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, the Zavala’s team is busy.

About 200 beef briskets are trimmed, dry-rubbed, and smoked each week. A simple spice rub of salt and pepper helps Zavala’s brisket to stand out. An additional 250 pounds of sausage, all made in house, are put on the grill throughout the day, starting at 4 a.m. When they reach that perfect snappy texture the team soaks the links in ice water. Finally carnitas are grilled for hours before being thrown back in the smoker in a bath of coke and oranges for another three hours until the meat is falling apart.
Owner Joe Zavala says the secret to pulling off a large volume of barbecue — spread out across six smokers — is having everyone on the team be involved in keeping the meats consistent. “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.”
Watch how this barbecue spot is serving up massive amounts of smoked meats, alongside classic Texas hospitality, during the World Cup in this episode of Large Format.