Some of Texas's oldest barbecue joints close as meat prices skyrocket

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/05/25/some-texass-oldest-barbecue-joints-close-meat-prices-skyrocket/
Some of Texas’s oldest barbecue joints close as meat prices skyrocket
Even the state’s most celebrated restaurants are struggling to remain open as costs climb, with no relief in sight.

HOUSTON — If the Texas barbecue industry had an alarm, it would be the spreadsheet that Russell Roegels uses to track the price of brisket. On a recent morning, sitting at a quiet table in his suburban restaurant, he pointed to the number at the top of the column: $5.56. That’s the price he pays for a pound of the most important item on any barbecue menu in Texas.

Over the past year, that number has risen 28
percent, a reflection of the spiking meat prices that have dented the pocketbooks of average grocery store customers nationwide. Inside the kitchens of Texas’s more than 3,000 barbecue purveyors, whose very existence depends on a plentiful and affordable supply of quality beef, the effect has been close to cataclysmal.


Roegels, 53, grew up working at a barbecue joint and has run his own since 2001, serving some of Houston’s elite and their friends, including former president George H.W. Bush, NFL veteran Gary Kubiak and former Astros pitcher Andy Pettitte. He used to be able to offset the high wholesale cost by selling other meats and side dishes. But this year he realized that wasn’t enough. So Roegels made the risky decision to raise the price he charges customers for brisket by $2, to $35 a pound — a 6 percent increase — and hoped his clientele wouldn’t defect.

“This is as bad as it gets,” he said of escalating beef prices. “Everybody’s at risk these days: You’re one bad week from closing.”


Roegels isn’t exaggerating. The culinary crisis driven by skyrocketing meat prices has contributed to the closures of some of Texas’s beloved barbecue joints: Brett’s BBQ Shop to the west of Houston, known for its barbacoa tacos; Kirby’s BBQ to the north with its signature increasingly expensive oak-smoked brisket
; Sabar BBQ, with its Pakistani fusion sausage, in Fort Worth; Wright On Taco & BBQ in East Texas.

[Klarkashton]

1. Oh too bad.

[Melon]

2. BBQ down here is expensive nowadays

But then again all beef is. I haven’t bought a steak in at least two years. I haven’t had BBQ but it’s probably doubled in price that last 5 years.

[timvrip]

3. FAFO ?

I wonder who Mr. Roegels voted for?

[orleans]

4. omg! i was just thinking the same thing. nt

[flvegan]

5. That's a shame. n/t

[littlemissmartypants]

6. Comments Summary

The comments express frustration and criticism towards Texans who continue to support Donald Trump despite facing economic hardships, particularly in the barbecue industry due to rising meat prices. Many commenters attribute these issues to Trump's policies, such as tariffs and immigration measures, and suggest that Texans are voting against their own interests. There is a recurring theme of voters facing the consequences of their electoral choices, with some commenters expressing a lack of sympathy for those who supported Trump.

[Irish_Dem]

7. Turkeys voted for Thanksgiving dinner and are shocked at the consequences.

[DFW]

8. The big cities in Texas tend to be Democratic-leaning

Including Houston, the biggest city in the state, whose mayor, Bill White, once ran for governor.

Due to cholesterol issues that almost killed me in 2004, I haven't had a steak in over 22 years. When the cardiologist who just saved your life tells you to stop, I stop! On April 29, 2004, he told me I was good for maybe another 24-36 hours. I figured it was not a joke. Thank goodness for BBQ chicken.