How it started... How it's going: July 4 BBQ costs flare up under Biden

FOX Business' Madison Alworth discusses Fourth of July barbecue costs on 'Varney & Co.'

Americans are paying a record high cost to host their July 4 cookouts this year as inflation, like the weather, is still hot. 

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, a traditional Independence Day barbecue for 10 will cost $71.22, up from $59.50 in 2021. Higher prices for burger meat, buns, cheese and favorite sides like chips all add up to a painful bill to light up that grill.

«Nationally, this means we are surpassing $7 per person for the first time, with the total meal coming to $7.12 a person,» said AFBF economists Bernt Nelson and Samantha Ayoub. «Only two dishes decreased in price while everything else on your table rose, on average. Your grocery bill may be a shock, but it is in line with the inflation that has roiled the economy – including the farm economy – over the last several years.» 

AFBF's market basket survey enlisted volunteers from around the nation to catalog prices for a complete, homemade cookout featuring cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato chips, homemade potato salad, fresh-squeezed lemonade, chocolate chip cookies and, of course, ice cream. 

FED'S POWELL: PRICES ARE ‘BACK ON DISINFLATIONARY PATH,' BUT MORE CONFIDENCE IS NEEDED

An American family sits at down for their 4th of July barbecue. (monkeybusinessimages via / iStock)

Meat is the biggest part of your barbecue budget, accounting for about half of the total cookout cost, according to AFBF.

Burgers are the most expensive: Two pounds of ground beef costs $12.77 on average, up from $8.20 just three years ago. Blame overall cattle inventory, which is at the smallest it has been in 73 years, while beef in cold storage is also at