Month: June 2026

Barbecue is far more than just a culinary style in Texas, it’s pretty well the heartbeat of the state’s food scene. But the storied pits that have spent decades smoking oak-wood meats are suddenly facing an unprecedented threat that has nothing to do with the quality of their rub. Instead, a perfect storm of economic pressures is threatening to put beloved BBQ joints completely out of business.

A dramatic surge in beef prices has sent shockwaves through the Texas barbecue community, leaving restaurant owners and pitmasters struggling to keep their doors open while spending an astronomical share of their budgets on a single, vital ingredient.

The staple cut of the Texas barbecue crown jewel — brisket — has seen retail prices skyrocket. Driven by a combination of generational ranch land depletion, severe weather, and persistent inflation, the financial reality for local smokehouses has taken a devastating turn.

The Brutal Math of the Brisket Margin

For a classic Texas pit, the economic formula behind smoking a brisket has become completely unsustainable. Pitmasters are facing record-high wholesale costs for beef, but the unique physical nature of preparing low-and-slow barbecue compounds the financial sting.

“If I pay $5.25 a pound and I get a 50% yield, that beef is really costing me $10.50 a pound,” explained Justin Manning, co-owner of C&J Barbecue in the Brazos Valley. That raw cost is calculated long before factoring in the rising price of smoking wood, labor to trim the meat, overnight utility overhead, or Styrofoam takeout containers. To maintain a traditional restaurant profit margin under current market conditions, Manning noted he would need to sell brisket for an impossible $40 per pound.

Because middle-class families cannot absorb those types of prices in the current economy, restaurants are being heavily squeezed. Shawn Jones, the pitmaster behind Kirby’s BBQ in New Caney, Texas, was forced to permanently shutter his destination restaurant due to “absolutely insane” beef costs that entirely erased his bottom line. Jones revealed that rising costs had driven his final brisket prices to around $36 a pound, pushing a single family meal up toward $100.

Kirby’s BBQ isn’t alone; other regional staples like Brett’s BBQ Shop and Sabar BBQ have also recently gone under. Even award-winning, high-profile destinations like Burnt Bean Co. have reported entering pure “survival mode,” contemplating limiting their brisket service to just once a week despite having lines wrapped out the door.

BBQ restaurants are closing in Texas due to high beef prices under this administration. pic.twitter.com/AzAXEHax8T

— James Tate (@JamesTate121) May 31, 2026

A Decades-Long Shortage With No Quick Fix

According to industry experts, this isn’t a temporary inflation blip that will self-correct by next season. The Texas Restaurant Association reports that the U.S. is locked in a deeper, 30-year cattle shortage that has been compounding for decades.

Data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that the domestic cattle herd has shrunk to its smallest size since 1951. Decades of ongoing droughts, spiking fuel and fertilizer costs, and high interest rates have discouraged ranchers from expanding their herds. Furthermore, Texas is losing close to 1,000 acres of rural land a day to commercial development, permanently erasing the physical resources required to raise cattle domestically.

To make matters worse, this historic dip in supply is crashing directly into an all-time high consumer demand for protein. Last year, domestic meat sales hit a record $112 billion, leaving restaurants trapped between a severe product shortage and an unyielding customer appetite.

Engineering Survival in the Smokehouse

Faced with an existential crisis, surviving Texas pitmasters are forced to completely re-engineer their kitchens to eliminate every ounce of waste.

At C&J Barbecue, Manning has shifted to utilizing 100% of his raw product to scrape together a profit margin. Brisket trimmings are being rendered down into liquid beef tallow for resale, pork scraps are tossed straight into the side beans, and extra brisket edges are ground down into hamburger meat, chili, and sloppy Joes. Other smokehouses across Houston and Austin are leaning heavily into pushing filling side dishes like “dirty rice” — a Louisiana staple that allows chefs to bulk up plates using leftover trimmings rather than relying solely on whole-muscle cuts.

Over the years, there have been plenty of iconic rock and roll debut albums, including one that turns 54 years old on Monday.

On June 1, 1972, Asylum Records released Eagles, the first studio album by the California-based band of the same name. The album, which reached No. 22 on the Billboard 200, produced three of the group’s signature songs and kicked off a decades-long run as one of the most popular American rock and roll acts.

Eagles was a success right from the start

One month before the album’s release, the Eagles–consisting of founding members Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner– unveiled their debut single, “Take It Easy.” The song was an immediate hit, climbing as high as No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on July 22, 1972.

“Witchy Woman,” the album’s second single, performed even better. Released on August 1, the song cracked the Billboard Hot 100 top 10, peaking at No. 9.

Lastly, Eagles‘ third single, “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” reached No. 22 on the charts following its Dec. 1 reveal.

Subsequent albums, like 1975’s One of These Nights and 1976’s Hotel California, would have more chart and commercial success, but Eagles was the project that kicked it all off.

More than 50 years later, the album’s legacy is secure

In 2023, Rolling Stone released its updated ranking of The 500 Best Albums of All Time. Checking in No. 207 was Eagles, one of multiple entries on the list for the band.

“This debut created a new template for laid-back L.A. country-rock style,” Rolling Stone wrote. “Behind the band’s mellow message — “Take It Easy,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling” — was a relentless drive.”

“Beyond the album’s three hit singles, songs like the somber waltz “Most of Us Are Sad,” the pickin’ and grinnin’ “Earlybird,” and the down-home rocker “Nightingale” showed a band that had perfected a sound right out of the gate,” Rolling Stone added.