Texas Barbecue Blues: Brisket Prices Push Old Joints Toward the Brink

Texas’s oldest barbecue joints are closing or struggling to stay open as brisket and other meat prices climb, with brisket reportedly around $5.56 per pound in some cases. Owners are trimming menus, shifting to alternative meats, or facing closure, highlighting how rising costs are reshaping Texas’s beloved barbecue scene and threatening a storied regional cuisine.