BBQ Meat Price Report – July 2026

The single biggest story in July 2026: pork butt just blew past its usual summer dip and now costs $3.98/lb, up 25.9% month-over-month and a startling 55.5% year-over-year – the kind of move that turns a backyard pulled-pork budget upside down. Meanwhile classic steakhouse cuts kept sliding, with ribeye down 16.1% on the month and NY strip off 24.2%, so the story of July is really two stories: smoker meat getting pricier, grill steaks getting cheaper.

The scoreboard (July 2026 grocery features, national averages)

Full live table for every cut: Meat Prices This Week.

The movers

If you smoke, brace yourself: pork butt/shoulder is the month’s headline mover, jumping 25.9% since June to $3.98/lb nationally (up 55.5% from a year ago). The Midwest is the priciest region at $3.99/lb, while Hawaii remains the relative bargain at $3.14/lb. Ribs didn’t follow suit – spare ribs actually fell 19.6% to $3.19/lb and baby back ribs eased 3% to $3.83/lb, so if brisket-and-pork-shoulder plates got more expensive, a mixed rib platter is quietly the better value this month. Chicken wings spiked hard too, up 34.9% month-over-month to $3.52/lb, though they’re still only up 3.5% year-over-year, meaning last month’s wing prices were unusually low.

On the beef side, it’s a genuine buyer’s market for steak night. Ribeye dropped 16.1% to $14.64/lb (down 23.5% year-over-year), NY strip fell 24.2% to $13.33/lb, and prime rib is down 19.1% to $12.77/lb. Tri-tip also cooled off, down 12.4% to $10.76/lb, though it’s still up 20.4% year-over-year and swings wildly by region – $5.99/lb in the South Central states versus $14.24/lb in the Southeast. Brisket continued a gentler slide, down 6% to $7.85/lb, with South Central at $4.99/lb the cheapest region against $9.99/lb in the Northeast – basically double the price depending on where you shop.

Poultry sent mixed signals: chicken breast rose 17.5% to $4.91/lb and turkey breast climbed 9.8% to $5.71/lb, but chicken quarters fell 12.8% to $1.16/lb (the Northwest a steal at $0.79/lb) and whole chicken barely budged, up 3.1% to $4.37/lb. Pork loin jumped 14.1% to $2.34/lb even as pork tenderloin slipped 8.6% to $4.44/lb – two cuts from the same animal moving in opposite directions this month.

The playbook

For families smoking on a budget this month, the move is to lean into ribs and grilled beef instead of pulled pork: spare ribs at $3.19/lb and baby back ribs at $3.83/lb are both down on the month, and ribeye at $14.64/lb or NY strip at $13.33/lb are the cheapest they’ve been in a while. If pork butt is non-negotiable for a cook, shop the regional spread – Hawaii’s $3.14/lb versus the Midwest’s $3.99/lb shows real room to save by timing a bulk buy around sales rather than paying the national average.

Caterers and anyone cooking at volume should treat chicken wings’ 34.9% monthly spike as a signal to reprice appetizer platters now rather than mid-event, and to watch chicken breast (+17.5%) and turkey breast (+9.8%) if those are menu staples. On the flip side, prime rib at $12.77/lb (down 19.1%) and tri-tip at $10.76/lb are worth locking in for catered events booked in the next few weeks, especially sourced from cheaper regions like South Central tri-tip at $5.99/lb.

Watching next month

Next month, keep an eye on whether pork butt’s 25.9% jump holds or reverses – a move this sharp against a 55.5% year-over-year gain is unusual and worth tracking closely for anyone planning a pulled-pork-heavy menu. Also watch chicken wings, since July’s 34.9% spike outpaced its 3.5% year-over-year change, suggesting June’s price was the outlier and wings could settle back down. On the beef side, watch whether ribeye, NY strip, and prime rib keep falling or start to firm up after three straight months of double-digit declines.