Dallas has quietly produced one of the most interesting careers in American barbecue, and now the rest of the country is about to find out. Tim McLaughlin, chef-pitmaster and founder of Crossbuck BBQ in Farmers Branch, will compete on Food Network’s BBQ Brawl when Season 7 premieres on May 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Episodes stream the following day on HBO Max.
McLaughlin is one of twelve pitmasters drawn from across the country — and one of only two from Texas. He lands on Bobby Flay’s team, a fitting pairing for a pitmaster whose career has been built on applying classical culinary training to barbecue traditions that usually resist it. The full roster includes competitors from Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Tennessee, Long Beach, Bristol Virginia, and even Udine, Italy. McLaughlin and San Antonio’s Braunda Smith of Lucy Cooper’s Ice House are holding it down for the Lone Star State.
Season 7 comes with a significant shakeup. Brooke Williamson, who served as a judge from Season 2 through Season 6, is stepping into a team captain role for the first time — going head-to-head against Flay and returning champion Maneet Chauhan. The change stems from Williamson and Flay’s real-life relationship, which went public in early 2025. As Flay explained, the two have a rule between them: they can’t judge each other. Competing against each other, though, is fair game. “She’s becoming one of the captains on BBQ Brawl, so I have to actually compete against her,” Flay said. “And she, as you might imagine, is very competitive.”
The nine-episode season was filmed at Star Hill Ranch near Austin. Judges Adrienne Cheatham, Season 3 winner Rashad Jones, and Carson Kressley eliminate one pitmaster per episode after each live-fire challenge. The season finale airs July 6, when the final three compete in a gauntlet of unknown ingredients for the title of Master of ‘Cue. This season also brings back a twist introduced in Season 6: the winner of the opening challenge earns the right to pick their team captain, flipping the usual dynamic and forcing Flay, Williamson, and Chauhan to compete for top talent from the jump.
McLaughlin goes into the competition as the less TV-experienced of the two Texas entrants — his teammate Smith has previously appeared on Guy’s Grocery Games and Chopped — but he brings credentials that are hard to match. He’s a Le Cordon Bleu-trained fine-dining chef who spent years as pitmaster at Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas before launching Crossbuck in 2022. He and co-pitmaster Damian Avila estimate they’ve smoked over 200,000 briskets between them.
Crossbuck BBQ opened in April 2022 at 4400 Spring Valley Road in Farmers Branch with a menu built around one idea: the crossroads of American barbecue. Texas brisket smoked up to 18 hours over post oak, hickory, and fruit wood — never wrapped, never steamed — shares the menu with Memphis-style ribs, Carolina pulled pork finished with an Asian-inspired char siu sauce, and Kansas City burnt ends. The signature Texas Brisket Candy, burnt ends tossed in a sugar rub and Shiner glaze, has become one of the restaurant’s most talked-about dishes. Everything is made in-house, down to the pickles, with daily rotating specials that reflect McLaughlin’s fine-dining roots.
The restaurant seats over 200, has a large patio, and is designed for speed — counter service built for people who don’t want to wait in long lines. Crossbuck also ships smoked meats nationwide through its online store and handles catering for everything from backyard gatherings to corporate events. For those who want to go deeper, McLaughlin and Avila offer brisket smoking classes drawing on their combined experience of over 200,000 briskets smoked across their careers.
McLaughlin has always preferred to stay out of the spotlight. He was happier cooking and training the next generation of pitmasters than chasing cameras. His appearance on BBQ Brawl is less a career reinvention than an overdue introduction — a chance for a national audience to meet a Dallas pitmaster who has been doing serious, original work for a long time.
BBQ Brawl Season 7 premieres Monday, May 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network. Crossbuck BBQ is located at 4400 Spring Valley Road in Farmers Branch, open Monday through Saturday 11am to 4pm.
