Lou’s Smokehouse BBQ

Went by there today, they were closed. Everything inside Super A market was gone. Would like to know if they moved to another location. Tried calling their old number, no luck.

Tri-​tip plate was a ton of food for only 8 bucks. The portion of tri-​tip was VERY generous and you get to pick 2 different sides. Tri-​tip was cooked perfectly and had a nice smokey flavor. I got the greek salad and steak fries for sides, both were good.

I’ve got to write this one before I lose the inspiration. This place is terrific. A lot of BBQ snobs might rag on it but it IS the best BBQ place in Southern California. That Piggy Wigly place in the valley … please. Now don’t get me wrong we talking about BBQ in Southern California which is not the highest bar.
I am not going out on a limb and saying this little spot is the King of Memphis or anything like that. But I will give it the Southern California crown. Over Johnny Rebs in Long Beach and over Phils in San Diego.
The prices were outstanding. The portions were magnanimous. And the food? Well it knocked my socks off.
You were able to get 4 pieces of fried or grilled chicken for $ 3.29. The best thing on the menu was indeed the Tri Tip Sandwich. Best nine dollars you will spend.
I lived next to this spot for two years and the aroma of BBQ tri tip would fill the air. It was one of the greatest things about West Torrance.
People are thrown off by the face that it is in a super market. Oh well. Their loss. All the more my little kept secret.
Until now
As of this Sunday. Both the Super A and The Lou’s Smokehouse will be no longer.
Hopefully at least one Unilocaler catches this and runs to the Smokehouse tomorrow for one Last Hurrah … One last Tri Tip sandwich.
Like the Cheesesteak at Jordan’s Catfish station in Jersey City, New Jersey the Tri Tip will be lost to the sands of time.
This one will be lost to the sands of time…
Cue the … music… I thought wed liiiiive to see forever … But forevers gooonnee awayyyyyy.
Its so haaaarrrdd to say good byeeee to yesterdaaaayyyeeeeeee… eeeee

The BBQ isn’t bad, well not for SoCal standards anyway, which I consider a fairly low bar. The problem is there isn’t a whole lot of nearby options, especially now that Pinkies closed. Lou’s isn’t bad if you can choose your meat fresh off the smoker. Unfortunately too much of it has been sitting for too long, in my opinion.
I stick with the Tri-​Tip to order here and have always been happy with it. I am far more picky when it comes to ribs and I really don’t often ever get BBQ chicken anywhere. Pick up sides from the deli counter, some chips, and Super-​A fresh salsas.

BBQ Tri Tip and chicken are great. Tri-​Tip quality is very consistent on the weekends, but can be hit and miss during the week. Ditto for the back ribs. Get the food fresh off the grill/​out of the smoker and you are golden. Get there late, and not so good at times. Chicken has always been good, and we often pick it up weekdays after work. Also, they have a humongous bag of restaurant style tortilla chips for $ 2.99. Tri-​Tip, chicken, chips and fresh salsa, what else could you ask for? Ok, some ice cold beer makes it damn near perfect.

I always get the TRI-​TIP Beef that’s BBQ Grilled outside in the parking lot.
It’s $ 12.99 for a half or $ 19.99 for a full piece.
They have it cooked to order, so you can get it rare, medium rare, medium, medium well or well done, it’s up to you.
Since the pieces are big and the meat is juicy, I’d recommend getting it medium rare or less, knowing also with leftovers, when you reheat it, it won’t dry out.
I also tried their Hot Wings, which are standard fried chicken with a bit of spice, but not too hot. They have a solid steam tray styled set up inside of different foods. They’re not as appetizing as their fresh BBQ items.
The go-​to ‘tho is the TRI TIP as the must have.
The staff is very friendly and accommodating to get you accurately cooked Tri Tip.
The parking is easy, this is located outside (when grilling) and inside of the SUPER A FOODS super market next to the Chase Bank over on Torrance @ Inglewood Ave and West 190^th Street.

I’ve tried the chicken, pork ribs, and tri tip.
The chicken was very tender juicy flavorful smoked. Very good.
The ribs were also very tender juicy with a great smoked flavor and NOT boiled to make them soft.
Tri tip is not my cup of tea to begin with. Still sliced up made a good sandwich.
The guy behind the counter is very friendly helpful and not pushy or an idiot. Always a plus.

Grocery Store Food
Lou has some space in the Northeast corner of Super A Foods. Within that area, he has a flattop, grill & a large Southern Pride smoker. Food is paid by the pound, and there are some benches available if you want to eat it there. I ordered:
Beef/​Pork Ribs — $/​6 lb
«Hot» wings — $ 4/​lb
Mac & Cheese — $ 3.50/lb
My total came to $ 18.98 and the receipt says Super A Foods. The beef ribs were overcooked, by hours, there was very little meat left between the bones. That fatback also had not been removed. Pretty much flavorless. The pork ribs were St. Louis style, probably the fattiest that I have seen. Little or no rub, but there was a very light smoke ring. They were under cooked, with a little flavor. No BBQ sauce on any of the above. Tried their «hot» wings — they were nicely crispy, but no heat & little flavor. The mac & cheese was ½ step above the Kraft version.
While I was there, he put more unseasoned tri-​tip on the grill… They also cook hot dogs, hamburgers, turkey carnitas and some other things.
Personally, I prefer seasoned and properly cooked meat, so don’t expect to find me here again. Do let me know when you want to sell your Southern Pride though…

I’m surprised I couldn’t find this place on Unilocal.It’s located inside Super A Foods on 190^th. This BBQ is right up there in taste and quality with local BBQ joints. What’s different? The PRICE! 19.99 for a large and I mean LARGE tritip is unbeatable. $ 6.99 for an entire BBQ chicken. Lou’s BBQ sauce is delish! Even the sides are ok, we enjoyed the home-​made oven-​baked macaroni. They sell burgers and hotdogs too but we haven’t tried them yet. There’s a few cafeteria style tables, you order the food at the counter. Oh, one more thing, if you go on a weekend, they BBQ outside and you can pick up your freshly BBQ’d meat there, doesn’t get any better than that!