How Smokey Mo's BBQ Sells a Million Pounds of Brisket

Smokey Mo's BBQ sells over 1 million pounds of brisket a year, and President Craig Haley can walk you through exactly where every ounce goes. Recorded live at the NRA Show 2026, this episode of Behind the Numbers digs into the unforgiving math of Texas barbecue: a pound purchased becomes half a pound sold, briskets cook 10 to 13 hours and get fork-tested in 5 or 6 spots, and actual versus theoretical gets tracked meat by meat with weekly inventories.Craig explains how tighter product management has let Smokey Mo's hold menu prices while cattle stocks sit at record lows, why upper choice brisket yields enough to justify its cost, and how a small-box drive-thru design delivers 70% to-go sales on a five-minute service target. Plus real-time guest feedback, where AI fits in the drive-thru, and a Smokey Take on kiosks.Hosted by Marc Cohen and Rich Sweeney. Find Craig Haley on LinkedIn. Smokey Mo's BBQ operates 23 locations across San Antonio, Austin, and the Texas Hill Country.Listen and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube.