Record High Beef Prices

yeppers..the crazy tree huggers who run the country are hogging up 40% of the corn supply to make the crazy ethanol which ruins our vehicles. Cows and pigs really like corn but its getting too pricey to be able feed them much of it. The inmates are running the asylum.

Howdy Jeff,good to hear you're still kickin'.Guess ya gave up chasin' bad guys.

It's the worst of all worlds for restaurant owners. I've been holding menu prices for the past 4 years to cope with the economic slowdown. The past two months have produced increased beef (and just about everything else) prices, on an almost weekly basis.

The seasoned vets will get through this by and large but already slim profit margins are now stripped to break even. I've pretty much decided to pack it in if things remain the same in D.C. come 2016.

Beef prices, as high as they are, are only the tip of the iceberg.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom:
Howdy Jeff,good to hear you're still kickin'.Guess ya gave up chasin' bad guys.

Hey Tom..yep still kicking and glad to see you are too. Gave up on the bad guy chasing around nearly 4 years ago. As I try to tell everybody.."being retired is way over rated..but it beats the sheet out of working." lol. Way too much quality time around yakking wimmen. We got along good when I was stuck on midnights for a years at a stretch.

quote:

Originally posted by MaxQ:
It's the worst of all worlds for restaurant owners. I've been holding menu prices for the past 4 years to cope with the economic slowdown. The past two months have produced increased beef (and just about everything else) prices, on an almost weekly basis.

The seasoned vets will get through this by and large but already slim profit margins are now stripped to break even. I've pretty much decided to pack it in if things remain the same in D.C. come 2016.

Beef prices, as high as they are, are only the tip of the iceberg.

Hear you on that action. Old chum who runs a Q joint say its fixing to get crazy. About two weeks ago he was paying 2.78 for CAB briskets..no telling what it is now. The menu prices have to rise too..is the only thing that could possibly work. Pork got cheap for a while now it is headed out of sight too. Guess we will have to start eating turkey necks.

I've been waiting for Brisket to 'drop', but I'm done holding my breath. With spring, we're doing our cost adjustments over the next few weeks. Only item remaining at current menu pricing is chicken - that's still been OK for me. I'm blown away at seeing my ground chuck increasing 50 cents/pound.
Rick

quote:

Originally posted by bigwheel:

quote:

Originally posted by MaxQ:
It's the worst of all worlds for restaurant owners. I've been holding menu prices for the past 4 years to cope with the economic slowdown. The past two months have produced increased beef (and just about everything else) prices, on an almost weekly basis.

The seasoned vets will get through this by and large but already slim profit margins are now stripped to break even. I've pretty much decided to pack it in if things remain the same in D.C. come 2016.

Beef prices, as high as they are, are only the tip of the iceberg.

Hear you on that action. Old chum who runs a Q joint say its fixing to get crazy. About two weeks ago he was paying 2.78 for CAB briskets..no telling what it is now. The menu prices have to rise too..is the only thing that could possibly work. Pork got cheap for a while now it is headed out of sight too. Guess we will have to start eating turkey necks.

Cattle numbers are at a 50 year low due to the severe drought in cattle producing areas. I don't see beef prices coming down in the next couple of years. Pork prices are going to get even higher due to the PED virus that has hit so many pork producers in the Midwest and Canada. Pricing will be determined by supply and demand and right now the supply chain is running low.

Hey guys. I made beef chilli last week and the 2.8 lbs of chuck was about 15 something. I was thinking when I was making the little batch of chilli how much $$$ it was costing. But it was great Made in Texas Chilli :P

PS
I just mixed up my first batch of beef rub and popped open the big ziploc bag I had mixed it in and poof that dust went right into my left eye. That 2 table spoons of cayenne in the recipe goes a long way. I learned my lesson. Always peep into rub bags with your eyes shut.bag

We bought a case of 13-17 bacon two weeks ago at $40.00, todays price $57.00. Really nothing you can do about price increases, except to try an trim other food item costs.

Anybody smoked TOFU?

Does it taste like chicken?

Coach and I hit Costco yesterday hunting Prime briskets for this weekend's contest. Couldn't find a thick flat Prime packer so we grabbed some nice Choice. Went back today, same deal and the new "sell by" Choice packers were up .19 @ lb.



Read yesterday that Micky D's "dollar menu" is about to be replaced with a $2 $3 & $5 "dollar" menu.

How wonderful...half the corn crop winds up at the gas pumps while the Chinese are buying up all the cattle and pork they can lay hands on.

Tofu indeed.

I would imagine the biggest problem was the drought the last few years that caused ranchers to cull their herd. They are now in the rebuilding phase which causes less marketable beef for the time being. This should take about 2 years before the supply and demand theory will take hold.

Yup.

10-4 on that culling the herds.Our sons got enough KY hillside to stay in scrub grass and river land to stay in hay and plenty of other cattlemen selling off their hay-since they culled the herds.
Thankfully,the boys were able to get rid of the culls and pick up plenty of young bloodstock heifers from the cattle brokers selling them.
Lucky they got real jobs to help 'em hold on, until maybe they can get well for a few years.

Walmart select brisket is nearly three bucks a pound. I have some hogs, and feed has stayed at 11.00 a 50 pound bag since September and has just went up .25 cents a bag.

I've had it on my menu since the day I opened! Vegetarian & vegan customers LOVE it!

quote:

Originally posted by Joe M:
Anybody smoked TOFU?

Plenty of wild hogs out there fellas...TX and FL especially...no license required, no bag limits, no closed season...just be careful how you handle them. That's what I hear and read anyways...not speaking from experience.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinMAINEiac:
Plenty of wild hogs out there fellas...TX and FL especially...no license required, no bag limits, no closed season...just be careful how you handle them. That's what I hear and read anyways...not speaking from experience.

Sounds good to we'uns thanks for the report. We had the honor to attend the World Championship
Wild Hawg cookoff over in Foard County back in the good old days. They get folks to cook half a wild porker which they only charge 50 bucks for the basic ingredient. They was about the size of a standard poodle and leaner than a grey hound. Not real yummy in other words. I bet an escapee from the yup game farm would be better. Now did bump into a couple later in life which had been trapped alive and fattened up for 30 days and given a sanitary butchering by a fellow who knew what he was doing and had the right equipment. It was a real blessing. Little hams weighed 15 lbs or so. Smelled like Chanel #5. Guess the moral of the tale is..there is wild hawgs..and then there is wild hawgs. lol. Thinking the widespread proliferation of the species might be good to keep the muslims scared away. Just a theory of course.