High-water mark
675.9200
career-best overall
93.9% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 675.9200 at Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest — 93.9% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2021-08-20
Backdraft Cooking Systems
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1499
peak 1511 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
2016-09-23
latest 2024-09-20
Best ToY finish
#575
Master 2021
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 62%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
662.82
last 5 Master vs avg 662.72 (+0.10)
Walk rate
27%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.80
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 168.22 · weakest Chicken (163.49)
Road miles
1,586
mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 361 mi
Schedule strength
77%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1600)
Purse competed for
$94K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 9 state-championship entries
Master avg
662.72 / 720
11 Master contests · 0 GCs
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.
Their season
2021
their best year
2021 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 51%.
- 3 contests
- 1 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 51%
A tough matchup
7–0
behind in the head-to-head
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ has come out ahead in 7 of their 7 shared contests.
The weak link
−4.7
points behind their best meat
Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.73 points below their pork, and turns into a call 9% of the time against 9%.
- Chicken avg 163.49
- Pork avg 168.22
- 1 calls in 11 entries
A strong matchup
6–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Party Q in 6 of their 6 shared contests.
The comeback
2 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off (2019-09-20).
- last seen 2017-09-22
- back 2019-09-20
Pork nemesis
5 of 7
shared pork entries lost
IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ ahead 71% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ has out-cooked them in 5 of 7 shared pork entries.
The metronome
±1.50%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±1.50% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 92.0% of a perfect score
- 11 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.
128 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3241 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1508
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 7 years before Backdraft Cooking Systems's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#3237 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1509
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 12 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3242 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 30%
- Peak
- 1531
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1531 at their best, 32 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3222 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1531
No shared contest yet.
13 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 23% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#3251 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1509
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 9 years after Backdraft Cooking Systems did, first appearing in 2025.
⚔ Head-to-head#3217 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1500
No shared contest yet.
Level with Backdraft Cooking Systems on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Party Q | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Serial Grillers | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Backdraft BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| HEFTY LEFTY BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| THE BBQ BUS | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Rusty Pig BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Get Your Grill On | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Dewey Smokem & Howe | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SmokinGhost BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TRIPLE H BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 151.9312 | 163.49 | top 66% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.2744 | 154.2400 | 165.79 | top 58% |
| Pork | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 177.1428 | 161.6456 | 168.22 | top 50% |
| Brisket | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 172.5600 | 158.2056 | 165.22 | top 52% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL | 8 | 0 | top 67% |
| KS | 2 | 0 | top 61% |
| MO | 1 | 0 | top 22% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 55% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 0 | top 64% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard | 3 | 31 | 0 | top 71% | 2024-09-20 |
| Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff | 2 | 24 | 0 | top 50% | 2017-09-22 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
8 yrs
2016-09-23 → 2024-09-20
Busiest season
2022
3 contests
Contests a season
1.6
across 7 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
IL
8 of 11 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
8
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
11 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 168.22 · weakest Chicken (163.49)
Walk rate
27%
a top-10 call in 3 of 11 contests
Overall top-10 rate
9%
1 of 11 contests
Master average
662.72
out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
395
227–388 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
1,586
11 mapped stops · furthest 361 mi
Schedule strength
1600
average field rating faced — tougher than 77% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$94,000
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 9 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
2 yrs
2017-09-22 → 2019-09-20
Power rating
1499
peak 1511 · #3230 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2016
- First tracked contest Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff
- First call Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score674.2056 Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff
- 2021
- First overall top-10 Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest
- Career-best overall score675.9200 Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest
- Career-best single call (Pork)177.1428 Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest
- Peak power rating (1511) Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest
- 2023
- 10th tracked contest Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
- 2024
- Most recent contest Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.1 | Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest | 2021-08-20 |
| +7.3 | Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff | 2016-09-23 |
| +0.5 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard | 2023-09-21 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -5.7 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off | 2019-09-20 |
| -5.6 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard | 2024-09-20 |
| -2.9 | Praise the Lard Murphysboro BBQ Cook-Off | 2021-09-24 |
| -1.8 | Smoke in the Spring | 2021-04-09 |
| -1.6 | EffingHAM-JAM | 2022-07-22 |
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)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 92% | 92% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 62% | 92.3% | 92.3% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 93.2% | 92% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 51% | 93.9% | 92.8% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 78% | 88.8% | 88.8% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 62% | 91.5% | 91.5% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 38% | 93.6% | 93.6% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-20 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 47 / 58 (662.6968) | 54 (159.9428) | 28 (170.8228) | 51 (161.6456) | 23 (170.2856) |
| 2023-09-21 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 31 / 50 (664.4228) | 43 (157.0972) | 33 (166.2400) | 15 (171.9656) | 23 (169.1200) |
| 2022-09-23 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 32 / 46 (670.7200) | 14 (174.8572) | 25 (169.6800) | 27 (167.9772) | 37 (158.2056) |
| 2022-07-22 | EffingHAM-JAM 🏅 Effingham, IL | 18 / 25 (666.1832) | 18 (165.0972) | 18 (165.6916) | 13 (167.3828) | 14 (168.0116) |
| 2022-04-29 | Red, White, Blue BBQ Competition 🏅 Topeka, KS | 49 / 77 (650.0912) | 67 (155.3716) | 29 (170.8344) | 43 (165.6684) | 47 (158.2168) |
| 2021-09-24 | Praise the Lard Murphysboro BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 28 / 39 (654.7084) | 10 (171.4172) | 31 (160.5372) | 29 (163.3712) | 29 (159.3828) |
| 2021-08-20 | Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest 🏅 Cape Girardeau, MO | 6 / 27 (675.9200) | 13 (165.6800) | 7 (169.1200) | 2 (177.1428) | 15 (163.9772) |
| 2021-04-09 | Smoke in the Spring 🏅 Osage City, KS | 62 / 105 (673.0400) | 43 (171.4056) | 98 (157.0972) | 33 (171.9772) | 26 (172.5600) |
| 2019-09-20 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 42 / 54 (639.2568) | 50 (151.9312) | 51 (154.2400) | 24 (168.5256) | 29 (164.5600) |
| 2017-09-22 | Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff Murphysboro, IL | 34 / 55 (658.6856) | 51 (158.2172) | 33 (165.1084) | 40 (163.9428) | 11 (171.4172) |
| 2016-09-23 | Murphysboro BBQ Cookoff Murphysboro, IL | 24 / 64 (674.2056) | 36 (167.3828) | 7 (174.2744) | 21 (170.8228) | 40 (161.7256) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1182 (60 pts) | #1242 (60 pts) | #1317 (60 pts) | #1231 (60 pts) | #1163 (70 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1255 (60 pts) | #1319 (60 pts) | #1432 (60 pts) | #1104 (110 pts) | #1249 (70 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #766 (205 pts) | #702 (260 pts) | #855 (205 pts) | #759 (230 pts) | #768 (225 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #575 (287 pts) | #568 (307 pts) | #629 (277 pts) | #500 (372 pts) | #721 (222 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1955 (60 pts) | #2049 (60 pts) | #2026 (60 pts) | #2000 (65 pts) | #2010 (60 pts) |