When you’re in Texas, you need to eat as much BBQ as you
can. And I did.
One of our friends recommended Hard Eight. It popped up on a
few of the “best bbq in Dallas” lists I looked at, so that was all the vetting
I did. We showed up and could find the entrance to the place. Someone literally
snuck us in a plastic flap behind the stage where a band was tearing down
equipment. We went through every door we could find and kept discovering we
were still not in the right place, but we eventually made our way to the front.
And then waited in line for a while.
But, the waiting in line at a BBQ place isn’t like a normal
wait in line at a restaurant. It gives you tie to really decide what you want
to eat. See what other people are getting. See what they’re running out of. See
what you don’t recognize, but are sure you need to try. This snake-y line
walked you past the grills multiple times, so it really helped you get dialed
into what you wanted to eat. They also had a manager standing near the line
asking if people were first-timers and needed help with how things work here.
SUPER smart. If you want a steak, you can bypass the standard line and get one
cooked to order. Otherwise, things in this line are generally by the pound. So
you tell them you want a half pound of X, and a quarter pound of Y, and a third
of a pound of Z. Simple.
Well, it’s only simple if you don’t want everything. Hahaha.
I got half slab of ribs, a quarter pound of brisket, and some chicken poppers.
Then I headed inside to pick up the sides I wanted. They give you some white
bread if you want it, and you can pour your own sauce. Inside, there’s a sort
of cafeteria line with all kinds of crazy sides. Potato salad, cole slaw, corn
bread, mac and cheese, onion rings, jalapeno sweet corn, and a bunch of other
stuff. I had my eye on that mac and cheese, so I picked some up.
We paid for our food and then headed to the dining room.
Near the fountain sodas, there’s a HUGE pot of baked beans where you can scoop
as many as you want, as many times as you want. I’m a bean fan, so I got myself
a dish.
The ribs here are fantastic. Seriously great. The meat, like
most Texas joints, is served dry, so you can sauce it or not. I like it both
ways, so I was pretty pleased with that. The ribs were extremely tender with
just a little bite to them, and pretty good bark. Great actual smoke flavor, as
well. The sauce is a welcome addition, but definitely not necessary. I was glad
I tried it, but it definitely isn’t a crutch like at some places.
The brisket was also good – actually, quite good. Really
moist with good marbling throughout, without being gristle-y.
The chicken poppers are like little pieces of chicken
wrapped in bacon. I thought they’ve have some sort of jalapeno or cream cheese
aspect to the, but they didn’t. They were fine, and tasty, but I don’t think I’d
get them next time – just to save on stomach real estate.
The mac and cheese was some of the best I’ve had in Texas,
however. Everyone at the table was raving about it and for good reason. It wasn’t
from a box or from frozen. It had multiple cheeses in it and was cooked really
perfectly – not always easy in such huge quantities. Totally worth getting this
again.
Overall, this place was fantastic. I like the winding line where
you keep changing your mind on what you’re going to get, but you can see it all
being cooked in front of you (and you smell like BBQ, which is always a win).
They have a lot of sides, and the staff are actually really helpful here. I’ll
be back, if I’m in Dallas again. Great work, Hard Eight!
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