High-water mark
666.8232
career-best overall
92.6% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 666.8232 at Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off — 92.6% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Oct 19, 2018
EF-Q
EF-Q is a competition barbecue team with 21 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 7th of 17 at the Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) (). They are ranked #3136 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1502
peak 1533 · rated over 16 contests
Contests
21
in the data
First seen
Aug 19, 2017
latest Oct 18, 2019 · 2.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
2
4 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
19% of 21 contests
Avg finish
top 55%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
650.00 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 648.92 (+1.08)
Walk rate
43%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.57
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 165.86 · weakest Brisket (159.22)
Road miles
2,256
across 20 mapped stops · furthest 159 mi
Schedule strength
56%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1571)
Purse competed for
$56K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
648.92 / 720
16 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
310.16 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #614 (533 pts) | #568 (608 pts) | #565 (613 pts) | #331 (958 pts) | #527 (638 pts) |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to EF-Q, each with one reason worth a look.
116 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,122 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1518
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to EF-Q)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team EF-Q has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,139 of the rated field
- Contests
- 38
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1580
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to EF-Q)
They've been 1580 at their best, 77 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,126 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1528
Fewer contests behind them than EF-Q has cooked, 14 to 21, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#3,130 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1517
13 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 23% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#3,131 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 15%
- Peak
- 1547
Level with EF-Q on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,132 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 54%
- Peak
- 1521
They turned up 8 years after EF-Q did, first appearing in 2025.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE | 14 | 1 | 13 | 7% | ⚔ compare |
| Carrol Lou's Smokehouse | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| QUE U | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| THE BBQ BUS | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| One2BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE FREAKS | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| CARNIVORE'S PARADISE | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG "E" BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| D.F.G.'S BBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| CHANNABILLY BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| NUTTHIN BUT PORK | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Rusty Pig BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| PAPA'S BARBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 149.0512 | 161.34 | top 62% |
| Pork Ribs | 17 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 176.5828 | 146.2400 | 161.69 | top 49% |
| Pork | 16 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 173.1200 | 153.6688 | 165.86 | top 38% |
| Brisket | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 169.1200 | 138.2172 | 159.22 | top 59% |
“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 field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 41% |
| Medium (20–39) | 6 | 0 | top 55% |
| Large (40+) | 10 | 0 | top 56% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 37% | Oct 19, 2018 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
8 contests
Contests a season
5.3
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
16 of 21 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
16
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
350
finished ahead 294 times, behind 402
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20191 milestone
- Most recent contest Best of the Midwest
20186 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.5772 I-39 Smokin Car Show
- 10th tracked contest Grill Games
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
- Career-best overall score666.8232 Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5828 Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
- Peak power rating (1533) Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
—3 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +11.9 | Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off | Oct 19, 2018 |
| +7.5 | I-39 Smokin Car Show | Jun 30, 2018 |
| +7 | Grill Games | Aug 24, 2018 |
| +6.4 | Harbor-Que | Oct 5, 2018 |
| +5.3 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL) | Jul 20, 2018 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -7.8 | Rockin BBQ | May 10, 2019 |
| -6.2 | Up In Smoke on the Square | May 31, 2019 |
| -6.1 | Best of the Midwest | Oct 18, 2019 |
| -5.4 | Route 66 Smoke Out | May 3, 2019 |
| -4.3 | Blues,Brews & Barbecue | Jun 7, 2019 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 41% | 86.2% | 86.2% |
| 2019 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 38% | top 67% | 92% | 89.9% |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 63% | top 40% | 92.6% | 91.3% |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 60% | 88.5% | 87.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 18, 2019 | Best of the Midwest 🏅 Union Grove, WI | 40 / 52 (631.8740) | 31 (162.8228) | 48 (146.2400) | 25 (162.8456) | 33 (159.9656) |
| Jun 28, 2019 | BBQ SmokeDown at Chicagoland 🏅 Joliet, IL | 26 / 42 (662.1256) | 6 (174.8572) | 27 (162.2400) | 23 (163.9544) | 33 (161.0740) |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Blues,Brews & Barbecue 🏅 Beardstown, IL | 14 / 25 (643.1656) | 20 (158.2056) | 19 (155.9316) | 1 (173.1200) | 17 (155.9084) |
| May 31, 2019 | Up In Smoke on the Square 🏅 Lincoln, IL | 24 / 36 (658.1828) | 29 (161.6800) | 17 (165.6800) | 4 (170.8800) | 28 (159.9428) |
| May 25, 2019 | Red, White, and BBQ- Day 2 🏅 Westmont, IL | 26 / 48 (654.6740) | 28 (164.5256) | 22 (163.3828) | 17 (165.1200) | 28 (161.6456) |
| May 24, 2019 | Red, White, and BBQ Day 1 🏅 Westmont, IL | 25 / 40 (644.4916) | 32 (157.7144) | 33 (152.5372) | 20 (165.1200) | 11 (169.1200) |
| May 10, 2019 | Rockin BBQ 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 35 / 42 (640.3656) | 35 (158.2288) | 37 (152.5256) | 25 (162.7884) | 13 (166.8228) |
| May 3, 2019 | Route 66 Smoke Out 🏅 Dwight, IL | 24 / 33 (643.8168) | 30 (155.4172) | 13 (166.2400) | 17 (166.2628) | 27 (155.8968) |
| Oct 19, 2018 | Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off Union Grove, WI | 8 / 42 (666.8232) | 34 (151.9660) | 1 (176.5828) | 8 (170.8800) | 9 (167.3944) |
| Oct 12, 2018 | CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ Arthur, IL | 32 / 45 (640.3652) | 32 (162.8000) | 26 (159.9656) | 36 (155.9312) | 27 (161.6684) |
| Oct 5, 2018 | Harbor-Que Winthrop Harbor, IL | 10 / 28 (657.0056) | 17 (159.9312) | 14 (161.7028) | 4 (168.5372) | 6 (166.8344) |
| Aug 24, 2018 | Grill Games Kenosha, WI | 15 / 42 (665.0056) | 34 (158.2284) | 3 (172.0116) | 4 (173.1200) | 20 (161.6456) |
| Jul 20, 2018 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (JUDGES FULL) Peoria, IL | 18 / 43 (664.9940) | 17 (169.1200) | 2 (174.8916) | 10 (173.1084) | 42 (147.8740) |
| Jun 30, 2018 | I-39 Smokin Car Show Minonk, IL | 10 / 29 (649.5772) | 5 (169.7028) | 5 (167.4172) | 21 (153.6688) | 15 (158.7884) |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Hog Capital Challenge Kewanee, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Up In smoke on the Square ( WAIT LIST ONLY FOR JUDGES) Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 20, 2017 | Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off Union Grove, WI | 29 / 52 (637.5200) | 15 (165.0856) | 45 (150.8116) | 18 (166.8228) | 36 (154.8000) |
| Oct 6, 2017 | Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Decatur, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2017 | McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ McHenry, IL | 23 / 36 (622.7316) | 19 (163.4400) | 18 (159.4172) | 17 (161.6572) | 30 (138.2172) |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Up In smoke on the Square Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | Smoke on the Midway (BACKYARD ONLY) Fairbury, IL | 7 / 17 (310.1600) | 12 (149.0512) | 5 (161.1088) | — | — |