The best tool for the job is what I’m always going to be after. With regards to choosing the right smoker, my goal is always to build the smoker that’s going to do the job that you need it to do, whether that’s you in your backyard trying to make a couple of briskets for your family, or you trying to do 40 or more briskets for your restaurant. The 250s and the 500s take a little longer, and a lot of people are interested in those because they like the aesthetic and because that’s what people are used to with Texas-style barbecue. The Octos, which honestly make the best brisket I’ve ever had, have a shorter wait time, because we don’t have to locate the propane tanks in order to make them. ![]() I love barbeque and I love smokers, so I like talking about anything barbeque or smoker related.ĭepending on what kind of smoker you want, the wait time is anywhere from 3-to-6 months. If you know what size smoker you want, you just say: “Hey, I want a quote for, you know, like a 500-gallon smoker, or a 250-gallon, or an Octo.” But if you don’t know - and most people don’t - we can walk you through the whole process. The first step is just to contact us through email, website, phone, whatever. The process of ordering a smoker from us is pretty straightforward. I think we’ve built 36 smokers since then, with more and more orders stacking up each day. That first one was over two years ago, in 2017. I was like, “Hey, here’s this thing I’m building.” And by the time that one was finished, there were four more orders. So I was like, “How is this going to pan out?” But I documented the build of that first one. I mean, I knew they were popular elsewhere - it’s a big thing in Texas, obviously - but they’re kind of bulky for urban environments like Los Angeles, and it’s a big endeavor to make one. I was a bit skeptical at first that anyone would want a propane tank smoker in Los Angeles. So I said, “Hell yeah,” and not long after that he was like: “You know, I’ve got this storage unit up in Sun Valley and I’ve got a couple of propane tanks in case you want to build a few smokers.” Do you know how?” And I was all excited because I’ve always loved barbecue. He was like, “I want to build an offset smoker. InsideHook: Does Fat Stack have an origin story? How did you get started?Įric Wech: Well, I met my business partner, Steve Vartazarian, because he took a welding class at the place where I was teaching at that time. But the brisket that comes off Wech’s grills has a reputation for helping push a novice barbecuer toward the big leagues, so we recently visited Wech to learn more about his creations, how he got started and how to get your hands on a Fat Stack Smoker of your own. The waiting list for a Fat Stack Smoker is long like everything smoking-related, building one is a slow, deliberate and intensive process. We first learned of Fat Stack earlier this year from Chicago Chef Brian Bruns, who ordered a 500-gallon behemoth from Wech for his new smokehouse, Flat & Point, after finding Fat Stack on Instagram. ![]() And while he’s attracted a huge following around California, his influence in the world of slow-cooked meats extends much farther. It’s in Sun Valley, California, a suburban neighborhood of some 75,000 people just north of Burbank. Wech is the owner and founder of Fat Stack Smokers, a small company with a cult-like following that supplies some of the country’s best barbecue restaurants with custom Texas-style barbecue pits.īut Wech’s workshop isn’t in Dallas or Austin or San Antonio. On any given day, you’ll find Eric Wech hunched over a propane tank with a welder’s torch in hand, sparks flying, sweat dripping from the red and bearded face beneath his mask.
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