Butter's BBQ, a well-known Sinton barbecue spot, is pulling brisket off the menu.
Butter's made the 2021 Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ joint list in 2021 when it was located in Mathis. After a move to Sinton, Butter's again made the list last year, with Texas Monthly lauding its "flawlessly smoked USDA Prime brisket."
On Sept. 20, the business announced on Facebook that beef prices are too high to keep brisket on the 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," the Butter's BBQ Facebook post reads.
The restaurant is sharing a new menu this week.
"Again we apologize to anybody this may affect,
we love brisket more than anybody so this hurts us just as much as it does you guys," the Butter's BBQ post states.
Though brisket is still being served at other area restaurants, several restaurant owners told the Caller-Times that they agree that beef and other food costs have gotten hard to handle.
Prices went up after the pandemic and never went down, said Bill Sissamis of Silverado Smokehouse.
"I don't know why it's going up," Sissamis said. "I don't like it. But I'm very blessed to be in a better position than a lot of others, especially restaurants that are just starting up. We're established."
Silverado Smokehouse has a loyal customer base that is understanding, he added. The restaurant increased prices twice due to the pandemic and hasn't increased since then.
"As long as we make a little bit, we're happy ... as long as my staff is employed," Sissamis said.
But Silverado Smokehouse did temporarily pause selling beef ribs because prices "skyrocketed." Sissamis felt that he couldn't ask customers to pay that high a price.
"It's only temporary until prices start coming down," Sissamis said.
Ever since the pandemic, the restaurant has experienced more difficulties getting items from suppliers. There have been times recently when suppliers haven't come through with orders for items like cups or napkins.
"We've never gone to H-E-B and Sam's Club more in my years of business," Sissamis said, comparing the past few years to before 2020, clarifying that these grocery store visits are for other supplies, not meat.
Brisket is still on the menu.
"We do what it takes to keep the ball rolling," Sissamis said. "That's the restaurant business."
Howard's BBQ & Catering is in the same boat, facing rising prices. The pandemic was a turning point.
Howard's hasn't changed the menu. Norman Howard, son of the restaurant's first owner, trained current owner Jim Mathews, who now works with son-in-law Tom Messner and his son Henry Messner. Mathews previously ran Farmhouse Barbecue, a Calallen restaurant.
"There are certain things that are very important to us as a family business, in particular, keeping those traditions alive," Tom Messner said.
When people think about South Texas barbecue and Howard's, they think about brisket, sausage, ribs, chicken and sides, Tom Messner said.
"That's what we're going to keep on doing, because that's what our customers want," Tom Messner said.
In a survey of Texas restaurant operators, 43% reported food costs had increased significantly compared to the same period in 2025, according to a second-quarter 2026 report from the Texas Restaurant Association. Another 42% said food costs had increased slightly.
Home cooks have likely noticed some of the same increases.
According to Bureau for Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Agriculture data, the consumer price index 12-month percent change for August 2026 was 2.7% for all food, 3.6% for meats and 5.9% for beef and veal.
Olivia Garrett reports on education and community news in South Texas. Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Popular barbecue spot pulls brisket off menu due to rising costs
