Lake Rat BBQ

Lake Rat BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 30 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 7th of 68 at the Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival (JUDGES FULL) (2017). They are ranked #1491 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “LAKERAT BBQ”.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,491

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1565

peak 1593 · rated over 29 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Mar 25, 2016

latest Jun 11, 2021 · 5.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#392

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

7 podiums

Overall top-10s

17% of 30 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 51%

overall standings

Best overall

695.4056 / 720

Master · Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

672.94 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 668.40 (+4.54)

Walk rate

70%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1

Consistency

±11.99

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 169.72 · weakest Chicken (165.82)

Road miles

2,936

across 30 mapped stops · furthest 382 mi

Schedule strength

86%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1617)

Purse competed for

$67K

listed at 6 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 6 state-championship entries

Master avg

668.40 / 720

29 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (12 found in their record)

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

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.

Chicken ×1

Happy hunting ground

Top 10% average finish here

Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival (JUDGES FULL) is their spot: an average finish in the top 10% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 7th
average top 10%

They almost always walk

70% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 21 of 30 contests

A top-10 category call in 70% of their 30 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

695.4056 career-best overall

96.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 695.4056 at Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1 — 96.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 23, 2020

Their season

2017 their best year

2017 was the year it came together: 9 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 38%.

9 contests
3 overall top-10s
1 category win
average top 38%

A tough matchup

23–2 behind in the head-to-head

BUFFALO'S BBQ ahead in 92% of their meetings

BUFFALO'S BBQ has come out ahead in 23 of their 25 shared contests.

A strong matchup

10–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of POPS' SMOKIN' BBQ in 10 of their 12 shared contests.

Show 5 more storylines

Pork nemesis

14 of 21 shared pork entries lost

BUFFALO'S BBQ ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BUFFALO'S BBQ has out-cooked them in 14 of 21 shared pork entries.

They cook the hard rooms

1617 average field rating faced

A tougher draw than 86% of rated fields

The fields they enter average a 1617 power rating — a tougher draw than 86% of every rated contest in the data.

29 rated contests

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

MOVIN' THE CHAINS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A May team

Top 28% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 28% across 3 contests, versus top 51% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 51% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.66% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.66% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.8% of a perfect score
30 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
2018 ↗	Master	#1119 (236 pts)	#1241 (211 pts)	#1100 (266 pts)	#1228 (216 pts)	#1177 (236 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#392 (949 pts)	#429 (889 pts)	#286 (1,184 pts)	#240 (1,294 pts)	#445 (889 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#501 (791 pts)	#706 (571 pts)	#618 (661 pts)	#310 (1,156 pts)	#477 (861 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Lake Rat BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Smokin N The Bandits

#1,495 of the rated field

1564 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1577

Careers of much the same size, 24 contests to 30, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 24 contests
last seen May 2, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

THE GOOD CUE CREW

#1,488 of the rated field

1565 power rating

Contests: 39
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1591

39 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 28% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 39 contests
last seen Mar 27, 2021

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901Q

#1,490 of the rated field

1565 power rating

Contests: 48
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1573

Level with Lake Rat BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 46 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

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STRESS RELIEF BBQ

#1,489 of the rated field

1565 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1566

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 18 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Jun 22, 2019

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CLARK KENT SUPER SMOKERS

#1,493 of the rated field

1565 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 28%
Peak: 1568

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 6 years before Lake Rat BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 17 contests

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Many Moons BBQ

#1,494 of the rated field

1565 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1583

Fewer contests behind them than Lake Rat BBQ has cooked, 15 to 30, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 15 contests
last seen Oct 2, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BUFFALO'S BBQ	25	2	23	8%	⚔ compare
BIG BUTTS NEED RUBBIN TOO	21	7	14	33%	⚔ compare
MOVIN' THE CHAINS	20	12	8	60%	⚔ compare
Three Hog Night Smokers	20	5	15	25%	⚔ compare
BUTCHER BBQ	20	3	17	15%	⚔ compare
DIVINE SWINE	18	8	10	44%	⚔ compare
THE AMERICAN DREAM BBQ	18	1	17	6%	⚔ compare
THE GRISWOLDS	17	10	7	59%	⚔ compare
Petie's Smokin Pits BBQ	16	4	12	25%	⚔ compare
CLARK CREW BBQ	16	0	16	0%	⚔ compare
4 LEGS UP BBQ	15	2	13	13%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN DAN	14	8	6	57%	⚔ compare
Rise N Swine	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	29	5	1	1	180 🔥	152.4684	165.82	top 59%
Pork Ribs	30	6	0	2	175.4056	153.0856	166.79	top 49%
Pork	25	9	2	3	179.4400	157.7144	169.72	top 40%
Brisket	29	8	0	1	176	153.0628	166.60	top 47%

“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)	9	0	top 46%
Large (40+)	20	0	top 54%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
OK	23	top 54%
KS	3	top 40%
MO	1	top 38%
NE	1	top 50%
AR	1	top 35%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Beats, Brews, & BBQ	3	14	top 68%	Jun 11, 2021
Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 2	3	32	top 68%	Mar 20, 2021
Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1	3	8	top 60%	Mar 19, 2021
Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival (JUDGES FULL)	2	7	top 10%	May 5, 2017
Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 2)	2	35	top 52%	Mar 25, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 9 contests

Contests a season 5 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in OK 24 of 30 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 21 5 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 30 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls

Opponents faced 563 finished ahead 719 times, behind 765

Longest layoff 1 yrs Jun 7, 2019 → Jun 12, 2020

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

20211 milestone

Jun 11 Most recent contest Beats, Brews, & BBQ

20203 milestones

Oct 23 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1
Oct 23 25th tracked contest Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1
Oct 23 Career-best overall score695.4056 Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1

20181 milestone

Mar 16 Peak power rating (1593) Pork-A-Palooza

20171 milestone

Mar 24 10th tracked contest Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 1)

20165 milestones

Mar 25 First tracked contest Firelake BBQ Cook Off
Mar 25 First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.7312 Firelake BBQ Cook Off
Apr 1 First call Stillwater Elks Lodge Blazathon
May 6 First overall top-10 Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival
May 20 First category win (Pork) Grand Lake BBQ & Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16	Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1	Oct 23, 2020
+14	Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival	May 6, 2016
+11.1	Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival (JUDGES FULL)	May 5, 2017
+9.2	Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off	Sep 16, 2016
+8.4	Chillin n Grillin BBQ Festival	Apr 7, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.3	Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1	Mar 19, 2021
-7.9	Fire Lake BBQ Cook-off Day 1	Mar 23, 2018
-7	Fire Lake BBQ Cook-off Day 2	Mar 24, 2018
-6.6	Firelake BBQ Cook Off Day 1	Mar 22, 2019
-6.3	Beats, Brews, & BBQ	Jun 7, 2019

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2021	4	0	0	25%	top 75%	93.2%	92.3%
2020	3	1	1	67%	top 50%	96.6%	94.3%
2019	3	0	0	67%	top 71%	93.7%	91.5%
2018	3	0	0	33%	top 70%	92.3%	91.5%
2017	9	3	1	89%	top 38%	95.6%	93.4%
2016	8	1	1	88%	top 43%	94.7%	92.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 11, 2021	Beats, Brews, & BBQ 🏅 Wagoner, OK	14 / 25 (670.7544)	22 (162.2400)	18 (162.8460)	6 (173.7028)	3 (171.9656)
Mar 20, 2021	Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 2 Shawnee, OK	41 / 50 (665.6000)	25 (171.4172)	36 (166.8456)	44 (166.2516)	44 (161.0856)
Mar 19, 2021	Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1 Shawnee, OK	49 / 56 (657.0628)	45 (163.9544)	16 (171.9884)	52 (157.7144)	46 (163.4056)
Mar 19, 2021	Firelake BBQ Cook Off - One Meat Contest Ribs Shawnee, OK	—	—	16 (168.5600)	—	—
Oct 24, 2020	Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 2 🏅 Shawnee, OK	40 / 58 (675.8628)	24 (174.2744)	37 (167.3828)	—	41 (167.3828)
Oct 23, 2020	Firelake BBQ Cook Off-Day 1 🏅 Shawnee, OK	8 / 64 (695.4056)	1 (180)	45 (165.7028)	—	17 (173.1200)
Jun 12, 2020	Beats, Brews, & BBQ 🏅 Wagoner, OK	37 / 55 (665.6456)	28 (168.5600)	52 (154.8000)	—	5 (173.7600)
Jun 7, 2019	Beats, Brews, & BBQ Wagoner, OK	17 / 21 (653.5544)	15 (166.2400)	8 (168.5488)	—	14 (165.1200)
Mar 23, 2019	Firelake BBQ Cook Off Day 2 🏅 Shawnee, OK	32 / 62 (674.8000)	9 (175.4400)	38 (166.8228)	25 (170.2744)	48 (162.2628)
Mar 22, 2019	Firelake BBQ Cook Off Day 1 🏅 Shawnee, OK	59 / 74 (647.3144)	70 (153.6916)	41 (165.1084)	47 (163.9772)	44 (164.5372)
Mar 24, 2018	Fire Lake BBQ Cook-off Day 2 Shawnee, OK	65 / 79 (663.3484)	57 (167.9656)	30 (170.8228)	59 (166.8572)	73 (157.7028)
Mar 23, 2018	Fire Lake BBQ Cook-off Day 1 Shawnee, OK	69 / 84 (648.3656)	78 (152.4684)	74 (159.4060)	43 (169.1084)	41 (167.3828)
Mar 16, 2018	Pork-A-Palooza Weatherford, OK	12 / 26 (664.4224)	17 (163.9312)	8 (170.2628)	16 (163.9656)	12 (166.2628)
Sep 16, 2017	Table Rock Boats and Bones Kimberling, MO	18 / 47 (677.0400)	43 (162.2400)	21 (169.1316)	26 (169.6684)	7 (176)
Jul 21, 2017	Riverfest Community Festival Bellevue, NE	23 / 46 (651.8740)	23 (164.5372)	14 (166.8228)	34 (161.1084)	24 (159.4056)
May 5, 2017	Bixby BBQ'n Blues Festival (JUDGES FULL) Bixby, OK	7 / 68 (688.4684)	7 (175.4056)	13 (169.6800)	13 (171.9656)	10 (171.4172)
Apr 28, 2017	The G Town Smokin Showdown Garnett, KS	10 / 27 (675.3256)	10 (167.3828)	9 (169.1200)	5 (172.5600)	14 (166.2628)
Apr 7, 2017	Chillin n Grillin BBQ Festival Sands Springs, OK	10 / 33 (681.6456)	7 (173.7144)	2 (173.7028)	13 (170.2628)	20 (163.9656)
Apr 1, 2017	Smoke on the Border Gravette Chambers of Commerce Gravette, AR	13 / 37 (673.0172)	16 (169.6916)	3 (174.2628)	1 (176)	28 (153.0628)
Mar 25, 2017	Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) Shawnee, OK	35 / 77 (674.1716)	69 (160.5028)	25 (171.9772)	2 (178.8572)	50 (162.8344)
Mar 24, 2017	Firelake BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) Shawnee, OK	51 / 87 (665.5652)	82 (156.5028)	53 (164.5256)	9 (175.4056)	36 (169.1312)
Mar 10, 2017	Kansas Winter Q and Chest to Chest National Cook Off Great Bend, KS	13 / 34 (668.4340)	21 (164.5372)	13 (166.2628)	23 (163.9312)	8 (173.7028)
Oct 14, 2016	Balloons Blues and Barbeque Parsons, KS	18 / 39 (667.9088)	21 (167.4172)	27 (163.3944)	23 (164.5372)	9 (172.5600)
Sep 16, 2016	Cherokee Strip BBQ Cook-Off Ponca City, OK	13 / 43 (675.3600)	17 (169.1200)	32 (162.2744)	4 (175.4056)	10 (168.5600)
Jun 10, 2016	Mocklahoma Ribs & Roll BBQ Championship Okmulgee, OK	14 / 41 (667.3256)	23 (164.5256)	5 (175.4056)	12 (169.1200)	23 (158.2744)
May 20, 2016	Grand Lake BBQ & Festival Langley, OK	30 / 46 (670.6968)	42 (161.6456)	39 (161.0856)	1 (179.4400)	25 (168.5256)
May 6, 2016	Bixby BBQ'N Blues Festival Bixby, OK	8 / 83 (681.6112)	22 (169.6684)	23 (168.5372)	7 (174.8456)	13 (168.5600)
Apr 22, 2016	Morris Twister Days BBQ Competition Morris, OK	13 / 31 (678.1944)	23 (165.6916)	15 (168.5600)	7 (173.1316)	11 (170.8112)
Apr 1, 2016	Stillwater Elks Lodge Blazathon Stillwater, OK	23 / 44 (642.1484)	31 (154.8000)	32 (153.0856)	22 (163.4056)	9 (170.8572)
Mar 25, 2016	Firelake BBQ Cook Off Shawnee, OK	42 / 66 (662.7312)	55 (161.0856)	35 (166.8456)	24 (171.4056)	46 (163.3944)

Lake Rat BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

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 (12 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

They cook the hard rooms

Looking over their shoulder

A May 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, 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

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)