MILWAUKEE — Brent Brashier’s love for brisket matches 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 Smokehouse in Milwaukee, Brent Brashier has sold more than a million pounds of brisket

  • The rising costs of brisket and other beef cuts have posed a challenge

  • The U.S. cattle supply is at its lowest in decades due to recent droughts impacting cattle feed like corn and 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 Smokehouse in Milwaukee, he’s sold more than a million pounds of brisket.

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 in his knowledge and detailed preparation of meat. He smokes his brisket for 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 of brisket and other beef cuts have posed a challenge.

“When we first opened 2016, we were at about $2.50 or $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 corn and 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’s why he has 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 that brisket 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-pound brisket in, 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-watering brisket, and keep it as affordable as he can.

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