LITTLE ROCK, ARK (KTHV) -- Our Made in Arkansas journey is back with a local company that allows average grillers to become backyard heroes. After a 20 year hiatus, Portable Kitchen got new life, all thanks to a local man and a yard sale.
It's a process with decades of success. Molten aluminum is poured by hand into a permanent mold to make hundreds of grills every year. No two are the same. Each one must seal perfectly. It's what makes the production labor-intensive and expensive, but unique.
"One of the unique things about this grill is you get a lot in a relatively small package," says Brian Taylor.
Taylor is one of the partners at PK Grills in Little Rock. He says their story is one customers continue to fall in love with 60 years later.
He explains, "The original models that were built in the 1950's, if you look closely they are sprinkled around backyards all over the country."
The success is credited back to this man Hilton Meigs. He made what many consider the perfect charcoal grill.
The company stayed in Little Rock until the mid 70's when a fire and business issues stopped production. But after being gone for 20 years, "One day he saw one at a garage sale and I think he thought it was a sign," smiles Taylor.
Grill enthusiast and now fellow PK owner, Paul James purchased the name in 1998 and started producing grills nearly identical to the ones Meigs made decades earlier.
"We are proud of the fact that it is made in America and then the fact that it is made right here in central Arkansas is something that I am personally very proud of," adds Taylor.
The inventory in their 10,000 plus square foot warehouse will likely be gone by the holidays. The produced a red grill, perfect for Razorback fans specifically for this weekend's Holiday House in Little Rock.
Taylor explains, "We think of it as a buy it for life product. You buy this and you should expect to be giving it to your kids someday."
In fact, many already have. There's dozens of glowing reviews on Amazon. Mike says, "This grill is most likely the best charcoal grill ever produced. My father's father passed his onto my Dad around 1958. We are still using it today."
"It's immensely validating. Getting that feedback back every day is really motivating," says Taylor.
It's that legacy that history that P-K is built on. And it's paying off. Their sales have dramatically increased over the last year and there's plans to enter more stores by 2015.
Taylor laughs, "What's more American than a backyard BBQ?"
Check out PK Grills on social media!
Twitter - @portablekitchen
Facebook - PK Grills
Pinterest - Pinterest.com/pkgrills
