EF-Q

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

Power ranking

#3114

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1502

peak 1533 · rated over 16 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2017-08-19

latest 2019-10-18

Best ToY finish

#614

Master 2019

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 21 contests

Avg finish

top 55%

overall standings

Best overall

666.8232 / 720

Master · *Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off

Perfect 180s

Current form

650.00 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 648.92 (+1.08)

Walk rate

43%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5828

Pork Ribs · *Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off

Consistency

±12.57

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 165.86 · weakest Brisket (159.22)

Road miles

2,256

mi 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 🏅

GCs in 8 state-championship entries

Master avg

648.92 / 720

16 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

310.16 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 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.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 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.

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
2018-10-19

Their season

2018 their best year

2018 was the year it came together: 8 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 40%.

8 contests
3 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 40%

A tough matchup

13–1 behind in the head-to-head

CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE ahead in 93% of their meetings

CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE has come out ahead in 13 of their 14 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.6 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.64 points below their pork, and turns into a call 13% of the time against 38%.

Brisket avg 159.22
Pork avg 165.86
2 calls in 16 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ROLL THE BONES BBQ in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Going the wrong way

-30 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 30 points across 9 contests since 2018-10-19 — from 1533 down to 1502.

9 contests since 2018-10-19
now 1502

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

NUTTHIN BUT PORK has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±1.93% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.93% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.9% of a perfect score
21 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.

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

MANTUCKY MAYHEM

#3108 of the rated field

1503 ▲ 0 power rating

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.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2021-05-01

⚔ Head-to-head

GEORGIA JO'S SMOKIN Q

#3126 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 3 years before EF-Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 15 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

TARHEEL SMOKERS

#3117 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1517

No shared contest yet.

Fewer contests behind them than EF-Q has cooked, 13 to 21, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2019-05-17

⚔ Head-to-head

ARMED AND HAMMERED BBQ

#3119 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1547

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1547 at their best, 45 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2023-04-14

⚔ Head-to-head

THE BEARDED ONE BBQ

#3127 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 5%
Peak: 1522

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 21 contests, alongside a 5% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 21 contests
last seen 2022-10-22

⚔ Head-to-head

Slow & Easy

#3125 of the rated field

1502 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1530

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

Familiar 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 state / province

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IL	12	top 55%
WI	4	top 47%
IN	1	top 83%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 41%
Medium (20–39)	6	top 55%
Large (40+)	10	top 56%

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	2	8	0	top 37%	2018-10-19

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

On the trail 2.2 yrs 2017-08-19 → 2019-10-18

Busiest season 2019 8 contests

Contests a season 5.3 across 4 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IL 16 of 21 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 16 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 17 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 165.86 · weakest Brisket (159.22)

Walk rate 43% a top-10 call in 9 of 21 contests

Overall top-10 rate 19% 4 of 21 contests

Master average 648.92 out of 720 · 16 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 310.16 out of 360 · 1 contest · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 350 294–402 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,256 20 mapped stops · furthest 159 mi

Schedule strength 1571 average field rating faced — tougher than 56% of rated contests

Purse competed for $55,675 listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 8 state-championship entries

Power rating 1502 peak 1533 · #3114 of 6,413 rated

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

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)
2018
Jun 30 First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.5772 *I-39 Smokin Car Show
Aug 24 10th tracked contest Grill Games
Oct 19 First category win (Pork Ribs) *Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
Oct 19 Career-best overall score666.8232 *Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
Oct 19 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5828 *Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
Oct 19 Peak power rating (1533) *Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off
2019
Oct 18 Most recent contest Best of the Midwest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.9	*Best of the Midwest BBQ Cook-off	2018-10-19
+7.5	*I-39 Smokin Car Show	2018-06-30
+7	Grill Games	2018-08-24
+6.4	*Harbor-Que	2018-10-05
+5.4	*Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown(JUDGES FULL)	2018-07-20

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.7	Rockin BBQ	2019-05-10
-6.2	Up In Smoke on the Square	2019-05-31
-6.1	Best of the Midwest	2019-10-18
-5.4	Route 66 Smoke Out	2019-05-03
-4.3	CIBR-BBQ Central Illinois Bragging Right BBQ	2018-10-12

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
—	1	1	0	100%	top 41%	86.2%	86.2%
2019	8	0	1	38%	top 67%	92%	89.9%
2018	8	3	1	63%	top 40%	92.6%	91.3%
2017	4	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
2019-10-18	Best of the Midwest 🏅 Union Grove, WI	40 / 52 (631.8740)	31 (162.8228)	48 (146.2400)	25 (162.8456)	33 (159.9656)
2019-06-28	BBQ SmokeDown at Chicagoland 🏅 Joliet, IL	26 / 42 (662.1256)	6 (174.8572)	27 (162.2400)	23 (163.9544)	33 (161.0740)
2019-06-07	Blues,Brews & Barbecue 🏅 Beardstown, IL	14 / 25 (643.1656)	20 (158.2056)	19 (155.9316)	1 (173.1200)	17 (155.9084)
2019-05-31	Up In Smoke on the Square 🏅 Lincoln, IL	24 / 36 (658.1828)	29 (161.6800)	17 (165.6800)	4 (170.8800)	28 (159.9428)
2019-05-25	Red, White, and BBQ- Day 2 🏅 Westmont, IL	26 / 48 (654.6740)	28 (164.5256)	22 (163.3828)	17 (165.1200)	28 (161.6456)
2019-05-24	Red, White, and BBQ Day 1 🏅 Westmont, IL	25 / 40 (644.4916)	32 (157.7144)	33 (152.5372)	20 (165.1200)	11 (169.1200)
2019-05-10	Rockin BBQ 🏅 Warsaw, IN	35 / 42 (640.3656)	35 (158.2288)	37 (152.5256)	25 (162.7884)	13 (166.8228)
2019-05-03	Route 66 Smoke Out 🏅 Dwight, IL	24 / 33 (643.8168)	30 (155.4172)	13 (166.2400)	17 (166.2628)	27 (155.8968)
2018-10-19	*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)
2018-10-12	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)
2018-10-05	*Harbor-Que Winthrop Harbor, IL	10 / 28 (657.0056)	17 (159.9312)	14 (161.7028)	4 (168.5372)	6 (166.8344)
2018-08-24	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	15 / 42 (665.0056)	34 (158.2284)	3 (172.0116)	4 (173.1200)	20 (161.6456)
2018-07-20	*Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown(JUDGES FULL) Peoria, IL	18 / 43 (664.9940)	17 (169.1200)	2 (174.8916)	10 (173.1084)	42 (147.8740)
2018-06-30	*I-39 Smokin Car Show Minonk, IL	10 / 29 (649.5772)	5 (169.7028)	5 (167.4172)	21 (153.6688)	15 (158.7884)
2018-06-15	*Hog Capital Challenge Kewanee, IL	—	—	—	—	—
2018-06-01	*Up In smoke on the Square( WAIT LIST ONLY FOR JUDGES) Lincoln, IL	—	—	—	—	—
2017-10-20	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)
2017-10-06	*Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival(JUDGES FULL) Decatur, IL	—	—	—	—	—
2017-08-19	*McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ McHenry, IL	23 / 36 (622.7316)	19 (163.4400)	18 (159.4172)	17 (161.6572)	30 (138.2172)
2017-06-02	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)	—	—

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
2019 ↗	Master	#614 (533 pts)	#568 (608 pts)	#565 (613 pts)	#331 (958 pts)	#527 (638 pts)