SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
If you have fired up the grill recently, you have probably noticed beef prices are high, including the price of a once-affordable cut synonymous with Texas barbecue, brisket. And that is putting pressure on the barbecue joints that build their reputation around brisket. Some pitmasters are simply charging more. Others are getting creative, experimenting with different cuts and finding new ways to use every part of the animal. And as Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn argues in a recent piece, some of these innovations really aren't new at all. They are a return to barbecue's roots. Daniel Vaughn joins us now. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
DANIEL VAUGHN: Good to be on.
DETROW: I always like talking brisket. First, let's talk more of the downer of the beef prices of it all. Let's start there. Why have they gone up so much?
VAUGHN: Well, I mean, the cattle population is down across the country. It's at historic lows, and the demand for beef has certainly not gone down along with it. So supply and demand - beef itself is just that much more expensive. And brisket, as a specific cut, that - the rise in prices of brisket has really outpaced beef pretty dramatically.
DETROW: The interesting thing here is, like, this is kind of a return to brisket's roots, right? Like, it became popular because it was an inexpensive, tough piece of meat, but people figured out how to make it taste amazing. Are we just watching that cycle of necessity happen with other cuts?
VAUGHN: Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think certainly with cuts like a beef cheek, that was once just looked at as only fodder for barbecoa, is now one of the prized elements on many Texas barbecue menus. Try-tip, a California import, really, is one of those things that's finding popularity in Texas barbecue as well. But, you know, that really does go back to our history of really being the beef barbecue state. It wasn't really always about just one particular cut.
DETROW: How long do you think these new trends would have to be in place for people's tastes to change, for these to become established new cuts that are go-to?
VAUGHN: Well, you know, I think just a few years, we've seen beef cheeks become really widely adopted and, you know, widely revered, as well. So I don't think it really takes that long, but I'm not really here to try and hope that brisket goes away or anything. I'm hoping that we can expand the options for beef barbecues so that that demand for brisket just isn't quite as high as it is today.
DETROW: Beef cheek sounds like an uncomfortable compliment that an older relative would give to somebody, I guess.
VAUGHN: Oh, man, the amount of gelatin you have in a beef cheek - I'm telling you, it's delicious.
DETROW: I'm wondering, how slow or fast is the market? Like, is there a world where beef cheeks are suddenly going to be expensive themselves?
VAUGHN: Yeah, I mean, the price for beef cheeks has already gone up. You know, I think the reactions to these things are pretty quick when these pitmasters are really looking for any alternative to brisket. I even saw the oldest barbecue joint in Texas, Southside Market, is now pushing their smoked and sliced pork shoulder, which they're like, it's just like brisket, but pork, and it's half the price.
DETROW: You have eaten a lot of barbecue, thought a lot about barbecue. Have you changed your order at all in recent years?
VAUGHN: Well, you know, one of the things that I eat everywhere I go is brisket, and as long as they're serving it - and that's not going to stop. But, you know, honestly, it's one of the things I eat the least of. Take a few bites here to evaluate it. It's really other cuts that excite me a lot more, whether it's a half chicken or a pork steak, you know, a smoked lamb. We're seeing a lot more of that, as well. So those things really excite me more than brisket anyway.
DETROW: I'm curious - like, some of these different cuts make a lot of sense for professional pitmasters to do if somebody out there is looking at the butcher counter for this weekend and going like, oh, my God, this costs so much. Is there any kind of, like, easier barrier point, entry on, like, kind of an alternative cut that you would suggest for somebody grilling or smoking at home?
VAUGHN: Well, yeah, when you're staring at that case of meat, and you're looking at, like, rib-eye prices, tenderloin prices, all of a sudden, those cuts from the sirloin - like the tri-tip that I mentioned before and the picanha, which is Brazil's prized barbecue cut - have become more popular. And, you know, they have risen in price because of their popularity, but compared to some of those other traditional steak cuts, they're usually about half the cost of that. So anything from the sirloin is always a great option.
DETROW: I kind of want to ask, what is the most you would pay for good brisket? But (laughter) I don't know.
VAUGHN: Well, I mean, I'm in a little different position - right? - 'cause...
DETROW: Yeah.
VAUGHN: ...Texas Monthly does take care of most of my barbecue expenses. But, you know, certainly when - if I see $40 a pound for brisket, I know that that's a place that's pretty expensive now. I was in Portland, Oregon, recently, and I think I saw it for $62 a pound at a...
DETROW: Wow.
VAUGHN: ...Barbecue pop-up, and that was certainly eye-opening.
DETROW: Yeah. Yeah. What are you, What are you barbecuing yourself this weekend?
VAUGHN: Well, this weekend is actually - it's certainly our nation's birthday but also my son's birthday. And so he wants steak. So the boy is going to get steak. He likes a rib-eye or a New York strip, so he's going to get it.
DETROW: Those are two good options. Daniel Vaughn - his story in Texas Monthly is called "Texas BBQ Joints Are Struggling With Sky High Beef Prices. But There's Another Way." Thank you so much for talking to us.
VAUGHN: Thank you.
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