Made in Indiana: Barbecue sauces by JohnTom’s Barbecue

Products: JohnTom’s barbecue sauces are available in four varieties: Original, Sneaky Hot, Hoosier Heat and Peppered Gold, all made and bottled in Indianapolis.

Sauce origins: JohnTom’s is named after John Tom Branson, who grew up in Mississippi and moved to Indiana in the 1940s. Branson became well-known around Muncie for his wood-smoked meats and for his homemade barbecue sauce, which he stored in Ball jars in his pantry. Branson hoped to open his own barbecue restaurant, but he died in 1986 before realizing his goal.

Company history: Lathay Pegues, Branson’s grandson, spent years trying to duplicate his late grandfather’s beloved sauce recipes, which Branson had memorized and never written down. Pegues, now CEO of JohnTom’s Barbecue, never quite replicated Branson’s recipe but received rave reviews for the sauces he eventually created. In 2006, with help from his cousin Terrell Cooper and friend Rodney Robinson, Pegues founded JohnTom’s Barbecue and began selling bottles of sauce from the trunk of his car. Business eventually took off after the company established distribution and food-service deals with Piazza Produce, Levy Restaurants, US Foods and Sodexo.

Where you’ll find it: Bottles of JohnTom’s are available at retailers throughout Indiana, including Target, Kroger, Fresh Thyme, Moody’s Butcher Shop, Needler’s Fresh Market and numerous specialty stores. The sauces also are used by dozens of food vendors, restaurants and university dining halls and are served at major venues in the Midwest, including Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Notre Dame Stadium, Churchill Downs and the Indianapolis Zoo. JohnTom’s products also are sold online through Amazon, Instacart and at johntomsbbq.com.

Fun fact: JohnTom’s was named Indiana’s best barbecue sauce by the readers of Indianapolis Monthly.•

—Compiled by Jeff Newman