SINTON, Texas — In a move almost unheard of for a Texas barbecue joint, Butter’s BBQ in Sinton has taken brisket off its regular menu. The Texas Monthly Top 50 spot says the cut that once defined them has simply become too expensive to keep offering every day.
Owner Andrew Soto didn’t hide his frustration in the post that announced the change. “Not a post I’d ever thought I had to make, guys. Unfortunately, moving forward, brisket will no longer be apart of our menu. We apologize tremendously, we’ve done all we can to combat the constant price hikes, but we can no longer sustain our current business model with brisket eating up over 70% of our total grocery costs. With the price hikes, also comes lack of sales, we’re on pace for a record low year, while the costs of groceries has continued to rise.”
LINK: BUTTERS BBQ FACEBOOK PAGE
He later explained the decision had been building for months. “It wasn’t a decision that we just made overnight to take the brisket off the menu. It was something that I’ve been thinking about for a good while now, at least a few months,” Soto said. “As the prices have continued to increase, it’s something that hasn’t stopped. I’ve seen that going on since we started in 2017, but recently these past couple of years, or more specifically this past year has been a very, very rough one. It’s kind of gone up at an exponential rate to where it’s kind of forced my hand.”
The final straw came when his supplier called with yet another increase. “Last week I got a call from my food rep saying that brisket has once again jumped up, but it jumped up in a way that I would have to increase the price somewhere near $50 a pound, and that’s just not something that I’m comfortable doing.” Sales were already sliding as prices climbed. “The price increase has also brought… a kink in our sales… a kink in our foot traffic… So you combine those two things, it’s not a very good recipe for success.”
What Butter’s is doing next is the part that stands out. Instead of just raising prices or quietly shrinking portions like many places, Soto is removing brisket from the daily lineup entirely and rebuilding the menu around it. Brisket will still be available, but only by pre-order (two-pound minimum). The everyday star is now beef cheek, which he says can hold its own. “When cooked like a brisket, it’s almost… it almost has the same flavor profile of fatty brisket like your marbled brisket. If you did a blind taste test between a beef cheek cooked smoked like a brisket versus your normal fatty brisket, there’s hardly any difference.” Chicken halves, pork belly burnt ends, and a full new set of sides are also coming. “Everybody’s been freaking out like it’s the end of the world or something, but in reality it’s just… one protein and I don’t think any business can be defined just by one meat in particular,” he said. “We’re replacing the brisket with beef cheek… The price points will be different. You’ll be able to get the average Joe in there now for a price point that he’d be comfortable with spending.”
Other small operators are feeling the same squeeze. Alex Arredondo of El Vago put it bluntly: “Food prices just keep climbing. Brisket alone just jumped another $1.40 PER POUND, putting it at almost $6 a pound for us to buy, and that’s BEFORE we trim it, season it, smoke it, lose weight during cooking, and put it on your plate. And it’s not just brisket. Meat, produce, bread, cheese, cooking oil, seasonings, drinks, containers… EVERYTHING keeps going up. So when you see a mom-and-pop restaurant raise its prices, understand something: WE’RE NOT RAISING PRICES BECAUSE WE WANT TO. WE’RE RAISING THEM BECAUSE OUR COSTS KEEP RISING.”
Customers still want the classic cut. “People want brisket. I try to do pork, pulled pork, whatever. People don’t want pork. They want brisket… but it’s just real high right now,” Arredondo said. For places without deep pockets, the stakes are high. “It determines whether we’re gonna be open next month or not, because… we don’t have that extra 100, hundreds of thousands of dollars like the chains do for backup… What we make is what we have.”
The root of the problem sits further up the supply chain. The U.S. cattle herd is the smallest it’s been in about 75 years. Drought, high feed and interest costs, fewer Mexican feeder cattle because of screwworm concerns, and recent plant cutbacks have all tightened supply. Packers have idled capacity to match the smaller cattle numbers.
T.W. Moench Jr. at Moody's Meat Market described the situation on the ground. “They’re on a half kill. So only half the shift is working… That’s part of it. I know Nebraska closed a plant… and one in Illinois closed the plant… Tyson plants.” Rising diesel, freight minimums, and the fact that only two briskets come from each carcass add more pressure. On the screwworm impact he was clear: “It has hurt you… you did see a big number jump, you know, prices jump because of that.”
Relief isn’t expected anytime soon. Most people watching the cattle cycle say meaningful recovery—and lower wholesale prices—probably won’t show up until the late 2020s at the earliest.
For now, Soto’s ask is straightforward. “We’re not looking for sympathy. We’re not looking for a handout. We just want… your guys’ support. Come out and… support us like you’ve been doing these past 10 years.” The new menu rolls out this week. The quality, he promises, stays the same. The brisket just won’t be on the board every day anymore.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
