On Food Network’s next season of BBQ Brawl premiering May 11, 2026, look for Dallas restaurateur Tim McLaughlin. He’s one of two Texans competing against cooks from around the globe.
McLaughlin owns Crossbuck BBQ in Farmers Branch. He’s a St. Louis native and former culinary instructor who found his way into the barbecue business in Dallas-Fort Worth. He calls Texas home, but his menu at Crossbuck is all over the map, with St. Louis-style pork ribs, Carolina-inspired pulled pork and Texas-style brisket, smoked low and slow.
BBQ Brawl, which was filmed in Austin, features 12 pitmasters from Atlanta, Boston, New York City and even northeastern Italy. Besides McLaughlin, the other Texan on the show is Braunda Smith, executive chef and owner of Lucy Cooper’s Texas Ice House in San Antonio.
The 12 “brawlers” are “ultra competitive and not afraid of a little good-natured trash talk,” said Betsy Ayala, president of Food Network, in a statement.
McLaughlin joined the cast to show off his cooking chops and prove he’s “more than just a brisket fellow,” he told The Dallas Morning News a week before the season premiere. He wouldn’t discuss the public feud and series of lawsuits with Lockhart Smokehouse, where he was former pitmaster. That’s all past him now.
“A big reason I went on the show is I wanted people to really get to know the real Tim McLaughlin,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of negative press in the past few years and I just want people to see my heart, my happiness and my joy.”
In each episode of BBQ Brawl, team captains and chefs Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan and Brooke Williamson lead groups of competitors who are judged by cookbook author and podcaster Adrienne Cheatham, former football player and chef Rashad Jones and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Carson Kressley.
McLaughlin assured viewers that the show is “not just made for TV.”
“It is real. It is fast. And it is a challenge for everybody out there,” he said. Here’s a shortened interview with McLaughlin about his experience on the BBQ Brawl set.
How do you prepare for a televised cooking competition?
Tim McLaughlin: “In my mind, I feel like I’ve been preparing for about 25 years. You go and use your experience and skills the best you possibly can. I don’t have a ton of experience in these competitions, so in the beginning, time constraints were pretty hectic.
“Mentally preparing was the most important thing, to stay calm and focused.”
What were the greatest challenges?
TM: “The time constraints were the biggest struggle for me. … Cooking in restaurants, everything’s super organized. You have specific recipes you’re doing over and over again. This is a fly-by-the-seat-of your-pants kind of deal.
“I compare it to when I get home at 5:30 and have to cook dinner for my kids at 6. It is certainly fun. It’s exciting. And it’s a really intense situation.”
Would you do another TV show?
TM: “Absolutely. It was an awesome experience. … I’m much more comfortable on camera now.”
BBQ Brawl’s latest season premieres at 8 p.m. May 11, 2026 on Food Network. Episodes appear on HBO Max the following day. The nine-episode season ends July 6, 2026.