Many Americans are coping in their own way with the rising cost of beef—and yet they’re mostly unwilling to give up red meat altogether. Even though prices are at an all-time high, with beef and veal costs up 15% in January from a year earlier, US consumers are nonetheless projected in 2026 to eat the most beef per capita in more than 15 years, estimates from the US Department of Agriculture show. To help square those two seemingly at-odds facts, shoppers are looking for cheaper options in restaurants and at the store—and butchers, grocers and chefs are finding creative ways to oblige.