Publix just rolled out several new Pub Subs — with a first-time filling
Grandma’s brisket was the best ever — tender, tangy meat that dissolved on the tongue. It was, she’d say as she nudged the plate closer for another bite, “goldene “ — golden.
Publix hopes to recreate these feel-good, tastes-good moments with its line of four new brisket-based deli items. One is a brisket sandwich. The other three are Pub Subs, building on a brand that, since the Chicken Tender Pub Sub’s 1992 introduction, stands as the most recognizable prepared food at the Florida chain.
“Introducing brisket to the Pub sub lineup adds something new to that experience ... options that fit naturally alongside the subs people already know well,” Publix spokeswoman Lindsey Willis said. “For many Floridians, a Publix sub isn’t just lunch — it’s tradition.”
This is the first time brisket — a popular, flavorful cut of beef used in barbecue dishes that is taken from the lower chest or breast of a cow — has been added to the Pub sub lineup. Slow cooking is paramount to break down what would otherwise be a tough chew of connective tissue that, when heated properly, turns the meat tender.
According to Publix, the deli team’s goal was to look for the next right protein to build on the chicken tender legacy — “to create something worthy of that same devoted following and the consistency customers expect.”
MORE: Watch an actor try a Pub Sub for the first time
New Pub Sub brisket lineup
Here’s more about the new brisket lineup:
- Publix Deli Stacked Brisket and Brioche Sandwich. Half-pound of smoked brisket, with sweet and spicy barbecue sauce on a soft brioche roll.
- Publix Deli Spicy Brisket Sub — Smoked brisket layered with Boar’s Head 3-Pepper Colby Jack cheese, jalapeños, crispy fried onions and sweet and spicy barbecue sauce.
- Publix Deli Brisket, Lettuce and Tomato Sub — A classic option featuring smoky brisket paired with lettuce, tomatoes and sweet and spicy barbecue sauce.
- Publix Southern Style Brisket Sub — A Southern-inspired sub stacked with smoked brisket, cheddar, dill pickles, crispy fried onions, an sweet and spicy barbecue sauce.
Giving the new Pub Sub a taste test
What does one burger expert think of the new Publix brisket submarine sandwich offering?
Popular Miami blogger Sef Gonzalez — best known as Burger Beast — an avowed Chicken Tender Pub Sub super fan, tried one out: the Publix Deli Spicy Brisket Sub.
“Publix ... quietly built one of the most reliable sandwich programs in Florida. From the chicken tender sub to sandwich melts, this isn’t nostalgia talking. It’s consistency,” he wrote in his blog. The original 1992 model Chicken Tender Pub Sub “didn’t just improve my lunches; it made me look forward to going to work, which tells you everything you need to know.”
But he was a bit underwhelmed by the brisket newcomer, Beast wrote.
“At $17.69 for a full sub, expectations should be much higher. The meat had decent smoke flavor but was overly chewy, and one bite pulled an entire slice out of the sandwich. That’s never a good sign on brisket. If the meat quality matched the toppings, this could have been a winner. Instead, it feels like one of Publix’s weaker specialty sub launches.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 6:34 AM.
