February 18, 2026 • 5 mins
“If beef prices keep climbing and herds keep shrinking… could Texas barbecue actually disappear?”
That’s the startling question that kicks off a hilariously chaotic and surprisingly eye‑opening episode of The Ben & Skin Show, where serious agricultural economics collide head‑on with bull mating jokes and the crew’s signature unfiltered comedy.Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is sounding the alarm about a “perfect storm” threatening the future of Texas barbecue — record‑high beef prices, a historically tiny cattle herd, and collapsing consumer demand. The crew dives deep… but never misses a chance to crack each other up along the way.
That’s the startling question that kicks off a hilariously chaotic and surprisingly eye‑opening episode of The Ben & Skin Show, where serious agricultural economics collide head‑on with bull mating jokes and the crew’s signature unfiltered comedy.Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is sounding the alarm about a “perfect storm” threatening the future of Texas barbecue — record‑high beef prices, a historically tiny cattle herd, and collapsing consumer demand. The crew dives deep… but never misses a chance to crack each other up along the way.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, coming up here in ten minutes, the Olympics
are going on right now. We're going to have a
discussion what are the hardest and easiest sports that'll happen
here in a bit.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
But right now it's time for this good time.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
All right, Buckle up, boys and gal and metroplex in Texans,
Texas agg Commissioner Sid Miller. You guys know Sid, go
way back with Sid Miller. He's sounding the alarm on something.
(00:35):
He says that we've got a perfect storm happening right
now of record high beef prices, the smallest national cattle
herd in seventy five years, inflation, and now consumer demand
is very low. And he's like talking, He's like, this
is a very big problem. And now we're seeing a
lot of barbecue places go out of business or notice
(00:57):
they're not making as much money because of all these
things are jumbled together all at once. Have you guys
noticed this out there in the world.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Well, we have some friends who own barbecue restaurants, and
I know that you know, there's a rising cost of beef,
and you know, especially if you are a restaurant who
likes high quality stuff. You know, like we have some
friends who own a Wagou ranch. If you go anywhere
in town and you want a Waguo burger, that's a
very specific expensive type of beef. If you go anywhere
(01:25):
and get a Wagoo burger, that's expensive. It's a twenty
dollars burger. And then but if you compare it to
a fast food burger, like, dude, how does that even
make sense?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It doesn't.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
But if you want Wagoo, you know, obviously you're gonna
pay the extra amount for that. But just in general,
if you're a barbecue restaurant. We have a friend who
has a barbecue restaurant and they like high end stuff.
They pride themselves. They spend a little bit more on,
you know, the beef, so that it's a higher quality
and it's not like some.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Of these that there's a million locations and it's low quality.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
But the minute they raise prices, because their prices have
gone up, people free out and they go online. They're like,
oh my god, I'm not doing that this place, so,
you know, and they start trying to kill the business.
Like the cost of goods is going up, so the
cost of owning a restaurant and having those things is
gonna go up.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I do think it's very and I get it.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
We're in the world where everyone has a platform now
and so they're just spouting off emotionally as opposed to
thinking through it. How is there a person alive right
now that doesn't realize what is happening with the cost
of goods in the economy, Like you have to stick
your head so far down a hole, like you if
you have a job, you see it at work. It's
(02:36):
just it's it's across the board, and it's like the
only thing on the news. So to be that person
that's going to go complain about the cost of something
go up, going up. If you have a problem with it,
then go impact the election, Like that's that's how you
can have your voice be heard. But this is the
current state of the economy all across the board and
(03:00):
every single industry.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
But specifically in this case, to go with all of
what you just said, the historically low inventory cattle.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Yeah, but why wouldn't that correspond with low demand?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Yeah, I don't really know, he said. So here's something
he says. He points to historically low cattle inventory as
a red flag for what could come next. If the
problem isn't addressed, He says Texas could see a broader
collapse in demand for quality beef. He says for the
entire supply chain, from the ranch to the smoker to
the dinner table, this is a huge warning sign. He
(03:37):
also said this was a weird quote to maybe, but
maybe you guys understand it. I'm worried they're gonna try
bringing the price of beef down in the grocery store,
and that's gonna bring the price of calves or beef
down to the producer.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Well, hold on, don't you think that the decrease in
demand has.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
To do with the price. That's what I would think.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I mean, that's what the correlation is. Unless there's some
movement out there on unaware of to don't eat barbecue.
I mean, I think it just has to do with
people are making I mean, we do it in our household.
We make we're making decisions all the time about how
much we can eat out versus how much we can
eat at home. And then even when you go you
have choices to make it the supermarkets. Am I going
to go to a higher end supermarket or am I
(04:17):
going to go to a you know more you know,
mass produced place, Because it's going to have cheaper prices,
but the quality is going to be down. Everybody is
dealing with this on every walk of life.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Well, Sid Miller is calling for a way to solve this,
and it is the America First Beef policy. I like that,
and rebuilding the National Cattle Herd. They shoul get a
bunch of bulls in there and just let them go
to town. How does this work?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
I don't really know.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I think the bulls bulls go to poundtown, right, bulls
go to poundtown. Those poor guys, jeez, a literal.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Piece of meat.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
They're like, I don't have to really, twenty heifers.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
They want it.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
They're they're looking for it. The heifers want it.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Yeah, you don't think the bull does. No bulls, it's
just worked for him.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
It's a job.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
I mean, the better bull, the good bulls can, he
just really can. He's just the Chewest code depends on this.
There's another one.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
It's like the idea, you know, the old joke growing
up love it'd be a guy of college just want
to grow. Oh that's a funny joke in junior high
that you're making. Then you realize, oh, I got to
look at.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
All of them.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Yeah, you don't want to look under the hood all
the time. See how those cars run.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
That's what the bull's thinking. He's like, well, these aren't
all tens.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
This seems personal.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Uh, this is this is this is what I think, right,
bulls are thinking.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
You're projecting onto the bull. That's what I think.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Yeah, you know what, let the general know what the
bulls are thinking. Two on four seven eight seven, one
five step.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
There you have it. There's food, dudes.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Texas Barbecue could be going away coming up in a
matter of minutes. The Olympics are are going on right now.
Let's have a discussion what are the hardest and easiest sports.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
We'll do that next
All right, coming up here in ten minutes, the Olympics
are going on right now. We're going to have a
discussion what are the hardest and easiest sports that'll happen
here in a bit.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
But right now it's time for this good time.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
All right, Buckle up, boys and gal and metroplex in Texans,
Texas agg Commissioner Sid Miller. You guys know Sid, go
way back with Sid Miller. He's sounding the alarm on something.
(00:35):
He says that we've got a perfect storm happening right
now of record high beef prices, the smallest national cattle
herd in seventy five years, inflation, and now consumer demand
is very low. And he's like talking, He's like, this
is a very big problem. And now we're seeing a
lot of barbecue places go out of business or notice
(00:57):
they're not making as much money because of all these
things are jumbled together all at once. Have you guys
noticed this out there in the world.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Well, we have some friends who own barbecue restaurants, and
I know that you know, there's a rising cost of beef,
and you know, especially if you are a restaurant who
likes high quality stuff. You know, like we have some
friends who own a Wagou ranch. If you go anywhere
in town and you want a Waguo burger, that's a
very specific expensive type of beef. If you go anywhere
(01:25):
and get a Wagoo burger, that's expensive. It's a twenty
dollars burger. And then but if you compare it to
a fast food burger, like, dude, how does that even
make sense?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It doesn't.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
But if you want Wagoo, you know, obviously you're gonna
pay the extra amount for that. But just in general,
if you're a barbecue restaurant. We have a friend who
has a barbecue restaurant and they like high end stuff.
They pride themselves. They spend a little bit more on,
you know, the beef, so that it's a higher quality
and it's not like some.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Of these that there's a million locations and it's low quality.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
But the minute they raise prices, because their prices have
gone up, people free out and they go online. They're like,
oh my god, I'm not doing that this place, so,
you know, and they start trying to kill the business.
Like the cost of goods is going up, so the
cost of owning a restaurant and having those things is
gonna go up.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I do think it's very and I get it.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
We're in the world where everyone has a platform now
and so they're just spouting off emotionally as opposed to
thinking through it. How is there a person alive right
now that doesn't realize what is happening with the cost
of goods in the economy, Like you have to stick
your head so far down a hole, like you if
you have a job, you see it at work. It's
(02:36):
just it's it's across the board, and it's like the
only thing on the news. So to be that person
that's going to go complain about the cost of something
go up, going up. If you have a problem with it,
then go impact the election, Like that's that's how you
can have your voice be heard. But this is the
current state of the economy all across the board and
(03:00):
every single industry.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
But specifically in this case, to go with all of
what you just said, the historically low inventory cattle.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Yeah, but why wouldn't that correspond with low demand?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Yeah, I don't really know, he said. So here's something
he says. He points to historically low cattle inventory as
a red flag for what could come next. If the
problem isn't addressed, He says Texas could see a broader
collapse in demand for quality beef. He says for the
entire supply chain, from the ranch to the smoker to
the dinner table, this is a huge warning sign. He
(03:37):
also said this was a weird quote to maybe, but
maybe you guys understand it. I'm worried they're gonna try
bringing the price of beef down in the grocery store,
and that's gonna bring the price of calves or beef
down to the producer.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Well, hold on, don't you think that the decrease in
demand has.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
To do with the price. That's what I would think.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I mean, that's what the correlation is. Unless there's some
movement out there on unaware of to don't eat barbecue.
I mean, I think it just has to do with
people are making I mean, we do it in our household.
We make we're making decisions all the time about how
much we can eat out versus how much we can
eat at home. And then even when you go you
have choices to make it the supermarkets. Am I going
to go to a higher end supermarket or am I
(04:17):
going to go to a you know more you know,
mass produced place, Because it's going to have cheaper prices,
but the quality is going to be down. Everybody is
dealing with this on every walk of life.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Well, Sid Miller is calling for a way to solve this,
and it is the America First Beef policy. I like that,
and rebuilding the National Cattle Herd. They shoul get a
bunch of bulls in there and just let them go
to town. How does this work?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
I don't really know.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I think the bulls bulls go to poundtown, right, bulls
go to poundtown. Those poor guys, jeez, a literal.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Piece of meat.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
They're like, I don't have to really, twenty heifers.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
They want it.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
They're they're looking for it. The heifers want it.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Yeah, you don't think the bull does. No bulls, it's
just worked for him.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
It's a job.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
I mean, the better bull, the good bulls can, he
just really can. He's just the Chewest code depends on this.
There's another one.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
It's like the idea, you know, the old joke growing
up love it'd be a guy of college just want
to grow. Oh that's a funny joke in junior high
that you're making. Then you realize, oh, I got to
look at.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
All of them.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Yeah, you don't want to look under the hood all
the time. See how those cars run.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
That's what the bull's thinking. He's like, well, these aren't
all tens.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
This seems personal.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Uh, this is this is this is what I think, right,
bulls are thinking.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
You're projecting onto the bull. That's what I think.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Yeah, you know what, let the general know what the
bulls are thinking. Two on four seven eight seven, one
five step.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
There you have it. There's food, dudes.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Texas Barbecue could be going away coming up in a
matter of minutes. The Olympics are are going on right now.
Let's have a discussion what are the hardest and easiest sports.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
We'll do that next
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