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Aaron Franklin smoker

ClintHTX

ClintHTX

is Blowin Smoke!
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Anyone have any idea what style smoker he has. Is it a basic smoker offset, reverse flow, tuning plates?
 
Just plain ol propane tank smokers, maybe 1000 gallon tanks?. Just regular offset smokers.may have something different for ribs though.
 
There was a brethren that posted last week about his visit to franklins he took a ton of close ups of his new set up under roof, some were close ups of the smokers. I can't seem to find the thread but will keep looking. I know Aaron builds pits,I always assumed he built his own.
 
Yeah he's throwing a curveball on those vids.
He doesn't use that junk, he's spinning.
His smokers have to be and dialed in.
You can't operate otherwise.
I have an old cooking mag which might be when he
first got noticed, selling out of a trailer.
I need to find it.
 
At least one of his big pits was Muellers old pit. He got it when Mueller went out of business. It was also his the first big pit he got for his BBQ joint when he opened..
 
I was just wondering his style not really the brand. I know he has built huge smokers. But just wondering what style he used whether it was reverse flow of if he had tuning plates or nothing at all.
 
The pics in shencosmoke s post shows the stack on the opposite side of the firebox so it doesn't seem to be reverse flow. I would assume a pit that long would have some kind of tuning plates.
 
He actually builds his own pits (with the exception of the one he got from Mueller)and I do believe that they are propane tanks or something similar. They are REALLY big offsets and I'd imagine that they have tuning plates in them, they're definitely not reverse flow.:-D
 
Last edited:
Standard off-set with no tuning plates.
One grate. LARGE firebox and LARGE exhaust.
A good pitmaster uses the different zones of heat to his advantage. :biggrin1:
You'll notice theres no intakes. They use the doors to manage the temp.
They wont admit it but theres no low n slow going on here.
 
Bbq Bubba said:
Standard off-set with no tuning plates.
One grate. LARGE firebox and LARGE exhaust.
A good pitmaster uses the different zones of heat to his advantage. :biggrin1:
You'll notice theres no intakes. They use the doors to manage the temp.
They wont admit it but theres no low n slow going on here.
Click to expand...

Bubba- when they claim that they are smoking for 18 hours, is that including a hot and fast cook plus a long hold period on the warming pits?
 
Standard off-set with no tuning plates.
One grate. LARGE firebox and LARGE exhaust.
A good pitmaster uses the different zones of heat to his advantage.
You'll notice theres no intakes. They use the doors to manage the temp.
They wont admit it but theres no low n slow going on here.
Click to expand...

There is a video floating around where Franklin mentions something like 320 degrees, definitely not low and slow territory. However, I do believe that a smoker loaded up with that much meat cooks slower than say, a backyard offset. Franklin's briskets still take 18 hours, despite the elevated temps. I'd call it "hot and slow" :biggrin1:

Also, if you look at MidnightStokersBBQ thread, the picture showing the briskets in the smoker shows a piece of wood placed on the grate closest to the firebox. I guess this is their only source of heat deflection. I've never seen anyone do that before.
 
Bbq Bubba said:
Standard off-set with no tuning plates.
One grate. LARGE firebox and LARGE exhaust.
A good pitmaster uses the different zones of heat to his advantage. :biggrin1:
You'll notice theres no intakes. They use the doors to manage the temp.
They wont admit it but theres no low n slow going on here.
Click to expand...
I guess you'd be the one with a little more insight, LOL! I agree, even though Aaron has said something about 275 I think they're probably cooking in the 300+ range at least. Turning out as much product as they do, on a daily basis, off of just a few offsets I don't think there's enough hours in the day for them to do a true low and slow with it all. After their recent re-model they may have 4 or 5 pits now but I don't think they would have changed the way they cook on them. :grin:
His closest competitor John Mueller (of The J. Mueller Meat Co. in Austin) was asked once how long he cooks his beef ribs and brisket, he just chuckled and said "AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE,... there ain't NO low and slow goin' on here, everything's high and fast"! Guess where Aaron learned from?!? His old boss John Mueller! LOL!!!:wink:
 
Brew n Que said:
There is a video floating around where Franklin mentions something like 320 degrees, definitely not low and slow territory. However, I do believe that a smoker loaded up with that much meat cooks slower than say, a backyard offset. Franklin's briskets still take 18 hours, despite the elevated temps. I'd call it "hot and slow" :biggrin1:

Also, if you look at MidnightStokersBBQ thread, the picture showing the briskets in the smoker shows a piece of wood placed on the grate closest to the firebox. I guess this is their only source of heat deflection. I've never seen anyone do that before.
Click to expand...

You're correct. He tries to run his pit 300-320. Having done a number of very large cooks (lot of meat) I can tell you the temp drops and pretty much stays below your start temp until near the end of the cook. At 300 the pit can go as low as 225, so it's kind of a time/temp balancing act. Think btu's/hour.
 
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