The Hard Eight: Jewel's favorite BBQ joint

The Hard Eight in Stephenville was our third stop on the Brazos & Beyond BBQ Tour. The posse was eleven strong as we rode into the town, described as "The Cowboy Capital of the World" by some folks.

The posse was all over the board when it came to critiquing Hard Eight Barbecue. Some thought it was great, some average. However, on one issue we were all in agreement --- the free beer on a hot day was great!

Here are a few Texas BBQ Posse member observations on the Hard Eight, just named by singer Jewel in a People magazine story as her & hubby Ty Murry's favorite BBQ joint in the world.

Bryan Gooding:
One has to wonder when you are just using mesquite coals if you are not losing a lot of smoke flavor in the meat. It was puzzling to me how subdued the smoke flavor and smoke ring was on their meat. On the flavor profile I personally found their flavors a tad bland  and I believe this had to do with the lack of any rub on the 1st stage of cooking. I would have preferred a spicier rub.

Tom Fox:
As far as Hard Eight…it’s like the A&M Aggies. All about tradition. The Cadet Corp has the "Keepers of the Spirit", H8 are the "Keepers of the Meat." They have the modern day era twin bonfires burning outside to feed the half dozen outdoor pits. I love that you can basically pick your choice of meat right from the pit. We had the pork chop on the bone, dipped. I don’t know what was in that vat but the chop was one of the best I’ve had.Tried the brisket. I was partial though after being spoiled by the folks at Loco Coyote. A must try is the spicy bbq sauce.

Marshall Cooper:
The Hard Eight pit arena was fun and interesting to observe but it appeared they "push" their pits for production not quality. The brisket was tender but sub-par as there no rich smoked flavor. as one would expect for true BBQ. The ribs were the same but not tender as if they were not done, due to "pushing" their pits. The pork chop looked great but was dry as hell. The sausage was good. Overall the place seemed to cater to tourists and large groups.

Hard-Eight Barbeque: 1091 Glen Rose Road (Hwy 67), Stephenville, TX, 76401, (254) 968-5552, Open: Mon-Thur 10:30am–9pm, Fri-Sat 10:30am–10pm, Sun 10:30am–3:00pm.

If you want a shorter drive from Dallas, Hard Eight also has a DFW location in Coppell.




Photos  ©Tom Fox, R.J. Hinkle and Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse

Loco Coyote Grill: We'll be baaaack...

Our second stop on the recent Brazos and Beyond BBQ Tour was the Loco Coyote Grill, near Glen Rose. Posse member Tom Fox shares his take on this first class BBQ joint, as follows:

"Pulling up at the Loco Coyote Grill in rural Glen Rose, one gets the all too familiar feel about the place. It wasn’t until I opened the car door and heard Waylon and Willie’s ‘Luckenbach, Texas ‘ playing on the outdoor speakers, I realized, that’s it. A Meat Joint.

On that hot summer day the beer was ice cold in the bucket and the barbecue was smoking hot. Before I got my hands on those ribs and brisket, I saw that huge BBQ Po Boy pass by our table. There’s no one I know that could ever fit his or her mouth around that.

As far as the sampling I had, the brisket was smoky and wet, just the way I like it. Had just enough of the fat left on it to give it that flavor profile that we commonly refer to now. The ribs were equally as good if not better. Once again ‘wet’ and scrumptious - all the way to the bone.

They spared no expense when I ordered two pounds of each for the road. It felt like ten. I’m already tossing around the idea of coming back on a cool fall evening with live music playing on the outdoor stage, a cigar in one hand and an ice cold beer in the other…after trying that BBQ Po Boy sandwich of course."

Loco Coyote Grill, 1795 County Road 1004, Glen Rose, TX, 76043, (254) 897-2324. Open Thur-Fri 4pm-9pm, Sat 12pm-9pm, Sun 11am-3pm.



Photos ©R.J. Hinkle, Chris Wilkins & Tom Fox

Posse Favorites: BBQ Po Boy sandwich at Loco Coyote Grill

The Texas BBQ Posse's collective mouths dropped open after seeing the Loco Coyote Griil's BBQ Po Boy being delivered to a neighboring table during our Brazos and Beyond BBQ Tour last Saturday.

The sandwich reminded us of a steroid version of another of our combo-meat favorites, Stanley's Brother-in-Law sandwich in Tyler. The Brother-in-Law combines sausage, chopped brisket and cheese on a bun.

Loco's BBQ Po Boy may be the biggest sandwich I've ever seen. It combines chopped and sliced brisket with sausage on a massive hoagie bun, with your choice of onion rings or fries. The price is a cool $12.99 and one sandwich could easily feed two hungry folks. Just another reason to head west of Glen Rose to the Loco Coyote.

Loco Coyote Grill, 1795 County Road 1004, Glen Rose, TX, 76043, (254) 897-2324. Open Thur-Fri 4pm-9pm, Sat 12pm-9pm, Sun 11am-3pm

(Photo ©Tom Fox)

Brazos and Beyond BBQ Tour: The posse rides to Stephenville

Yesterday the Texas BBQ Posse headed southwest from Dallas on Hwy. 67 for our fifth BBQ tour in the past year. Leaving Dallas at 10am, we met up an hour later at Red Chew Chew BBQ & Grill in Cleburne.

After a quick breakfast of brisket, chicken and sausage, we headed seven miles west of Glen Rose to the Loco Coyote, one of the best joints the posse has found over the past year of barbeque tours. We'll be writing a tour story for The Dallas Morning News and individual blogs about each of our stops, but take note that the Loco Coyote is definitely worth the drive from Big D.

Our next stop was Hard Eight BBQ in Stephenville. Even though it was well over 100 degrees by then, we spent 30 or 40 minutes in the outdoor pit area shooting photos, video and quizzing the pit workers and manager. Watching them load up the old-style open pits with briskets and then shovel in loads of hot coals was like observing performance art. We loved the food and really appreciated the free ice cold beer once we got inside!

Our final stop was RibShack BBQ in Granbury. The food was equally as good as the hospitality, this place is a blast. Our host Barbara topped off the day with homemade banana pudding and two cobblers, blackberry and pecan topped by Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. A perfect ending to another great day riding the BBQ trails of Texas.....

Brazos and Beyond BBQ Tour itinerary

9:45 a.m.: Leave Dallas

11 a.m.: Red Chew Chew BBQ & Grill, 811 Hillsboro Street, Cleburne, (817) 558-2439. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

12:30 p.m.: Loco Coyote Grill, 1795 County Road 1004, Glen Rose, (254) 897-2324. Open Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

3 p.m.: Hard-Eight Barbeque: 1091 Glen Rose Road (Hwy 67), Stephenville, (254) 968-5552. Open Monday to Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday to Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

5:00 p.m.: RibShack BBQ, 4021 Acton Hwy, Granbury, (817) 326-4752. Open Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

7 p.m.: Back in Dallas


(Photos by David Woo & Chris Wilkins)