Crossbuck BBQ — Restaurant in Farmers Branch

Well.. i was hoping for better....

I have been to CB's four times since their opening date a few weeks back. I was hoping for a better overall experience - living in Addison myself and having a BBQ spot open up here. The staff each time was better, food was somewhat on the upside.. but still missing quite a bit. I am a BBQ connoisseur (everything from Bill Millers to Blacks to Mickelthwaits and Goldees, n' Buccees galore...).

CrossBuck ranges on the low end of the spectrum for a few reasons;

1 - Pricing - Over-Priced... I'm sorry - the brisket is Bill Millers quality at best (a local San Antonio chain just a step below Buccess BBQ). The cost of Brisket is incredibly high for the poor quality of cut and 3 of my 4 attempts in dinning - dry, with too much fat on the meat, and sadly - on the last visit, the cutter was removing the bark from my order... not cool.

2 - Service - the people working there ARE working hard but they haven't been trained properly, not for a BBQ joint. its a specialty restaurant, you absolutely have to train and re-train every-time something changes. for example: going from whole-sale selective drink purchasing model to a pepsi shop in the first two weeks... CROSSBUCK you NEED to bring back DP and Diet-DP.... its Texas. Terry Blacks in Deep Ellum has Big Red.... again, Welcome to Texas.

3 - Sides - im a fan of the unique mac'n'cheese, the remainder is not worth of mention. its sadly mediocre at best and again - over-priced for the quality of food, not necessarily the area.

4 - Cut of Meat. Cutter of Meat... Meat and Bread........ Each time while visiting the person cutting was different (yes, it happens). And each time while watching the cuts happen, they weren't great. Its true most people dont know how to cut brisket, but we can all tell when its not the greatest. Luckily i only endured the pre-cut dry brisket on the opening day visit. I have to say though - brisket without sliced bred in Texas is strange.... and you have to train someone to cut brisket.... have too. period. i enjoyed the babyback ribs - not a fan of not being asked about putting sauce on them. im insulin resistant so you gotta ask before you hurt people, ijs.

In conclusion - if CB's titled themselves as a "fast food bbq" or brisket on the go spot.. it would relate better (if the service was better geared to it as well). but to have been pre-reviewed in papers and periodicals as a premo spot is the furthest from the truth. im sure most of the 5 star reviews are from the friends and family day they had prior to opening (yes, i really live 2 blocks away).

If your looking for good BBQ in this area... go to Plano or grapevine. TEN50 is always a sure shot and hopefully Hard8's is still around. I prefer Terry Blacks in deep ellum, or Lockharts in oak cliff, or even Smokey Joes on S. ih-35.

CrossBuck needs to rebrand or step it up and work on pricing.

ill may give it a shot when i dont feel like driving - but i dont plan on being amazed anytime soon. Sorry CB's i tried - 4 times. its not terrible, but consistency is everything as...

What happens when a Cordon Bleu-trained chef from the Midwest learns BBQ from a Pit Master in Austin and then settles in a Dallas suburb? Crossbuck BBQ in Farmers Branch!

Chef-Pit Master Tim McLaughlin has teamed up with Chef-Pit Master Damian Avila to bring the Metroplex a unique combination of flavors to their smokers that is a refreshing change from the ordinary.

While the classic smoke flavor is evident, it doesn’t take long to see that these Pit Masters don’t limit themselves to the conventional Central-Texas style. This is best seen upon the first look at the pork ribs. The St. Louis-style rib is covered in a dry rub and then a sweet and tangy sauce that tastes like a cross of Memphis and Carolina. They are firm and meaty and complex in flavor.

The Sliced Brisket, on the other-hand, is unmistakably in the Central Texas tradition. Slow Smoked in their custom-built smokers with a thick bark of semi-sweet seasonings, then sliced to order to satisfy any Texan. However, letting their Midwestern roots show through, they will serve the Brisket with one of their two house-made sauces.

Another very unique fusion of flavors is the Black Molasses Pulled Pork. It’s most like Carolina BBQ – but it’s not Carolina BBQ! It’s sweet yet tangy, with an Asian flare. Especially for Texans, it’s probably a little strong to eat alone – but that’s where the Crossbuck Homemade Rolls come in! The staff is happy to make any of your choices into a sandwich, and the Pulled Pork makes a great sandwich, maybe topped with a little Slaw and an Iced Cold Beer!?

As if three meats weren’t enough in one visit, I also had their Smoked Sausage. Unlike many who have Jalapeno added to the mix, Crossbuck instead adds Poblano Peppers. The result is dryer, sweeter sausage that’s not at all greasy. (My mind is thinking about dicing this up with some of their Smoked and Roasted Potatoes for quite a fine hash! – I think I’m ordering some to take home next time.)

Then there’s the “Brisket Candy” Burnt Ends (Yes, I’m still talking about the meats – and I didn’t try them all!) Starting with the traditional fatty layer of the Brisket, it’s diced and mixed in a sugary spice rub along with some Shiner Bock and then back to the smoker. The prevailing flavor is sweet, but the savory beefiness of the brisket.

The sides are also a bit of a departure from the Central Texan traditional sliced bread and dry slaw. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite among the White Cheddar Mac n Cheese, Smoked & Roasted Potatoes, Miso Honey Slaw and the Cotija Cheese Hominy – and those are just my favorites! If you want suggestions on pairings, I’d go with Pulled Pork and Slaw, Brisket with the Mac n Cheese, Sausage with Potatoes and Burnt Ends with Hominy.

If all of that isn’t enough to convince you to give Crossbuck a try, they also serve Breakfast Tacos on...

WARNING… A long review

Food: We had the pork ribs, jalapeño sausage, brisket, and potatoes. We were given the option of small, medium or the large option, so we chose the medium option to share between my wife and myself.

Pork ribs - The pork ribs were on the over cooked side. They were served with a spicy sauce over them which made it not so easy to enjoy. Lots of seasoning and pretty good smoke on them. 4 total pork ribs given. 2 out of 5

Jalapeño sausage - The sausage did not have any smoke flavor to them and didn’t taste fresh or recently cooked. The portion size was good. 1.8 out of 5

Brisket - The brisket was dry and lacked flavor. There was a faint taste of smoke and the seasoning was barely there. The portion size was good. 1. 5 out of 5

Potatoes - We bought the large portion. The potatoes didn’t seem fresh. They were greasy. I did enjoy the curry flavor however. We ended up eating very little of them and took them home as leftovers. The portion size was good. 3 out of 5

Overall food review, was not good. I read the website before coming and was excited to try them out. However, when I arrived at noon 6/15/24, I noticed only a few people sitting in the restaurant which was shocking for a bbq spot. I understand now. The ambition to do something different in the bbq space in Dallas could be good if the basics in bbq are followed. Not wrapping your brisket is a missed opportunity. The very basics in bbq are being ignored here and it’s a shame.

Service: The service was just okay. We stood at the counter for a few minutes without any acknowledgement. We finally figured out what we wanted and the lady told us to hold on even though we were the only people in line. She apparently needed to collect money from a person who was already sitting down eating for some reason. The lady did come by after we received our order and asked if everything was okay which was good. 3 out of 5

Atmosphere: The place was clean, the restroom was clean and the place was well decorated. 4 out of 5

Price: It was a touch on the expensive side but, Texas bbq isn’t cheap so I understand. We spent $49 I believe . 3 out of 5

To conclude my review, this place has potential. I would recommend sticking to the basics in smoking meat. If the goal is to please a variety of people, the meat has to stand alone, the sides can be inspired by different cultural tastes but the meat has to be good. If you like Dickeys bbq, this place is a step above that...