Norfolk Charcoal - Season Finale

Dan - Host: 0:00

Today's episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast is brought to you by aos outdoor kitchens. They are the South's leading outdoor kitchen design and installation specialists.

Owen - Host: 0:09

Welcome to another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ Podcast. Today we're talking with Norfolk charcoal, a local sustainable charcoal company about how charcoal is made the differences about species is a really, really sciency interesting factfinding episode. So without much further ado, here's the Norfolk charcoal team.

Dan - Host: 0:31

Hello to our guests this evening on the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. Would you like to introduce yourself to all of our listeners out there?

Unknown: 0:40

Hello, I'm Arabella ginger. And I'm Father Matthew, gentle.

Dan - Host: 0:45

And together

Unknown: 0:46

you guys are we are Norfolk charcoal.

Dan - Host: 0:50

So Owen and I are so excited to speak to you guys. We've mentioned on a few of the previous episodes in the series that we really wanted to talk to a company about the process of making charcoal but particularly sustainable charcoal company, because it's something that I think quite often gets overlooked in part by barbecues. And so the first thing I would love to know released, how did you get into making charcoal?

Arabella -Norfolk Charcoal: 1:17

We got into it right at the start of the pandemic in 2020. And we were looking to buy some charcoal or

Matt - Norfolk Charcoal: 1:30

No, I do an awful lot of firewood. I've managed forestry. And that's what I've done for a number of years and produced a lot of fiber and ran a mobile sawmill. So the off cuts of the sawmill, we're going to firewood and then from there, I do quite a lot of nets in spirits places. And they were all running out of charcoal. And did I know anywhere to get charcoal from and then researching that a bit it came to that it was a lot of it nearly 90,000 tons is being imported into the country. And the flagship of what a lot of it is being sold under it's all imported charcoal, there's not much made here. So then I got sort of found like found the normal for the extra charcoal retorts and went from there. Yeah. And all of our Yeah. That's how we got into it.

Owen - Host: 2:25

That's that's a surprising stat straightaway, isn't it that actually just how much is charcoal is imported?

Unknown: 2:32

We'd have to I wish I knew nothing about charcoal up till that point. And then trying to find what first my first thought was I'll make a few quid and find somewhere buying it and I'll be able to sell it on and then to realize that it is all it is all coming in. Imported. And that's when we wanted to then start producing our own here.

Owen - Host: 2:57

And so you mentioned so you bought sales in Exeter

Unknown: 3:01

retaught an extra tour at all air. Yeah.

Owen - Host: 3:06

What's that? What does that How did you get to it?

Unknown: 3:11

Right? How did it get to that was the Google Google looking how to make charcoal and then various different ways and the retool the extra to restore it cooks on its own it cooks basically on his own gases. And it is what I liked it because it takes eight to 10 hours to do a burn time whereas the old fashioned way of doing charcoal was going to take three days and I didn't like fancy idea that much. So we we went down or I just sort of made a decision to go and get it and we went down and had a course and stayed overnight and didn't deny it our burn.

Dan - Host: 3:53

See the extra two retort that I know is oh Ian because he's spent a lot of time down in Exeter and so that's what I like to call him but how big is this thing? How big is it

Arabella -Norfolk Charcoal: 4:05

probably weighs a ton and a half. Wow.

Unknown: 4:09

eight foot long. Yeah, it holds two cubic meters of timber in the internal it is two chambers. There's one outside chamber which is used to hold the heat and burn the gases to produce the heat in the internal chamber which is where we put the wood to make the charcoal and what I mean it's phenomenal what comes out of the woods I mean I've been I did not know when one get one burn from from from the or doing producing one batch of charcoal. The gas which is produced out of the top of it burns for me to stay for five hours. The constant roar like a jet engine is being extracted out of the timber. That's that's what makes the difference between good chalk on bad charcoal. This is too have actually be left with pure carbon. And the bad the bad word bad that the gases and various other things extracted completely out of the wood. It's amazing that it bit burns for that long and how much gas goes out of it.

Owen - Host: 5:17

So, so the gas or the gas is extracted, toxic. That's taken out of the woods. And that's the bit that's burned during that 10 hour burn, is that what you eight to 10 hour burn, you're saying? Yeah,

Unknown: 5:30

when the wood gets hot enough at the bottom, we use waste wood from building sites to heat up wood in the middle, and then once that gets hot enough, that gas starts coming out of the timber in the middle and it's diverted back down in tubes and it's lit at the bottom. So it just keeps circling round and runs itself for eight hours.

Dan - Host: 5:57

I love the fact that everything that you're doing is using waste from somewhere whether it's the own off cuts like you've seen from the sawmill, whether it be the wastage and things from from building How How did you start even sourcing the wastage woods in the first place? Was it someone you knew or was it hard to get ahold of?

Unknown: 6:16

The soft the milling milling softwood. The soft woods never got much of the value but it's clean timber, and no one likes it as firewood. We use a lot of that to get it up to temperature.

Dan - Host: 6:31

How hot does it burn when it's doing that

Unknown: 6:33

burn figures? Well it gets up to 460 off a thermometer that sitting on the top of the retort right in the center of retort gets to over 600 degrees yes

Owen - Host: 6:49

sir just a bit then

Unknown: 6:57

absolutely rammed full we were getting every last splinter in next obviously, the more we get in the more efficient the burn is. But by the time you've taken all the impurities out of the timber itself, it shrinks by a third nearly almost half. Yeah, nearly half. Wow. And so differently.

Owen - Host: 7:18

And do you find that you mentioned about using soft woods a moment ago? Do you have do you use different types of woods exclusively software? And also do notice the behavioral differences between the woods when you're you're planning to make charcoal?

Unknown: 7:35

We don't We only make the charcoal is only made out of hardwood? Hardwood, however, you will use the softer there's a waste wood but the hardwoods in the retort. Yeah, they vary significantly Yeah. How much they hold together some some guys some of you guys like big big chunks. And others like a smaller stuff to get it but they all they all vary a hell of a lot. Yeah. So what do you when you're when you're when you're cooking? Do you like the big lamps or an even?

Owen - Host: 8:12

Yeah, me personally, I I actually think I prefer a smaller lamp. I was just saying to you before we officially kicked off the broadcast I had a bit of trouble. And that was using some really big lumps today. I think I'm more comfortable with a smaller, smaller lump of

Unknown: 8:30

oak tends to go like that. It's really really flaky. Okay, this is all of the rings inside the woods disappear, which makes it really flaky. And it doesn't hold together. But it burns really hot. Yeah. The smaller stuff. You've got more oxygen around. It's open. It needs oxygen to burn. Yeah.

Owen - Host: 8:52

I suppose actually. I suppose you find with most smaller charcoal in the the bottom of the bag. It's almost sort of dust, isn't it? I suppose that's like you were saying without where it starts to become flaky.

Unknown: 9:06

Yeah, it just the only complaint I've ever had is that there's been too much dust in the bottom of a bag. So we try and take that out. And ideally is another product which we can use biochar and such like it can be used elsewhere. The idea is to try and get a uniform sight of some different species actual stay together and hold together but it burns brilliantly. There, they all vary. They all do really vary and the amount of gas in them.

Dan - Host: 9:34

Do you know, on that point, someone who works in the gardening industry. What if people don't understand what biochar is it's just another way that you can make us even more sustainable as biochar is a fantastic ingredient to add to soil for growing and things as well. I know a number of companies that actually run in that regard kind of using biochar and going into how it kind of replaces a lot of the carbon that's been kind have, what's the word like putting more into the soil and making it more nutrient heavy. So again, it's just another way that it's sustainable and giving back.

Unknown: 10:08

Yeah, because you're directly taking pure carbon and putting it into the ground. And once it's in the ground, it's basically there for 1000s and 1000s of years, permanently under, and it really helps your garden I've, I have a garden at home and I did a kind of test last year, where I put biochar on some of my sweet corn and lift it off. The sweet corn that had the biochar on probably grew about a foot higher, leaves much, much darker, it makes a huge difference. And

Dan - Host: 10:49

like the science behind this is all fascinating. But if you went into it without any of the prior knowledge, when you first started this, I'm guessing there was quite a steep learning curve. What did you kind of go through in that regard hoods?

Unknown: 11:05

how heavy the retort was when we picked it up one of the trailer not being man enough to drag it home from Exeter at three o'clock in the morning. And lie when you open and shut the retorts, it says a date 10 hour burn. And to try and then try and turn it around the next day you open it obviously you open it and then get such a bad start banging it out. But if you open it too soon, oxygen can get in and there is a still a bit of even a sparkle of of light in there. Anyway. So we've had, we've lost three loads, three times the retorts caught fire and gone. Like you your barbecue holding a little amount when one of those guys with two cubic meters of charcoal in it. You just I'm just sitting there thinking this thing's gonna melt to nothing. Yeah, wow. You soon and there's a bit of a glow in the middle, you can hear it just crackling as you open it. And it's terrifying. You either have to pull all of it out and try and separate what's burning and what's not. Or you do the bolts off as quick as you can to try and stop the oxygen from getting in.

Owen - Host: 12:24

You don't get you like Backdraft coming out towards you do

Unknown: 12:27

know if you if it's going it's really hot. Melt, melt anything melt still. Wow.

Owen - Host: 12:39

And obviously you've mentioned that you've been doing it since the beginning of lockdown. So a couple of years now, since since you guys started, how would you compare your first burn to perhaps the last burn you've just done? Is there a considerable difference in the quality?

Unknown: 12:57

The quality no but my nerves? Yeah, I mean, when you're just sitting there looking thinking how much it cost and Christ it just good melt it all in once she's so laid back doesn't worry about it. But the opposite manner Did you know I'm very twitchy, wanting to shut it down or opening up. Because it runs off itself and runs off its own gases, you have to really monitor the temperature within 20 degrees. And if it gets hotter, more gases produced out of the wood and more gas is burned and it just gets hotter and hotter and hotter. So you have to let some of that excess gas off. And sometimes too much gas is produced off something like beach which is particularly gassy wood, and it can get too hot, which is a bit panicky once it starts going up, if you're not there, it will just keep going it will just melt itself as people have done and it's not insurable obviously.

Owen - Host: 14:06

That's mad. I was gonna say this might sound like a silly question, but can you can you overdo charcoal? Can you almost take it too far? No shouldn't because it's, you wouldn't want to try

Unknown: 14:21

gas. It's out of gas. Yes, it does just keep that cycle will take as long as it takes to get everything out of it. That's where our British charcoal or charcoal produced out of a retort would be completely different to anything else made in any other way because you can't stop the process until everything is extracted. If it's being done under another another any other way. You can stop the process while it's being done, which then gives you a slightly heavier charcoal but still has got the impurities in it

Owen - Host: 14:57

which obviously then affects the burn actually at the at the barbecue then doesn't it if it's got those impurities in it, it'll

Unknown: 15:04

be slightly more difficult to light and it will burn with your you will burn sometimes it will burn with the flame. And you can see it whether you'd hope that our barbecue or our charcoal once you actually light it, you can hardly see whether it's late or not only only the heat coming off it

Owen - Host: 15:23

because and on what sort of burn time do you normally get from your charcoal?

Unknown: 15:33

varies, I think I think it varies in species different species. Something like beach which comes in big lumps in. We've had barbecues before, obviously we're not professionals, it's cooking sausages for lunch, but we've cooked it and about three hours later, we've gone back to the barbecue and you could still call it or it's still warm. It goes for hours. I think a lot of the chart, the bar, your barbecues, these flashy barbecues. Now, you can sort of cook anything on a nugget of charcoal. Am I right?

Owen - Host: 16:10

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So So one of the ones I've got a Weber Smokey Mountain, and I chose to go for the biggest one, which it does. It does drink charcoal. I mean, it does ask, you know, I think it's, it's a Yeah, it looks essentially like a big garlic. But yeah,

Unknown: 16:33

I've never realized that there is such a following of people cooking on and whether this is a new thing, or the the amount of people that are really into it, you know, really and cooking some amazing stuff. And then I mean, always just sort of thing is absorbing lights at Jackson, where you go, but notice it's a lot of people doing

Owen - Host: 16:59

I think it's more almost feels a bit more like a movement. Yeah. Now in and I think COVID Obviously, you know, with people at home is definitely kind of sped that up. But we're still not where American barbecue or Australian barbecue or even perhaps Argentinian barbecue is but I think we're starting to dispel the kind of myth of you know, burnt sausages, pink, black on the outside pink on the inside, which was we're certainly you know, starting to hold our own in terms of how we how we barbecue now which is, which is great. But again, we need the right tools you need to obviously have a good barbecue, you need to have good quality meat, and, of course good quality charcoal,

Unknown: 17:41

I think where we go retorts from they've now sold or their sales have been really going up so that the people are, I think a lot more aware now of what what good charcoal is and what bad charcoal is. I never thought it was I didn't never knew there was a difference in it up to three years ago. And now there is a phenomenal difference.

Owen - Host: 18:03

I saw I went on holiday last year. Just I went back down to Devon, I'm from Devon, but I took the family down. And we were in mid Devon and I had to go. We did some glamping. And they gave it they had a little barbecue. And I went to the local corner shop and bought some barbecue some briquettes because that's all they had. And I thought cool at least feel a bit soft. But hey, hope got them back. cut them open. And they were white. It was I don't know what was on I don't know what was on them. But it almost turned up moldy. Yeah, this moldy charcoal. It was absolutely terrible. But I can't I can't even remember what the brand is. It was it was it was cheap. It was all they had. And that was the only place for miles. But you know, just the quality of the charcoal was just terrible.

Unknown: 18:55

And it goes into your food as well. It makes your food taste different. Yeah,

Dan - Host: 19:01

absolutely. Well, I'd love to know is she goes making quite a bit of charcoal and he talks about using different words and things. Do you actually kind of grade your charcoal as it comes out? And do you put like some bits from one burn in like one set of bags and another bit to another? Because you see sort of like restaurant grade lumpwood and kind of different types. Is it something you grade is how it's done? How does all that work?

Unknown: 19:27

If you're grading it? If you're grading if there's a difference, you've got a problem because everything which comes out of there should be as high or pure carbon. So knows the answer and if some if you say that you can you want to cook under apple wood because you want to get a scent of apple wood in it. Then it's not proper charcoal. It hasn't been it's not produced but the gases which are giving you your flavor are toxic, and it's not pure carbon.

Dan - Host: 19:59

That's interesting. That's a nice fact I like that. So if people are buying certain charcoal because they feel like the charcoal itself is giving you a different flavor

Unknown: 20:08

they're getting mugged

Dan - Host: 20:15

I like that.

Unknown: 20:19

UK companies buying over citrus wood from Spain or wherever. And it doesn't make a difference to how it tastes it the charcoal itself might have a different structure, but probably not different enough to warrant shipping it over from abroad. The burn times will vary but not carbon is carbon and its density. So slow growing wood timber in Hazel, or something like that is dense, so it's going to be more carbon compact in a certain area. So you're going to get a longer burn of a smaller piece of wood whereas your faster growing chestnuts will burn quicker. But they will give us a really even quick burn. They do really vary.

Dan - Host: 21:13

But it's interesting. Always not.

Unknown: 21:17

That's a complete myth. carbons calm

Owen - Host: 21:24

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Dan - Host: 21:29

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Dan - Host: 22:16

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Owen - Host: 22:27

visit aos kitchens.co.uk You've heard it here first so what what's kind of next for you guys as a business you know what what are your hopes you've obviously just mentioned that the barbecue move you know the barbecue movement is getting bigger Are you open to kind of get yourselves out there become more known

Unknown: 22:51

every wherever we've been with it and dropped a bag off and said all you want to try try the did a lot of farm shops are on the North Coast wherever we go it's it's warranted is taking it up from a to a is the level we're at at the moment. The next stage up is quite big and it would be running a lot more machines obviously dealing direct with the customer is where I would we'd like to go postage is a real it's it's expensive. But then it gets our it gets our charcoal out to the people who actually do want to do what I would say proper bulking or professional prevent you know just people who know the difference rather than it being at the farm shop. They're on holiday and they just want to charcoal and then no that doesn't really float my boat as much as someone saying oh how the helmet how different it is or how good it is. So we'll which that's the side of the business we'd like to grow. Yeah.

Owen - Host: 23:55

And I noticed something on your website. Don't you do like a taster day to actually come and learn how to do charcoal here we did or

Unknown: 24:04

we did it last year. It was quite fun. We had probably about seven ish people come over and install Yeah, we did the burn itself. And we also had the other retort being unloaded and backed up and then reloaded. So it would give people the experience of how to make charcoal to me and resume. Yeah. So to be honest, it was time but if anyone were if any of your listeners want to come and have it have a date and see what we do and see the timber going in as well I find it quite interesting if you're I know that I've got a bit of oak in one corner or Villa something else and then I'd see that see that come out Willow we know P artists have asked us can you do with a stick and you put that in when that comes out? It holds together like a pencil within there also so different And as they are when they grow, you know what to me they are anyway you look at different trees, and they will look completely different.

Owen - Host: 25:09

And are you planning another one for this year? I mean, I'd like to come. I know, I think probably me down definitely likes come. Maybe some of our listeners, but I, obviously hence why we wanted to get you on the podcast because we're quite interested in that process. Are you planning to do another one this year?

Unknown: 25:28

We haven't been we haven't really thought about it. But we hadn't planned. But we if there was an interest, if there was an interest, you guys thought that earlier if there was people who wanted to come with,

Dan - Host: 25:39

I think there was I think there'd be a big interest, particularly kind of, with people hearing more about you, and maybe seeing you bit more in the community. People are very interested in charcoal, and people spend a lot of time trying to find what they call the right charcoal for them. But the opportunity to actually see it be made properly. I think a lot of people would bite your arm off to come and have a look.

Unknown: 26:03

Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah, definitely. When we first went over and bought the retort down in Exeter, and we had we were just taught how to use the retort. That was really interesting. Yes, it's completely new, isn't it? You? I never had any idea how it was made at all. It's fascinating how it's made.

Owen - Host: 26:27

Yeah, it's said it's something we're definitely interested in. And just the pure

Unknown: 26:33

flames and the whole thing's glowing at you and roaring at you off off timber. That's what fascinates me is just what comes out of wood. The amount of gas.

Owen - Host: 26:46

So yeah, the theatrics of it. So, yeah, that sounds really interesting. And you mentioned about potentially having to get more machines, if you wanted to, obviously, you know, look at scaling it there quite a bit. Not that we're looking to do ourselves. But it's quite easy to get hold of these retorts, and then many around or is it something that's quite

Unknown: 27:06

thinking niche specialists think they've made about 50. Now, there may be a bit more 50 or 60 they've made and they've gone worldwide a lot. Biochar was briefly touched on earlier, but there's been quite a few go to Spain or various places around the world purely for the biochar. And I think they were designed to produce the biochar. The charcoal, the charcoal is taken name and they will be but when I looked at it more, they'd like maximize what we've got at the moment where we're filling our orders. And it's, it's going it's going well, but if we needed to get bigger we would do.

Owen - Host: 27:50

And is it something that you're doing all year round, you're literally burning that thing all year round.

Unknown: 27:55

Vegetable do not know the moment is, it just works in well Summit, we try and get a bit of a stock stock up for going into summer, I think we've got a couple of them. And then through the summer months, it's easier. And that we do do it more than

Owen - Host: 28:12

I'm assuming you're interested out in winter,

Unknown: 28:14

the dry putting dry timber and it is managed, it makes it makes a difference. If you put wet timber into a charcoal machine, that it pulls the water the moisture is pulled out of it relatively quickly, which then breaks down the Woodmore. So if you use dry timber, the charcoal is of better quality at the end. So really, you got to probe that I process as much as I can to keep dry timber going into it that that makes a difference to the quality of the charcoal as well.

Owen - Host: 28:43

Is that one of the reasons perhaps why you don't do it during winter, just keeping keeping it dry or

Unknown: 28:48

the days are shorter. It's a miserable job outside job in the summer. Yeah, that's Yeah.

Owen - Host: 28:59

Fair enough. So outside outside of the obviously making charcoal. I think you've mentioned that you do some barbecuing. Is that something that you do much of yourselves?

Unknown: 29:16

I've got to play with the straight back. No. No, chef, I'm not great. And I suppose. Now I don't I don't but what I'd like to do more possibly. So no, I'm not a great user.

Dan - Host: 29:28

I suppose it's a bit like a busman's holiday for you. If you make you know the charcoal all the time. The last thing you want to do is then burn it again. I mean, yeah. So I can understand that completely. Well, we do this thing on the podcast called The barbecue bingo, where we get we get guests on, and we spin a wheel and we ask them to go away and if they get a chance to cook it and have a go. So you know, we can spin the wheel for you and see where it comes up on. And if you think you want to give it a go, I would love to See what happens because it's more fun if you've not done it before, right?

Unknown: 30:04

Might be the worst barbecue bingo, you've seen.

Owen - Host: 30:08

You haven't seen some of the stuff we've cooked. So

Dan - Host: 30:11

exactly right. When you're putting on Instagram, you can pick and choose what people see. Right. So hopefully you see the screen. Yeah.

Unknown: 30:22

Yeah, we can see it.

Dan - Host: 30:25

So there is some like interesting stuff on there, which might be completely out of your comfort zone. Things like beef shin. Maybe like even like a sweet pastry dish or oxtail, might be a bit different. But is there anything there that you think is quite interesting that you quite like to do?

Unknown: 30:45

Who's doing you're doing this whiskey looks interesting. Not sure what I do with that.

Dan - Host: 30:56

You can use it in any way that you want as part of the recipe. For example, you could make burgers but put a bit of like whiskey in the actual meat mix as you put it together. You could put it in like a stew and do it on there.

Unknown: 31:09

Got that nailed?

Dan - Host: 31:11

From what you were seeing with my wood my signature dish would that be sausages? From what you were saying?

Unknown: 31:19

venison burgers. We had some of those last week. Nice. They were good.

Owen - Host: 31:24

That sounds good. We haven't we haven't done anything with venison yet.

Dan - Host: 31:28

No, we haven't. We should really.

Owen - Host: 31:31

Did you make them from scratch?

Unknown: 31:33

I have to be I wasn't fully responsible for making Yeah, no, they were delicious. He did with his son the chef. Yeah, yeah.

Owen - Host: 31:47

Fantastic. I mean, if I got whiskey, I would just cook whatever I wanted and just have the other side and just you know, as a little table, but what we'll do is I'll give this a quick spin and let's see what comes up.

Dan - Host: 32:10

Lego Lamb

Unknown: 32:13

of mind you these pro boys will be duking it out. There'll be a regular one for these.

Dan - Host: 32:18

You'd be surprised because a wind doesn't like lamb so it would be highly irregular for him.

Owen - Host: 32:25

I've never I've never cooked leg of lamb myself

Unknown: 32:28

will give you a little demonstration and

Owen - Host: 32:33

I did a lamb shoulder for New Year's Eve and what he didn't gay and so I don't think it was that good. What's your thoughts on a bit of Lego lamb? Which would you first go to?

Unknown: 32:50

We have our own lamps. We normally get a couple of bottle lamps every year and praise them and it's delicious. I don't know why you don't like it's nothing.

Dan - Host: 32:59

I agree wholeheartedly. It's great stuff, lamb.

Owen - Host: 33:04

I really want to because some of the recipes that and some of the cooks I've seen with lamb are just amazing. They look amazing. They smell nice. I just don't like the taste

Dan - Host: 33:19

Yeah, I did a I did butterflies leg Alam last year that was phenomenal. I've never had it butterflies before. And that that was absolutely gorgeous. I always find doing it on the barbecue just gives them an extra dimension it's yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing how do I cook it so I cooked that I kind of used my so I've got a monolith Komodo one of the big like ceramic barbecue so it holds the heat very well. So I feel that I ran it about 160 And I kind of want internal temperature I took it too but I just kept checking the internal temperature and it was on for a few hours but it was absolutely gorgeous still pink in the middle which is what I like and the flavor on it was amazing and I cooked so much of it because only myself and my grandmother were eating it I cooked it her for her specifically because being Welsh and she came down cyclists to your Welsh meal right. But I mean I thought it was going to stay the leftovers in my freezer for like a few months. I do different things with it gone in a week. I must have done like five different cooks within seven days. It was that good.

Unknown: 34:42

Then we spent about sourcing your meat. I mean, that must be fairly important as well.

Dan - Host: 34:47

But we both get most of our meat from our butchers. I've used online butchers before to get hold of cuts and things that I've not been able to get locally. But the butcher I use I use Two different butchers locally. One of them is a five minute drive from my house. The other one's a 10 minute drive from from my house again for you and yours is very close, isn't it to you?

Owen - Host: 35:10

Yeah, I think as much as possible to support local. I don't like buy meat from the supermarket unless I absolutely have to.

Unknown: 35:23

Just the amount of time is hung, surely that makes a massive difference to the tenderness or the other cooking

Dan - Host: 35:29

hugely different and and something that I say to people who just go ha You know, getting meat from a butcher is more difficult, will blow your mind, if you've never done it before, is just go and get beef mints from a butcher, and try and compare their beef mints to the beef mints that you get in a supermarket and the flavor, the smell, the color, the feel is just so different. I think once you've done that, you realize the difference and you don't go back unless you really have to for some reason. If you're caught short in the middle of nowhere, or you realize you haven't got what you need for that evening or something. But it's so important to try and social meet locally where possible. And the flavor difference is amazing. They're experts in what they're doing German.

Unknown: 36:13

Yeah. Big local, all sourcing the stuff local, all of our timber. I mean, I can look out the window and see where the next year's blow the charcoal is going to come from. It doesn't move anywhere other than about less than a mile.

Dan - Host: 36:29

It sounds like Owen and I need to get a farm we need to get a farmer in. That's what we need to do.

Owen - Host: 36:38

So do you want to obviously you introduce yourself at the beginning, however, where can our listeners learn more about your your company, obviously apart from listening to this, where can they go to buy your charcoal? We've got a website.

Unknown: 36:52

We've got a website yet it's www dot not Norfolk charcoal.com. And we have an Instagram page as well, which is just north of charcoal and Facebook as well, which is also Norfolk charcoal.

Owen - Host: 37:06

Fantastic. Again, thank you so much for coming on to the podcast. We really appreciate it. Yes, we'd love it. You know, we'll we'll get we'll order some charcoal and be great to test it. And yeah, thank thank you so much. Well, thank you very much, guys for coming onto the show. Thank you.

Dan - Host: 37:25

Thanks Have a good one guys. Cheers. Well, that's another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. Thank you so much Terra, Bella and Matt from the Norfolk charcoal company. It's been great speaking to you and learning all about the process of making charcoal. Thank you so much for listening to us. If you're interested in finding more about us and what we're doing, you can Google meat & Greet BBQ podcast, you'll find our website, all of our social media channels as well. And if you go into our website, we have a new merch store that we'd love you to go and have a look at what we've got. We have t shirts, aprons, mugs, it's great. If you'd like us, we'd love you to get involved and also post pictures of anything you get from us. That'd be fantastic to see that. You can also get in contact with us if you've got any questions or anything. You can do it through the website or you can message us directly through our Instagram accounts. Finally, also if you want to support in a different way we do have a bias a coffee option on our website if you'd like to donate something and any money that comes through that we will put straight back into the show. And until next time, keep on grilling.

Owen - Host: 38:32

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