About MeatLover

Independent BBQ reviews, in-depth guides, and honest gear recommendations — built by pitmasters, for pitmasters.

Our Mission

MeatLover exists to help people master the art of outdoor cooking. Whether you're lighting your first charcoal chimney or dialing in competition-grade brisket, we want to be the resource you trust for straightforward, expert advice.

The BBQ world is full of opinions — everyone has a "right way" to smoke a brisket or season a rack of ribs. We cut through the noise with tested techniques, real-world gear reviews, and content written by people who actually spend their weekends standing over a smoker at 5 AM. Our goal is simple: help you cook better food, choose the right equipment, and enjoy every minute at the grill.

Our Story

MeatLover started in 2020 when a group of friends got fed up with unreliable BBQ gear reviews online. Every "review" site seemed to rank products based on which ones paid the highest affiliate commission, not which ones actually performed best. We'd buy a grill rated "#1 Best Overall" only to find warped grates and inconsistent temperatures after a few months.

So we started doing our own testing. We pooled money, bought grills and smokers out of pocket, and cooked hundreds of meals on each one. We subscribed to meat delivery services for months at a time, not just one box. We tracked temperature accuracy, build quality over time, ease of cleaning, customer support responsiveness, and dozens of other details that quick "unboxing reviews" completely miss.

What started as a shared spreadsheet among friends turned into a full editorial site. Today MeatLover covers grills, smokers, thermometers, accessories, meat delivery services, cooking techniques, regional BBQ traditions, and recipes — all grounded in hands-on experience rather than spec sheets and press releases.

Yes, we earn affiliate commissions when you purchase through our links — that's how we fund our testing and keep the site running without paywalls. But our editorial recommendations are independent. We've turned down sponsorship deals from brands whose products didn't meet our standards, and we've given honest negative reviews to products from companies that advertise with us. If a grill is great, we'll tell you. If it's not worth the money, we'll tell you that too.

How We Review & Test

Research & Selection

We survey the market, read owner forums, analyze customer complaints, and identify the products people are actually choosing between. We prioritize testing products in competitive price brackets where the buying decision is hardest.

Hands-On Testing

Every product we recommend has been used in real cooking sessions. For grills, that means at least 15-20 cooks across different styles — burgers, steaks, low-and-slow smoking, and high-heat searing. We measure temperature accuracy at grate level, not just the lid thermometer.

Long-Term Evaluation

A grill that's great on day one might fall apart after six months. We revisit our reviews and update them based on durability, rust resistance, part availability, and how the product holds up through rain, snow, and heavy use. Meat delivery services are evaluated over multiple orders spanning weeks.

Independent Ratings

Our ratings are never influenced by affiliate payouts or brand relationships. Products earn their scores based on performance, build quality, value for money, and user experience. We disclose affiliate relationships transparently and separate editorial from commercial decisions.

Meet the Team

Mike Reynolds

Editor-in-Chief & Head Pitmaster

Former competition BBQ cook with 12 years of experience on the circuit. Mike oversees all editorial content and leads our grill and smoker testing. His brisket has placed top 10 at the American Royal multiple times.

Sarah Park

Equipment Editor

Mechanical engineer turned BBQ nerd. Sarah runs our testing methodology and is responsible for the temperature accuracy data, build quality assessments, and comparison reviews. She owns more thermometers than anyone should.

James Torres

Recipe Developer & Meat Editor

Culinary school graduate who left restaurant kitchens for backyard smoke. James develops all our recipes, tests meat delivery services, and writes our regional BBQ guides. He's visited over 200 BBQ joints across the South.

What We Stand For

Honest Reviews

We test everything ourselves and tell you the truth, even when it's not pretty. Our revenue comes from affiliate commissions, but our recommendations come from experience.

Community First

BBQ is a community tradition. We're building a resource that helps everyone — from first-time grillers to seasoned competition cooks — improve their craft and share the joy of cooking over fire.

Quality Sourcing

We believe great BBQ starts with great meat. We prioritize reviewing services that offer humanely raised, sustainably sourced options and are transparent about where their animals come from.

Questions or Feedback?

We read every message. Whether you want to suggest a product for review, point out something we got wrong, or just talk BBQ — we'd love to hear from you.