LaTa-Que

LaTa-Que is a competition barbecue team with 38 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 29 at the Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ (2024), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #1097 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,097

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1595

peak 1614 · rated over 36 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 14, 2019

latest Aug 14, 2026 · 7.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#243

Master 2024 · every season

Grand champs

2 reserve

Category wins

18 podiums

Overall top-10s

45% of 38 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

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

Best single call

180 🔥

Pork · Hill City Wine Brew & BBQ

Consistency

±11.27

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 170.38 · weakest Pork (166.87)

Road miles

12,197

across 38 mapped stops · furthest 1,222 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 🏅

won from 37 state-championship entries

Master avg

675.60 / 720

37 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (14 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

0.5712 points from the title

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

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
Jun 16, 2023

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 win
average top 27%

Show 7 more storylines

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

±1.56% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.56% 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

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	#571 (271 pts)	#454 (461 pts)	#808 (186 pts)	#482 (396 pts)	#557 (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 (1,013 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)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to LaTa-Que, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Backroads BBQ

#1,090 of the rated field

1596 power rating

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

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

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team LaTa-Que has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 26 contests
last seen Sep 27, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

Rankin County BBQ Company

#1,098 of the rated field

1595 power rating

Contests: 42
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 33%
Peak: 1623

Careers of much the same size, 42 contests to 38, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 37 contests
last seen May 24, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team

#1,096 of the rated field

1595 power rating

Contests: 48
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1595

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 46 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 46 contests
last seen Jun 5, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

DIXIE BOYS BBQ

#1,100 of the rated field

1595 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1595

Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 10 years before LaTa-Que's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 24 contests

⚔ Compare careers

The Smoking J's

#1,091 of the rated field

1596 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1597

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 23 contests, alongside a 43% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 22 contests
last seen Jan 24, 2020

⚔ Compare careers

SIX BUTT BBQ

#1,094 of the rated field

1595 power rating

Contests: 69
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1595

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

rated over 69 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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	37	8	1	3	180 🔥	151.4056	166.87	top 57%
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 field size and state

By contest size

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

By state / province (where the contests were held)

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%

Repeat visits (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%	Aug 14, 2026
Original SD BBQ Championships	3	10	top 58%	Jun 5, 2026
Miles City Cowtown Cookoff	3	3	top 33%	Jun 14, 2024
Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off	2	11	top 46%	Jul 24, 2026
Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships and Bluegrass Festival	2	8	top 30%	Aug 15, 2025
Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ	2	2	top 12%	Aug 23, 2024
Smoke & Soul Fest	2	7	top 28%	Oct 6, 2023
Tri City BBQ Fest	2	17	top 64%	Sep 15, 2023
Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll	2	6	top 52%	Sep 8, 2023
Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ Fest	2	10	top 54%	Aug 25, 2023
Smoke & Soul Fest - Day 1	2	16	top 70%	Oct 1, 2021
Hill City Wine Brew and BBQ Fest	2	19	top 68%	Aug 27, 2021
Miles City Cowtown Cook Off	2	10	top 45%	Jun 25, 2021

More numbers

Busiest season 2024 6 contests

Contests a season 4.8 across 8 seasons in the data

Most contests held in WY 17 of 38 contests · 6 states in all

Contests visited 21 13 of them more than once

Opponents faced 520 finished ahead 582 times, behind 700

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

20261 milestone

Aug 14 Most recent contest Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival

20241 milestone

Aug 23 Peak power rating (1614) Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ

20232 milestones

Jun 16 Career-best overall score701.1316 Miles City Cowtown Cookoff
Oct 6 25th tracked contest Smoke & Soul Fest

20211 milestone

Jun 25 10th tracked contest Miles City Cowtown Cook Off

20198 milestones

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.8	Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival	Aug 16, 2019
+16.3	Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ	Aug 23, 2024
+15.2	Hill City Wine Brew & BBQ	Aug 23, 2019
+13.5	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll	Sep 8, 2023
+12.5	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff	Jun 16, 2023

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.3	Original SD BBQ Championships	Jun 6, 2025
-6.7	Original SD BBQ Championships	Jun 5, 2026
-6.6	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll	Sep 9, 2022
-6.3	Tri City BBQ Fest	Sep 16, 2022
-6.1	Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ Fest	Aug 25, 2023

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)
2026	3	0	1	67%	top 58%	94.4%	93.8%
2025	4	1	1	75%	top 63%	95.3%	93.3%
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
Aug 14, 2026	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)
Jul 24, 2026	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)
Jun 5, 2026	Original SD BBQ Championships 🏅 Huron, SD	35 / 48 (665.6116)	19 (170.2628)	45 (158.8344)	22 (171.9772)	29 (164.5372)
Oct 10, 2025	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)
Aug 15, 2025	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)
Jul 25, 2025	Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Laramie, WY	15 / 26 (675.8628)	10 (170.8228)	17 (165.0972)	19 (163.9428)	1 (176)
Jun 6, 2025	Original SD BBQ Championships 🏅 Huron, SD	34 / 48 (658.6856)	3 (176.5600)	40 (160.5144)	40 (162.8228)	37 (158.7884)
Aug 23, 2024	Hill City Wine, Brew & BBQ 🏅 Hill City, SD	2 / 29 (688.4800)	4 (176.5600)	1 (177.7144)	25 (161.6572)	7 (172.5484)
Aug 16, 2024	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)
Jul 26, 2024	Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Laramie, WY	6 / 17 (682.8000)	4 (174.2628)	12 (165.1316)	12 (165.1084)	1 (178.2972)
Jul 12, 2024	Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY	16 / 26 (674.1712)	19 (168.5256)	4 (176)	17 (164.5600)	19 (165.0856)
Jun 14, 2024	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 🏅 Miles City, MT	10 / 16 (682.7540)	13 (169.6684)	7 (175.4172)	12 (166.2628)	8 (171.4056)
Jun 7, 2024	Original SD BBQ Championships 🏅 Huron, SD	10 / 34 (685.7032)	1 (179.4400)	28 (164.5832)	10 (172)	12 (169.6800)
Oct 6, 2023	Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY	7 / 28 (686.7540)	9 (169.6684)	5 (174.2628)	17 (167.3828)	6 (175.4400)
Sep 15, 2023	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	19 / 32 (671.9888)	20 (166.2400)	18 (170.2628)	25 (162.8688)	7 (172.6172)
Sep 8, 2023	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	6 / 28 (680.5372)	8 (173.1200)	9 (170.8228)	14 (168.5944)	11 (168)
Aug 25, 2023	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)
Aug 18, 2023	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)
Jun 16, 2023	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 🏅 Miles City, MT	3 / 22 (701.1316)	7 (173.7144)	2 (178.2972)	10 (171.9772)	2 (177.1428)
Oct 7, 2022	Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY	9 / 29 (677.0284)	10 (171.4056)	9 (169.6916)	25 (160.5256)	2 (175.4056)
Sep 16, 2022	Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA	17 / 25 (660.4800)	18 (165.0972)	5 (171.9772)	22 (151.4056)	6 (172)
Sep 9, 2022	Ribs, Rods & Rock N Roll 🏅 Vermillion, SD	23 / 28 (661.0628)	26 (162.8000)	1 (178.8572)	28 (152.5712)	20 (166.8344)
Aug 26, 2022	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)
Aug 19, 2022	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)
Jun 24, 2022	Miles City Cowtown Cookoff 🏅 Miles City, MT	6 / 26 (687.9660)	3 (177.7028)	18 (165.1316)	6 (175.4400)	10 (169.6916)
Oct 1, 2021	Smoke & Soul Fest - Day 1 🏅 Casper, WY	16 / 27 (671.8512)	14 (171.9656)	12 (169.1316)	20 (163.9312)	16 (166.8228)
Aug 27, 2021	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)
Aug 20, 2021	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)
Jun 25, 2021	Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 🏅 Miles City, MT	10 / 25 (683.4176)	16 (169.7144)	12 (167.9888)	6 (173.1428)	7 (172.5716)
Nov 13, 2020	Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition 🏅 unrated Mayetta, KS	92 / 94 (658.1484)	77 (166.8228)	78 (165.1200)	—	85 (163.9772)
Oct 3, 2020	Smoke & Soul Fest-Day 2 🏅 Casper, WY	27 / 41 (669.0056)	36 (163.3828)	26 (166.8228)	31 (165.0972)	8 (173.7028)
Oct 2, 2020	Smoke & Soul Fest-Day 1 🏅 Casper, WY	33 / 41 (658.1944)	13 (171.9888)	30 (162.8344)	40 (155.3828)	20 (167.9884)
Aug 21, 2020	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)
Sep 13, 2019	Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY	9 / 28 (662.6856)	21 (160.5144)	12 (163.9428)	10 (168.5256)	4 (169.7028)
Aug 23, 2019	Hill City Wine Brew & BBQ 🏅 Hill City, SD	5 / 31 (682.8344)	26 (162.2516)	2 (177.7372)	2 (180)	18 (162.8456)
Aug 16, 2019	Pepsi WY State Championship BBQ & Bluegrass Festival 🏅 Worland, WY	2 / 30 (688.5256)	12 (165.0856)	12 (168.5828)	1 (180)	3 (174.8572)
Jul 19, 2019	Cookin On Kampeska 🏅 Watertown, SD	13 / 40 (672.5140)	8 (172.5600)	24 (165.1428)	11 (171.4056)	21 (163.4056)
Jun 14, 2019	Miles City Cowtown Cook Off 🏅 Miles City, MT	14 / 28 (665.6112)	21 (163.3712)	11 (173.1428)	12 (166.8344)	15 (162.2628)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

LaTa-Que

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 (14 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Perfect scores on the board

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

An August team

The long haul

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)