HOT EMBERS BBQ IL
Rating
1501
peak 1501 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
2021-11-05
latest 2026-06-19
Best ToY finish
#284
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 63%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
388.50 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 374.79 (+13.71)
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±70.41
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 164.70 · weakest Chicken (157.22)
Road miles
77
mi across 7 mapped stops
Schedule strength
35%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1530)
Purse competed for
$27K
listed at 8 contests — purses, not winnings
Backyard avg
374.79 / 360
6 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
Big Hogs BBQ has finished one call ahead of HOT EMBERS BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
⚔️ A tough matchup
BBQ MIKE has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of 2 Sauced 2 Pork in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
Teams like this (closest power rating, IL first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RUBY CREEK BBQ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Shmack Q | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| Plumber Q | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Stone Cold Grillers | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| BBQ MIKE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.2744 | 143.3484 | 157.22 | top 77% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 152.5144 | 163.86 | top 50% |
| Pork | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.2744 | 153.7028 | 164.70 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
“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) | 2 | 0 | top 48% |
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 72% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 57% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 20 | 0 | top 57% | 2026-06-19 |
| Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 48% | 2023-09-15 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: — (2 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IL (9 of 9 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (9 entries)
- Average Backyard overall score: 374.79 / 360
Milestones
- 🚩 — First tracked contest · Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival Backyard Competition Presented by Kenney's Ace Hardware(BACKYARD ONLY)
- 📣 2021-11-05 — First call · Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)
- ⭐ 2023-09-15 — Career-best overall score (683.9088) · Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES)
- 📈 2025-06-20 — Peak power rating (1501) · Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.9 | Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) | 2023-09-15 |
| +0.7 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2025-06-20 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -6.6 | Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) | 2021-11-05 |
| -5.8 | Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-05-28 |
| -0.2 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2024-06-14 |
| -0.1 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-06-19 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 88% | 128.5% | 128.5% |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 59% | 93.2% | 93.2% |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 56% | 93.2% | 93.2% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 55% | 90.5% | 90.5% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 40% | 134.3% | 134.3% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 71% | 85.1% | 85.1% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 72% | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-19 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 24 / 41 (335.3716) | 33 (161.6572) | 10 (173.7144) | — | — |
| 2025-06-20 | Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 20 / 36 (335.3716) | 29 (160.5144) | 8 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2024-06-14 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 22 / 40 (325.6568) | 36 (155.9312) | 9 (169.7256) | — | — |
| 2023-09-15 | Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Yorkville, IL | 4 / 17 (683.9088) | 13 (165.0856) | 12 (164.5488) | 4 (174.2744) | — |
| 2023-05-27 | Westmont Red White & BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 19 / 34 (483.3828) | 13 (166.2744) | 23 (158.8228) | 18 (158.2856) | — |
| 2022-05-28 | Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 20 / 28 (306.2512) | 24 (145.1084) | 11 (161.1428) | — | — |
| 2021-11-05 | Saluting with Smoke (COMPETITOR'S SERIES) Yorkville, IL | 13 / 18 (646.1712) | 12 (160.5256) | 13 (160.6060) | 5 (172.5484) | — |
| Saluting With Smoke (COMPETITORS SERIES) Yorkville, IL | 36 / 38 (464.4456) | 38 (143.3484) | 22 (158.8344) | — | — | |
| Decatur's Smokin BBQ Festival Backyard Competition Presented by Kenney's Ace Hardware(BACKYARD ONLY) Decatur, IL | 18 / 22 (462.7084) | 17 (156.4912) | 17 (152.5144) | 16 (153.7028) | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #284 (65 pts) | #293 (60 pts) | #233 (135 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #341 (85 pts) | #371 (60 pts) | #275 (155 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #362 (75 pts) | #377 (60 pts) | #281 (145 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #269 (119 pts) | #340 (69 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #349 (58 pts) | #252 (123 pts) | — | — |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #2548 (54 pts) | #1973 (69 pts) | #2536 (54 pts) | #2547 (54 pts) | #2488 (59 pts) |