Walmart launches Texas-only Smokehouse beef line with McClaren Farms

Walmart used Cameron, Texas, to turn beef into a regional story, rolling out a Texas-exclusive Smokehouse line with McClaren Farms that includes seven premium Angus cuts, among them brisket, short ribs, burnt ends, ribeye and tenderloin. The line was built for Texas stores only, and the timing landed right as grilling season heats up, when meat departments are under the most pressure to keep premium product full, fresh and easy to shop.

For store teams, the launch is less about a new item and more about execution. A Texas-only assortment gives meat managers a narrower but more demanding job: they have to balance large-format barbecue cuts with steak-night staples, keep premium cases looking abundant, and make sure the right product is in the right store at the right pace. That can raise the stakes for ordering, labor planning and shrink control, especially when a localized assortment is supposed to feel special without drifting outside Walmart’s value message.

The Smokehouse line also extends an existing relationship rather than starting from scratch. Walmart first launched McClaren Farms beef on June 1, 2021, placing it in nearly 500 stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. McClaren Farms says it brings five generations of Central Texas ranching heritage to the brand, while 44 Farms says its family business dates to 1909 in Cameron. That Texas backstory gives the launch a stronger local hook than a standard private-label beef reset, especially for shoppers looking for restaurant-style cuts at home.

The rollout also fits a broader push Walmart has made to control more of its beef supply chain. The company said in 2019 that it was developing an end-to-end Angus beef supply chain. It later announced a case-ready beef facility in Olathe, Kansas in June 2023, then opened its first owned-and-operated case-ready beef facility there on June 27, 2025, describing the move as part of a more resilient, transparent and efficient Angus beef supply chain. With a grocery network that supports more than 4,600 stores nationwide, Walmart has been using scale to support regional merchandising bets like this one. In Texas, that means meat teams now have a premium barbecue story to sell, and a more complicated case to manage, right in the middle of peak demand.