DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA

DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA is a competition barbecue team with 36 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 4th of 29 at the Grillin' in Grafton (2016). They are ranked #4389 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#4,389

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1475

peak 1523 · rated over 36 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 24, 2013

latest Oct 6, 2017 · 4.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#471

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

8% of 36 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

670.8232 / 720

Master · Grillin' in Grafton

Perfect 180s

Current form

624.89 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 641.33 (-16.44)

Walk rate

47%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4400

Chicken · Route 66 Smoke Out

Consistency

±15.33

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 162.03 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.72)

Road miles

3,675

across 36 mapped stops · furthest 327 mi

Schedule strength

43%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1556)

Master avg

641.33 / 720

36 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (12 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

High-water mark

670.8232 career-best overall

93.2% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 670.8232 at Grillin' in Grafton — 93.2% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 1, 2016

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

HOG CALL BBQ has finished one call ahead of DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 4 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 40%.

4 contests
1 overall top-10
0 category wins
average top 40%

A tough matchup

21–2 behind in the head-to-head

QUAU ahead in 91% of their meetings

QUAU has come out ahead in 21 of their 23 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.3 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.30 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 25%.

Pork Ribs avg 157.72
Chicken avg 162.03
4 calls in 36 entries

A strong matchup

9–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 90% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of KEN'S BURNT ENDS in 9 of their 10 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

19 of 21 shared chicken entries lost

THE SMOKE HUNTERS ahead 90% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, THE SMOKE HUNTERS has out-cooked them in 19 of 21 shared chicken entries.

Show 5 more storylines

Going the wrong way

-29 rating points in a year

The rating has slipped 29 points across 8 contests since May 5, 2017 — from 1505 down to 1475.

8 contests since May 5, 2017
now 1475

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Mr. B's BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 44% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 44% across 7 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.

7 July contests
top 60% the rest of the year

The long haul

3,675 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,675 miles across 36 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 327 miles to Jim Beam BBQ Classic.

36 mapped stops
furthest 327 mi

The metronome

±2.13% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.13% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 89.1% of a perfect score
36 contests

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017 ↗	Master	#700 (539 pts)	#520 (764 pts)	#703 (574 pts)	#659 (624 pts)	#542 (729 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#471 (853 pts)	#345 (1,068 pts)	#563 (743 pts)	#397 (988 pts)	#456 (893 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#570 (648 pts)	#524 (743 pts)	#432 (868 pts)	#543 (718 pts)	#500 (753 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#746 (465 pts)	#655 (580 pts)	#744 (500 pts)	#708 (535 pts)	#696 (535 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#698 (448 pts)	#754 (433 pts)	#866 (368 pts)	#668 (498 pts)	#549 (583 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA, each with one reason worth a look.

146 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

BARK 4 BBQ

#4,368 of the rated field

1476 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

3–0 in 3 shared contests (100% to DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA)

These two have cooked 3 of the same contests — DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA ahead 3–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 5 contests
last seen Oct 5, 2018

⚔ Head-to-head

BLACK AND BLUE BBQ

#4,398 of the rated field

1475 power rating

Contests: 5
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1475

5–0 in 5 shared contests (100% to DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 3 years before DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 5 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

YOU GONNA LIKE IT

#4,377 of the rated field

1476 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1512

They've been 1512 at their best, 37 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 33 contests
last seen Sep 22, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

DEAD ON Q

#4,384 of the rated field

1475 power rating

Contests: 46
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1529

Careers of much the same size, 46 contests to 36, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 46 contests
last seen Oct 19, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

BANGIN' BBQ

#4,403 of the rated field

1475 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 7%
Peak: 1532

27 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 7% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 27 contests
last seen Apr 7, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

Slapulator BBQ

#4,383 of the rated field

1475 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1531

They turned up 8 years after DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA did, first appearing in 2021.

rated over 23 contests
last seen Apr 17, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
QUAU	23	2	21	9%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKE HUNTERS	21	0	21	0%	⚔ compare
CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE	19	6	13	32%	⚔ compare
RACK MASTERS BBQ	19	4	15	21%	⚔ compare
TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI	19	1	18	5%	⚔ compare
MUD'S BBQ	16	2	14	13%	⚔ compare
Its 5 Oclock Somewhere	16	2	14	13%	⚔ compare
JH OLD SCHOOL	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
YELLOW RIVER BBQ	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
BIG "E" BBQ	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
SMOKY LINCS	14	8	6	57%	⚔ compare
VALET PORKING	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
Mac Attack BBQ	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
CANCERSUCKSCHICAGO.COM	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	36	9	1	3	179.4400	146.7428	162.03	top 57%
Pork Ribs	36	4	0	0	169.6916	134.7656	157.72	top 61%
Pork	36	6	0	2	174.3200	150.2400	161.62	top 55%
Brisket	36	6	0	1	172	145.6232	159.97	top 53%

“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 field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 67%
Medium (20–39)	18	top 62%
Large (40+)	17	top 57%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
IL	25	top 54%
WI	6	top 70%
IN	4	top 74%
KY	1	top 84%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Red, White and BBQ (Day 2)	4	27	top 55%	May 23, 2015
Grillin' in Grafton	3	4	top 63%	Jun 30, 2017
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	3	19	top 72%	Jul 10, 2015
Grill Games	2	30	top 73%	Aug 25, 2017
Heritage Days BBQ Showdown	2	13	top 48%	Jun 23, 2017
RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2)	2	34	top 80%	May 27, 2017
Route 66 Smoke Out	2	18	top 60%	May 5, 2017
Red, White & BBQ (Day 2)	2	24	top 63%	May 28, 2016
Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest	2	7	top 25%	Jul 11, 2014

More numbers

Busiest season 2015 10 contests

Contests a season 7.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IL 25 of 36 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 23 9 of them more than once

Opponents faced 508 finished ahead 611 times, behind 781

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20173 milestones

May 5 First category win (Chicken) Route 66 Smoke Out
May 5 Career-best single call (Chicken)179.4400 Route 66 Smoke Out
Oct 6 Most recent contest Harbor-Que

20162 milestones

Jul 1 25th tracked contest Grillin' in Grafton
Jul 1 Career-best overall score670.8232 Grillin' in Grafton

20151 milestone

May 16 10th tracked contest Madison Magazine BBQ Festival

20141 milestone

Jul 11 Peak power rating (1523) Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest

20134 milestones

May 24 First tracked contest Westmont Red, White & BBQ
May 24 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.7142 Westmont Red, White & BBQ
Jun 21 First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
Jul 5 First overall top-10 Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.8	Grillin' in Grafton	Jul 1, 2016
+11.8	Westmont Red, White & BBQ	May 24, 2013
+10.2	Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest	Jul 11, 2014
+7.7	Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest	Jul 5, 2013
+6.5	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown	Jun 24, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.5	Grillin' in Grafton	Jun 30, 2017
-9.5	Madison Magazine BBQ Festival	May 16, 2015
-8.4	Grillin' in Grafton	Jun 26, 2015
-7.8	Harbor-Que	Oct 6, 2017
-7.5	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Jun 21, 2013

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	8	0	1	25%	top 74%	89.7%	87.2%
2016	9	1	0	56%	top 57%	93.2%	90.8%
2015	10	0	0	30%	top 63%	90.9%	88.4%
2014	5	1	0	80%	top 51%	91.5%	89.7%
2013	4	1	0	75%	top 40%	92.5%	89.8%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 6, 2017	Harbor-Que Winthrop Harbor, IL	19 / 23 (608.9028)	22 (146.7428)	19 (150.8000)	16 (155.3944)	14 (155.9656)
Aug 25, 2017	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	30 / 39 (627.8860)	36 (153.0744)	28 (156.5716)	14 (162.8572)	26 (155.3828)
Aug 19, 2017	McHenry Rotary Blues Brews & BBQ McHenry, IL	18 / 36 (635.8744)	16 (165.0972)	11 (162.2744)	27 (153.0856)	16 (155.4172)
Jun 30, 2017	Grillin' in Grafton Graffton, WI	25 / 27 (605.5768)	20 (154.8000)	27 (134.7656)	12 (158.3084)	14 (157.7028)
Jun 23, 2017	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Belvidere, IL	24 / 42 (646.1940)	35 (154.2284)	32 (159.4172)	24 (161.6684)	6 (170.8800)
May 27, 2017	RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 2) Westmont, IL	44 / 59 (634.7656)	45 (159.9312)	40 (159.9772)	38 (161.1544)	43 (153.7028)
May 26, 2017	RED, WHITE and BAR-B-Q ( DAY 1) Westmont, IL	34 / 40 (628.4456)	26 (162.2628)	21 (161.1544)	39 (150.2400)	32 (154.7884)
May 5, 2017	Route 66 Smoke Out Dwight, IL	22 / 29 (636.4112)	1 (179.4400)	27 (150.7772)	25 (155.9540)	24 (150.2400)
Sep 30, 2016	Jim Beam BBQ Classic Springfield, KY	36 / 43 (653.5656)	21 (169.7028)	37 (161.6572)	41 (158.2284)	29 (163.9772)
Jul 22, 2016	Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown (Formerly Morton BBQ Throwdown) Peoria, IL	18 / 37 (658.1712)	33 (157.0628)	14 (165.7028)	9 (169.1428)	13 (166.2628)
Jul 15, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour South Bend, IN	22 / 28 (640.9596)	23 (160.5028)	19 (159.3484)	19 (161.1200)	21 (159.9884)
Jul 1, 2016	Grillin' in Grafton Grafton, WI	4 / 29 (670.8232)	4 (170.2744)	18 (159.9888)	3 (173.7144)	11 (166.8456)
Jun 24, 2016	Heritage Days BBQ Showdown Belvidere, IL	13 / 33 (654.7428)	6 (173.1200)	16 (162.2516)	25 (155.4056)	13 (163.9656)
Jun 17, 2016	Hog Capital Challenge - JUDGES FULL Kewanee, IL	17 / 23 (647.2796)	17 (161.0856)	22 (143.2912)	3 (174.3200)	9 (168.5828)
May 28, 2016	Red, White & BBQ (Day 2) Westmont, IL	38 / 55 (645.6684)	32 (165.1316)	50 (153.1200)	26 (164.5712)	25 (162.8456)
May 27, 2016	Red, White & BBQ (Day 1) Westmont, IL	24 / 42 (654.7540)	16 (168.5600)	15 (166.2856)	30 (159.3828)	23 (160.5256)
May 6, 2016	Route 66 Smoke Out Dwight, IL	18 / 40 (654.7200)	3 (173.1200)	34 (152.5028)	23 (160.5600)	10 (168.5372)
Oct 16, 2015	10th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q Libertyville, IL	18 / 35 (649.0056)	7 (170.8344)	5 (169.1428)	24 (159.9656)	28 (149.0628)
Sep 11, 2015	Windy City BBQ Classic Chicago, IL	28 / 61 (645.5536)	29 (163.4400)	12 (169.6684)	33 (164.5484)	51 (147.8968)
Aug 28, 2015	Grill Games Kenosha, WI	34 / 49 (625.0172)	33 (158.2744)	21 (162.2972)	34 (157.0628)	40 (147.3828)
Jul 24, 2015	5th Annual Morton BBQ Throwdown Morton, IL	23 / 47 (649.0628)	35 (156.5256)	22 (161.1544)	21 (165.1428)	15 (166.2400)
Jul 10, 2015	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Indianapolis, IN	19 / 28 (637.5772)	20 (161.0972)	24 (152.5372)	15 (165.7028)	17 (158.2400)
Jun 26, 2015	Grillin' in Grafton Grafton, WI	27 / 33 (622.1144)	32 (150.1828)	31 (143.9772)	10 (166.2628)	16 (161.6916)
May 29, 2015	Smoke on the Prairie Brimfield, IL	12 / 18 (644.9372)	10 (162.2516)	5 (167.9772)	15 (156.5028)	15 (158.2056)
May 23, 2015	Red, White and BBQ (Day 2) Westmont, IL	28 / 58 (654.8116)	37 (162.8000)	20 (165.7144)	28 (165.1772)	32 (161.1200)
May 22, 2015	Red, White and BBQ (Day 1) Westmont, IL	28 / 41 (635.9088)	37 (152.5372)	26 (157.1544)	25 (162.8228)	13 (163.3944)
May 16, 2015	Madison Magazine BBQ Festival Madison, WI	25 / 29 (602.0800)	19 (158.8000)	28 (138.2400)	23 (155.3828)	26 (149.6572)
Oct 17, 2014	9th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q Libertyville, IL	23 / 42 (642.7544)	30 (159.9772)	7 (169.6916)	34 (151.4056)	21 (161.6800)
Jul 11, 2014	Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest St. Charles, IL	7 / 34 (658.7772)	3 (171.4172)	21 (157.6800)	16 (164)	6 (165.6800)
Jun 27, 2014	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Indianapolis, IN	19 / 26 (635.2460)	9 (166.8228)	15 (159.4172)	14 (163.3828)	23 (145.6232)
May 24, 2014	Red, White, And BBQ Westmont, IL	30 / 72 (653.1312)	32 (165.7028)	50 (157.2000)	30 (163.9884)	20 (166.2400)
May 23, 2014	Red, White, and BBQ Westmont, IL	27 / 43 (640.4684)	39 (149.6228)	24 (157.7028)	6 (168.5828)	16 (164.5600)
Oct 18, 2013	8th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q (TEAMS FULL) Libertyville, IL	20 / 54 (634.1600)	47 (150.2172)	7 (167.4172)	31 (153.1200)	9 (163.4056)
Jul 5, 2013	Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest St. Charles, IL	10 / 34 (649.7142)	9 (165.1428)	29 (152.5716)	19 (159.9998)	3 (172)
Jun 21, 2013	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Indianapolis, IN	22 / 29 (637.1430)	16 (165.1428)	26 (148.0002)	4 (170.2858)	25 (153.7142)
May 24, 2013	Westmont Red, White & BBQ Westmont, IL	11 / 70 (665.7142)	17 (168)	32 (160.5716)	14 (169.7142)	13 (167.4284)

DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (12 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Going the wrong way

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

The long haul

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)

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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)