Upon hitting the line at Hard Eight BBQ, there is a tall gray-haired man with glasses waiting to greet you. His name is Pat. Cool fella. If you’re not sure what to do, stop by and say hello. He’ll give you a quick rundown on the way things work. 😉 (thanks Pat) I’ve been here too many times to count. Every time SLAPS! The barbecue is AMAZING.
The first location opened in 2003 in Stephenville, Texas. The Hard Eight Family enjoys sharing what they love; a fun atmosphere, delicious food, and some good ‘ole southern hospitality. Hard Eight is an authentic eating experience where you will be served “Texas Style” straight from the pit by the Pit Master who prepared your food.
https://hardeightbbq.com/about/
I keep sampling the various cuts of meat they have. Options like: Prime Rib (on select days), brisket, sausage, bacon-wrapped shrimp or chicken jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, turkey, ribs, chicken, kabobs, sirloin, ribeye, and pork chops… I mean is your mouth watering yet?!
You start off in a line that wraps up to the grill. There you can let your eyes feast on all of the goodies. I would recommend not looking at the board to the left of the grilled meat section, hanging up. It’s informational for pricing, but you really want to let your eyes point out what you want at the serving station.
The turkey was smoked perfectly. There was even a beautiful smoke ring. Still a little juicy and tender. The shrimp poppers!? Could you settle with knowing that each time I come back I get them over and over again? They are sooooo good! I’ve also had brisket and pork ribs. Guys the meat was falling off the bone. Super flavorful, tender, and smoky! Nom nom. The brisket was very good as well. Pretty moist and also packed with that smoky flavor. You can visually see this in the smoke ring around the brisket edges. I guess I’m gonna have to figure out what kind of wood they’re using… if they’ll let me know hahaha (not that I could reproduce this).
Mac and cheese along with the potato salad has never impressed me, unfortunately. The mac and cheese seemed stiff and lacked a robust cheese flavor as well as enough cheese. The potato salad tasted like it might be made with Dijon and it’s slightly overpowering. I’d also like to throw in seasoned salt and pepper. Definitely grab a few bowls of free pinto beans. They’ve got bacon, sausage, and what looks like thick cuts of ham in it. The base is phenomenal. I can’t tell you how much I love this stuff. Perfect for winter soup. It definitely is hard to find another place like this. H8 is one of my favs in the metroplex.
UPDATE: I recently went back and it’s still fiiiyyyyyyyaaaaahhhh! Still one of my favorite places! You can smell and see the smoke from a mile away drools No changes from my original review statement above… just this time I hosted my mom’s birthday in one of their private rooms. It turned out so fun and festive! The room was the perfect size for our close family and friends. And LAWD have mercy that ribeye was a menu item I’ve been sleeping on. So tender and had the juiciest juice pool on top of the steak!
Rating: 5 stars
Foodie Baddie 
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