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Smoking hot: 5 of America's most extreme BBQ rigs, from battle tanks to jet airlines

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Smoking hot: 5 of America's most extreme BBQ rigs, from battle tanks to jet airlines

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David Klose is America’s bell cow of extreme barbecue rigs. 

The founder of BBQ Pits by Klose in Houston, Texas has custom-built many of the world’s biggest, most beautiful and most ambitious smokers. 

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Among them are a motorcycle sidecar that could barbecue ribs at 100 miles per hour, a giant beer bottle smoker, and a stunning rig designed to look like a giant model of a commercial passenger jet.

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Yes, there’s ego, showmanship and all-American barbecue bravado behind the orders for the extreme rigs. 

But the No. 1 motive for customers is easy to pinpoint.

“It’s charity,” said Klose. “You can raise millions of dollars a year by showing up at events with one of those barbecue pits to feed thousands of people.”

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A smoker designed like a M1A1 Abrams tank from WarPigs BBQ of Texas, left, and a military surplus tow truck used by C&J Sand Pigs of New Hampshire. (Dennis Butterworth; John Janelli)

John Janelli, a former Marine from Raymond, New Hampshire, also experienced the charitable power of a tricked-out barbecue rig.

He uses a military surplus tow-truck to haul a hog-shaped smoker he fabricated from a giant propane tank. 

Janelli intended to serve barbecue to friends and family. The rig, and the food, proved a popular party guest.

“It’s kind of ingrained in our culture.” 

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He’s recently cooked for Wounded Warriors and the VFW. He also rolled his rig through his hometown Memorial Day parade last year with a hog cooking inside his hog-shaped smoker — trailing a smoky, aromatic tail of deliciousness in its wake.

Barbecue, charity and veteran are a natural all-American trio, said barbecue champ and Army veteran Dennis Butterworth of WarPig BBQ in Crosby, Texas.

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“Anybody who’s been in the military, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines — at some point we had downtime and there was a grill and some charcoal and some cold beers and so that’s how we hung out,” said Butterworth. 

“It’s kind of ingrained in our culture.” 

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5 of America’s most amazing barbecue rigs 

1. A Class Carriers 76-foot trailer smoker

Terry Folsom of Brenham, Texas, is owner of what’s touted as the world’s largest mobile barbecue rig. The trailer is 76 feet long and can cook up to 12,000 pounds of meat at once.  (Terry Folsom/A Class Carriers)

Dubbed the world’s largest mobile barbecue rig, A Class Carriers in Benham, Texas can smoke up to 12,000 pounds of meat at once. 

Terry Folsom has used his full-size, 40-ton trailer to aid charity events and disaster relief. 

He rushed the rig into service to feed victims of Hurricane Harvey when the category 4 storm struck the Texas coast in August 2017.

2. BBQ Pits by Klose passenger jet

David Klose of BBQ Pits by Klose in Houston, Texas took nine months to fabricate this scale-model passenger jet smoker.  (David Klose/BBQ Pits by Klose)

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Klose spent nine months fabricating this smoker into a scale model of a commercial passenger jet, styled like a plane from the former Continental Airlines.

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Klose has fabricated thousands of custom-built barbecue rigs over the decades.

This one in particular, he said, “is breathtaking.”

3. C&J Sand Pigs military tow truck

John Janelli of Raymond, New Hampshire, hauls his giant barbecue smoker to events with a 1991 BMY M92 military surplus truck.  (John Janelli/C&J’s Sand Pigs)

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Janelli, who spent time in the U.S. Marine Corps, took a giant green propane tank and turned it into a work of art: a giant hog-shaped smoker, complete with snout, fiery eyeballs and corkscrew tail. 

It even has details hanging from the back to show that it’s a male pig.

The rig proved too heavy to tow with an ordinary road truck, so he found a military surplus tow truck to handle the chore. 

The combination of patriotic truck and mischievous male pig (the smoker is, um, anatomically correct) is a huge hit at partis, charity events and parades.

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4. Orange County Choppers RUB barbecue sidecar

BBQ Pits by Klose fabricated a motorcycle sidecar smoker for Orange County Choppers of New York and RUB Barbecue. (David Klose/BBQ Pits by Klose)

Klose fabricated a motorcycle-sidecar smoker for an episode of “American Chopper” starring the Teutul family of Orange County Choppers in upstate New York. 

The episode featured what was then the popular barbecue restaurant group RUB Barbecue.

“It costs as much as a Bentley,” Andrew Fischel of RUB Barbecue said at the time.

The stylish barbecue rig can reach speeds of 100 miles per hour and cook 20 racks of rib.

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5. WarPig BBQ M1A1 Abrams tank

Butterworth is a legendary barbecue champion who served on tank crews during his time in the U.S. Army.

A model of the battle tank proved a perfect design for his competitive barbecue team’s smoker. 

WarPig BBQ’s M1A1-model barbecue smoker. Dennis Butterworth of Houston, Texas, who heads the competitive barbecue team, served in tank crews in the U.S. Army. (Dennis Butterworth/WarPig BBQ)

The tracks work, allowing Butterworth to roll the rig onto the barbecue battlefield. The barrel, of course, is a chimney to vent the smoker.

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Republican senators hit border, touting tougher security and tax cuts, in 2026 kickoff

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Republican senators hit border, touting tougher security and tax cuts, in 2026 kickoff

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Aiming to not only hold but expand their 53-47 majority in November’s midterm elections, top Senate Republicans are showcasing the plummeting rates of border crossings during a stop Friday at the nation’s southern border with Mexico.

And the group, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, is also highlighting how President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers are “putting more money in Americans’ pockets.”

The stop at the border, hosted by One Nation, a nonprofit outside group closely aligned with Thune, is seen as an unofficial kickoff by Senate Republicans ahead of the midterms to tout the sweeping “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” Trump’s signature domestic achievement last year that was passed nearly entirely along party lines in the GOP controlled Congress.

At the event at the border, which was a regular stop for Republicans amid the surge in border crossings during then-President Joe Biden’s administration, the GOP senators are teaming up with members of the National Border Patrol Council. And they are highlighting how the passage of the domestic policy measure “secured transformational border security funding,” according to One Nation.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune and fellow Senate Republicans speak to reporters at an event at the nation’s southern border with Mexico, on Jan. 9, 2026. (One Nation)

“This is a remarkable, remarkable difference in just a year,” Thune said at the event. “It’s been an incredible year of progress when it comes to the southern border and the American people are experiencing the benefit of that in the form of having safer streets and safer communities and safer neighborhoods.”

But with Democrats enjoying decisive victories and overperformances in the 2025 elections and in a slew of special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, which were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation, the Republican senators are also using Friday’s trip to spotlight the tax cut and energy policy provisions in the bill, which they rebranded as the “Working Families Tax Cut.”

“The Working Families Tax Cut will make buying groceries more affordable for working Americans this year,” the Senate Republicans touted on social media on the eve of the border stop. “Every Democrat voted against it.”

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And they also highlighted that “Senate Republicans have worked closely with President Trump to lower energy prices and make life more affordable — and the results speak for themselves.”

Thune, at the border, pointed to the tax cut provisions in the GOP measure, including no tax on tips and overtime and reduced rates for seniors on Social Security, along with “the jobs that are going to be created by the pro-growth policies that we put in place….are going to lead us to a place where the American people are seeing their incomes go up.”

But Democrats see the cost of living as their winning issue heading into the midterms.

“If the Republican agenda actually made life more affordable for working Americans, then they wouldn’t be desperately flailing as families struggle to afford groceries, health care, and housing,” Lauren French, communications director at Senate Majority PAC, the top Senate Democrat-aligned outside group, told Fox News Digital. “Instead of focusing on working people, Trump and Senate Republicans are focused on bringing chaos and instability into our communities.”

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., holds a political and policy event Friday at the nation’s southern border with Mexico. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Joining Thune, the longtime senator from South Dakota, at the border is Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, number two in Senate Republican leadership.

There are also Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who faces a bruising GOP primary showdown in March against challengers Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt; and Republican Sens. Jon Husted of Ohio and Ashley Moody of Florida, who were appointed last year and will face voters this November.

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GOP Sens. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who are up for re-election this year, are also on the trip, as are former Rep. Mike Rogers and former Republican National Committee chair Mike Whatley, the GOP Senate candidates in battlegrounds Michigan and North Carolina who are backed by Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

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“We’re seeing signs already that the economy is starting to tick up and is starting to take hold as the President’s policies are getting in place,” Whatley argued last month in a Fox News Digital interview. “We need to make sure that we have the trade policies, the tax policies, the regulatory policies from this administration that are going to help our small businesses, our manufacturers and our farmers across North Carolina.”

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But Democrats are energized as the midterm year begins, as they continue to keep their focus on the issue of affordability.

“Donald Trump has lost the economy, is losing his mind, and is going to lose the midterms,” Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin claimed in a recent statement.

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Body found during search for missing Texas teen Camila Mendoza Olmos as another teen girl disappears

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Body found during search for missing Texas teen Camila Mendoza Olmos as another teen girl disappears

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A body was found Tuesday evening as authorities in Bexar County, Texas, grapple with a series of disappearances involving teen girls who all went missing within a week.

The body was found during the search for 19-year-old Camila Olmos, though police said it is too early to determine whether the remains belong to her.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a news conference that investigators had “just recently found a body in a field” around 4:40 to 4:45 p.m., adding that the medical examiner will determine both the identity of the body and the cause and manner of death.

The body was found by a joint team of sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents in an area of tall grass near a landscaping business, a few hundred yards from Olmos’ home, according to Salazar.

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MISSING CAMILA MENDOZ OLMOS: DASHCAM CAPTURES LAST SIGHTING OF TEXAS TEEN WHO VANISHED CHRISTMAS EVE

Camila Olmos was reported missing on Christmas Eve. (Bexar County Sheriff)

A firearm was recovered near the body, which authorities said had been an item of interest during the search.

Salazar said investigators do not currently suspect murder and noted there were indicators consistent with possible self-harm, though he stressed it is too early to draw conclusions while the scene is still being processed.

Olmos was last seen leaving her home in far northwest Bexar County around 7 a.m. on Dec. 24, authorities said. Her case came as two other girls were reported missing in the area. Fourteen-year-old Sofia Gabriela Peters-Cobos has since been found safe, while 17-year-old Angelique Johnson remains missing, according to police.

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Law enforcement has said there is no confirmed connection between the cases.

MISSING CAMILA MENDOZ OLMOS: DASHCAM CAPTURES LAST SIGHTING OF TEXAS TEEN WHO VANISHED CHRISTMAS EVE

Angelique Johnson, from San Antonio, Texas, was reported missing. (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)

Texas Department of Public Safety said the Clear Alert for Olmos has been discontinued, though authorities urged anyone with information related to the cases or the whereabouts of Angelique Johnson to contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

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The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and the San Antonio Police Department did not respond immediately to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

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Former GOP Sen Jon Kyl announces dementia diagnosis, steps away from public life

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Former GOP Sen Jon Kyl announces dementia diagnosis, steps away from public life

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Former Republican Sen. Jon Kyl announced on Tuesday he is withdrawing from public life after being diagnosed with dementia.

Kyl, 83, became one of Arizona’s most prominent Republicans during a career that spanned nearly three decades across both chambers of Congress, including a stint as Senate minority whip.

“I was blessed to represent the people of Arizona in Congress and to have numerous other opportunities to contribute to the political and civic life of our nation and state,” Kyl said in a statement. “However, the time has come for me to withdraw from public life. I have been diagnosed with a neurological disease manifesting as dementia.”

Kyl represented Arizona’s 4th Congressional District in the House from 1987 to 1995 before serving in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2013.

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Former Arizona Republican Senator Jon Kyl announced on Tuesday he is withdrawing from public life after being diagnosed with dementia. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

After leaving the Senate, Kyl joined the lobbying firm Covington and Burling, before being appointed in 2018 by then-Gov. Doug Ducey to fill the vacancy caused by the death of former Sen. John McCain.

Kyl held the seat for several months in the Senate before rejoining the firm in 2019, where he helped guide the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The longtime Arizona lawmaker described himself as “a very fortunate man” despite the diagnosis.

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FORMER COLORADO SEN. BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL DEAD AT 92

Former Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, left, and Bruce Babbitt, right, former Arizona Republican governor and secretary of the Interior, wave to the crowd as they are recognized during Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s state of the state address Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

“My family and I now head down a path filled with moments of joy and increasing difficulties,” he stated. “I am grateful beyond expression for their love and support, in these coming days as in all the days of my life.”

Kyl moved to Arizona as an 18-year-old freshman to attend the University of Arizona, where he met his wife.

The university said Kyl devoted more than two decades to public service, leaving a lasting impact on water policy, national defense and intelligence.

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“His leadership, integrity, and commitment to service reflect the highest ideals of public life,” the university said in a statement.

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Former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., announced he is withdrawing from public life after being diagnosed with dementia. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said Kyl gave “decades of his life” serving Arizona, adding that he’s grateful for the former GOP senator’s “commitment to our state and country.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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