Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle Crowns Winner
The Pork Barrel BBQ Competition BBQ Team emerged as the Grand Champion of the 2011 Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle, which is the only barbecue championship in Washington, D.C. Sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, the team receives an automatic invitation to two of the top prestigious contests on the professional barbecue competition circuit – the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational Contest in Kansas City, Mo., and the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational in Lynchburg, Tenn.
“It’s a huge honor to win the Grand Championship at the Safeway Barbecue Battle,” said Brett Thompson, co-founder and CEO of Pork Barrel BBQ. “This is especially meaningful to win this in our hometown where we founded our barbecue sauce company and will soon be home to our first Pork Barrel BBQ restaurant.” Heath Hall, co-founder/president of Pork Barrel BBQ, called the victory at the Safeway barbeque contest “the thrill of a lifetime to win…the contest in our hometown.”
Over 150,000 people attended the 19th annual Safeway National Barbecue Battle in Washington, during the two-day competition, June 25-26. The Pork Barrel BBQ Competition BBQ Team competed against several current and former world champion barbecue teams in this year’s contest. In addition to being awarded the Grand Champion title, trophy and prize money, the team also won the Perdue Sizzlin’ Chicken National Chicken Championship and the Kingsford Points Chase.
Hall and Thompson, the sauce company’s co-founders, are recognized as two of the most creative and entrepreneurial minds in barbeque. The company recently released Que Cologne – the world’s first Eau de Barbecue. Since their appearance on ABC’s hit reality TV show Shark Tank in 2009, they have expanded their business from creating BBQ sauces and spice rubs in their home kitchens to selling award-winning BBQ products at over 1,300 stores across America including Safeway, Whole Foods, and Costco.
Their inaugural cookbook, the free Pork Barrel BBQ Guide to Tailgating, received praise from food and sports fans across America, and their sauce was recently named Best Sauce in America and one of “The 125 Best Foods for Men” by Men’s Health Magazine.
Entrepreneurs Hall and Thompson recently launched the world’s first social network dedicated exclusively to barbecue, and the company will soon open its first restaurant in Alexandria, Va., later this summer. They also continue to earn support from avid barbecue fans with their Pork Barrel BBQ Blog, as well as via their Twitter feeds.