Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce
DealSpecialty Food
Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce is a specialty food that got its big break on Shark Tank in Season 1, and convinced Barbara Corcoran to invest.
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From the show
The Shark Tank pitch
- $50K
- Asked for
- 10%
- Offered equity
- $500K
- Sought valuation
- $50K
- Deal amount
- 50%
- Deal equity
- $100K
- Deal valuation
Founder Heath Hall and Brett Thompson stepped onto the carpet in Season 1, Episode 6 in the episode that aired September 13, 2009, bringing their Alexandria, VA business with them. Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce, the specialty food, pitched in the Food & Drink category, one of 318 food & drink businesses to brave the Tank across all 17 seasons.
The ask was $50,000 for 10% of the company, an implied valuation of $500K.
Barbara Corcoran made the deal at $50,000 for 50% equity. That priced the company at $100K, a haircut from the $500K the founders walked in asking for, which is how negotiations in the Tank usually go.
Season 1 saw 64 pitches, and 27 of them closed a deal on air. In the Food & Drink category overall, roughly 61% of pitches have landed a shark across the show's history.
The full story
Everything to know about Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce
Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce is a Kansas City style barbecue sauce that grew into a full line of sauces, rubs and seasonings. The founders, Heath Hall and Brett Thompson, were Washington insiders, one a lobbyist and the other a Capitol Hill staffer, who turned a side passion for barbecue into a packaged food brand with a tongue in cheek political name. The pitch was as much about a real consumer product as it was about a clever idea.
They asked for a modest sum in exchange for a small equity stake, and Barbara Corcoran countered by demanding half the company. The founders pushed back and tried to keep more ownership, but Corcoran held firm at fifty percent. They ultimately accepted, deciding her grocery and retail know how was worth giving up the larger share to get the brand onto shelves.
The segment stood out because the founders had real ambition and a product that tasted good enough to scale. The political branding gave it a hook, but the business behind it was serious. Corcoran's willingness to bet on two first time food entrepreneurs, and their willingness to trade equity for her help, set up one of the more productive partnerships from that early season.
Where Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce is now
Pork Barrel BBQ became one of Corcoran's standout food investments. The brand pushed into thousands of grocery stores, added competition style sauces and rubs, and later expanded into bacon jerky. Updates on the show tracked the company's growth as distribution widened across major retail chains.
The company is still active. Pork Barrel BBQ sells a range of sauces, rubs and snacks through its own website and on Amazon, and its products turn up at large grocery and warehouse retailers. More than fifteen years after the pitch, it remains a working consumer brand rather than a one season footnote.
Where to buy Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce
Pork Barrel BBQ is easy to find today. You can order the original and sweet Kansas City style sauces, the all purpose rub and the bacon jerky directly from porkbarrelbbq.com, and the same products are stocked on Amazon in single jars and multipacks. Many shoppers also spot it in grocery and warehouse stores. If you like a smoky, sweeter competition style sauce, it is a reasonable everyday pick that has stayed on the market for years.
Is Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce still in business?
Read our 2026 update on where the company is now.
Sold on Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce?
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Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce?
Check current price and availability on Amazon. Note that some Shark Tank products are discontinued or sold under a new name. The company's official website is another option.
Did Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce get a deal on Shark Tank?
Yes. Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce closed a deal for $50,000 in exchange for 50% equity, with Barbara Corcoran.
Which shark invested in Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce?
Barbara Corcoran invested in Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce ($50,000 total as aired).
What season of Shark Tank was Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce on?
Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce appeared in Season 1, Episode 6, which aired September 13, 2009.
How much was Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce asking for on Shark Tank?
The founders asked for $50,000 for 10% of the company, a $500K valuation.
Can you still buy Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce?
Yes. It is sold on the official site porkbarrelbbq.com and on Amazon, and it appears in many grocery and warehouse stores. The lineup includes original and sweet sauces, rubs and bacon jerky.
Who started Pork Barrel BBQ?
Heath Hall and Brett Thompson, two Washington professionals who turned a love of barbecue into a packaged food company. They pitched it on Shark Tank's first season.
Did the Shark Tank deal work out?
It did. Barbara Corcoran took a fifty percent stake and the brand grew into thousands of stores over the following years, making it one of her more successful food investments.
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