What Mister Brisket does

Mister Brisket is a privately held, family-owned premium butcher shop and deli founded in 1974 by Sanford Herskovitz in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The business operates from a single retail storefront at 2156 South Taylor Rd and serves home cooks, competition BBQ enthusiasts, local restaurants, and gift-giving customers seeking high-quality meats. The company has remained under family ownership without external institutional funding, with stepson Hank Kornblut joining in 1985 and overseeing operational expansion, including the addition of a deli counter in 2006 and the adjacent-space expansion in 2018. The team is small (1-10 employees), comprising a founder, an operations manager, a smoked food specialist (Aaron Huentelman, owner of the Go Big or Go BBQ sub-brand), and a delivery specialist.

The core product offering centers on USDA Prime and Wagyu beef cuts, supplemented by veal, lamb, pork, poultry, and a modest seafood selection. Prepared foods include smoked brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, ribs, and bake-at-home items like Beef Wellington sold under the Go Big or Go BBQ brand. The business differentiates through proprietary supplier relationships (Imperial Wagyu, Springer Mountain Farms, Prairie Fresh, Creekstone Farms), expert custom cutting capabilities, and competition-ready products trimmed to Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) specifications. Partnerships with the American Royal enable direct-to-venue competition meat delivery.

The revenue model is primarily one-time transactional sales with no subscription or recurring component. Products are sold by weight or per item via the physical storefront, local delivery within the Cleveland area, and nationwide UPS shipping (accounting for approximately 25% of sales). Price points range from $7.99 per pound for ground wagyu to $750 for premium bone-in wagyu rib roasts, with competition boxes priced at $399-$424 ($499 shipped). The business has no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no mobile app, relying on a WordPress-based e-commerce site, social media, email newsletter, and SEO for digital marketing.

Name

Mister Brisket

Legal name

Mister Brisket

Website

https://misterbrisket.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mister Brisket is a family-owned premium butcher shop and deli founded in 1974 in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, specializing in USDA Prime and Wagyu beef, competition BBQ products, and prepared foods. It serves home cooks, BBQ competitors, restaurants, and gift customers through retail, local delivery, and nationwide shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Meat Retail (Butcher Shop & Deli)

NAICS

Meat Retailers (445240)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated Meat & Seafood (Processed/Packaged) (CRADACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Smoked Meats & Seafood (Hot/Cold Smoking) (AFANAEAB), BBQ Sauce & Marinades Manufacturing (AFAKADAH)

Keywords

• Premium butcher shop
• USDA Prime beef
• Wagyu brisket
• Competition BBQ meats
• Artisan deli prepared foods

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Meat Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling premium quality fresh meats including USDA Prime beef, Wagyu beef, veal, lamb, pork, and poultry. Products sold by weight with pricing ranging from $7.99 per pound for ground wagyu to $750 for premium bone-in wagyu rib roasts.
2. Prepared Foods and Deli: Revenue from prepared foods including smoked brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, ribs, sandwiches, soups, and specialty items like Beef Wellington and Turducken. Also includes deli menu items such as corned beef, pastrami, and beef salami.
3. Nationwide Shipping: Shipping revenue accounts for approximately 25% of company sales. The company ships frozen meats nationwide via UPS, with special competition delivery services for events like the American Royal.
4. Gift Packages: Curated gift packages including premium steaks with sauces and rubs. Examples include Prime Steak Gift boxes at $65-$129 with pickup, local delivery, or shipping options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mister Brisket is a specialty butcher shop and deli that sells premium custom-cut USDA Prime and Wagyu beef, veal, lamb, pork, and poultry, both in-store and through online ordering with nationwide shipping. The company also offers prepared foods, smoked meats, deli sandwiches, and competition-ready BBQ boxes trimmed to Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) specifications for competitive barbecue teams.

Product overview

Mister Brisket is a premium quality butcher shop and deli founded in 1974, specializing in custom cuts of USDA Prime and Wagyu Beef along with veal, lamb, pork, and poultry. The business operates as a single-location brick-and-mortar store in Cleveland Heights, Ohio with an e-commerce platform for online ordering. The product portfolio centers on raw meat products (beef, veal, lamb, pork, poultry) sold by the cut or package, complemented by an in-store deli offering prepared foods and sandwiches. Key product lines include: Whole Beef Briskets (USDA Prime and Imperial Wagyu Signature Level), steaks and roasts (ribeye, strip, tenderloin, porterhouse), prepared smoked meats (Go Big or Go BBQ branded smoked brisket, burnt ends, spare ribs, pulled pork), specialty competition BBQ boxes, deli sandwiches and prepared foods, and seasonal holiday offerings. The company differentiates through quality sourcing (USDA Prime, Wagyu, Berkshire pork, Springer Mountain chicken), in-house prepared foods, and competition BBQ services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Go Big or Go BBQ: Award winning barbecue sauce and rub company created by Aaron Huentelman, Mister Brisket's smoked foods specialist. Products available at Mister Brisket stores.

Products and services

• USDA Prime Beef Cuts Premium quality USDA Prime grade beef cuts including custom cuts, steaks, roasts, and briskets sold to home cooks, restaurants, and competition BBQ teams.
• Wagyu Beef Products Japanese and Imperial Wagyu beef including Imperial Wagyu Signature Level, available as briskets, steaks, ground beef, and roasts with rich marbling for premium home dining and competition BBQ.
• Whole Beef Brisket – Imperial Wagyu Signature Level Signature Level whole beef briskets from Imperial Wagyu with abundant marbling, available in 16-18 lb and 18-20 lb sizes, ideal for backyard barbecues and competition barbecue.
• USDA Prime First Cut Brisket Hand-carved first cut briskets containing the flat section with fat cap for superior flavor, available in 5-10 lb sizes.
• Veal Cuts Premium veal cuts including rib roasts, chops, tenderloin, brisket, and osso buco for home cooks and restaurants.
• Lamb Cuts Premium lamb cuts including Frenched rack of lamb, crown roast, boneless leg, rib lamb chops, and shank for holiday and special occasion meals.
• Pork Products Premium pork including Berkshire rib chops, Prairie Fresh USA Prime St. Louis ribs, pork collars, pork butt, and sausage varieties.
• Poultry Products Premium poultry including brined fryers, Springer Mountain Farms chicken (with KCBS-trimmed competition thighs), turkey, and duck.
• Seafood Fresh seafood selections available at the butcher shop.
• Deli Menu / Prepared Foods In-store deli with prepared foods including corned beef, pastrami, sandwiches, soups, and sides for in-store purchase and catering.
• Smoked Brisket (Go Big or Go BBQ) Pitmaster-smoked USDA Prime brisket rubbed with Go Big or Go BBQ Beef Rub and slow-smoked over hickory, sold whole for gatherings and events.
• Smoked St. Louis Spare Ribs Competition-style smoked spare ribs doused with Go Big or Go BBQ sauce, 12 bone section feeds up to 3 adults.
• Smoked Brisket Burnt Ends Signature smoked brisket burnt ends seasoned with Triple B Beef rub, smoked 10 hours and tossed in competition sauce.
• Smoked Pulled Pork In-house smoked pulled pork seasoned with Go Big or Go BBQ Competition rub, slow smoked 10 hours.
• Beef Wellington Bake-at-home gourmet dish featuring beef tenderloin wrapped in mushroom duxelles, prosciutto, and puff pastry, feeds 6-8 people, sold frozen.
• Roasted and Carved All Natural Turkey Fully roasted and carved all natural turkey with sliced breast meat, thighs, drumsticks, wings, and gravy, ideal for holiday meals.
• Go Big or Go BBQ Sauce and Rub Bundle Award-winning barbecue sauce (16oz) and two rubs (16oz each - competition and beef varieties) made by competition winner Aaron Huentelman.
• Prime Steak Gift Package Curated gift package with two 16oz USDA Prime Ribeye steaks plus Go Big or Go BBQ Beef Rub, available for pickup ($65), local delivery ($80), or nationwide shipping ($129).
• American Royal Competition Box Competition BBQ box shipped direct to the American Royal competition venue, includes 16 trimmed Springer Mountain chicken thighs, 4 Prairie Fresh USA Prime ribs, 4 pork collars, and 1 Imperial Wagyu brisket flat. Priced $399-$424 (or $499 shipped), with optional brisket point add-on for $25.
• Competition BBQ Sponsorship & Delivery Services Sponsorship and meat delivery services for competition BBQ events including the American Royal, with direct speedway delivery bypassing standard UPS shipping.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 years in business as a premium butcher shop
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Springer Mountain FarmscoreOthersPrimary poultry supplier for Mister Brisket. Provides Springer Mountain Farms chicken including competition-trimmed chicken thighs for BBQ competitions and regular chicken products.
• Imperial WagyucoreOthersPremium Wagyu beef supplier providing Signature Level Imperial Wagyu briskets and beef products. Imperial is described as having the highest grade Wagyu briskets available.
• Prairie FreshcoreOthersPork supplier providing Prairie Fresh USA Prime pork collars and St. Louis style spare ribs for competition and retail products.
• Go Big or Go BBQcoreOthersAward-winning sauce and rub company founded and operated by Mister Brisket's smoked food specialist Aaron Huentelman. Products sold at Mister Brisket include competition sauce, beef rub, and related BBQ products. Aaron has won Grand Championship at the Dayton BBQ Rodeo in 2017.
• Creekstone FarmsminorOthersSupplier of Irodori Wagyu beef products - a Wagyu and Black Angus crossbred program. Products include premium Porterhouse steaks.
• American RoyalflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor annual BBQ competition event in Kansas City. Mister Brisket sponsors and delivers competition meats to the event. Offers special American Royal competition boxes delivered direct to the speedway.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Allen Brothers: Chicago-based premium steak and meat company selling USDA Prime, American Wagyu, and dry-aged beef to consumers, restaurants, and steakhouses. Comparable on premium beef assortment, mail-order, and food-service relationships.
• Crowd Cow: Online marketplace for premium meats sourced from multiple ranches, with subscription and one-off purchase models. Comparable as a technology-enabled premium meat DTC competitor shipping nationwide.
• Rastelli's: New Jersey-based premium meat and seafood retailer combining online ordering with retail, serving gourmet home cooks nationwide. Comparable in DTC premium meat shipping and quality-first positioning.
• Porter Road: Nashville-based premium butcher and DTC online meat retailer offering pasture-raised beef, pork, lamb, and chicken. Comparable in offering breadth, dual retail/online model, and quality-meat positioning.
• Pat LaFrieda Meats: NYC-based wholesale and retail premium butcher serving top restaurants and home cooks with custom cuts. Comparable on artisan butchery, restaurant/hospitality supply, and premium cut expertise.
• DeBragga: NYC-based premium meat purveyor serving restaurants and direct customers with dry-aged and Prime beef. Comparable on wholesale/retail dual model and premium custom-cut offering.
• Lobel's of New York: Family-run premium butcher and mail-order business with a Manhattan flagship. Comparable on family ownership, custom-cut expertise, premium positioning, and nationwide shipping of high-end meats.
• Snake River Farms: Premium American Wagyu and Black Angus beef brand selling direct-to-consumer online and to chefs. Closely comparable to Mister Brisket on Wagyu focus, premium positioning, and DTC shipping model.

Broad incumbents

• Omaha Steaks: Established, large-scale mail-order premium meat and gift company founded in 1917. Competes in the same premium-gift and DTC shipping categories but with a much wider product portfolio and broader price tier mix.

Emerging players

• BBQ Galaxy: Online specialty retailer focused on BBQ rubs, sauces, and competition-grade meats. Comparable on the competition BBQ niche and direct shipping of competition-ready cuts that Mister Brisket serves through its American Royal business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/misterbrisket
• Instagraminstagram.com/mister.brisket
• Xx.com/misterbrisket
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mister-brisket

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mister Brisket