Posted on 05/29/2026 1:00:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Where’s the beef? Not in Texas — at least, not as much as it used to be. Texas barbecue joints are shutting their doors across the Lone Star State as sky-high beef prices turn brisket — once the centerpiece of a blue-collar meal — into a luxury item that many customers can no longer afford.
From Houston suburbs to rural smokehouses, pitmasters say soaring wholesale beef costs, inflation and shrinking customer traffic are crushing margins and forcing some of the state’s most celebrated BBQ institutions out of business.
SNIP
“When brisket costs $36 a pound for the consumer and then you got ribs and sausage and sides and desserts and all that … you can easily be spending $70 to $100 for barbecue,” Jones told his followers on YouTube.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Jane, I live in Valley Ranch, and all restaurants seem to be doing well. The five Hard Eight barbecues are still in operation. The restaurant in The Colony is always busy.
Eggsactly.
Same, here ... no one has ‘closed’ and if anything are more packed, than ever.
These NYC writers, and, FR TDSers, should focus on NYs dismal business closure record rather than post this drivel.
New York City is currently experiencing a wave of permanent restaurant closures in 2025 and 2026, driven primarily by rising rents, high labor costs, and economic uncertainty. The rate of shutdowns is described as “alarming,” with significant losses of long-standing institutions.
Yes, Here in the CA Central Coast the Santa Maria BBQed meat is selling like hot cakes.
You are better off shopping at farmers markets or directly from farmers and ranchers, for both meat and produce. If more consumers did so, that would be a boon to the small scale ag operations.
Yeah but all the seed oils and bad fats are absorbed into the tissue of mongastric animals whereas those with two stomachs process out most of that garbage via fermentation and other chemical process resulting in good fats making it to the tissue rather than the slop they are fed
aka crap.
The drought meant there was no first cutting of hay around here. People will be dumping cattle pretty soon.
“I live in King County (Seattle), WA.
Grocery store prices have exploded over the last year.
Our problem is lack of competition.”
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Hmm. Q:
Have you any Costcos, Sam’s Clubs, or Walmarts?
Any Aldis, or independents?
If so, are they the same?
Just a matter of keeping your eyes on the grocery ads. Plenty of reasonable deals on beef. I picked up meaty beef ribs for $3.99 a pound last week.The wife and I got two dinners out of 4 large bones, less than $15
Great job creating value with your product. 🏆
What is the cause for the rise in beef prices? Is it fuel to move them/their food? Is it the Mexican screwworm?
He didn’t get his covfefe this morning.
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