HOT EMBERS BBQ IL
Rating
1501
peak 1501
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
latest 2026-06-19
Best ToY finish
#248
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
384.71 ▼
last 5 vs career avg 449.25 (-64.54)
Walk rate
56%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±132.11
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 164.70 · weakest Chicken (157.22)
Road miles
77
mi across 7 mapped stops
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)
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% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: — (2 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IL (9 of 9 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (9 entries)
- All-time average overall score: 449.25
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)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 464.4456 | 463.58 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 335.3716 | 335.37 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 335.3716 | 335.37 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 325.6568 | 325.66 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 683.9088 | 583.65 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 306.2512 | 306.25 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 646.1712 | 646.17 |
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) | — |
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 | #248 (65 pts) | #258 (60 pts) | #202 (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) |