The heartbreaker
1.1768
points from the title
Came within 1.1768 points of the Grand Championship at Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest (May 22, 2026).
Mad Hatter BBQ
Mad Hatter BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 47 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. They have won 4 Grand Championships, most recently at the WV Coalfields Cookoff WV KCBS State Championship (2025), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 5 times. They are ranked #388 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1703
peak 1715 · rated over 37 contests
Contests
47
in the data
First seen
Sep 8, 2023
latest Aug 21, 2026 · 3 years on the trail
Grand champs
4
5 reserve · wins it all 9% of the time
Category wins
14
29 podiums
Overall top-10s
25
53% of 47 contests
Best top-10 run
16
straight overall top-10s · 3 straight GCs
Avg finish
top 34%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
345.44 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 340.98 (+4.46)
Walk rate
87%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±9.64
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 171.49 · weakest Brisket (167.82)
Road miles
5,013
across 47 mapped stops · furthest 434 mi
Schedule strength
86%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1616)
Purse competed for
$219K
listed at 37 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
4 🏅
won from 35 state-championship entries
Master avg
679.71 / 720
3 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
340.98 / 360
32 Backyard contests · 4 GCs
Backyard (3-meat) avg
505.08 / 540
2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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.
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 ↗ | Backyard | #170 (231 pts) | #192 (206 pts) | #169 (256 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #583 (250 pts) | #796 (165 pts) | #710 (230 pts) | #537 (320 pts) | #500 (355 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #27 (1,108 pts) | #29 (1,151 pts) | #41 (997 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1001 (101 pts) | #683 (255 pts) | #759 (232 pts) | #892 (136 pts) | #1038 (101 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #6 (1,278 pts) | #1 🏆 (1,337 pts) | #8 (1,284 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | #919 (140 pts) | #601 (351 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Mad Hatter BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#390 of the rated field
- Contests
- 50
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 54%
- Peak
- 1713
Careers of much the same size, 50 contests to 47, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#389 of the rated field
- Contests
- 72
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1725
Their rating is built on 2 Grand Championships in 72 contests, alongside a 43% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#387 of the rated field
- Contests
- 93
- GCs
- 5
- Top-10s
- 51%
- Peak
- 1734
They've been 1734 at their best, 31 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#391 of the rated field
- Contests
- 46
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 63%
- Peak
- 1710
6–5 in 11 shared contests (55% to Mad Hatter BBQ)
These two have cooked 11 of the same contests — Mad Hatter BBQ ahead 6–5 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#383 of the rated field
- Contests
- 75
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 47%
- Peak
- 1709
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Mad Hatter BBQ)
They were already cooking in 2018, 5 years before Mad Hatter BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#386 of the rated field
- Contests
- 44
- GCs
- 5
- Top-10s
- 73%
- Peak
- 1703
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 8 years before Mad Hatter BBQ'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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dogpatch Q | 27 | 19 | 8 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 26 | 9 | 17 | 35% | ⚔ compare |
| Optimus Swine | 25 | 15 | 7 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Gold-N-Blue Barbecue | 24 | 14 | 10 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | 24 | 11 | 12 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Uncle Dubby's Backyard BBQ | 23 | 14 | 9 | 61% | ⚔ compare |
| POOR BOYS BBQ | 22 | 11 | 10 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 21 | 13 | 7 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| Dog Bite Barbecue | 21 | 12 | 9 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| Off The Rack BBQ | 21 | 11 | 8 | 52% | ⚔ compare |
| The Swine Doctor's BBQ | 20 | 13 | 7 | 65% | ⚔ compare |
| Piggy & Swine BBQ | 19 | 11 | 7 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 19 | 8 | 11 | 42% | ⚔ compare |
| CHUNKY BBQ | 19 | 7 | 10 | 37% | ⚔ compare |
| Leaning Jowler BBQ | 19 | 7 | 12 | 37% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 40 | 30 | 6 | 14 | 180 🔥 | 156.5028 | 171.39 | top 35% |
| Pork Ribs | 42 | 28 | 6 | 10 | 178.8572 | 154.7888 | 168.57 | top 40% |
| Pork | 14 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 177.7144 | 163.3828 | 171.49 | top 29% |
| Brisket | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 176.5600 | 160.5260 | 167.82 | top 44% |
“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) | 13 | 2 | top 47% |
| Medium (20–39) | 19 | 2 | top 32% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 8% |
Repeat visits (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% | Mar 22, 2025 |
| Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (OPEN FORMAT) | 2 | 1 | 1 | top 36% | Jun 19, 2026 |
| Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 52% | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) | 2 | 4 | 0 | top 30% | Aug 9, 2025 |
| Smoke on the Mountain | 2 | 3 | 0 | top 15% | Jul 25, 2025 |
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) | 2 | 7 | 0 | top 49% | Apr 26, 2025 |
| Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 13% | Aug 10, 2024 |
| York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 40% | Jun 29, 2024 |
| Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 50% | Apr 20, 2024 |
| Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 96% | Sep 9, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
21 contests · 3 GCs
Contests a season
7.8
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
VA
29 of 47 contests · 6 states in all
Contests visited
25
10 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
42 entries · 6 wins · 28 calls
First title
May 24, 2024
Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest
Opponents faced
371
finished ahead 1,054 times, behind 402
Longest layoff
8.1 yrs
Aug 21, 2015 → Sep 8, 2023
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20262 milestones
- Career-best overall score689.6460 Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff
- Most recent contest Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff
20253 milestones
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Big Knob BBQ Fest
- 10th category win Big Knob BBQ Fest
- Peak power rating (1715) Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1)
20249 milestones
- First overall top-10 BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)
- First overall podium BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard)
- First Reserve Championship BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard)
- First category win (Chicken) Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1
- First Grand Championship Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest
- First state championship Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest
- First multi-meat day Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest
- Biggest field won (30 teams) Almost Heaven BBQ Bash
- 25th tracked contest Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 1)
20233 milestones
- First call Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score325.6684 Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2)
- 10th tracked contest Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1)
20131 milestone
- First tracked contest Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +18.5 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) | Mar 23, 2024 |
| +18.3 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) | Mar 22, 2024 |
| +17.2 | WV Coalfields Cookoff | Jun 7, 2024 |
| +17.1 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 | May 3, 2024 |
| +16.5 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash | Jun 14, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.3 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | Aug 22, 2025 |
| -9.7 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (OPEN FORMAT) | Jun 19, 2026 |
| -7.9 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) | Sep 9, 2023 |
| -7.1 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) | Sep 8, 2023 |
| -3.5 | Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) | Aug 9, 2025 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 100% | top 35% | 95.8% | 94.5% |
| 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% | 94% | 90.5% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2026 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 6 / 26 (689.6460) | 15 (169.1200) | 7 (171.9888) | 3 (177.7144) | 11 (170.8228) |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash (OPEN FORMAT) 🏅 Buckhannon, WV | 20 / 29 (677.6228) | 24 (166.8228) | 22 (166.2628) | 18 (167.9772) | 3 (176.5600) |
| May 22, 2026 | Big Knob BBQ & Cash Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 2 / 14 (337.0860) | 3 (167.3944) | 1 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 | Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Edinburg, VA | 13 / 16 (671.8740) | 7 (173.1544) | 11 (164.5256) | 8 (170.8228) | 13 (163.3712) |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Triple Crown BBQ (Day 2) 🏅 Doswell, VA | 11 / 25 (338.2056) | 8 (171.9656) | 11 (166.2400) | — | — |
| Aug 8, 2025 | Triple Crown BBQ (Day 1) 🏅 Doswell, VA | 4 / 25 (346.8228) | 2 (177.7028) | 11 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Jul 25, 2025 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 3 / 37 (348.5372) | 6 (173.1200) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jun 6, 2025 | WV Coalfields Cookoff WV KCBS State Championship 🏅 Welch, WV | 1 / 11 (356.5600) | 1 (177.7028) | 1 (178.8572) | 1 (175.4172) | — |
| May 23, 2025 | Big Knob BBQ Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 2 / 12 (348.5372) | 1 (180) | 3 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Apr 26, 2025 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 7 / 16 (344.5600) | 6 (172.5600) | 7 (172) | — | — |
| Apr 25, 2025 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 11 / 20 (342.8000) | 7 (173.1084) | 13 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Mar 22, 2025 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 5 / 43 (347.4060) | 8 (174.2628) | 6 (173.1432) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 4 / 45 (346.2400) | 3 (176.5600) | 9 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Urbanna, VA | — | 13 (167.9772) | — | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | BBQ Gives Back (ONE MEAT RIBS) Urbanna, VA | — | — | 10 (169.1316) | — | — |
| Oct 26, 2024 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 🏅 Roseland, VA | 6 / 11 (342.8232) | 8 (170.8344) | 5 (171.9888) | — | — |
| Oct 25, 2024 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) 🏅 Roseland, VA | 2 / 13 (350.2860) | 3 (177.1544) | 6 (173.1316) | — | — |
| Oct 25, 2024 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Roseland, VA | — | 7 (168.5372) | — | — | — |
| Oct 25, 2024 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT RIBS) Roseland, VA | — | — | 1 (177.7144) | — | — |
| Sep 27, 2024 | "The First State" BBQ Bash 🏅 Milford, DE | 9 / 26 (334.2288) | 4 (171.4172) | 11 (162.8116) | — | — |
| Aug 30, 2024 | Fire in the Foothills BBQ Festival 🏅 King, NC | 4 / 28 (338.8000) | 3 (173.7028) | 5 (165.0972) | 1 (176.5600) | — |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) 🏅 Ashland, VA | 2 / 28 (346.8228) | 5 (170.8228) | 1 (176) | 9 (169.1200) | — |
| Aug 9, 2024 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) 🏅 Ashland, VA | 5 / 27 (343.9544) | 1 (178.8572) | 12 (165.0972) | 7 (171.9772) | — |
| Aug 9, 2024 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Ashland, VA | — | — | 15 (164.5372) | — | — |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Smoke on the Mountain 🏅 Galax, VA | 7 / 32 (334.7768) | 9 (167.3712) | 7 (167.4056) | — | — |
| Jun 29, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 2) 🏅 Delta, PA | 10 / 19 (337.0628) | 15 (168.5256) | 10 (168.5372) | — | — |
| Jun 28, 2024 | York County BBQ Festival (Day 1) 🏅 Delta, PA | 8 / 29 (338.2284) | 1 (175.4056) | 18 (162.8228) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 🏅 Buckhannon, WV | 1 / 30 (346.2976) | 3 (172.5716) | 1 (173.7260) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | WV Coalfields Cookoff 🏅 Welch, WV | 1 / 13 (349.7028) | 2 (177.1428) | 2 (172.5600) | 5 (163.3828) | — |
| May 24, 2024 | Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Rochester, PA | 1 / 23 (350.8572) | 1 (176.5600) | 1 (174.2972) | — | — |
| May 4, 2024 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 2 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 6 / 35 (339.3712) | 5 (174.2628) | 6 (165.1084) | — | — |
| May 3, 2024 | Jiggy With The Piggy - Day 1 🏅 Kannapolis, NC | 3 / 45 (348.6060) | 1 (178.8572) | 8 (169.7488) | — | — |
| Apr 20, 2024 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 2) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 13 / 25 (335.3944) | 16 (165.6800) | 8 (169.7144) | 2 (175.4172) | — |
| Apr 19, 2024 | Revolutionary BBQ Brawl (Day 1) 🏅 Williamsburg, VA | 12 / 25 (337.6800) | 4 (174.2628) | 16 (163.4172) | 5 (173.1200) | 11 (160.5260) |
| Mar 23, 2024 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 2) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 2 / 42 (350.8344) | 2 (178.8572) | 7 (171.9772) | 5 (171.9772) | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | BBQ Gives Back (Day 1) (Masters and Backyard) 🏅 Urbanna, VA | 3 / 45 (348.0228) | 6 (171.4056) | 3 (176.6172) | 12 (168.5484) | — |
| Oct 28, 2023 | Zom-B-Q (Day 2) 🏅 Galax, VA | 11 / 17 (321.0516) | 11 (156.5144) | 9 (164.5372) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Nightmare before Zom-B-Q (Day 1) 🏅 Galax, VA | 11 / 19 (318.1944) | 13 (156.5028) | 8 (161.6916) | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Galax, VA | — | 11 (165.7028) | — | — | — |
| Oct 27, 2023 | Zom-B-Q (ONE MEAT RIBS) Galax, VA | — | — | 9 (159.9772) | — | — |
| Sep 23, 2023 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 15 / 20 (507.3716) | 11 (170.8456) | 16 (166.2516) | 10 (170.2744) | — |
| Sep 22, 2023 | Americamps BBQ Throwdown - Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) Ashland, VA | 17 / 24 (502.7888) | 19 (163.9428) | 11 (170.3088) | 15 (168.5372) | — |
| Sep 9, 2023 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 2) 🏅 Mannington, WV | 11 / 11 (325.6684) | 9 (167.4056) | 11 (158.2628) | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (Day 1) 🏅 Mannington, WV | 11 / 12 (315.9316) | 10 (161.1428) | 11 (154.7888) | — | — |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Forks of the Buffalo BBQ Throwdown (ONE MEAT RIBS) Mannington, WV | — | — | 6 (167.3828) | — | — |
| Aug 21, 2015 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 23, 2013 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA | — | — | — | — | — |