Beef prices drive iconic Texas BBQ joints to closure

 Beef prices drive iconic Texas BBQ joints to closure

Niv Bavarsky

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the cultural damage from rising beef prices. Storied barbecue pits across the Lone Star State are shuttering, squeezed by the skyrocketing cost of their culinary touchstone, brisket, the Washington Post reported yesterday. Droughts reducing the US cattle herd to its smallest size in 75 years and tariffs on imported beef have been blamed for the Texas barbecue crown jewel starting to cost as much as actual gems. The retail price of the cut was up 32% this month from last year, according to the USDA. Brisket bust Those rising beef costs are reducing brisket margins, creating an existential crisis for the purveyors of the state’s signature smoky treat: Higher costs were partially responsible for the recent closure of Kirby’s BBQ, a Houston-area destination for oak-smoked brisket. They also claimed staple spots Brett’s BBQ Shop and Sabar BBQ. The award-winning BBQ restaurant Burnt Bean Co. told the WaPo that it’s in “survival mode” despite lines out the door. It’s considering serving brisket only once a week. One Texan pit master said he worries the beef crunch will reduce the regional variety of the state’s brisket scene. Meanwhile…the US Justice Department and Texas are investigating four meatpacking giants—which control 85% of the US beef market—over allegations of anti-competitive practices that hurt ranchers and retailers.