LaTa-Que

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#1086

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1596

peak 1615 · rated over 36 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2019-06-14

latest 2026-08-14

Best ToY finish

#243

Master 2024

Grand champs

2 reserve

Category wins

18 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 38 contests

Avg finish

top 48%

overall standings

Best overall

701.1316 / 720

Master · Miles City Cowtown Cookoff

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

677.50 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 675.60 (+1.90)

Walk rate

82%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Pork · Hill City Wine Brew & BBQ

Consistency

±11.27

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 170.38 · weakest Pork (166.74)

Road miles

12,197

mi across 38 mapped stops · furthest 1222 mi

Schedule strength

73%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1592)

Purse competed for

$355K

listed at 32 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 37 state-championship entries

Master avg

675.60 / 720

37 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (14 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

The heartbreaker

0.5712 points from the title

Came within 0.5712 points of the Grand Championship at Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ (2024-08-23).

Perfect scores on the board

2 perfect 180s

2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork.

Pork ×2

Happy hunting ground

Top 12% average finish here

Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ is their spot: an average finish in the top 12% across 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 2nd
average top 12%

They almost always walk

82% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 31 of 38 contests

A top-10 category call in 82% of their 38 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

701.1316 career-best overall

97.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 701.1316 at Miles City Cowtown Cookoff — 97.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
2023-06-16

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

WYO SMOKE SHOW has finished one call ahead of LaTa-Que 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2019 their best year

2019 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 27%.

5 contests
3 overall top-10s
1 category wins
average top 27%

A tough matchup

17–5 behind in the head-to-head

AMERICAN HEROES BBQ ahead in 77% of their meetings

AMERICAN HEROES BBQ has come out ahead in 17 of their 22 shared contests.

A strong matchup

11–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 79% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Lost Weekend Grill in 11 of their 14 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

19 of 28 shared chicken entries lost

SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ ahead 68% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ has out-cooked them in 19 of 28 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.

An August team

Top 40% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 40% across 13 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.

13 August contests
top 48% the rest of the year

The long haul

12,197 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 12,197 miles across 38 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,222 miles to Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY).

38 mapped stops
furthest 1,222 mi

The metronome

±1.57% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.57% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.8% of a perfect score
38 contests

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

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

M-Dubs BBQ

#1078 of the rated field

1596 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1596

4–4 in 8 shared contests (50% to LaTa-Que)

These two have cooked 8 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 31 contests
last seen 2024-09-06

⚔ Head-to-head

Backroads BBQ

#1082 of the rated field

1596 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1596

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to LaTa-Que)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 26 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2024-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

BarrelHead Cookers

#1079 of the rated field

1596 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 36
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1605

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 36 contests to 38, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 33 contests
last seen 2025-11-21

⚔ Head-to-head

Sweet Swine O'Mine

#1087 of the rated field

1596 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 49
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 27%
Peak: 1644

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 49 contests, alongside a 27% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 42 contests
last seen 2025-07-25

⚔ Head-to-head

Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team

#1084 of the rated field

1596 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 48
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1596

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2019.

rated over 46 contests
last seen 2026-06-05

⚔ Head-to-head

SLOW PORKIN

#1081 of the rated field

1596 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 53%
Peak: 1596

No shared contest yet.

Level with LaTa-Que on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 25 contests
last seen 2026-08-22

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SMOKIN HOT BUTTS BBQ	28	9	19	32%	⚔ compare
PARROTHEAD SMOKERS	26	8	18	31%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' BOXERS BBQ	23	13	10	57%	⚔ compare
PAPA'S PIT CREW	22	14	8	64%	⚔ compare
AMERICAN HEROES BBQ	22	5	17	23%	⚔ compare
WYO SMOKE SHOW	18	6	12	33%	⚔ compare
LAST CALL HEROES BBQ	18	2	16	11%	⚔ compare
ROCKET BOYS PYRO BBQ	16	9	7	56%	⚔ compare
RICHIE Z's	16	6	10	38%	⚔ compare
Colorado Bulldawg BBQ	16	5	11	31%	⚔ compare
Lost Weekend Grill	14	11	3	79%	⚔ compare
Brinkerhoff BBQ	14	5	9	36%	⚔ compare
BnB BBQ	13	7	6	54%	⚔ compare
SPITFIRE	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
BRACKEN RACKS BBQ	12	8	4	67%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	38	17	2	5	179.4400	160.5144	170.38	top 46%
Pork Ribs	38	13	2	4	178.8572	149.6688	168.07	top 51%
Pork	38	8	1	3	180.0000 🔥	151.4056	166.74	top 58%
Brisket	38	21	2	6	178.2972	158.7884	170.15	top 37%

“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 state / province

Where	Contests	Avg finish
WY	17	top 43%
SD	12	top 48%
MT	5	top 38%
IA	2	top 64%
TN	1	top 92%
KS	1	top 98%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	top 49%
Medium (20–39)	28	top 40%
Large (40+)	8	top 73%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival	4	10	top 46%	2026-08-14
Original SD BBQ Championships	3	10	top 58%	2026-06-05
Miles City Cowtown Cookoff	3	3	top 33%	2024-06-14
Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off	2	11	top 46%	2026-07-24
Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships and Bluegrass Festival	2	8	top 30%	2025-08-15
Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ	2	2	top 12%	2024-08-23
Smoke & Soul Fest	2	7	top 28%	2023-10-06
Tri City BBQ Fest	2	17	top 64%	2023-09-15
Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll	2	6	top 52%	2023-09-08
Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ Fest	2	10	top 54%	2023-08-25
Smoke & Soul Fest - Day 1	2	16	top 70%	2021-10-01
Hill City Wine Brew and BBQ Fest	2	19	top 68%	2021-08-27
Miles City Cowtown Cook Off	2	10	top 45%	2021-06-25

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 7.2 yrs 2019-06-14 → 2026-08-14

Busiest season 2024 6 contests

Contests a season 4.8 across 8 seasons in the data

Cooks most in WY 17 of 38 contests · 6 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 21 13 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 38 entries · 2 wins · 17 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 170.38 · weakest Pork (166.74)

Walk rate 82% a top-10 call in 31 of 38 contests

Overall top-10 rate 45% 17 of 38 contests

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 675.60 out of 720 · 37 contests · 0 GCs

Perfect 180s 2 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 521 582–700 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 12,197 38 mapped stops · furthest 1,222 mi

Schedule strength 1592 average field rating faced — tougher than 73% of rated contests

Purse competed for $355,275 listed at 32 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 37 state-championship entries

Power rating 1596 peak 1615 · #1086 of 6,413 rated

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

2019
Jun 14 First tracked contest Miles City Cowtown Cook Off
Jun 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.6112 Miles City Cowtown Cook Off
Jul 19 First call Cookin On Kampeska
Aug 16 First category win (Pork) Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival
Aug 16 First overall top-10 Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival
Aug 16 First overall podium Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival
Aug 16 First Reserve Championship Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival
Aug 16 First perfect 180 (Pork) Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival
2021
Jun 25 10th tracked contest Miles City Cowtown Cook Off
2023
Jun 16 Career-best overall score701.1316 Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
Oct 6 25th tracked contest Smoke & Soul Fest
2024
Aug 23 Peak power rating (1615) Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ
2026
Aug 14 Most recent contest Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.9	Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival	2019-08-16
+16.3	Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ	2024-08-23
+15.2	Hill City Wine Brew & BBQ	2019-08-23
+13.5	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll	2023-09-08
+12.5	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff	2023-06-16

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.3	Original SD BBQ Championships	2025-06-06
-6.7	Original SD BBQ Championships	2026-06-05
-6.6	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll	2022-09-09
-6.3	Tri City BBQ Fest	2022-09-16
-6.1	Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ Fest	2023-08-25

Category scores over time

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	3	0	1	67%	top 58%	94.4%	93.8%
2025	4	1	1	75%	top 63%	95.3%	93.6%
2024	6	5	3	100%	top 38%	95.9%	95%
2023	6	3	0	100%	top 39%	97.4%	94.5%
2022	6	3	1	100%	top 47%	95.6%	93.7%
2021	4	2	0	75%	top 48%	94.9%	93.9%
2020	4	0	0	25%	top 80%	92.9%	91.7%
2019	5	3	1	80%	top 27%	95.6%	93.7%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026-08-14	Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	19 / 29 (679.9088)	18 (169.6800)	23 (162.8344)	3 (176.5716)	9 (170.8228)
2026-07-24	Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Laramie, WY	11 / 32 (679.9200)	1 (179.4400)	24 (162.8228)	18 (167.3944)	15 (170.2628)
2026-06-05	Original SD BBQ Championships 🏅 Huron, SD	35 / 48 (665.6116)	19 (170.2628)	45 (158.8344)	22 (171.9772)	29 (164.5372)
2025-10-10	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN	83 / 90 (665.7028)	22 (175.4056)	90 (149.6688)	35 (173.1656)	58 (167.4628)
2025-08-15	Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships and Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	8 / 27 (686.1824)	8 (173.1084)	8 (174.8456)	17 (163.9656)	5 (174.2628)
2025-07-25	Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Laramie, WY	15 / 26 (675.8628)	10 (170.8228)	17 (165.0972)	19 (163.9428)	1 (176.0000)
2025-06-06	Original SD BBQ Championships 🏅 Huron, SD	34 / 48 (658.6856)	3 (176.5600)	40 (160.5144)	40 (162.8228)	37 (158.7884)
2024-08-23	Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ 🏅 Hill City, SD	2 / 29 (688.4800)	4 (176.5600)	1 (177.7144)	25 (161.6572)	7 (172.5484)
2024-08-16	Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships and Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	9 / 29 (690.2284)	10 (174.2628)	10 (173.1200)	13 (172.5828)	13 (170.2628)
2024-07-26	Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Laramie, WY	6 / 17 (682.8000)	4 (174.2628)	12 (165.1316)	12 (165.1084)	1 (178.2972)
2024-07-12	Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY	16 / 26 (674.1712)	19 (168.5256)	4 (176.0000)	17 (164.5600)	19 (165.0856)
2024-06-14	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 🏅 Miles City, MT	10 / 16 (682.7540)	13 (169.6684)	7 (175.4172)	12 (166.2628)	8 (171.4056)
2024-06-07	Original SD BBQ Championships 🏅 Huron, SD	10 / 34 (685.7032)	1 (179.4400)	28 (164.5832)	10 (172.0000)	12 (169.6800)
2023-10-06	Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY	7 / 28 (686.7540)	9 (169.6684)	5 (174.2628)	17 (167.3828)	6 (175.4400)
2023-09-15	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	19 / 32 (671.9888)	20 (166.2400)	18 (170.2628)	25 (162.8688)	7 (172.6172)
2023-09-08	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	6 / 28 (680.5372)	8 (173.1200)	9 (170.8228)	14 (168.5944)	11 (168.0000)
2023-08-25	Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ Fest 🏅 Hill City, SD	19 / 26 (658.0912)	23 (161.6572)	18 (165.0972)	24 (155.9312)	6 (175.4056)
2023-08-18	Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	11 / 27 (682.2172)	10 (169.1316)	10 (170.2628)	11 (173.7028)	8 (169.1200)
2023-06-16	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 🏅 Miles City, MT	3 / 22 (701.1316)	7 (173.7144)	2 (178.2972)	10 (171.9772)	2 (177.1428)
2022-10-07	Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY	9 / 29 (677.0284)	10 (171.4056)	9 (169.6916)	25 (160.5256)	2 (175.4056)
2022-09-16	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	17 / 25 (660.4800)	18 (165.0972)	5 (171.9772)	22 (151.4056)	6 (172.0000)
2022-09-09	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	23 / 28 (661.0628)	26 (162.8000)	1 (178.8572)	28 (152.5712)	20 (166.8344)
2022-08-26	Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ Fest 🏅 Hill City, SD	10 / 28 (687.8740)	5 (175.4056)	19 (168.5372)	11 (173.1084)	14 (170.8228)
2022-08-19	Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	13 / 29 (675.3372)	3 (177.7144)	12 (167.9772)	22 (159.9772)	8 (169.6684)
2022-06-24	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 🏅 Miles City, MT	6 / 26 (687.9660)	3 (177.7028)	18 (165.1316)	6 (175.4400)	10 (169.6916)
2021-10-01	Smoke & Soul Fest - Day 1 🏅 Casper, WY	16 / 27 (671.8512)	14 (171.9656)	12 (169.1316)	20 (163.9312)	16 (166.8228)
2021-08-27	Hill City Wine Brew and BBQ Fest 🏅 Hill City, SD	19 / 31 (672.4456)	24 (168.5256)	26 (162.8344)	24 (163.9428)	4 (177.1428)
2021-08-20	Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	10 / 30 (676.4572)	13 (169.6800)	14 (165.6800)	16 (165.6916)	2 (175.4056)
2021-06-25	Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 🏅 Miles City, MT	10 / 25 (683.4176)	16 (169.7144)	12 (167.9888)	6 (173.1428)	7 (172.5716)
2020-11-13	Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition 🏅 unrated Mayetta, KS	92 / 94 (658.1484)	77 (166.8228)	78 (165.1200)	91 (162.2284)	85 (163.9772)
2020-10-03	Smoke & Soul Fest-Day 2 🏅 Casper, WY	27 / 41 (669.0056)	36 (163.3828)	26 (166.8228)	31 (165.0972)	8 (173.7028)
2020-10-02	Smoke & Soul Fest-Day 1 🏅 Casper, WY	33 / 41 (658.1944)	13 (171.9888)	30 (162.8344)	40 (155.3828)	20 (167.9884)
2020-08-21	Hill City Wine Brew and BBQ Fest 🏅 Hill City, SD	32 / 43 (654.7196)	33 (166.8228)	37 (159.9656)	26 (164.5600)	24 (163.3712)
2019-09-13	Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY	9 / 28 (662.6856)	21 (160.5144)	12 (163.9428)	10 (168.5256)	4 (169.7028)
2019-08-23	Hill City Wine Brew & BBQ 🏅 Hill City, SD	5 / 31 (682.8344)	26 (162.2516)	2 (177.7372)	2 (180.0000)	18 (162.8456)
2019-08-16	Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	2 / 30 (688.5256)	12 (165.0856)	12 (168.5828)	1 (180.0000)	3 (174.8572)
2019-07-19	Cookin On Kampeska 🏅 Watertown, SD	13 / 40 (672.5140)	8 (172.5600)	24 (165.1428)	11 (171.4056)	21 (163.4056)
2019-06-14	Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 🏅 Miles City, MT	14 / 28 (665.6112)	21 (163.3712)	11 (173.1428)	12 (166.8344)	15 (162.2628)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026 ↗	Master	#504 (271 pts)	#395 (461 pts)	#725 (186 pts)	#417 (396 pts)	#497 (306 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#548 (308 pts)	#454 (508 pts)	#638 (298 pts)	#686 (233 pts)	#425 (513 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#243 (896 pts)	#224 (991 pts)	#270 (921 pts)	#363 (606 pts)	#251 (881 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#259 (838 pts)	#322 (708 pts)	#279 (868 pts)	#384 (558 pts)	#200 (1013 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#329 (700 pts)	#254 (900 pts)	#285 (880 pts)	#429 (530 pts)	#261 (880 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#421 (438 pts)	#503 (378 pts)	#503 (398 pts)	#466 (403 pts)	#284 (713 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#530 (180 pts)	#468 (240 pts)	#572 (180 pts)	#553 (180 pts)	#387 (305 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#403 (802 pts)	#710 (477 pts)	#505 (682 pts)	#364 (912 pts)	#479 (707 pts)