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Brisket Shortage Has BBQ Lovers Gnashing Their Teeth

NPR

Published January 28, 2015 at 1:35 PM EST

Drought conditions are forcing ranchers to thin their cattle herds, and that means there’s a shortage of brisket, the front-end cut of beef that’s emblematic of Texas barbecue.

Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn tells Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson that higher commodity prices have even forced one best-in-state barbecue restaurant to close down recently.

Vaughn says brisket prices have gone up 60 percent from last year, and “without brisket, it just wouldn’t be Texas barbecue at all.”

Related: Searching For The Best BBQ In Texas

Guest

Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthly barbecue editor and author of “The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue.” He tweets @BBQsnob.