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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