FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE

FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE is a competition barbecue team with 22 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 4th of 39 at the 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff (2015). They are ranked #1884 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,884

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1544

peak 1556 · rated over 22 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 1, 2015

latest Apr 28, 2023 · 8 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#342

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

6 podiums

Overall top-10s

14% of 22 contests

Avg finish

top 51%

overall standings

Best overall

687.3828 / 720

Master · 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff

Perfect 180s

Current form

662.13 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 661.07 (+1.06)

Walk rate

64%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7028

Pork · Smoke on the Water Day 1

Consistency

±15.33

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 167.90 · weakest Pork Ribs (161.47)

Road miles

2,553

across 22 mapped stops · furthest 249 mi

Schedule strength

50%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1564)

Purse competed for

$16K

listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 5 state-championship entries

Master avg

661.07 / 720

22 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

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

They almost always walk

64% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 14 of 22 contests

A top-10 category call in 64% of their 22 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

687.3828 career-best overall

95.5% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 687.3828 at 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff — 95.5% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 10, 2015

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

WeQ4U has finished one call ahead of FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

18–2 behind in the head-to-head

SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ ahead in 90% of their meetings

SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ has come out ahead in 18 of their 20 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.4 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.43 points below their pork, and turns into a call 9% of the time against 45%.

Pork Ribs avg 161.47
Pork avg 167.90
2 calls in 22 entries

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BUCKEYE BBQ TROY OH in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The comeback

3.5 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3.5 years, then back at Marietta River City BBQ (Apr 28, 2023).

last seen Oct 18, 2019
back Apr 28, 2023

Show 4 more storylines

Pork nemesis

12 of 20 shared pork entries lost

SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ ahead 60% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ has out-cooked them in 12 of 20 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

HISTORIC BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A July team

Top 41% average finish in July

Something about July: average finish in the top 41% across 5 contests, versus top 51% the rest of the year.

5 July contests
top 51% the rest of the year

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 91.8% of a perfect score
22 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
2023 ↗	Master	#1189 (75 pts)	#1175 (95 pts)	#1432 (60 pts)	#1143 (100 pts)	#1194 (85 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1053 (241 pts)	#1179 (216 pts)	#1147 (231 pts)	#907 (336 pts)	#1050 (266 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1079 (243 pts)	#1049 (283 pts)	#1428 (168 pts)	#1312 (188 pts)	#1124 (253 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#342 (1,074 pts)	#429 (889 pts)	#417 (934 pts)	#288 (1,194 pts)	#180 (1,504 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1055 (303 pts)	#1162 (288 pts)	#1354 (228 pts)	#679 (593 pts)	#832 (453 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#951 (330 pts)	#1384 (205 pts)	#880 (405 pts)	#1009 (340 pts)	#1144 (265 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Good Grief BBQ

#1,889 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1563

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Sep 12, 2025

⚔ Head-to-head

PapaDads BBQ

#1,873 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 46
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1597

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE)

They've been 1597 at their best, 53 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 46 contests
last seen May 1, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

MIDWEST SCUBA-QUE

#1,874 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1567

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 22 contests

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKIN' MONEY

#1,893 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 22
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1553

Careers of much the same size, 22 contests to 22, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Feb 17, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

Lolli Q

#1,879 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1550

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

rated over 21 contests
last seen Apr 1, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

RIB CAGE BBQ

#1,888 of the rated field

1544 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1545

Level with FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Sep 15, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ	20	2	18	10%	⚔ compare
GREY STREET BBQ	14	0	14	0%	⚔ compare
HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
SMOKE-N-PEPPERS	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
HISTORIC BBQ	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
WeQ4U	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
TIRE SMOKE BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN HOOSIERS	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' 4-PLAY BBQ	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
ACME BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
Bluedog BBQ	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
BO B Q BBQ	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Extra Mile BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	22	1	0	0	171.9772	156.5028	165.68	top 58%
Pork Ribs	22	2	1	1	176.5600	143.3372	161.47	top 63%
Pork	22	10	1	2	177.7028	159.9312	167.90	top 41%
Brisket	22	10	1	3	176	149.0284	166.02	top 44%

“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	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	15	0	top 52%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 50%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
OH	10	top 47%
IN	9	top 57%
MI	3	top 44%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Marietta River City BBQ	2	17	top 69%	Apr 28, 2023
Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival	2	5	top 29%	Oct 18, 2019
Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off	2	15	top 64%	Jul 12, 2019
CCS Fest	2	14	top 40%	Apr 6, 2018

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 10 contests

Contests a season 3.7 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in OH 10 of 22 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 18 4 of them more than once

Opponents faced 320 finished ahead 383 times, behind 367

Longest layoff 3.5 yrs Oct 18, 2019 → Apr 28, 2023

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

20231 milestone

Apr 28 Most recent contest Marietta River City BBQ

20181 milestone

Oct 19 Peak power rating (1556) Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival

20172 milestones

May 5 Career-best single call (Pork)177.7028 Smoke on the Water Day 1
Jun 16 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness

20156 milestones

May 1 First tracked contest Smokin on the Water 2
Jul 10 First call 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 10 First category win (Pork Ribs) 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 10 First overall top-10 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 10 First overall past 90% of a perfect score687.3828 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff
Jul 10 Career-best overall score687.3828 9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.9	9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff	Jul 10, 2015
+11.8	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival	Oct 19, 2018
+9.7	CCS Fest	Apr 7, 2017
+8.2	Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off	Jul 7, 2017
+7.4	Smoke on the Water	May 6, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-10.8	Smokin on the Water 2	May 1, 2015
-10	Smokin' on the Water	May 2, 2015
-9.9	Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off	Jul 12, 2019
-9.6	Marietta River City BBQ	Jun 10, 2016
-8.4	CCSFest	Apr 5, 2019

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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)
2023	1	0	0	0%	top 52%	91.2%	91.2%
2019	3	0	0	33%	top 69%	93.9%	91.5%
2018	2	1	0	50%	top 33%	94.2%	92.8%
2017	10	1	1	80%	top 42%	94.2%	92.1%
2016	3	0	1	100%	top 59%	93.5%	92.2%
2015	3	1	1	33%	top 65%	95.5%	90.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Apr 28, 2023	Marietta River City BBQ 🏅 Marietta, OH	22 / 42 (656.9940)	18 (168.5600)	34 (157.0856)	17 (166.2400)	20 (165.1084)
Oct 18, 2019	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival 🏅 Nelsonville, OH	11 / 28 (676.4224)	16 (167.3828)	15 (166.8112)	8 (170.2628)	8 (171.9656)
Jul 12, 2019	Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off 🏅 Kettering, OH	28 / 33 (647.8288)	30 (161.6572)	23 (165.6800)	25 (163.4056)	29 (157.0860)
Apr 5, 2019	CCSFest 🏅 Indianapois, IN	33 / 40 (651.2340)	36 (159.9312)	33 (159.9428)	11 (170.2628)	35 (161.0972)
Oct 19, 2018	Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival Nelsonville, OH	5 / 28 (678.1600)	5 (171.9772)	14 (165.6800)	10 (169.6800)	11 (170.8228)
Apr 6, 2018	CCS Fest Indianapolis, IN	24 / 49 (658.7088)	16 (168.5716)	31 (160.5260)	33 (159.9312)	11 (169.6800)
Sep 1, 2017	PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival ( TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) 🏅 Lebanon, OH	26 / 40 (650.6740)	24 (166.8456)	34 (158.2172)	23 (166.2628)	30 (159.3484)
Aug 18, 2017	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festival Madison, IN	22 / 55 (671.8628)	30 (167.4172)	12 (170.8344)	32 (162.7884)	15 (170.8228)
Aug 4, 2017	All American BBQ Throwdown Westland, MI	15 / 29 (649.0284)	18 (162.8000)	20 (158.8344)	16 (161.7028)	9 (165.6912)
Jul 21, 2017	BBQ & BREWS Birch Run, MI	15 / 37 (647.8628)	15 (165.1200)	35 (146.7656)	10 (166.8572)	3 (169.1200)
Jul 7, 2017	Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off Kettering, OH	11 / 41 (673.0056)	28 (161.6456)	10 (169.7144)	4 (174.2628)	12 (167.3828)
Jun 23, 2017	9th Annual Auburn Hills Barbecue Cook-off Auburn Hills, MI	13 / 32 (650.7544)	16 (166.2744)	25 (148.5028)	20 (159.9772)	1 (176)
Jun 16, 2017	Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	11 / 25 (669.5888)	13 (167.3944)	17 (163.9772)	8 (169.6800)	9 (168.5372)
May 6, 2017	Smoke on the Water Liberty, IN	10 / 26 (678.1716)	18 (168.5372)	13 (169.1316)	14 (169.6800)	7 (170.8228)
May 5, 2017	Smoke on the Water Day 1 Liberty, IN	12 / 27 (675.3256)	16 (166.8344)	17 (166.2628)	3 (177.7028)	18 (164.5256)
Apr 7, 2017	CCS Fest Indianapolis, IN	14 / 45 (668.4572)	15 (168.5372)	12 (167.3828)	32 (159.9428)	6 (172.5944)
Jul 8, 2016	Ohio Veterans Barbecue Cook-Off Kettering, OH	15 / 34 (673.1316)	17 (167.3944)	30 (157.1544)	1 (176.5828)	9 (172)
Jun 10, 2016	Marietta River City BBQ Marietta, OH	17 / 20 (651.3256)	19 (156.5028)	11 (166.2744)	5 (173.1772)	18 (155.3712)
May 27, 2016	PigMaina Lima Lima, OH	14 / 29 (666.1828)	13 (169.6684)	26 (154.8344)	9 (167.3828)	3 (174.2972)
Jul 10, 2015	9th Ohio Veterans BBQ Cookoff Kettering, OH	4 / 39 (687.3828)	20 (168.5256)	1 (176.5600)	8 (172.5944)	9 (169.7028)
May 2, 2015	Smokin' on the Water Liberty, IN	33 / 36 (638.6740)	25 (165.7028)	29 (158.7884)	23 (165.1544)	35 (149.0284)
May 1, 2015	Smokin on the Water 2 Liberty, IN	34 / 37 (622.7316)	32 (157.6684)	37 (143.3372)	14 (170.2972)	33 (151.4288)

FAT HEAD'S BREWERY & SMOKEHOUSE

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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (11 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

A July team

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 — 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)