If you've fired up the grill lately, you've likely noticed that beef prices are higher than a Texas summer. Brisket, the once-affordable cornerstone of Texas barbecue, is now pricing out pitmasters and patrons alike. Some joints are simply charging more, while others are getting creative with different cuts and whole-animal utilization. According to Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn, these innovations are actually a return to barbecue's roots - because nothing says tradition like panic-induced ingenuity.

Vaughn explains that the cattle population is at historic lows while demand remains high, so brisket prices have risen even faster than beef overall. In response, pitmasters are turning to cuts like beef cheeks (now a menu darling), tri-tip (a California import), and even pork shoulder - marketed as "brisket but pork, and half the price" by the oldest joint in Texas, Southside Market.

Vaughn notes that these trends can take hold in just a few years, but he's not rooting for brisket's demise - just hoping to spread the demand around. As for home cooks, he recommends cuts from the sirloin, like tri-tip or picanha, which run about half the cost of traditional steak cuts. But if you're wondering what the most you'd pay for brisket is, Vaughn has seen $62 a pound in Portland. And for his son's birthday? The kid wants steak. Priorities.