SMOKEY JOEL/CUBBY BEAR

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#2679

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1514

peak 1514 · rated over 9 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-10

latest 2014-07-11

Best ToY finish

#717

Master 2013

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 9 contests

Avg finish

top 51%

overall standings

Best overall

672.4340 / 720

Master · Red, White, And BBQ

Perfect 180s

Current form

655.09 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 644.26 (+10.83)

Walk rate

67%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

174.2972

Pork · Red, White, And BBQ

Consistency

±18.10

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.14 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.25)

Road miles

918

mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 246 mi

Schedule strength

18%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1525)

Master avg

644.26 / 720

9 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 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.

They almost always walk

67% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 6 of 9 contests

A top-10 category call in 67% of their 9 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

672.4340 career-best overall

93.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 672.4340 at Red, White, And BBQ — 93.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
2014-05-24

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE has finished one call ahead of SMOKEY JOEL/CUBBY BEAR 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2014 their best year

2014 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-10s
0 category wins
average top 40%

A tough matchup

6–1 behind in the head-to-head

CANCERSUCKSCHICAGO.COM ahead in 86% of their meetings

CANCERSUCKSCHICAGO.COM has come out ahead in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.9 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.89 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 44%.

Pork Ribs avg 157.25
Chicken avg 166.14
1 calls in 9 entries

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of 2 SKINNY COOKS in 5 of their 5 shared 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.

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

THE NOTORIOUS P.I.G. (AKA PIGGY SMALLZ BBQ)

#2676 of the rated field

1514 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1521

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2019-07-12

⚔ Head-to-head

HAWGNZ HEROZ

#2700 of the rated field

1513 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1534

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2019-05-31

⚔ Head-to-head

BAD S. BBQ

#2689 of the rated field

1513 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1518

No shared contest yet.

Level with SMOKEY JOEL/CUBBY BEAR on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2017-06-23

⚔ Head-to-head

Speaks For Itself

#2701 of the rated field

1513 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1513

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2026-08-07

⚔ Head-to-head

BROTHER-UNCLE BARBEQUE

#2699 of the rated field

1513 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1513

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2020-08-08

⚔ Head-to-head

T & J Backyard BBQ

#2667 of the rated field

1514 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1514

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2020-02-21

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
DESIGNATED SMOKIN' AREA	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
CANCERSUCKSCHICAGO.COM	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
CAPTAIN RON'S BREW-N-QUE	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
iBQ'n	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
QUAU	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
2 SKINNY COOKS	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
KEN'S BURNT ENDS	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
BEAR CAT SMOKERS	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
RACK MASTERS BBQ	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
MUD'S BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	4	2	174.2628	155.4286	166.14	top 37%
Pork Ribs	9	1	0	165.1084	147.9888	157.25	top 59%
Pork	9	3	2	174.2972	146.2856	161.19	top 49%
Brisket	9	1	0	165.1656	146.8572	159.67	top 49%

“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	Avg finish
IL	6	top 43%
IN	1	top 50%
IA	1	top 78%
MO	1	top 72%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 64%
Large (40+)	4	0	top 35%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest	2	10	0	top 59%	2014-07-11
Red, White, And BBQ	2	14	0	top 40%	2014-05-24

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 1.2 yrs 2013-05-10 → 2014-07-11

Busiest season 2013 5 contests

Contests a season 4.5 across 2 seasons in the data

Cooks most in IL 6 of 9 contests · 4 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 9 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 166.14 · weakest Pork Ribs (157.25)

Walk rate 67% a top-10 call in 6 of 9 contests

Overall top-10 rate 22% 2 of 9 contests

Master average 644.26 out of 720 · 9 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 228 215–165 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 918 9 mapped stops · furthest 246 mi

Schedule strength 1525 average field rating faced — tougher than 18% of rated contests

Power rating 1514 peak 1514 · #2679 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 10 First tracked contest 2013 Optimist Kick-Off Cook-Off
May 10 First call 2013 Optimist Kick-Off Cook-Off
May 24 First overall past 90% of a perfect score654.8568 Westmont Red, White & BBQ
Oct 18 First overall top-10 8th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q (TEAMS FULL)
2014
May 24 Career-best overall score672.4340 Red, White, And BBQ
May 24 Career-best single call (Pork)174.2972 Red, White, And BBQ
Jul 11 Peak power rating (1514) Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest
Jul 11 Most recent contest Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.4	8th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q (TEAMS FULL)	2013-10-18
+12	Red, White, And BBQ	2014-05-24
+7.6	Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest	2014-07-11
+3.2	Westmont Red, White & BBQ	2013-05-24
+3.2	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2014-06-27

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.1	Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest	2013-07-05
-7.2	Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge	2013-06-22
-6.1	2013 Optimist Kick-Off Cook-Off	2013-05-10
-0.3	Red, White, and BBQ	2014-05-23

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)
2014	4	0	1	0	100%	top 40%	93.4%	91.1%
2013	5	0	1	0	40%	top 60%	91%	88.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2014-07-11	Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest St. Charles, IL	10 / 34 (657.5880)	18 (160.4912)	12 (165.1084)	14 (166.8228)	7 (165.1656)
2014-06-27	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Indianapolis, IN	13 / 26 (650.7424)	6 (169.1084)	22 (149.1200)	8 (167.9656)	12 (164.5484)
2014-05-24	Red, White, And BBQ Westmont, IL	14 / 72 (672.4340)	18 (170.8344)	30 (163.3596)	3 (174.2972)	31 (163.9428)
2014-05-23	Red, White, and BBQ Westmont, IL	26 / 43 (643.9428)	3 (173.1772)	38 (147.9888)	28 (157.6684)	15 (165.1084)
2013-10-18	8th Annual Lambs Farm Barn Burner Bar-B-Q (TEAMS FULL) Libertyville, IL	9 / 54 (650.7544)	2 (174.2628)	35 (152.5488)	2 (168.0000)	26 (155.9428)
2013-07-05	Firin' Up the Fox BBQ Contest St. Charles, IL	30 / 34 (606.8572)	29 (155.4286)	19 (158.2858)	30 (146.2856)	25 (146.8572)
2013-06-22	Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge Davenport, IA	25 / 32 (628.5706)	24 (160.5712)	25 (156.5714)	28 (153.7138)	20 (157.7142)
2013-05-24	Westmont Red, White & BBQ Westmont, IL	30 / 70 (654.8568)	31 (163.9998)	35 (159.4286)	18 (168.0000)	27 (163.4284)
2013-05-10	2013 Optimist Kick-Off Cook-Off Florissant, MO	18 / 25 (632.5714)	4 (167.4286)	8 (162.8574)	23 (147.9998)	19 (154.2856)

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
2014 ↗	Master	#2542 (68 pts)	#1274 (243 pts)	#2580 (68 pts)	#2588 (68 pts)	#1922 (118 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#717 (436 pts)	#477 (671 pts)	#753 (441 pts)	#592 (561 pts)	#849 (371 pts)