The heartbreaker
1.0744
points from the title
Came within 1.0744 points of the Grand Championship at Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff (Sep 12, 2025).
The Pitfather BBQ
The Pitfather BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 28 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the City of Springs BBQ Championship (2023), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #695 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1643
peak 1648 · rated over 19 contests7 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
28
in the data
First seen
Jan 29, 2021
latest Sep 11, 2026 · 5.6 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
1 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time
Category wins
6
9 podiums
Overall top-10s
9
32% of 28 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 28%
overall standings
Best overall
702.8000 / 720
Perfect 180s
4 🔥
Current form
688.48 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 689.02 (-0.54)
Walk rate
50%
contests with a top-10 call
Best single call
180 🔥
Consistency
±8.79
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 173.59 · weakest Pork Ribs (171.01)
Road miles
12,860
across 28 mapped stops · furthest 1,313 mi
Schedule strength
57%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1573)
Purse competed for
$698K
listed at 22 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
1 🏅
won from 18 state-championship entries
Master avg
689.02 / 720
26 Master contests · 1 GC
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #349 (548 pts) | #312 (673 pts) | #467 (458 pts) | #329 (618 pts) | #308 (658 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #457 (418 pts) | #543 (378 pts) | #569 (373 pts) | #390 (573 pts) | #527 (358 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #410 (500 pts) | #556 (350 pts) | #593 (360 pts) | #332 (675 pts) | #375 (605 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to The Pitfather BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#696 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1642
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#697 of the rated field
- Contests
- 34
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1656
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before The Pitfather BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#694 of the rated field
- Contests
- 32
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 41%
- Peak
- 1643
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to The Pitfather BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team The Pitfather BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#698 of the rated field
- Contests
- 36
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1671
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to The Pitfather BBQ)
Careers of much the same size, 36 contests to 28, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#692 of the rated field
- Contests
- 31
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 35%
- Peak
- 1648
Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 31 contests, alongside a 35% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#699 of the rated field
- Contests
- 34
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1643
Level with The Pitfather BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | 17 | 9 | 8 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| LA PASADITA | 15 | 14 | 1 | 93% | ⚔ compare |
| RAZORRACKS | 15 | 5 | 10 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | 14 | 10 | 4 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| Kith n' Kin | 14 | 8 | 6 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Crossed Rifles BBQ | 13 | 10 | 3 | 77% | ⚔ compare |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 13 | 8 | 5 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| Glamping Grillers | 13 | 7 | 6 | 54% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 13 | 2 | 11 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| BrewsCue | 12 | 6 | 6 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Kermit's Ex | 12 | 6 | 6 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| TINY E BBQ | 11 | 9 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| MUDVILLE BBQ | 11 | 8 | 3 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | 11 | 7 | 4 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 11 | 5 | 6 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 26 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 178.8572 | 158.7884 | 172.13 | top 37% |
| Pork Ribs | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 178.2972 | 159.9428 | 171.01 | top 42% |
| Pork | 26 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 180 🔥 | 156.5028 | 173.59 | top 29% |
| Brisket | 26 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 180 🔥 | 162.2856 | 172.29 | top 29% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 1 | top 6% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 38% |
| Large (40+) | 21 | 0 | top 27% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Fest BBQ Cook Off | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 22% | Apr 10, 2026 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 2 | 43 | 0 | top 14% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest | 2 | 33 | 0 | top 44% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 8% | Sep 12, 2025 |
| Horse Town Brew n Que Festival (Day 1) | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 31% | May 30, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
7 contests
Contests a season
4.7
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
8 of 28 contests · 7 states in all
Contests visited
21
5 of them more than once
First title
May 12, 2023
City of Springs BBQ Championship
Opponents faced
1,284
finished ahead 2,418 times, behind 731
Longest layoff
1.2 yrs
Jan 29, 2021 → Apr 1, 2022
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- Peak power rating (1648) Cedar Fest BBQ Cook Off
- 25th tracked contest Bloomin' BBQ Music & Food Festival
- Career-best overall score702.8000 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026)
- Most recent contest Danny Dietz Memorial World Championship Cookoff
20251 milestone
- First Reserve Championship Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff
20242 milestones
- First perfect 180 (Pork) 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN
- 10th tracked contest 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN
20233 milestones
- First overall podium City of Springs BBQ Championship
- First Grand Championship City of Springs BBQ Championship
- First state championship City of Springs BBQ Championship
20221 milestone
- First category win (Pork) Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off
20214 milestones
- First tracked contest Humble BBQ Cook Off
- First call Humble BBQ Cook Off
- First overall top-10 Humble BBQ Cook Off
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score672.0340 Humble BBQ Cook Off
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18.2 | City of Springs BBQ Championship | May 12, 2023 |
| +16.4 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 27, 2023 |
| +15.4 | Humble BBQ Cook Off | Jan 29, 2021 |
| +14 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff | Mar 31, 2023 |
| +12.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Oct 30, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -4.4 | Bloomin' BBQ Music & Food Festival | May 15, 2026 |
| -1.1 | Danny Dietz Memorial World Championship Cookoff | Sep 11, 2026 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40% | top 32% | 97.6% | 95.6% |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 43% | top 24% | 96.9% | 96.2% |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 57% | top 30% | 97.5% | 96% |
| 2023 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 43% | top 31% | 97.1% | 95.5% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 30% | 94.5% | 94.5% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 6% | 93.3% | 93.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | Danny Dietz Memorial World Championship Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 28 / 75 (674.1828) | 17 (172.5600) | 42 (166.8228) | 30 (170.2512) | 37 (164.5488) |
| May 24, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 15 / 82 (702.8000) | 12 (178.8572) | 28 (175.4172) | 53 (171.9656) | 18 (176.5600) |
| May 23, 2026 | 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Wells Cup, Cocktail Ancillary, Dessert Ancillary (Saturday, May 23, 2026) unrated Lebanon, TN | 34 / 117 (692.4800) | 56 (173.1200) | 115 (160.5028) | 6 (178.8572) | 5 (180) |
| May 15, 2026 | Bloomin' BBQ Music & Food Festival 🏅 Sevierville, TN | 20 / 33 (679.8512) | 18 (171.9656) | 18 (170.8228) | 18 (167.3828) | 14 (169.6800) |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Cedar Park, TX | 6 / 41 (693.0972) | 3 (176.5600) | 12 (170.8572) | 16 (169.6800) | 9 (176) |
| Nov 21, 2025 | BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV | 38 / 90 (684.4572) | 48 (170.8228) | 46 (169.6916) | 12 (176.5600) | 64 (167.3828) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 70 / 401 (692.4800) | 123 (173.1200) | 90 (174.2628) | 183 (170.8228) | 68 (174.2744) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 33 / 158 (694.7656) | 89 (171.9656) | 34 (175.4172) | 46 (174.2628) | 47 (173.1200) |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival 🏅 Jonesboro, AR | 11 / 26 (693.0628) | 17 (167.3828) | 12 (171.9772) | 5 (177.7028) | 10 (176) |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 2 / 92 (697.7600) | 1 (177.1772) | 4 (178.2972) | 17 (173.7028) | 26 (168.5828) |
| May 30, 2025 | Horse Town Brew n Que Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Norco, CA | 5 / 27 (693.0628) | 6 (173.1200) | 9 (171.9772) | 1 (180) | 13 (167.9656) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 43 / 444 (694.8000) | 102 (174.8572) | 91 (174.2744) | 119 (172.5484) | 72 (173.1200) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 114 / 169 (679.3028) | 68 (173.1200) | 50 (174.2628) | 167 (156.5028) | 28 (175.4172) |
| Sep 20, 2024 | Smoke on the Water 🏅 Pine Bluff, AR | 19 / 42 (682.2056) | 2 (177.7372) | 37 (159.9428) | 16 (172.5484) | 14 (171.9772) |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 9 / 67 (686.7884) | 30 (168.5256) | 24 (170.8572) | 1 (179.4400) | 21 (167.9656) |
| Aug 16, 2024 | Sugar Creek Casino's Sweet & Smoky BBQ Competition 🏅 Hinton, OK | 8 / 25 (699.3944) | 13 (173.1084) | 11 (174.2744) | 5 (176.5944) | 6 (175.4172) |
| May 25, 2024 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - MASTER SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Lebanon, TN | 31 / 81 (695.3484) | 57 (171.9772) | 31 (174.2628) | 18 (176.5600) | 42 (172.5484) |
| May 24, 2024 | 6th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Lebanon, TN | 6 / 118 (701.6572) | 39 (175.4056) | 94 (166.2516) | 1 (180) | 2 (180) |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Smoke on the Water - Saracen Casino PB 🏅 Pine Bluff, AR | 23 / 49 (682.1712) | 27 (169.6800) | 17 (173.1428) | 20 (171.9656) | 27 (167.3828) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 162 / 211 (674.1368) | 181 (166.2168) | 183 (165.6800) | 166 (166.2284) | 20 (176.0116) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 14 / 487 (698.8000) | 63 (175.4172) | 20 (177.7144) | 91 (173.7028) | 111 (171.9656) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 2, 2023 | Horse Town Brew n Que Festival 🏅 Norco, CA | 19 / 43 (682.1828) | 10 (175.4056) | 23 (167.4172) | 16 (173.1200) | 26 (166.2400) |
| May 12, 2023 | City of Springs BBQ Championship 🏅 Sulphur, OK | 1 / 16 (691.3372) | 7 (171.9656) | 11 (167.3944) | 4 (176.5600) | 1 (175.4172) |
| Mar 31, 2023 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Cedar Park, TX | 5 / 57 (695.9428) | 15 (170.2628) | 12 (174.2744) | 6 (176) | 5 (175.4056) |
| Apr 1, 2022 | Cedar Fest BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Cedar Park, TX | 17 / 56 (680.5028) | 36 (158.7884) | 18 (170.2744) | 1 (177.1772) | 4 (174.2628) |
| Jan 29, 2021 | Humble BBQ Cook Off Humble, TX | 7 / 113 (672.0340) | 19 (166.2856) | 12 (170.3200) | 6 (173.1428) | 30 (162.2856) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.