High-water mark
693.6228
career-best overall
96.3% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 693.6228 at Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest — 96.3% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- May 22, 2026
Fat For A Reason BBQ
Fat For A Reason BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record in 2026. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 13 at the Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026). They are ranked #2677 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1514
peak 1525 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
Mar 20, 2026
latest Sep 11, 2026
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
5 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
14% of 14 contests
Avg finish
top 52%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
675.44
last 5 Master vs avg 675.34 (+0.10)
Walk rate
57%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.57
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 170.84 · weakest Pork (165.60)
Road miles
1,187
across 14 mapped stops · furthest 420 mi
Schedule strength
59%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$48K
listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
675.34 / 720
6 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
341.38 / 360
2 Backyard contests · 0 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. Still inside their first twelve months: see what a first season usually looks like.
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 Fat For A Reason BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
117 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,695 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1529
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Fat For A Reason BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Fat For A Reason BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#2,667 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1516
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#2,682 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1514
Fewer contests behind them than Fat For A Reason BBQ has cooked, 8 to 14, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#2,685 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1513
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 6 years before Fat For A Reason BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,671 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1514
They were already cooking in 2013, 13 years before Fat For A Reason BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#2,680 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1519
Level with Fat For A Reason 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BooyaQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Sailor Nicks BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Shiggin aint easy | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Team Cookie | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 176.5600 | 158.2628 | 170.84 | top 45% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 178.2972 | 165.1200 | 170.70 | top 47% |
| Pork | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 175.4172 | 157.0856 | 165.60 | top 60% |
| Brisket | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 172.0116 | 160.5140 | 166.93 | top 62% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 42% |
| Medium (20–39) | 2 | 0 | top 58% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 58% |
More numbers
Most contests held in
MI
5 of 14 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
8
a different one every time
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
12 entries · 0 wins · 6 calls
Opponents faced
280
finished ahead 209 times, behind 197
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
202611 milestones
- First tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score340.5028 Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship
- First call Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)
- First category win (Pork) Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest
- First overall top-10 Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest
- First overall podium Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest
- Career-best overall score693.6228 Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest
- 10th tracked contest All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.2972 All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Peak power rating (1525) Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest September Fest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +12.4 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 8, 2026 |
| +12.1 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 20, 2026 |
| +11.1 | Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest | May 22, 2026 |
| +9.2 | Grizzly BBQ Brawl | Jun 26, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.2 | September Fest | Sep 11, 2026 |
| -8.9 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana | May 15, 2026 |
| -7.2 | All American BBQ Throwdown | Jul 31, 2026 |
| -3.7 | GLBBQA Spring Fling | Apr 17, 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)
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | September Fest 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 13 / 16 (669.0400) | 14 (163.3944) | 15 (165.1200) | 13 (168.5256) | 8 (172) |
| Sep 11, 2026 | September Fest (ONE MEAT RIBS) Coldwater, MI | — | — | 4 (175.4400) | — | — |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) Warsaw, IN | 3 / 13 (342.2516) | 2 (175.4172) | 8 (166.8344) | — | — |
| Jul 31, 2026 | All American BBQ Throwdown 🏅 Westland, MI | 38 / 45 (665.0056) | 34 (169.1200) | 7 (175.4172) | 42 (157.0856) | 38 (163.3828) |
| Jul 31, 2026 | All American BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Westland, MI | — | — | 2 (178.2972) | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Grizzly BBQ Brawl 🏅 Wellington, OH | 12 / 39 (684.4912) | 8 (174.8572) | 3 (176.5600) | 15 (172.5600) | 32 (160.5140) |
| May 22, 2026 | Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 3 / 14 (693.6228) | 2 (176.5600) | 10 (169.6800) | 1 (175.4172) | 5 (171.9656) |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana 🏅 Warsaw, IN | 30 / 35 (665.0632) | 16 (172.5600) | 31 (165.1316) | 25 (165.6916) | 30 (161.6800) |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Warsaw, IN | — | 10 (172) | — | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | Rockin' BBQ Warsaw, Indiana (ONE MEAT RIBS) Warsaw, IN | — | — | 24 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Apr 17, 2026 | GLBBQA Spring Fling 🏅 Coldwater, MI | 34 / 48 (674.8348) | 16 (174.2744) | 30 (168.0116) | 46 (160.5372) | 17 (172.0116) |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 24 / 125 (340.5028) | 26 (171.9656) | 27 (168.5372) | 45 (159.3600) | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Lebanon, TN | — | 66 (158.2628) | — | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 32 (171.4172) | — | — |