Michael Ray Higgins is a Texas pitmaster from Mesquite who was named a 2019 Barbecue Hall of Fame semi-finalist by the American Royal — one of nine nominees that year alongside Jim Quessenberry, Aaron Franklin, and Meathead Goldwyn.
Higgins represents the Dallas-area Texas BBQ tradition, where brisket, beef ribs, and sausage cooked over post oak and mesquite form the core of the pitmaster's craft.