MILWAUKEE —Brent Brashier’s love forbrisketmatches that of his customers, making it his top selling item.
What You Need To Know
- Over the past eight years, as the owner of Doc’s Commerce Smokehousein Milwaukee, Brent Brashier has soldmore thana million pounds ofbrisket
- The rising costs ofbrisketand other beef cuts haveposeda challenge
- The U.S. cattle supply is at its lowest in decades due to recent droughts impacting cattle feed like cornand hay
- As a result, the cattle that are being sold are smaller in size. In addition, many ranchers are holding on to their cattle longer to build back their herds
Over the past eight years, as the owner of Doc’s Commerce Smokehousein Milwaukee,he’s soldmore thana million pounds ofbrisket.
He said he’s thankful for the community and his loyal customers for helping support his passion for barbecue.
Hailing from Alabama, Brashier takes pride inhis knowledge and detailed preparation of meat. He smokes hisbrisketfor about 16 hours.
“You can see how moist it is,” said Brashier. “It’s almost like a rubber band, so it stretches, but it comes right apart.”
However, the rising costs ofbrisketand other beef cuts haveposeda challenge.
“When wefirst opened 2016, we were at about$2.50or$2.60 a pound, and it varied a little bit,” said Brashier. “Then COVID hit, and it went way up. We were at $6 a pound, and no one wants to eat a $30 sandwich.”
Now, post-pandemic,the U.S. cattle supply is at its lowest in decades due to recent droughts impacting cattle feed like cornand hay. As a result, the cattle that are being sold are smaller in size. In addition, many ranchers are holding on to their cattle longer to build back their herds.
Brashier said he knows that his customers are also dealing with the pain of inflation. That’swhy hehas been hesitant to raise prices.
“We haven’t adjusted our prices in probably six months, so I’ve probably been overdue for it,” said Brashier. “I always hate raising prices. I fight it until the last minute.”
Adding to the challenge is the fact thatbrisket is an expensive cut to buy,and the amount he purchases is not what he ends up selling.
“We lose 40%of the weight in the cooking process, so we put a 10-poundbrisketin, we’re going to get a six-pound out, so really the cost of what’s going on your plate is much higher than the cost per pound on your plate,”said Brashier.
Despite difficult market conditions for beef, Brashier said he will always keep making his mouth-wateringbrisket, and keep it as affordable as he can.
