Shopping for BBQ Gear? Start Here!

2,000+ Free Pages

2,000+ Free Pages

YOU ARE HERE >> AmazingRibs » Recipes » This BBQ Sauce Recipe Was A Former President’s Favorite

This BBQ Sauce Recipe Was A Former President’s Favorite

Created by legendary Texas pitmaster Walter Jetton, this BBQ sauce recipe is sure to be a crowd favorite. Former president LBJ loved it!

flames line2
walter jetton

Walter Jetton’s Barbecue Sauce

3.76 from 37 votes
Rate this Recipe
Jetton bragged that his barbecue sauce would "tickle the tongue of your Grandma's shoe." In his book, Jetton wrote "This is the secret of the ages I am giving you here, and I would not be surprised if wars have been fought over less. Use this as a plate or table sauce with beef, chicken, pork, or almost anything else. Don't cook things in it.
Course: meat
Cuisine: American, barbecue, texas

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup tomato ketchup
  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon American style paprika
  • 1 dash finely ground black pepper

Method
 

  1. Combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain.

Notes

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Related Articles & Posts

Comments & Questions
Ask Us Anything
Sign in BBQ joint

Before you can post a comment or question you must sign into our commenting partner, Disqus. This helps make sure everyone hanging around the grill is civil. We do not tolerate nastiness, racism, porn, inappropriate language, or attacks on others. All comments are the property of AmazingRibs.com and we reserve the right to quote them, edit them, delete them, and block people from making future comments.

Please leave comments and questions on the same page that is devoted to that subject so others can see questions and our answers when they are reading about the subject. You must enable JavaScript to use the comments section, and you must accept cookies to post comments. Note: the software that runs Disqus is different from the Pitmaster Club, so members need to sign into the Pitmaster Club separately.

Click to comment or ask a question...
Published On: May 12, 2021
Last Modified On: March 14, 2026

Up Your BBQ IQ By Joining The Pitmaster Club

AmazingRibs.com Pitmaster Club Sign up for a free trial of the AmazingRibs.com Pitmaster Club and experience everything that the world's largest membership-based BBQ and grilling community has to offer! Get a free 30-day trial here.

New Recipes, Reviews, and Science Sent To Your Inbox!

Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly newsletter, Smoke Signals, and never miss a new recipe!

New Recipes

Products We Love
Hasty Bake Legacy
Hasty Bake Legacy
There are few finer charcoal grills than the Hasty Bake Legacy, allowing you to easily grill, smoke, or roast whatever you like in one unit.
Combustion Predictive Thermometer
Combustion Predictive Thermometer
The Combustion Predictive thermometer is one of our favorite wireless probes, using a unique sensor array to measure and predict cooking times.
Meater Pro XL1
Meater Pro XL1
The Meater Pro XL is a wireless meat thermometer that features four probes, each of which has five separate temperature sensors.
Slow N Sear Deluxe
Slow N Sear Deluxe
The Slow ‘N Sear is arguably the single best accessory for the Weber kettle, turning it into a great smoker and searing machine. 
Weber Searwood
Weber Searwood
Searwood is an all-in-one pellet smoker/grill that produces great smoke flavor, aroma, and color. Not only is it great at low-and-slow cooking, it also addresses the inability of many pellet cookers to cook at high temps. 
Karubecue C-60
Karubecue C-60
Those who seek the Holy Grail of Smoke need to know about Karubecue. We tested The Karubecue C-60 and found it produces perfect smoke consistently. The results on this cooker are pure ambrosia!
Traeger Flatrock Griddle
Traeger Flatrock Griddle
The Traeger Flatrock griddle's unique features and hefty build quality set it a few paces ahead of many of the other griddles currently for sale in the market.
Jump To Top