The comeback
8.8 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 8.8 years, then back at Minnesota in May (May 12, 2023).
- last seen Jul 18, 2014
- back May 12, 2023
Meat Surprise
Meat Surprise is a competition barbecue team with 3 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 13th of 30 at the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (2014). They finished #1255 in the 2023 Master Series Team of the Year standings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1495
Unranked — needs 5 rated contests, has 3
Contests
3
in the data
First seen
Sep 6, 2013
latest May 12, 2023 · 9.7 years on the trail
Avg finish
top 60%
overall standings
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.21
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 164.95 · weakest Brisket (154.06)
Road miles
260
across 3 mapped stops · furthest 213 mi
Schedule strength
25%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1534)
Purse competed for
$12K
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
Master avg
643.91 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.4516 | 156.5140 | 162.66 | top 58% |
| Pork Ribs | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.7600 | 160.5372 | 164.95 | top 48% |
| Pork | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165.6684 | 158.8112 | 162.25 | top 62% |
| Brisket | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 155.9656 | 153.0744 | 154.06 | top 73% |
“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.
More numbers
Contests a season
1
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MN
2 of 3 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
3
a different one every time
Opponents faced
150
finished ahead 38 times, behind 117
Longest layoff
8.8 yrs
Jul 18, 2014 → May 12, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20231 milestone
- Most recent contest Minnesota in May
20145 milestones
- First call Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.8456 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Career-best overall score658.8456 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)169.7600 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- Peak power rating (1508) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
20131 milestone
- First tracked contest Puckaway Pigfest
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 56 / 59 (628.9368) | 56 (156.5140) | 50 (160.5372) | 56 (158.8112) | 55 (153.0744) |
| Jul 18, 2014 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Woodbury, MN | 13 / 30 (658.8456) | 12 (167.4516) | 7 (169.7600) | 16 (165.6684) | 20 (155.9656) |
| Sep 6, 2013 | Puckaway Pigfest Montello, WI | 13 / 31 (643.9544) | 12 (164) | 11 (164.5488) | 12 (162.2628) | 18 (153.1428) |