Smokey and The Bandits IL

Power ranking

#2024

of 3077 rated · rankings

Rating

1482

peak 1521 · rated over 7 contests

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2019-06-09

latest 2025-09-05

Best ToY finish

#1612

Master 2022

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 10 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

636.9828

Competitor Series · Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)

Perfect 180s

Current form

372.33 ▲

last 5 Backyard vs avg 358.84 (+13.50)

Walk rate

60%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

171.9656

Pork · Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)

Consistency

±114.40

std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 157.48 · weakest Pork Ribs (152.77)

Road miles

834

mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 278 mi

Schedule strength

30%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1525)

Purse competed for

$33K

listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

599.10 / 720

1 Master contest · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

358.84 / 360

6 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.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines

⚔️ A tough matchup

iBQ'n has come out ahead in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

🔁 The comeback

Off the trail for 3.3 years, then back at Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) (2025-09-05).

Teams like this (closest power rating, IL first)

Dead End BBQ #2040 · 1481 · IL Serial Grillers #2045 · 1481 · IL PAPA'S BARBQ #1994 · 1483 · IL De La 'Que #2064 · 1480 · IL Backdraft Cooking Systems #1960 · 1485 · IL Bleed Blue BBQ #1949 · 1485 · IL

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	5	0	167.4172	134.8572	154.97	top 46%
Pork Ribs	10	2	1	170.8572	133.6112	152.77	top 65%
Pork	3	2	0	171.9656	146.1828	157.48	top 49%
Brisket	2	1	1	161.1428	151.9084	156.53	top 49%

“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	6	top 66%
MI	1	top 10%
WI	1	top 47%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 65%
Medium (20–39)	5	top 78%
Large (40+)	2	top 11%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Lake Country BBQ Cook-off(BACKYARD ONLY)	2	9	0	top 67%	2019-06-09

The story so far

Busiest season: 2021 (4 contests)
Cooks mostly in IL (7 of 10 contests)
Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (10 entries)
Average Master overall score: 599.10 / 720
Average Backyard overall score: 358.84 / 360

Milestones

🚩 — First tracked contest · Lake Country BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
📣 — First call · Lake Country BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY)
📈 2021-07-16 — Peak power rating (1521) · Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1
⭐ 2021-11-05 — Career-best overall score (636.9828) · Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day one)	2021-06-25
+12.5	Westland Area Jaycees All American BBQ Throwdown	2019-08-02
+6.6	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1	2021-07-16

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15.5	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)	2025-09-05
-11.8	Route 66 Smoke Out	2022-05-06
-11.5	Lake Country BBQ Cook-off(BACKYARD ONLY)	2019-06-09
-11.4	Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)	2021-11-05

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
—	2	1	50%	top 66%	90.8%	90.8%
2025	1	0	0%	top 100%	76.3%	76.3%
2022	1	0	0%	top 94%	83.2%	83.2%
2021	4	2	75%	top 40%	90.9%	90.2%
2019	2	1	100%	top 48%	169.7%	125.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2025-09-05	Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL	38 / 38 (274.8572)	38 (134.8572)	36 (140.0000)	—	—
2022-05-06	Route 66 Smoke Out 🏅 Dwight, IL	31 / 33 (599.0968)	31 (143.3484)	25 (157.6572)	32 (146.1828)	30 (151.9084)
2021-11-05	Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Yorkville, IL	15 / 18 (636.9828)	8 (164.5372)	17 (150.2172)	7 (171.9656)	—
2021-07-16	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Day 1 🏅 Eureka, IL	6 / 25 (321.6912)	6 (158.2628)	5 (163.4284)	—	—
2021-07-16	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown - One Meat Rib Contest Eureka, IL	—	—	14 (158.8000)	—	—
2021-06-25	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown (Day one) 🏅 Belvidere, IL	6 / 49 (327.4172)	15 (156.5600)	2 (170.8572)	—	—
2019-08-02	Westland Area Jaycees All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI	4 / 40 (610.8800)	6 (152.0228)	11 (143.4288)	4 (154.2856)	3 (161.1428)
2019-06-09	Lake Country BBQ Cook-off(BACKYARD ONLY)	19 / 22 (291.3484)	6 (157.7372)	21 (133.6112)	—	—
	Saluting With Smoke (COMPETITORS SERIES) Yorkville, IL	32 / 38 (466.8116)	19 (160.0000)	34 (150.2516)	—	—
	Lake Country BBQ Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) Okauchee, WI	9 / 19 (326.8232)	6 (167.4172)	14 (159.4060)	—	—

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
2022 ↗	Master	#1612 (58 pts)	#1621 (58 pts)	#1666 (58 pts)	#1622 (58 pts)	#1624 (58 pts)
2021 ↗	Backyard	—	#166 (149 pts)	#151 (159 pts)	—	—