Firehouse 51 IL
Rating
1490
peak 1490
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
2019-05-31
latest 2025-08-22
Best ToY finish
#1957
Master 2019
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 62%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
391.01
last 5 vs career avg 391.01 (+0.00)
Walk rate
40%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±131.34
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 170.87 · weakest Pork (155.38)
Road miles
78
mi across 5 mapped stops · furthest 31 mi
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Rudes BBQ has come out ahead in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Dead End BBQ in 3 of their 4 shared contests.
Teams like this (closest power rating, IL first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 173.1316 | 161.0972 | 166.27 | top 50% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.8228 | 152.5028 | 159.49 | top 74% |
| 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.
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (2 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IL (5 of 5 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (5 entries)
- All-time average overall score: 391.01
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 328.5028 | 326.50 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 325.6344 | 325.63 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 322.7428 | 322.74 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 653.6572 | 653.66 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
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 | #1957 (60 pts) | #1799 (100 pts) | #2028 (60 pts) | #2032 (60 pts) | #1468 (135 pts) |