A tough matchup
5–0
behind in the head-to-head
Sugba Smokehouse ahead in 100% of their meetings
Sugba Smokehouse has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
Firehouse 51
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1486
peak 1486 · rated over 6 contests ⓘ
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
2019-05-31
latest 2026-08-28
Best ToY finish
#1955
Master 2019
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 65%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
325.75
last 5 Backyard vs avg 325.75 (+0.00)
Walk rate
22%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±2.04
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 170.87 · weakest Pork (155.38)
Road miles
157
mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 31 mi
Schedule strength
47%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1561)
Purse competed for
$37K
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
653.66 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
325.75 / 360
5 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.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Storylines (5 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.
A strong matchup
3–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 75% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Dead End BBQ in 3 of their 4 shared contests.
The comeback
4.2 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 4.2 years, then back at Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) (2023-08-25).
- last seen 2019-05-31
- back 2023-08-25
The metronome
±0.53%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±0.53% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 90.5% of a perfect score
- 9 contests
A standing appointment
4
years running at one contest
They've cooked Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) every year from 2023 to 2026 — the contest they never miss.
- 5 visits in all
- best finish 13th
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.
138 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3845 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1503
No shared contest yet.
Fewer contests behind them than Firehouse 51 has cooked, 6 to 9, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Head-to-head#3811 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1515
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Firehouse 51's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#3846 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1517
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1517 at their best, 31 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3829 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1486
No shared contest yet.
Level with Firehouse 51 on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#3839 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1486
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before Firehouse 51's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#3832 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1501
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Firehouse 51's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 309 BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Sugba Smokehouse | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 173.1316 | 161.0972 | 165.59 | top 57% |
| Pork Ribs | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.8228 | 152.5028 | 160.43 | top 75% |
| Pork | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 155.3828 | 155.3828 | 155.38 | top 92% |
| Brisket | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8684 | 170.8684 | 170.87 | top 28% |
“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 contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 81% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 62% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 5 | 13 | 0 | top 67% | 2026-08-28 |
The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
7.2 yrs
2019-05-31 → 2026-08-28
Busiest season
2025
2 contests
Contests a season
1.3
across 7 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
IL
9 of 9 contests
Contests visited
2
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
6 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls
Strongest meat
Brisket
averages 170.87 · weakest Pork (155.38)
Walk rate
22%
a top-10 call in 2 of 9 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 9 contests
Master average
653.66
out of 720 · 1 contest · 0 GCs
Backyard average
325.75
out of 360 · 5 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
145
64–129 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
157
9 mapped stops · furthest 31 mi
Schedule strength
1561
average field rating faced — tougher than 47% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$36,525
listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 2 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
4.2 yrs
2019-05-31 → 2023-08-25
Power rating
1486
peak 1486 · #3825 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2017
- First tracked contest Up In smoke on the Square
- 2019
- First call Up In Smoke on the Square
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.6572 Up In Smoke on the Square
- Career-best overall score653.6572 Up In Smoke on the Square
- 2024
- Career-best single call (Chicken)173.1316 Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 2025
- Peak power rating (1495) Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown
- 2026
- Most recent contest Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +1.6 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-08-23 |
| +1.1 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown | 2025-06-27 |
| +0.5 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-08-25 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8 | Up In Smoke on the Square | 2019-05-31 |
| -6.4 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-08-28 |
| -2.5 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-08-22 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 90.9% | 90.9% |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 64% | 91.3% | 90.7% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 50% | 90.5% | 90.5% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 54% | 89.7% | 89.7% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 78% | 90.8% | 90.8% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-28 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 13 / 16 (327.3600) | 15 (162.2400) | 13 (165.1200) | — | — |
| 2025-08-22 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 22 / 31 (324.4916) | 25 (161.0972) | 21 (163.3944) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Eureka, IL | 15 / 26 (328.5028) | 17 (161.6800) | 14 (166.8228) | — | — |
| 2024-08-23 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 14 / 28 (325.6344) | 3 (173.1316) | 26 (152.5028) | — | — |
| 2023-08-25 | Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) Lincoln, IL | 14 / 26 (322.7428) | 12 (167.9656) | 21 (154.7772) | — | — |
| 2019-05-31 | Up In Smoke on the Square 🏅 Lincoln, IL | 28 / 36 (653.6572) | 17 (167.4516) | 27 (159.9544) | 33 (155.3828) | 10 (170.8684) |
| 2018-07-20 | *Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown(JUDGES FULL) Peoria, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018-06-01 | *Up In smoke on the Square( WAIT LIST ONLY FOR JUDGES) Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017-06-02 | Up In smoke on the Square Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
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 | #1955 (60 pts) | #1796 (100 pts) | #2026 (60 pts) | #2029 (60 pts) | #1465 (135 pts) |