Old Smokey History

It was in Houston, Texas, back in 1923, when an enterprising man, named Frank Burkhead, decided to start up a sheet metal products company. Mr. Burkhead bought a tract of land on Maury Street, a mile and a half north of downtown. He went down to the city post office and rented Box Number 4, and before long, Burkhead Manufacturing Company was open for business.

First, Mr. Burkhead made coffee cans and lard drums for local grocers. In the years that followed, he produced all sorts of sheet metal goods, including washtubs, pails, garbage cans, mailboxes, birdhouses, and, what would become the oldest and most famous name in outdoor grills, the Old Smokey.

Today, our company is best known for the Old Smokey charcoal grill, which was introduced in the early 50s. Still made and manufactured in Houston, Texas, USA, the Old Smokey grill comes in three different sizes and is portable, affordable, and reliable, making it your best choice for grilling and smoking.

We've been helping people make memories over charcoal since 1950.

In the past 100 + years, we’ve grown quite a bit…

Our plant is still on Maury Street, we are still family-owned, and we still pick up our mail at Box Number 4 in the downtown post office. While we are proud of our heritage and how the Old Smokey came about, we’re even more excited about our future.  Fire it up!