Mad Hatter BBQ VA
Rating
1682
peak 1702 · rated over 36 contests
Best runs
16
straight top-10s · 3 straight GCs
Contests
44
in the data
First seen
2023-09-08
latest 2026-06-19
Best ToY finish
#6
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
4
5 reserve
Category wins
14
28 podiums
Overall top-10s
24
of 44 contests
Avg finish
top 34%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
345.44 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 350.63 (-5.19)
Walk rate
91%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
16
best run (overall)
Consistency
±39.73
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.45 · weakest Brisket (166.82)
Road miles
4475
mi across 44 mapped stops · furthest 251 mi
Schedule strength
90%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1597)
Purse competed for
$213K
listed at 36 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
4 🏅
GCs in 34 state-championship entries
Master avg
674.75 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
350.63 / 360
34 Backyard contests · 4 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ has finished one call ahead of Mad Hatter BBQ 4 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Gold-N-Blue Barbecue has landed one call behind them 3 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
HotMess BBQ has come out ahead in 12 of their 17 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of smokey anderson bbq in 14 of their 15 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) is their spot: an average finish in the top 8% across 4 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 1.1768 points of the Grand Championship at Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest (2026-05-22).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 30-team field at Almost Heaven BBQ Bash.
📅 A March team
Something about March: average finish in the top 8% across 4 contests, versus top 34% the rest of the year.
Teams like this (closest power rating, VA first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dogpatch Q | 26 | 18 | 8 | 69% | ⚔ compare |
| Optimus Swine | 25 | 15 | 7 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 25 | 8 | 17 | 32% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 24 | 11 | 12 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | 23 | 14 | 9 | 61% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59% | ⚔ compare |
| Off The Rack BBQ | 21 | 11 | 8 | 52% | ⚔ compare |
| POOR BOYS BBQ | 21 | 10 | 10 | 48% | ⚔ compare |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 20 | 12 | 7 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Dog Bite Barbecue | 20 | 12 | 8 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| The Swine Doctor's BBQ | 19 | 13 | 6 | 68% | ⚔ compare |
| Piggy & Swine BBQ | 19 | 11 | 7 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 19 | 7 | 10 | 37% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKECRAFT - MD | 18 | 11 | 5 | 61% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 18 | 8 | 10 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 39 | 30 | 6 | 14 | 180.0000 🔥 | 156.5028 | 171.45 | top 34% |
| Pork Ribs | 41 | 27 | 6 | 10 | 178.8572 | 154.7888 | 168.48 | top 40% |
| Pork | 13 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 176.5600 | 163.3828 | 171.01 | top 31% |
| Brisket | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 176.5600 | 160.5260 | 166.82 | top 45% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 21 | 0 | top 36% |
| WV | 6 | 3 | top 47% |
| PA | 5 | 1 | top 23% |
| NC | 3 | 0 | top 13% |
| DE | 1 | 0 | top 35% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 13 | 2 | top 47% |
| Medium (20–39) | 18 | 2 | top 33% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 8% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) | 4 | 2 | 0 | top 8% | 2025-03-22 |
| Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (OPEN FORMAT) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 36% | 2026-06-19 |
| Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 30% | 2025-08-09 |
| Smoke on the Mountain | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 15% | 2025-07-25 |
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 49% | 2025-04-26 |
| Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 13% | 2024-08-10 |
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 40% | 2024-06-29 |
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 50% | 2024-04-20 |
| Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 96% | 2023-09-09 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2024 (21 contests)
- Cooks mostly in VA (28 of 44 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (41 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest (2024-05-24)
- Wins it all in 9% of contests
- Average Master overall score: 674.75 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 350.63 / 360
- 1 perfect 180 on the books 🔥
Milestones
- 🚩 2023-09-08 — First tracked contest · Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- 📣 2023-09-08 — First call · Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- 🏆 2024-05-24 — First Grand Championship · Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest
- 🎖️ 2024-08-30 — 25th tracked contest · Fire in the Foothills BBQ Festival
- 🔥 2025-05-23 — First perfect 180 (Chicken) · Big Knob BBQ Fest
- 📈 2025-08-08 — Peak power rating (1702) · Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1)
- ⭐ 2026-06-19 — Career-best overall score (677.6228) · Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (OPEN FORMAT)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) | 2024-03-23 |
| +17.7 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) | 2024-03-22 |
| +16.4 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 | 2024-05-03 |
| +16.4 | WV Coalfields Cookoff | 2024-06-07 |
| +15.7 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash | 2024-06-14 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.5 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | 2025-08-22 |
| -9.8 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (OPEN FORMAT) | 2026-06-19 |
| -8.7 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) | 2023-09-09 |
| -7.9 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) | 2023-09-08 |
| -3.8 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-09-23 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 42% | 94.1% | 93.9% |
| 2025 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 92% | top 29% | 99% | 96% |
| 2024 | 21 | 3 | 16 | 9 | 95% | top 22% | 97.5% | 95.3% |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78% | top 77% | 140.9% | 106.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-19 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (OPEN FORMAT) 🏅 Buckhannon, WV | 20 / 29 (677.6228) | 24 (166.8228) | 22 (166.2628) | 18 (167.9772) | 3 (176.5600) |
| 2026-05-22 | Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 2 / 14 (337.0860) | 3 (167.3944) | 1 (169.6916) | — | — |
| 2025-08-22 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 13 / 16 (671.8740) | 7 (173.1544) | 11 (164.5256) | 8 (170.8228) | 13 (163.3712) |
| 2025-08-09 | Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) 🏅 Doswell, VA | 11 / 25 (338.2056) | 8 (171.9656) | 11 (166.2400) | — | — |
| 2025-08-08 | Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1) 🏅 Doswell, VA | 4 / 25 (346.8228) | 2 (177.7028) | 11 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2025-07-25 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 3 / 37 (348.5372) | 6 (173.1200) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2025-06-06 | WV Coalfields Cookoff WV KCBS State Championship 🏅 Welch, WV | 1 / 11 (356.5600) | 1 (177.7028) | 1 (178.8572) | 1 (175.4172) | — |
| 2025-05-23 | Big Knob BBQ Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 2 / 12 (348.5372) | 1 (180.0000) | 3 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2025-04-26 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 7 / 16 (344.5600) | 6 (172.5600) | 7 (172.0000) | — | — |
| 2025-04-25 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 11 / 20 (342.8000) | 7 (173.1084) | 13 (169.6916) | — | — |
| 2025-03-22 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 5 / 43 (347.4060) | 8 (174.2628) | 6 (173.1432) | — | — |
| 2025-03-21 | BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Urbanna, VA | — | 13 (167.9772) | — | — | — |
| 2025-03-21 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 4 / 45 (346.2400) | 3 (176.5600) | 9 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2025-03-21 | BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT RIBS) Urbanna, VA | — | — | 10 (169.1316) | — | — |
| 2024-10-26 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 🏅 Roseland, VA | 6 / 11 (342.8232) | 8 (170.8344) | 5 (171.9888) | — | — |
| 2024-10-25 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Roseland, VA | — | 7 (168.5372) | — | — | — |
| 2024-10-25 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) 🏅 Roseland, VA | 2 / 13 (350.2860) | 3 (177.1544) | 6 (173.1316) | — | — |
| 2024-10-25 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT RIBS) Roseland, VA | — | — | 1 (177.7144) | — | — |
| 2024-09-27 | "The First State" BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 9 / 26 (334.2288) | 4 (171.4172) | 11 (162.8116) | — | — |
| 2024-08-30 | Fire in the Foothills BBQ Festival 🏅 King, NC | 4 / 28 (338.8000) | 3 (173.7028) | 5 (165.0972) | 1 (176.5600) | — |
| 2024-08-10 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) 🏅 Ashland, VA | 2 / 28 (346.8228) | 5 (170.8228) | 1 (176.0000) | 9 (169.1200) | — |
| 2024-08-09 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) 🏅 Ashland, VA | 5 / 27 (343.9544) | 1 (178.8572) | 12 (165.0972) | 7 (171.9772) | — |
| 2024-08-09 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Ashland, VA | — | — | 15 (164.5372) | — | — |
| 2024-07-26 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 7 / 32 (334.7768) | 9 (167.3712) | 7 (167.4056) | — | — |
| 2024-06-29 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 10 / 19 (337.0628) | 15 (168.5256) | 10 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2024-06-28 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 8 / 29 (338.2284) | 1 (175.4056) | 18 (162.8228) | — | — |
| 2024-06-14 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Buckhannon, WV | 1 / 30 (346.2976) | 3 (172.5716) | 1 (173.7260) | — | — |
| 2024-06-07 | WV Coalfields Cookoff 🏅 Welch, WV | 1 / 13 (349.7028) | 2 (177.1428) | 2 (172.5600) | 5 (163.3828) | — |
| 2024-05-24 | Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 1 / 23 (350.8572) | 1 (176.5600) | 1 (174.2972) | — | — |
| 2024-05-04 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 6 / 35 (339.3712) | 5 (174.2628) | 6 (165.1084) | — | — |
| 2024-05-03 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 3 / 45 (348.6060) | 1 (178.8572) | 8 (169.7488) | — | — |
| 2024-04-20 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 13 / 25 (335.3944) | 16 (165.6800) | 8 (169.7144) | 2 (175.4172) | — |
| 2024-04-19 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 12 / 25 (337.6800) | 4 (174.2628) | 16 (163.4172) | 5 (173.1200) | 11 (160.5260) |
| 2024-03-23 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 2 / 42 (350.8344) | 2 (178.8572) | 7 (171.9772) | 5 (171.9772) | — |
| 2024-03-22 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 3 / 45 (348.0228) | 6 (171.4056) | 3 (176.6172) | 12 (168.5484) | — |
| 2023-10-28 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 🏅 Galax, VA | 11 / 17 (321.0516) | 11 (156.5144) | 9 (164.5372) | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Galax, VA | — | 11 (165.7028) | — | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) 🏅 Galax, VA | 11 / 19 (318.1944) | 13 (156.5028) | 8 (161.6916) | — | — |
| 2023-10-27 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT RIBS) Galax, VA | — | — | 9 (159.9772) | — | — |
| 2023-09-23 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 15 / 20 (507.3716) | 11 (170.8456) | 16 (166.2516) | 10 (170.2744) | — |
| 2023-09-22 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 17 / 24 (502.7888) | 19 (163.9428) | 11 (170.3088) | 15 (168.5372) | — |
| 2023-09-09 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) 🏅 Mannington, WV | 11 / 11 (325.6684) | 9 (167.4056) | 11 (158.2628) | — | — |
| 2023-09-08 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) 🏅 Mannington, WV | 11 / 12 (315.9316) | 10 (161.1428) | 11 (154.7888) | — | — |
| 2023-09-08 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Mannington, WV | — | — | 6 (167.3828) | — | — |
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 ↗ | Backyard | #157 (231 pts) | #177 (206 pts) | #155 (256 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #839 (84 pts) | #967 (64 pts) | #979 (74 pts) | #853 (94 pts) | #560 (234 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #27 (1108 pts) | #29 (1151 pts) | #41 (997 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1001 (101 pts) | #683 (255 pts) | #759 (232 pts) | #892 (136 pts) | #1038 (101 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #6 (1278 pts) | #1 🏆 (1337 pts) | #8 (1284 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | #919 (140 pts) | #601 (351 pts) | — | — |