To paraphraseVice President Joe Biden, this is a big cooking deal.

The peoplehave spoken. And, they chose Pork Barrel BBQ’s Sweet Sauce as their favorite of60 teams competing at the 18th Annual Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battlelast weekend in Washington.

It garneredthe People’s Choice Award for the best barbecue sauce being served at thetwo-day competition.

This is thesecond consecutive year the fledgling Alexandria company has won a major awardfor its sauce at this event that draws thousands of attendees. In 2009 PorkBarrel BBQ’s Team won two trophies one for their Original Sauce and anotherfor their pulled pork in the Memphis in May portion of the contest.

“Weare very excited at the reaction to our new sweet barbecue sauce and humbled towin the People’s Choice Award,” said Brett Thompson, co-founder, alongwith Heath Hall, of Pork Barrel BBQ. “It is especially exciting thatpeople nationwide can now try this award winning sauce for themselves.”

Their SweetSauce and others, plus their Rib Rub, are available in more 1,000 stores in 40states beginning this summer, including Safeway, Whole Foods, and HarrisTeeter. Pork Barrel BBQ also expects to open a restaurant in Alexandria’s DelRay neighborhood this fall.

Thompsonand Hall founded their business in December 2008 in the basement of theirhouses, selling their sauces one bottle at a time. Their mission is “tounite the nation through the great tradition of barbeque and bring bipartisanflavor to your next meal.