Good Afternoon Pitmasters,
I wanted to write up a post on my experience with Aaron Franklin's backyard pit, which you can now get on the waitlist for. I've had it for two months and it is my first offset with about 3 years smoking experience on WSCG and no prior fire management. Some balk at the price:'feature' ratio, which I get, but you're ultimately paying for what Franklin would design and build for his own use in a custom small shop setting plus a bit of inflation due to the brand. Overall, I love it and have no regrets.
Purchase, Customer Service, Shipping, Unboxing
Cook Performance
Cooks So far
I wanted to write up a post on my experience with Aaron Franklin's backyard pit, which you can now get on the waitlist for. I've had it for two months and it is my first offset with about 3 years smoking experience on WSCG and no prior fire management. Some balk at the price:'feature' ratio, which I get, but you're ultimately paying for what Franklin would design and build for his own use in a custom small shop setting plus a bit of inflation due to the brand. Overall, I love it and have no regrets.
Purchase, Customer Service, Shipping, Unboxing
- Had been on waitlist for about 2 years. They sent an email asking if I was still interested, which I said yes. They then give you order details to decide on and then you call and place the order. There's no holds, so you have to be able to purchase when your name comes up, otherwise they move on to the next on the list.
- Purchase Price: $2950 (now $3450 due to rising price of steel), shipping ~$600 from TX to IA, Custom Cover ~$200. I got pit #107.
- Customer Service (A+): very friendly and personable, answered all questions I had patiently, and followed up a couple weeks after delivery to ask how the delivery process and first cook went. Really top notch.
- Delivery was smooth, crate delivered into my garage. Packing very thorough and well thought out - no damage and clear instructions on uncrating which the customer service team sent by email along with what was stapled to the crate. The walls of the crate are designed to be used as runners for rolling over uneven terrain to your backyard, which I thought was a nice design touch.
- The smoke stack is bolted on to the cook chamber, which is the only assembly required.
- Pit comes with a 75 page instruction manual written and signed by Franklin. It was a nice summary of his other materials.
- Went through over 60 prototypes over 5 years, very pleased with the engineering
- Thick steel throughout (1/4, and 5/16 in areas), high quality welds, about 600 lbs, very high quality
- Cook chamber 20"x39", but 6 of those inches are taken by a welded platform for a water pan, which also serves as a baffle plate. Holds 2 briskets, 3 pork butts, and 5 ribs laying flat comfortably.
- Firebox is double-wall insulted and much larger proportionally than I see on most other smokers
- Grate level smoke stack, which sits on top of a trapezoid channel that is supposed to concentrate smoke around the meat as it's pulled out. Tel-tru thermometer placed grate level close by, about 10 degree difference from my fireboard.
- Smoke stack optimized to 42" after experimentation
- No air damper and the door has been drilled with holes to make it impossible to choke your fires
- Rotating ergonomic handle is nice
- Grease drain channel on the bottom with hook for grease pail (included)
- It's heavy, but I can roll it fine on concrete - I store in garage and cook on the driveway.
Cook Performance
- Very easy to achieve blue/clear smoke due to maximizing air flow. I haven't remotely had an issue with creosote.
- Holds temps well in most weather I've tried (-5 degrees wind/snow up to 60 degrees and sunny). In really cold weather you can hold temps easier with welder's blanket for added insulation (~30 degrees) and by keeping the firebox door closed (~20 degrees)
- Works best with small splits (about 9" x 2-3"). Using bigger splits will result in higher temperature swings
- You can leave it unattended for maybe 5-10 min, but plan on tending the fire the whole cook (no set and forget!)
- In my conditions, it seems to "settle in" around 260-270 degrees
- Produces very moist meat and amazing bark. I think the added humidity and increased air/smoke flow made a difference that surprised me here. I haven't been able to achieve those levels on the WSCG.
- Just a lot of fun
Cooks So far
- Have done pork shoulder, pork spare ribs, beef plate ribs, whole chicken, pork belly, and brisket. All have been the best I've done since getting into smoking (even verified by my indifferent wife!)
- Pork Shoulder: first cook in -5 degree weather, wanted to test how "idiot proof" pork shoulder really is and it turned out delicious even with huge temperature swings due to it being the first time I managed a fire
- Ribs: both pork and beef turned out really well. I started them a little too late so I think there's another level of tenderness to be achieved but really happy with the flavor
- Brisket: amazing bark and really nice moisture/texture at the end. Went 8 hours at a range of 255-265, spritz every hour w/ apple cider vinegar starting at hour 3, wrapped in butcher paper at hour 8, finished for 4 hours at 285. Need to work on trimming more and need a new cutting knife, but overall quite pleased.
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