 10 (145.6572) | — | — |
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 | #447 (304 pts) | #444 (379 pts) | #414 (434 pts) | #402 (389 pts) | #496 (289 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #582 (280 pts) | #567 (350 pts) | #636 (300 pts) | #530 (355 pts) | #604 (275 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1445 (138 pts) | #1524 (138 pts) | #1495 (148 pts) | #1601 (123 pts) | #1572 (123 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1722 (120 pts) | #1802 (120 pts) | #1414 (205 pts) | #1799 (120 pts) | #1794 (120 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1303 (217 pts) | #959 (377 pts) | #1327 (237 pts) | #1234 (267 pts) | #1554 (177 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #985 (312 pts) | #908 (387 pts) | #1050 (317 pts) | #1043 (322 pts) | #867 (412 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #457 (847 pts) | #373 (1002 pts) | #501 (792 pts) | #462 (837 pts) | #421 (907 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #999 (289 pts) | #901 (359 pts) | #956 (324 pts) | #988 (319 pts) | #957 (319 pts) |