Guy Fieri has tasted countless barbecue dishes during his years traveling across America for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but one Texas sandwich managed to earn some of the highest praise fans have heard from him in years. During his visit to Slow Bone Texas Barbeque in Dallas, the Food Network star declared the restaurant’s famous Texas Nail brisket sandwich to be “so unbelievably tender,” calling it a gourmet masterpiece disguised as barbecue. The unforgettable reaction has once again put the Dallas smokehouse in the spotlight, with many viewers saying Fieri’s enthusiasm was completely justified after seeing how much work goes into every single bite.

Slow Bone Texas Barbeque first opened its doors in Dallas in 2013, quietly building a loyal following long before it appeared on national television. While Texas is packed with legendary barbecue restaurants, Slow Bone has steadily earned a reputation as one of the state’s hidden gems, thanks largely to pitmaster Jeffery Hobbs, whose attention to detail has made the restaurant a destination for serious barbecue lovers.

That reputation reached an even bigger audience when the restaurant appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2025. Rather than showcasing a traditional sliced brisket plate, Hobbs introduced Guy Fieri to something much more ambitious—the Texas Nail, a towering sandwich that combines classic Texas barbecue with gourmet techniques.

The sandwich starts with prime smoked brisket but quickly becomes much more elaborate. Alongside the meat sits a rich smoked mushroom duxelle, roasted green chiles, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, lime crema, and jalapeño barbecue sauce, all stacked onto a soft challah bun. The combination immediately caught Fieri’s attention.

After taking a bite, the Food Network host could barely hide his excitement.

“This is hillbilly beef Wellington,” Fieri exclaimed. “You’ve got the crust, you have the duxelle, the brisket is so unbelievably tender, the creaminess of the cheese… It’s so succulent, juicy. It’s a gourmet meal disguised as a brisket barbecue sandwich. Nailed it.”

For longtime viewers of the series, compliments from Guy Fieri certainly aren’t unusual. However, fans pointed out that his reaction to the Texas Nail felt especially genuine. Instead of simply praising the flavors, he repeatedly focused on the texture of the brisket itself—a detail that barbecue enthusiasts know is often the hardest part to perfect.

The secret lies in Slow Bone’s lengthy preparation process.

Jeffery Hobbs begins by carefully trimming each brisket before seasoning it with salt and allowing it to dry brine. The meat is then coated in a distinctive spice blend featuring roasted coffee, black pepper, garlic, chipotle, and onion powder, creating a deep, earthy crust as it cooks.

Unlike many barbecue restaurants that rely on a single smoking session, Slow Bone uses a two-stage cooking method.

The brisket is first smoked over post oak and hickory wood for four to six hours at approximately 325 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing the exterior bark to develop while the smoke penetrates the meat. After that, the brisket undergoes a second, slower cooking phase in a buttery mixture of rendered beef fat and additional seasoning at a much lower temperature. This second stage allows the collagen to fully break down while keeping the meat incredibly moist.

The result is brisket that slices beautifully while remaining soft enough to practically fall apart with every bite.

That meticulous process has helped Slow Bone receive recognition far beyond television. Texas Monthly, one of the state’s most respected barbecue authorities, has previously named Slow Bone among the Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas, an honor that many pitmasters consider one of the highest achievements in Texas barbecue.

While brisket remains the restaurant’s biggest attraction, diners consistently praise many of its other offerings as well.

Guests can choose between lean or fatty brisket depending on personal preference, while side dishes include brisket baked beans, braised greens, fried okra, squash casserole, queso shells, sweet potato praline, mustard slaw, and horseradish potato salad. Even the restaurant’s smoke-brined fried chicken has developed its own following among regular customers.

Following the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episode, online reviews exploded with praise for the Texas Nail.

One customer wrote that calling it “one of the best barbecue sandwiches” they’d ever eaten didn’t even do it justice.

Another reviewer praised the brisket itself, saying it “never misses” and describing it as perfectly fatty and packed with flavor.

A third diner joked that the sandwich was so enormous they eventually finished it with a fork because it was simply too big to hold together.

Many fans also noted that what makes the sandwich stand out isn’t just the brisket itself, but the balance of flavors surrounding it. The mushroom duxelle adds unexpected richness, the roasted chiles contribute subtle heat, the lime crema provides freshness, while the jalapeño barbecue sauce ties everything together without overwhelming the smoked beef.

For many barbecue purists, adding so many ingredients to brisket might seem unnecessary. Yet the Texas Nail manages to preserve the brisket as the undeniable star while enhancing it with carefully chosen accompaniments rather than masking its flavor.

That balance is likely why Guy Fieri described it not simply as another barbecue sandwich, but as “a gourmet meal disguised as a brisket barbecue sandwich.”

In a state where barbecue competition is fierce and brisket is almost treated as a religion, earning praise from both Texas barbecue experts and one of Food Network’s biggest personalities is no small accomplishment.

Years after opening its doors, Slow Bone Texas Barbeque continues proving that even in the heart of Texas, there is still room to reinvent a classic—one unbelievably tender brisket sandwich at a time.