02/08/2026
Alright BBQ friends… let’s talk beef prices for a minute.
Brisket right now is running $5.50 per pound.
If we buy a 20 lb brisket, here’s what that actually looks like:
20 lbs x $5.50 = $110 cost
After trimming fat and cooking (which is about a 50% loss between trim and render), we’re left with roughly 10 lbs finished product.
That usually breaks down to:
About 7 lbs sliced brisket
About 3 lbs burnt ends
Now take that $110 cost and divide it by the 10 lbs we actually end up with:
$110 ÷ 10 lbs = $11.00 per finished pound
When we sell 2 lb bags for $25, that’s:
$12.50 per pound revenue
$11.00 per pound raw meat cost
That leaves $1.50 per pound before we even factor in:
16 hours of running a smoker
Pellets/wood/charcoal
Tin foil
Rub
Sauce
Prep time
Slicing and cubing
Packaging bags
Labels
Cleanup
And labor
There is no profit margin there.
Burnt ends aren’t something we source separately — they’re a byproduct of brisket, just like thighs are part of a chicken. During wedding season, when menus don’t balance sliced brisket and burnt ends evenly, we’re often left heavy on burnt ends.
We don’t sell them to make money.
We sell them because:
We can’t eat that many.
It helps recoup some of the brisket cost.
It keeps good food from going to waste.
Also — see the photo of the amount of waste from 150 lbs of brisket. That pile is exactly what 50% loss looks like in real life. When you scale that up, the numbers add up fast.
Beef prices are up across the board, and small BBQ operations feel it immediately. We’re not a grocery chain hedging futures contracts — we’re buying what’s on the rack.
Just laying out the math so everyone understands what’s really behind that $25 bag.
We truly appreciate everyone who supports local BBQ.