Let's go back to the beginning...

Hey Everyone, David here!
Thanks for following along on our new venture. The Meat Platter was inspired by our desire to tell the stories of fellow entrepreneurs who began their journey with a dream and continue to follow their passion each day, just like us.

Meat Head Charcoal was founded with one simple mission: to provide quality, clean, and long-lasting charcoal for grilling and smoking. Like most great business stories, ours started with two friends having a dream. We were unhappy with the charcoal that was available on the market and thought to ourselves, “How hard could it be to make charcoal”, haha. Turns out, it was not only difficult, but so much more involved than we could have ever imagined. However, we were on mission. We knew we could create the best lump charcoal on the market.

We initially started making charcoal the old fashioned and simple way: with a metal trash can inside of a 55-gallon drum in my friend’s back yard fire pit area. What could go wrong, right? 
After learning the basics, we realized that we needed a bigger test vessel. Coincidentally, we also learned that our neighbors may not be fond of a continual fire burning in their nice quiet and quaint neighborhood. So, we had a custom test kiln made by a local manufacturer and moved to more of an industrial location. Even in an industrial location, near an interstate mind you, we managed to introduce ourselves to the local fire department on numerous occasions after curious commuters reported black smoke along the road more times than we’d like to admit.

We then moved our small operation to a much more rural area of Georgia. Think small farming community accustomed to large fires burning at any time of day for any number of reasons. Big surprise, we caught the attention of that local fire department once more, but all in good fun, they became the first members of the MHC family. Who would have thought that grilling charcoal and the fire departments of our small communities would be a match made- to each of them, we are forever grateful! Not only for their good attitude, but their willingness to watch after us, keep us safe, and give us an elbow in the side for all those calls.

We pushed forward and consulted with professors at several universities about pyrolysis and the carbonization processes of making charcoal ourselves, in addition to talking with other manufacturers in the industry. After those early years of research, and having numerous friends and family test our homemade charcoal, we came to realize the Quebracho wood from South America delivered the exact burn we were looking for. Sourced in South America, Quebracho, or “Axe-Breaker” wood delivers a high-density lump charcoal, while offering a clean, hot, long-lasting burn. After all, the flavor of your meat always comes back to the foundation of the heat!

When I think back on those early years, sitting around a slow burning, {controlled} fire with my best friend, waiting to see what our next batch of coal looked like, was easily the best part of this journey. To me, those memories exemplify what the Meat Head Charcoal lifestyle truly is! Sitting around a grill, a pool, on a porch or simply in a backyard with friends and family sharing this journey of life together is what we are all about. Good friends and close family with great food, all making memories together. That is who we are at Meat Head! Treat Your Meat!