Our Story

Our family has a lot of Texas in it. One of the company’s founders grew up in the greater Houston area, and another’s family has a long history in the Texarkana (Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma) region.

For the last 33+ years, we’ve been in Northeast Ohio (for the jobs). But we’ve never forgotten the barbecue: beef, mostly brisket, slow-smoked over mesquite wood. If possible, in smokers that are actually converted 55-gallon drums (you know the ones I mean!).

And the sauce! Some BBQ aficionados say that sauce isn’t necessary, but we respectfully disagree. A good Texas-style BBQ sauce is a balance of sweet and spice, with some smokiness to remind you of how good BBQ is cooked.

But sauce like that didn’t seem to exist in Northeast Ohio! So for over ten years, we’d been making our own at home. And wowing our friends and colleagues who kept saying “You should go into business selling this stuff!”

And so Smokin’ Bettie’s BBQ Sauce was born. A true Texas-style BBQ sauce that has just the right balance of sweet, smoke, and spice. For the spiceheads among us, we also have a fresh jalapeno version (with a bit of zing) and a fresh habanero version (with a LOT of zing!). And to satisfy your winter cravings, we’ve branched out into sloppy joe sauces (more properly styled as “Sloppie Jo” sauces!) and some other pan-ready sauces for easy, satisfying meals. (Don’t be too hard on us - we didn’t have much winter in our part of Texas.)

Now our new Maui Sauce is here! And it’s getting rave reviews. Check out our Products page. It’s a step away from our classic Texas flavors, but we think you’ll like how it makes dinner quick, easy, and tasty! (And let’s face it - after the pandemic, we all need that.)

Try them. Add a little bit of Texas to your life. You’ll see what you’ve been missing. Or what you’ve been wanting. (And go get yourself one of those 55-gallon drum smokers. You’ll thank me later. No, we don’t sell them.)