Meet the 3,500-Pound Smokers at Upcoming Lewis Barbecue

Once it opens, Lewis Barbecue could conceivably have a rotation of 1,600 sausage links and 4,800 pounds of brisket smoking at any time. Of course, the proteins will vary, but pitmaster John Lewis has the equipment ready for that much beef and hot guts.

Lewis, his father John Lewis Sr., and his friend Jimbo Glass produced four, custom-built, 3,500-pound smokers and a separate sausage cooker for the upcoming eatery. Their company Austin Smoke Works brought the heavy-duty equipment from Texas and installed them into the Lewis Barbecue space at 464 N. Nassau St.

A unique component to one of the smokers is the addition of Lewis' great-great-grandfather's butcher cleavers as control for the damper. His great-great-grandfather opened a butcher shop in 1906 in New Mexico and made barbecue. The meat gene skipped a few generations, but now Lewis carries on the tradition.