A Small Texas Barbecue Joint Prepares 20,000 Pounds of Brisket for World Cup Visitors
In this episode of Large Format, Zavala’s Barbecue in Grand Prairie, Texas, handles an influx of 3 million tourists visiting the town for FIFA’s 2026 World Cup by staying open for 30 days straight — a record for the small barbecue operation. With 20,000 pounds of brisket and hundreds of pounds of sausage hitting the grills, […]
Zavala's Barbecue in Grand Prairie, Texas, kept its doors open for a record 30 days to cater to the 3 million visitors attending FIFA's 2026 World Cup. The restaurant's kitchen was in overdrive, producing 20,000 pounds of brisket and 250 pounds of in-house sausage per day. The brisket team processes about 200 beef briskets each week, applying a simple spice rub of salt and pepper to create their signature flavor.
In addition to the brisket, the team also prepares carnitas, grilling them for hours and then submerging them in a bath of coke and oranges until they're tender enough to fall apart. Owner Joe Zavala attributes their success to the entire team working together to maintain consistency in the barbecue. "Everybody walks by the smoker, they're looking at the temperature, they're looking at the fire," he explains.
"So it's multiple eyes on it to hold all of us accountable, because it's not just one person, it's all of us."
Written by urgent.news from Eater's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
