My Take on Love's Wood Pit BBQ Beans

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mneeley490

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Jun 23, 2011
4,282
2,970
Everett, WA
This came from the "Any Takes on Rosemary Seasoning?" thread where Dive Bar Casanova posted a great link to Ballistic BBQ recreating the bean recipe on YouTube. A tablespoon of powdered rosemary is in it.
Now, although this was a California chain, there was a Love's near me in Lynnwood, WA when I was a kid in the 60's & 70's. I think it went out around '73 or '74. I used to beg my parents to take us there. It was my favorite place to go, as no one I knew could make actual BBQ back then, as we know it now. {Anything my dad threw on the grill over charcoal was considered BBQ.) And I distinctly remember loving these beans as a kid.
So I followed the recipe to a "T", and smoked them on the Recteq yesterday. A big part of the recipe is that you have to refrigerate after cooling, and eat them the next day.
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Here's my verdict. Yes, you can taste the rosemary, and it's different, but not bad. However, it's been 50 years or more since I last tasted this, and it doesn't exactly match up to my memories. I assumed it would be sweet, as Young Me liked sweets. I just didn't think it would be this sweet. It calls for 1.5 cups of brown sugar. Now I can see where this might be necessary, if that's what you're going for. But Adult Me has problems with it.
For one, there's no cohesiveness. The balance between the sweet and the savory seasonings seems to be all off, like they're battling one another for dominance. I'm not sure if I'm eating a lunch side-dish, or a bowl of kid's cereal. If I were to make this again (and it really isn't that difficult), I'm pretty sure I would cut the brown sugar by at least half.
If anyone else had experience with Love's, let me know your thoughts.

Love's Wood Pit BBQ Beans Recipe
 
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