Copycat Love's Barbecue Pit BBQ Baked Beans
"I used to work at Love's BBQ restaurant as a server and they used to make the best baked beans! There were plenty of restaurants in California before, but a lot of them had closed down. If you've eaten there before, you know they have the best baked beans."
- Ready In:
- 1hr 5mins
- Ingredients:
- 7
- Serves:
-
8
ingredients
- 48 ounces pork and beans
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1⁄4 cup dark molasses
- 1⁄2 cup bottled chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 cup brown sugar
directions
- Combine all ingredients in bean pot or crock pot with lid, mix well.
- Cover and bake at 400ºF for 1 hour for thin bean mixture, or 1-1/2 to 2 hours for thicker bean mixture.
- Sprinkle with crumbled bacon bits to serve.
Questions & Replies
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My father Jack Simko owned the Loves on Normandie and Redondo Beach Blvd. Your recipe is most helpful. -
I worked at Love's as a dishwasher back in 1976 in Walnut Creek, CA. Their beans were the best! I remember watching the cooks throw unused cuts of meat in a meat grinder and place all of it on top of the bean mixture. I never saw what else went into it before that. I purposely try the baked beans at every bbq restaurant for the past 45 years I've dined at just to see if I might get lucky enough to find beans that compare close to Love's. Nothing comes close! I would know it if I came across it because its memorable flavor is embedded within my taste buds forever. I've tried copycat recipes, but nothing comes close. I can't wait to try this one. Keeping my fingers crossed.
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What brand of canned pork and beans did they/you use and what wood to smoke (hickory, mesquite,?)??
Reviews
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I worked at Love's as a pit-tender and line cook in the 70's in Torrance, CA. The original recipe was made from scratch but using canned beans. The beans were smoked for most of a day, along with brisket, ribs, chicken and the like. We ground the fat from brisket and pork butts and put a top layer on the beans. That would smoke for a few hours and then mixed into the beans. It was a wonderful thing to eat. My favorite? Hearts Delight BBQ Sandwich. A blend of meats piled on a large bun, with a side of beans and slaw. Doesn't get much better than that. -
I love Love's beans, I used to get them take-out all the time. This recipe is really good, but on subsequent batches I made modifications; this is my final recipe that is super close in my memory: <br/><br/>I use a 56 ounces of pork and beans instead of 48, and I use the tomato based type <br/>2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce <br/>2 teaspoons chili powder <br/>I use a 1/8 cup dark molasses instead of a 1/4 <br/>I use a 1/4 cup bottled chili sauce instead of a 1/2 <br/>2 tablespoons white vinegar <br/>1 cup brown sugar ( I did not pack)<br/>I add 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke<br/>I then add approx. 1 lb of smoked brisket chopped into small cubes approx. 1/4 inch<br/><br/>Simmer over stove about an hour. -
This was super close. The one thing this misses which loves had was all the cuttings and scraps from their bbq meat which was added to the beans. You can easily add some Lloyds bbq pork from the store( the kind that's in the plastic containers) and it is spot on. Of course, if you smoked some ribs or brisket and added scraps would work xlnt too
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Great....they came out perfect. I added 1 pound of ground beef I relly miss Loves.. So, thankyou for the Recipe!
Tweaks
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I love Love's beans, I used to get them take-out all the time. This recipe is really good, but on subsequent batches I made modifications; this is my final recipe that is super close in my memory: <br/><br/>I use a 56 ounces of pork and beans instead of 48, and I use the tomato based type <br/>2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce <br/>2 teaspoons chili powder <br/>I use a 1/8 cup dark molasses instead of a 1/4 <br/>I use a 1/4 cup bottled chili sauce instead of a 1/2 <br/>2 tablespoons white vinegar <br/>1 cup brown sugar ( I did not pack)<br/>I add 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke<br/>I then add approx. 1 lb of smoked brisket chopped into small cubes approx. 1/4 inch<br/><br/>Simmer over stove about an hour.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I am a full-time college student at San Diego State University where I have a degree in Accounting and a minor in Economics. Not only is cooking a necessity for a college student,it's a hobby for me. I love copycat recipes from restaurants and very open to try new recipes.
