About Us
Rust is the new blackLocally Owned and Locally Manufactured
The love of low and slow BBQ began over 30 years ago with the purchase of a Weber Kettle BBQ, and it has grown ever since. In 2013 we imported some Chinese-built offset smokers and began dabbling with Texas offset low and slow style of BBQ. To be honest, we knocked out some pretty good briskets on these things, but it was hard work. The imported smoker’s drum was a 1.5mm thick 2-piece setup that screwed together, so it leaked heat and chewed through fuel like there was no tomorrow. We eventually sold them all on eBay (for a loss).
We found the process of nurturing a fire on a lazy Saturday afternoon, and the finished product of delicious BBQ at the end, quite enjoyable and relaxing. However, it could be that much more relaxing if the smoker was made of thicker material so it held the heat, and didn’t require so much fuel.
“Nothing ticked all the boxes, so we decided to build our own”
We dredged the internet, trawled through BBQ forums and researched various designs and smoker ratio calculators, we read Aaron Franklin’s book – A Meat Smoking Manifesto, we read every interview and watched every YouTube video he ever made. By late 2015 we had a checklist of what constituted the perfect smoker. We started looking at various Australian and US-built smokers, but nothing ticked all the boxes. The only solution was to build our own.
We loved the look of classic Texas Offset style with the round fire chamber, large “chuck wagon” wheels and the drum angled for grease drainage (NB: the round fire chamber is not purely for aesthetics, they perform better according to Franklin).
“…the best performing smokers on the market today”
Now, about the rusty finish. Texas offset smokers are a simple, primitive, rustic device, and we wanted a finish that reflected that. We had seen many black-painted smokers look pristine after they rolled off the production line, but before too long began to rust and look shabby, particularly around the firebox. We experimented with the patina rust effect on some mild steel. We thought the end result looked stunning, and would only improve over time. We think the combined aesthetics of the classic Texas-style and the patina finish make for a stunning piece of art, a centre-piece of any backyard, and a head-turner at events and BBQ competitions.
But it’s not just about looks, we wanted to offer the best performing smoker money can buy. There are many design elements unique to Red Dirt Smokers that contribute to achieving this. We encourage you to shop and compare, compare the design features, compare the performance of thermal transfer from fire chamber to cook chamber, compare the build quality, and compare the finish.
We think you will agree, that Red Dirt Smokers are the best-looking, best-performing smokers on the market today. We are so confident in our product, we believe it will become a family heirloom and get handed down through the generations.
Be the Pitmaster!