as a plate short rib, but they’re always smaller. They’re also dense and don’t take up as much pit space as pork ribs, which Mueller would sooner do without than beef ribs. He pays $3.39 per pound raw currently and charges $15.98 per pound for the finished product because of the considerable shrinkage that happens while cooking. Wayne Mueller at Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor also uses the chuck short ribs. While he’s seen the price raise in the recent past it hasn’t gotten too high to get him merely to the break-even point. It’s also one of things Louie Mueller is famous for.

Ronnie Killen at Killen’s BBQ in Pearland also uses the chuck rib. He includes them on his beef rib plate, which he charges a flat rate for, not a per pound cost. But he does also cook the plate ribs, but he saves those for folks who want to buy by the pound. Killen may have found the sweet spot when it comes to profitability.

But as evidenced by their popularity, it's clear that the people want beef short ribs. From here we’ll just have to see if the prices for beef can settle and allow pitmasters to gauge a fair price to keep them as a profitable menu item, not matter how thin that profit is. John Lewis has thought about using higher quality beef, but that would come at a higher price. “I don’t know how much more we could charge and still have people buy them,” he says. My guess is the ceiling’s pretty high. If they taste better than the one I bought during my last visit, I know I'd snap one (or two) up.