Thursday, March 25, 2010

Lady Bird Johnson's Home Made Barbecue Sauce

The food for most of Lyndon Johnson’s barbecues was prepared by a chef named Walter Jetton, who owned a popular catering business in Fort Worth, Texas, a few hours south of the LBJ Ranch. Calling himself “The Barbeque King,” Jetton dressed in a Stetson hat, creased white shirt and black string tie, and often had a whole headless cow rotating on a spit beside a smoldering log fire.

This original recipe for “Mrs. Lyndon Johnson’s Barbecue Sauce” was reprinted in numerous newspapers and magazines throughout the 1960s.

¼ cup butter
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and Tabasco to taste

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour over meat to be barbecued. Yields 1 ½ cups.