309 BBQ IL
Rating
1566
peak 1604 · rated over 20 contests
Best runs
10
straight top-10s
Contests
29
in the data
First seen
2019-07-19
latest 2026-06-19
Best ToY finish
#221
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
2
2 reserve
Category wins
1
12 podiums
Overall top-10s
16
of 29 contests
Avg finish
top 36%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
355.47 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 348.49 (+6.98)
Walk rate
72%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
10
best run (overall)
Consistency
±50.11
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 169.89 · weakest Chicken (166.83)
Road miles
2048
mi across 27 mapped stops · furthest 352 mi
Schedule strength
48%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1543)
Purse competed for
$72K
listed at 24 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 5 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
348.49 / 360
22 Backyard contests · 2 GCs
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Sugba Smokehouse has finished one call ahead of 309 BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Shmack Q has landed one call behind them 2 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Rudes BBQ has come out ahead in 12 of their 16 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Stone Cold Grillers in 9 of their 11 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 3 visits.
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 33-team field at Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY).
📅 A July team
Something about July: average finish in the top 25% across 5 contests, versus top 36% the rest of the year.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (2023-06-17) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 27-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ.
🔁 The comeback
Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 (2021-07-16).
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudes BBQ | 16 | 4 | 12 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Shmack Q | 13 | 7 | 6 | 54% | ⚔ compare |
| Sermerstout BBQ | 12 | 6 | 6 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Stone Cold Grillers | 11 | 9 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| T.J.D. Smokehouse | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| Ishy Links BBQ | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| RUBY CREEK BBQ | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| Up From The Pits BBQ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| All Smoked Up BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Sugba Smokehouse | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ MIKE | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Skinny Pig BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Diabolical Pig | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 22 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 175.4172 | 154.7540 | 166.83 | top 38% |
| Pork Ribs | 28 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 174.2860 | 148.5144 | 167.09 | top 42% |
| Pork | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 176.5600 | 162.2400 | 169.89 | top 39% |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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 | 19 | 2 | top 31% |
| IA | 2 | 0 | top 59% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 74% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 43% |
| Medium (20–39) | 15 | 2 | top 30% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 51% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | 5 | 2 | 0 | top 33% | 2025-08-16 |
| Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 36% | 2025-08-22 |
| Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 17% | 2024-06-14 |
| Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | 3 | 4 | 0 | top 34% | 2025-06-27 |
| Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 54% | 2026-06-19 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2024 (8 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IL (25 of 29 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (28 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (2023-06-17)
- Wins it all in 7% of contests
- Average Backyard overall score: 348.49 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 — First tracked contest · Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival Backyard Competition Presented by Kenney's Ace Hardware(BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📣 — First call · Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival Backyard Competition Presented by Kenney's Ace Hardware(BACKYARD ONLY)
- ⭐ 2022-09-09 — Career-best overall score (512.5256) · Bar-B-QC (Backyard)
- 🏆 2023-06-17 — First Grand Championship · Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📈 2025-06-20 — Peak power rating (1604) · Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 🎖️ 2025-06-27 — 25th tracked contest · Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.5 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 | 2021-07-16 |
| +14.2 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-06-17 |
| +12.8 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-08-25 |
| +11.4 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-08-20 |
| +10.9 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | 2022-07-15 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -14.7 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-08-16 |
| -12.3 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-06-19 |
| -6.7 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL | 2024-05-25 |
| -6.6 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | 2025-06-27 |
| -5.8 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-07-12 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 22% | 137.3% | 113.6% |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 85% | 88.7% | 88.7% |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20% | top 61% | 96.8% | 91% |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 63% | top 44% | 95.7% | 94.1% |
| 2023 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 100% | top 15% | 96.3% | 94.3% |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 100% | top 27% | 142.4% | 105.2% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 8% | 93.5% | 93.5% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 18% | 87.4% | 87.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-19 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 35 / 41 (319.3256) | 35 (161.0972) | 34 (158.2284) | — | — |
| 2025-08-22 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 20 / 31 (332.5144) | 14 (169.6800) | 22 (162.8344) | — | — |
| 2025-08-16 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 18 / 20 (307.3372) | 17 (158.8228) | 18 (148.5144) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 17 / 26 (322.2056) | 20 (154.8228) | 12 (167.3828) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Eureka, IL | — | — | 12 (168.5256) | — | — |
| 2025-06-20 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 8 / 36 (348.5600) | 6 (175.4172) | 11 (173.1428) | — | — |
| 2024-09-01 | Rib Double Dip (2) (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 16 (164.5372) | — | — |
| 2024-09-01 | Rib Double Dip (1) (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 9 (170.8228) | — | — |
| 2024-08-23 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 11 / 28 (331.9312) | 10 (166.2512) | 17 (165.6800) | — | — |
| 2024-08-17 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 5 / 26 (344.5256) | 9 (171.4056) | 5 (173.1200) | — | — |
| 2024-07-12 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) Miles, IA | 7 / 11 (342.8116) | 7 (168.5256) | 2 (174.2860) | 2 (176.5600) | — |
| 2024-06-14 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 10 / 40 (336.5488) | 9 (169.7144) | 16 (166.8344) | — | — |
| 2024-05-25 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL Lebanon, TN | 35 / 47 (338.2056) | 18 (174.2628) | 46 (163.9428) | — | — |
| 2024-05-24 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN Lebanon, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023-09-03 | Rib Double Dip (2) (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 10 (167.4056) | — | — |
| 2023-09-03 | Rib Double Dip (1) (ONE MEAT RIBS) Chillicothe, IL | — | — | 2 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2023-08-25 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 1 / 26 (346.8344) | 4 (172.5600) | 1 (174.2744) | — | — |
| 2023-08-19 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 10 / 32 (330.2632) | 16 (162.8688) | 6 (167.3944) | — | — |
| 2023-07-14 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 5 / 25 (334.8460) | 8 (166.2860) | 3 (168.5600) | — | — |
| 2023-07-14 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (One Meat Ribs) Eureka, IL | — | — | 6 (171.9656) | — | — |
| 2023-06-17 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 1 / 33 (346.2400) | 4 (171.9656) | 3 (174.2744) | — | — |
| 2022-09-09 | Bar-B-QC (Backyard) Davenport, IA | 7 / 13 (512.5256) | 6 (170.8228) | 5 (170.8228) | 7 (170.8800) | — |
| 2022-08-20 | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 3 / 20 (334.8228) | 3 (166.8228) | 3 (168.0000) | — | — |
| 2022-07-15 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 4 / 25 (330.8000) | 3 (166.2628) | 6 (164.5372) | — | — |
| 2022-06-17 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (Backyard) Morris, IL | 5 / 23 (337.0972) | 15 (162.8344) | 3 (174.2628) | — | — |
| 2021-07-16 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 🏅 Eureka, IL | 2 / 25 (336.5260) | 2 (171.9772) | 4 (164.5488) | — | — |
| 2019-07-19 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Peoria, IL | 7 / 40 (314.6968) | 8 (154.7540) | 7 (159.9428) | — | — |
| Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 2 / 17 (323.9544) | 2 (166.8344) | 7 (157.1200) | — | — | |
| Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival Backyard Competition Presented by Kenney's Ace Hardware(BACKYARD ONLY) Decatur, IL | 7 / 22 (494.2056) | 9 (166.2856) | 9 (165.6800) | 10 (162.2400) | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #221 (195 pts) | #204 (240 pts) | #257 (165 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #94 (648 pts) | #28 (1134 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #480 (502 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #66 (685 pts) | #64 (760 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #76 (476 pts) | #94 (331 pts) | — | — |