Officer Bill Gannon’s Secret Barbecue Sauce

Officer Bill Gannon, played by actor Harry Morgan, was a character in the television show Dragnet which appeared from 1967 to 1970 on the NBC Network. The show has appeared somewhere on the television dial ever since thanks to syndication and cable TV.

You may not have noticed the first time you watched this television series, but Officer Gannon is quite a foodie – maybe the original foodie. There were several segments of Dragnet devoted to Officer Bill Gannon’s love of food and cooking. The secret sauce recipe occurred during a Dragnet 1968 episode entitled The Big High.

“It was Thursday, September 14th, it was hot in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of Narcotics Division, the boss is Captain Al Trembley. My partner is Bill Gannon, my name’s Friday. It looked like Bill was getting ready to open a restaurant.”

Joe asks Bill, “Just what is that gourmet’s delight your’e throwing together there?”  Bill replies, “For barbecue Joe, for barbecue.” What follows is the recipe for Officer Gannon’s Secret Barbecue Sauce …

Chill a good-sized bowl
Put one quart of ketchup into the bowl and mix
Add one can of red peppers
Add one can of hot mustard
Add one quart of vinegar
Add one pound of peeled and chopped red peppers
Add one small jar of oregano
Add four of five good-sized cloves of garlic
Mix together with an electric mixer
Add five chopped Bermuda onions as you mix
Add one quart vanilla ice cream

“Now, this is what gives it that ‘hard to tell what’s in it effect’ … One quart vanilla ice cream. One quart vanilla ice cream. Learned that from an old chef I once knew.”

You can watch it below … thanks for visiting!

Dragnet 1968, The Big High, Series Episode 25, Season 2/Episode 8