Rex Linn Reveals His “Biggest Secret” to Making a “Dang Good Brisket” (EXCLUSIVE)
"Brisket’s the hardest piece of meat to cook, period," the Happy's Place star tells NBC Insider.
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Reba McEntire may have countless delicious recipes up her sleeve, including a few that have made their way onto the menu at her Oklahoma restaurant, but her fiancé Rex Linn is also a whiz in the kitchen. Especially when it comes to brisket, according to his Happy's Place co-stars.
Tokala Black Elk, who plays Takoda on Happy's Place, tells NBC Insider Linn makes a "dang good brisket, he really does."
On Happy's Place, Linn's passion for a scrumptious meal is put to good use; the veteran actor stars as Emmett, the short-order cook at the tavern owned by his love interest Bobbie, played by McEntire. Emmett is often seen in the kitchen at the Knoxville, Tennessee pub, where he dishes out solid life advice, baskets of tater tots, and other tasty bites.
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In his own kitchen, Linn is also known to serve up mouth-watering meals like beer can chicken tacos and, of course, brisket.
Rex Linn reveals his "secret" to making the perfect brisket is to not rush the process
"Number one secret to any brisket is just be patient," Linn tells NBC Insider. "Brisket’s the hardest piece of meat to cook, period."
"I mean, you have to screw a lot of them up to get to where you want to get them," he explains, adding that each piece of brisket has its own unique needs and you'll need to adjust as you go.
"I think time is the biggest secret," Linn says. "And even that's iffy. Because some brisket comes out at 17 hours, and it’s great, and some comes out at 13 hours and it’s great. So you just never know. It’s all about the piece of meat that you buy, really."
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In a March 2025 interview with NBC Insider, Melissa Peterman, who stars as Gabby on Happy's Place, revealed that she'll never turn down a dinner invite from McEntire and Linn.
“Having Rex as her boyfriend has upped her cooking game quite a bit,” Peterman said of her longtime friends, who announced their engagement after five years of dating in September 2025. “When they invite you over, you say yes because it’s great.”
Rex Linn is "excited" about the food featured on Happy's Place Season 2
Throughout the first season of Happy's Place, we saw Emmett cook up bar staples for patrons like burgers and fries, decadent cakes for special visitors, and even a pot of ajiaco, a traditional Colombian soup, when Steve (Pablo Castelblanco) was feeling homesick. In Season 2 of the NBC sitcom, Linn reveals even more special dishes will make their way on screen.
"We had armadillo eggs — it’s a Texas thing," Linn tells NBC Insider about filming Happy's Place Season 2. The popular appetizer out of the Lone Star State is made by stuffing jalapeño peppers with cheese and then wrapping it in bacon or sausage.
"I used to do it all the time and then they brought it to one of the scripts," Linn teases. "We got to cook them and eat them. That was a lot of fun. We’re exploring a little bit now with some new dishes we got coming up in some of the episodes, so I’m excited about it."
Happy's Place Season 2 premieres on Friday, November 7 at 8/7c on NBC, and new episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.
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Reporting by Stephanie Gomulka
