Jeff Daniels Says He’s ‘Stunned’ By the Internet’s Reaction to His Viral Sandwich Recipe
A Feb. 19 appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” turned into a two-week grocery store phenomenon after Jeff Daniels described his favorite sandwich — a peanut butter, crushed chip and barbecue sauce combination on pita bread that sent viewers straight to their pantries.
It happened fast. During “The Colbert Questionert,” a recurring 15-question rapid-fire segment, Colbert opened with a standard prompt: “What is the best sandwich?”
Daniels didn’t name a Reuben, a club or a Cuban. He described something no one saw coming.
A circular pita bread without an air pocket, a quarter-inch layer of creamy peanut butter on half of it, crushed Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips and a layer of barbecue sauce. Once assembled, just fold it over and eat.
“It could be my three favorite tastes,” he said. “It’s like visiting three countries at once. And they’re all in your mouth.”
“It’s fun to eat in front of other people, too,” he joked.
The recipe — if you can call it that — involves four ingredients and roughly 90 seconds of assembly time.
The Internet Turns the Sandwich Into a Trend
The clip went viral. In the two weeks that followed, people across the country rushed to recreate it.
Many people took to social media with reactions after trying the combination. Some liked it. Others didn’t have the palette for it.
Today author and registered dietitian Heather Martin “laughed out loud with the first bite” before describing it as “finger-licking good.”
The response generated enough buzz that grocery stores noticed the run on ingredients. If you were wondering why your local store was running low on peanut butter, Ruffles and BBQ sauce — this is why.
Jeff Daniels Was Just as Surprised as Everyone Else
In an interview with The Detroit News, published March 2, Daniels revealed he was baffled by the response online.
“I’m not a foodie but I am a connoisseur of things that taste good,” he told the outlet in an email, adding that he was “stunned” by the reactions.
He shared the backstory behind each ingredient with deadpan humor that tracks with the sandwich itself.
“As a kid, I believed Jif peanut butter was named after me. Whenever I open a bag of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream potato chips, I tend to eat more than just one,” he added.
“As for Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, I always thought if it was good enough for James Taylor to write a song about it, it was good enough for me. I have since learned to finish reading labels,” he continued.
Daniels was referring to his mix-up on “The Late Show” when he accidentally called it “Sweet Baby James” sauce.
Born From an Empty Kitchen
The sandwich wasn’t engineered. It was an accident born out of a nearly empty kitchen.
Daniels was home one day and wanted to make himself a PB&J with a piece of pita bread. He only had crumbs of chips at the bottom of the Ruffles bag, so those joined.
When he opened the refrigerator, he realized he was out of jelly. BBQ sauce took its place.
“I squirted the smoky syrup over the peanut butter and chips, folded over the pita, and took a bite. I loved it so much, I offered to make it for the family,” he told The Detroit News.
“They promptly ordered pizza,” he joked.
That gap between his enthusiasm and his family’s reaction mirrors the split happening online: some people are converts, others are genuinely confused. The divide is part of what keeps the conversation going.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
