High-water mark
686.2288
career-best overall
95.3% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 686.2288 at Connecticut Barbecue Challenge — 95.3% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Jul 18, 2026
Risk it for the Brisket
Risk it for the Brisket is a competition barbecue team with 11 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 11th of 30 at the Connecticut Barbecue Challenge (2025). They are ranked #3811 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1487
peak 1487 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
Jun 5, 2015
latest Jul 18, 2026 · 11.1 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 66%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
664.61 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 657.97 (+6.63)
Walk rate
45%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±19.11
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Brisket
avg 166.76 · weakest Pork (162.75)
Road miles
8,978
across 11 mapped stops · furthest 2,004 mi
Schedule strength
49%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1563)
Purse competed for
$57K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
657.97 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 | #802 (125 pts) | #1025 (85 pts) | #833 (165 pts) | #1005 (80 pts) | #759 (155 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #856 (125 pts) | #837 (170 pts) | #983 (130 pts) | #935 (120 pts) | #1107 (80 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1182 (60 pts) | #783 (193 pts) | #879 (169 pts) | #1231 (60 pts) | #1163 (70 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Risk it for the Brisket, each with one reason worth a look.
132 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,812 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 75%
- Peak
- 1487
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#3,803 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1487
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,808 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1510
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before Risk it for the Brisket's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,800 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1509
Level with Risk it for the Brisket on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#3,821 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1502
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 5 years before Risk it for the Brisket's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,807 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Risk it for the Brisket's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELJEFE SMOKE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN HOGGZ BBQ - MA | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 175.4056 | 143.9656 | 165.92 | top 55% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 154.8228 | 163.53 | top 65% |
| Pork | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 171.9656 | 151.9312 | 162.75 | top 67% |
| Brisket | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.5716 | 161.6916 | 166.76 | top 49% |
“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 67% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 0 | top 66% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Barbecue Challenge | 3 | 11 | 0 | top 43% | Jul 18, 2026 |
| Smoke-N-Wings | 2 | 26 | 0 | top 93% | Jun 27, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
6 contests
Contests a season
2.2
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CT
7 of 11 contests · 4 states in all
Contests visited
5
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
10 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls
Opponents faced
166
finished ahead 86 times, behind 155
Longest layoff
8.2 yrs
Jun 5, 2015 → Sep 1, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Career-best overall score686.2288 Connecticut Barbecue Challenge
- Most recent contest Connecticut Barbecue Challenge
20251 milestone
- 10th tracked contest Connecticut Barbecue Challenge
20241 milestone
- Career-best single call (Chicken)175.4056 Connecticut Barbecue Challenge (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)
20233 milestones
- First call I Love Barbecue & Music Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score662.8112 I Love Barbecue & Music Festival
- Peak power rating (1499) I Love Barbecue & Music Festival
20151 milestone
- First tracked contest Poor Que
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.2 | Connecticut Barbecue Challenge | Jul 18, 2026 |
| +7.4 | Connecticut Barbecue Challenge | Jul 12, 2025 |
| +0.1 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival | Sep 1, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.3 | Smoke-N-Wings | Jun 27, 2025 |
| -9.5 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | Apr 13, 2024 |
| -8.6 | Smoke-N-Wings | Jun 28, 2024 |
| -1.4 | Poor Que | Jun 5, 2015 |
| -0.2 | Connecticut Barbecue Challenge | Jul 12, 2024 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 33% | 95.3% | 95.3% |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 65% | 94.7% | 92.3% |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 80% | 92.9% | 90.6% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 67% | 92.1% | 92.1% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 58% | 87.3% | 87.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 2026 | Connecticut Barbecue Challenge 🏅 Somers, CT | 12 / 36 (686.2288) | 20 (169.1200) | 7 (174.8572) | 21 (169.6800) | 8 (172.5716) |
| Jul 12, 2025 | Connecticut Barbecue Challenge 🏅 Somers, CT | 11 / 30 (681.6228) | 6 (173.7028) | 10 (171.4172) | 12 (171.9656) | 20 (164.5372) |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID | 30 / 32 (646.8000) | 31 (143.9656) | 28 (163.9772) | 17 (170.2972) | 22 (168.5600) |
| Jul 12, 2024 | Connecticut Barbecue Challenge 🏅 Somers, CT | 18 / 30 (669.0512) | 16 (170.8228) | 22 (164) | 22 (164.5600) | 12 (169.6684) |
| Jul 12, 2024 | Connecticut Barbecue Challenge (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Somers, CT | — | 4 (175.4056) | — | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2024 | Smoke-N-Wings 🏅 Blackfoot, ID | 26 / 28 (639.3256) | 23 (162.8456) | 23 (162.2628) | 26 (152.5256) | 22 (161.6916) |
| Apr 13, 2024 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) 🏅 Bristol, CT | 32 / 37 (649.5312) | 25 (167.9656) | 28 (163.4060) | 36 (151.9312) | 23 (166.2284) |
| Apr 13, 2024 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) Bristol, CT | — | — | 11 (160.5028) | — | — |
| Apr 12, 2024 | Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Bristol, CT | — | 8 (167.4056) | — | — | — |
| Sep 1, 2023 | I Love Barbecue & Music Festival Lake Placid, NY | 12 / 18 (662.8112) | 6 (171.4056) | 15 (154.8228) | 9 (168) | 5 (168.5828) |
| Jun 5, 2015 | Poor Que Montello, WI | 22 / 38 (628.4116) | 24 (156.5372) | 21 (156.5372) | 28 (153.0744) | 11 (162.2628) |