The heartbreaker
1.7028
points from the title
Came within 1.7028 points of the Grand Championship at High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (May 15, 2026).
Big Fluff BBQ
Big Fluff BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2025 and 2026. They have won 2 Grand Championships, most recently at the WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1201 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings and hold 1 all-time KCBS record.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1587
peak 1587 · rated over 13 contests
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Apr 11, 2025
latest Oct 16, 2026 · 1.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
2
1 reserve · wins it all 15% of the time
Category wins
4
7 podiums
Overall top-10s
7
54% of 13 contests
Best top-10 run
5
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 36%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
351.07 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 343.58 (+7.49)
Walk rate
85%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.32
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 172.64 · weakest Pork Ribs (170.43)
Road miles
1,240
across 13 mapped stops · furthest 179 mi
Schedule strength
57%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1572)
Purse competed for
$91K
listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
680.48 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
343.58 / 360
12 Backyard contests · 2 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Holds 1 KCBS record (on 1 all-time board)
Where this team sits in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record they hold outright; the rest are boards they are on.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Big Fluff BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
43 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,202 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1591
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,206 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1588
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,207 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 58%
- Peak
- 1587
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Big Fluff BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#1,196 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1587
15 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 33% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,190 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1588
They were already cooking in 2015, 10 years before Big Fluff BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#1,205 of the rated field
- Contests
- 17
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 35%
- Peak
- 1606
Level with Big Fluff 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pork Life | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Wee Daddy's BBQ | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Rollin Smoke BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| PUDDLEDUCK BBQ | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| Modest Meats | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | 6 | 4 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Mind if I Smoke? | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Southern Swine | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| BAD ROOSTER BBQ | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| 205 Smoke | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Deviant Smoke | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Cedar Creek | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 180 🔥 | 157.0856 | 172.64 | top 32% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 180 🔥 | 162.8000 | 170.43 | top 41% |
| Pork | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 177.7028 | 166.2400 | 171.83 | top 29% |
| Brisket | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 171.9772 | 171.98 | top 27% |
“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 | 0 | top 56% |
| Medium (20–39) | 9 | 1 | top 35% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 1 | top 34% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | 3 | 4 | 0 | top 54% | Jun 5, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
9 contests · 2 GCs
Contests a season
6.5
across 2 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AL
9 of 13 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
11
1 of them more than once
First title
Jun 12, 2026
Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
Opponents faced
299
finished ahead 356 times, behind 180
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
202611 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Grand Championship Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First multi-meat day Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 10th tracked contest Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best overall score680.4804 Big BBQ Bash
- Biggest field won (43 teams) WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Peak power rating (1587) WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
20254 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score337.0628 Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition
- First call BBQ & Boogie
- First overall top-10 BBQ & Boogie
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.1 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 12, 2026 |
| +15.7 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 15, 2026 |
| +15.2 | BBQ & Boogie | Apr 25, 2025 |
| +14.3 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | Jun 5, 2026 |
| +14.3 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 16, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -6.8 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD) | Sep 20, 2025 |
| -4.7 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) | Mar 27, 2026 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 89% | top 28% | 100% | 95.9% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 75% | top 56% | 96.5% | 94.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2026 | WhistleStop BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 1 / 43 (356.5600) | 2 (178.8572) | 4 (177.7028) | — | — |
| Sep 25, 2026 | Big BBQ Bash 🏅 Townsend, TN | 12 / 30 (680.4804) | 20 (165.1088) | 7 (171.9772) | 11 (171.4172) | 8 (171.9772) |
| Sep 18, 2026 | Mike Gannon BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Columbiana, AL | 9 / 16 (330.7772) | 6 (167.9772) | 12 (162.8000) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 1 / 31 (360) | 1 (180) | 1 (180) | — | — |
| Jun 5, 2026 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 4 / 26 (352.5600) | 3 (178.8572) | 10 (173.7028) | 1 (177.7028) | — |
| May 15, 2026 | High on the Hog Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Winchester, TN | 2 / 29 (355.4516) | 6 (177.1544) | 1 (178.2972) | — | — |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 10 / 36 (342.8000) | 5 (176.5600) | 22 (166.2400) | — | — |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Singing River Smoke-O-Rama (BACKYARD ONLY) Athens, AL | 31 / 43 (327.3484) | 39 (157.0856) | 19 (170.2628) | — | — |
| Mar 6, 2026 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 12 / 44 (341.6688) | 3 (176.5716) | 21 (165.0972) | — | — |
| Sep 20, 2025 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD) Glencoe, AL | 18 / 22 (334.2172) | 9 (170.2628) | 17 (163.9544) | — | — |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 19 / 30 (337.0744) | 8 (174.2744) | 23 (162.8000) | 14 (171.9772) | — |
| Apr 25, 2025 | BBQ & Boogie 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 4 / 32 (347.3828) | 8 (171.9656) | 4 (175.4172) | 9 (166.2400) | — |
| Apr 11, 2025 | Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 20 / 31 (337.0628) | 21 (169.6800) | 20 (167.3828) | — | — |