New 5-Hour Energy BBQ Sauce…Yes, You Read That Right

Seeing as I have been a food writer for a couple of years now, I have been following packaged food news like it’s my job…because it is my job…but also because it’s fascinating. I have seen things I can’t unsee (thanks, Pringles Spider). I have tasted things I can’t untaste (thanks, Claussen dill pickle jelly beans). And I thought I had witnessed every kind of brand collab under the sun. Ladies and gentlefriends, I thought wrong. In a series of limited online drops, you can now purchase 5-Hour Energy’s Energizing” BBQ Sauce and achieve “big grill energy.” Yes, you read between the lines correctly, this is a caffeinated BBQ sauce. You can’t make this stuff up. Well…I guess you could, but I assure you I am not. This is really happening, people. And as if that weren’t enough cognitive dissonance, somehow Kevin from The Office is involved? Let’s dive in and figure out what all this means before we get lost in the caffeinated sauce.

So…exactly who is this for? Are you supposed to drink it or cook with it? What could possess a person to cook with caffeinated BBQ sauce? Where is Kevin in all this?

Turns out, we do know what flavor this 5-Hour Energy BBQ sauce will be: Peach Mango. Yes, just like the flavor of 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength. Also like 5-hour Energy, the sauce is supposed to have a “sweet and tangy Peach Mango flavor,” and yes, it will boast 60 milligrams of caffeine per serving. That’s only about a quarter to a third of the caffeine of a regular 5-Hour Energy shot, but assuming a serving of the sauce is something like two tablespoons (as it is with most sauces), this could be a VERY highly caffeinated sauce. For reference, a cup of coffee contains 80 to 100 mg of caffeine. We don’t know yet what a “serving” of this sauce is, but there is a very real chance that this is the summer you eat BBQ chicken that’s as caffeinated as two cups of coffee, a sentence I never thought I would write. That’s not to mention that people usually grill in the evening, and consuming caffeine in the evening is a choice. This is wild. In press materials, even the brand itself refers to this sauce as “unhinged” (I didn’t even have to do it for them). As for how Kevin is involved, Brian Baumgartner (the actor who played Kevin on The Office and is now known for his grilling prowess in addition to his talent for iconically dropping chili) will “help launch the brand.” They didn’t say exactly how, but my guess is this will happen via social media.

If you, like me, have a morbid curiosity about these kinds of things, you’re going to have to wait to get your hands on a bottle. It’s currently sold out, but, never fear, they’re also doing drops on July 2, 9, and 16, so you will have many chances to heavily caffeinate your baby back ribs this summer (yes, I think this sauce is for cooking and not drinking but then again, who’s gonna stop you?). As for who this sauce is for, I truly don’t know. I guess it’s food nerds like me who see something like this and absolutely have to try it? Or maybe nocturnal people? If we do try it, we will let you know how it goes…and how little we sleep that night.


About the Author

Jessica Block

Jessica Block is a freelance contributor to Sporked, a comedian, a baker, a food writer, and a firm believer that Trader Joe's may just be the happiest place on earth. She loves spicy snacks, Oreos, baking bread, teeny tiny avocados, and trying new foods whenever she can. Also, if you give her a bag of Takis she will be your best friend.

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  • Has anybody been able to get this? Tomorrow is our last chance and I have no idea what time to watch for it and I’d love to try it even if I had to pay for it

    Reply