After weathering funding setbacks and a kerfuffle about its sign, Mad Jack's Hill Country Barbecue finally has an opening date. In an Instagram post, owner James Jackson said the restaurant, located at 624 N. US 281 in Johnson City, will be ready to serve on November 7.
“Returning to Texas to be closer to family has been quite the challenge,” wrote Jackson in the caption. “There’s been a lot of hurdles to jump. I’ve sold property and some pretty cool cars to make this happen. With almost a year in the making, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Jackson has one of the more colorful stories in Texas barbecue. According to a Texas Monthly profile, the Lockhart native funded his first restaurant, Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue, with money squirreled away by his father in a ‘71 Mercury Montego.
A smoky spread at Mad Jack's Barbecue.Mad Jack's B.B.Q./ Facebook
In 2025, he decided to move from Cloudcroft, New Mexico, to be closer to home. In November of that year, he purchased an old farmhouse property to open a second outpost of the restaurant. Since then, Jackson has been chronicling the various hurdles he has run into, including funding a complex new septic system and permitting issues with his neon sign and a series of Burma Shave-like markers leading up to the property.
In New Mexico, Mad Jack’s serves Texas barbecue staples like brisket, Kreuz Market links, dino ribs, and turkey, but there is a little New Mexico flavor on the menu. Among the sides is a green chile stew made with brisket, and one of the signature sandwiches, Chile the Kid, prominently features Hatch peppers.
According to the post, the November 7 date may move up if the rest of construction is easy sailing. Until then, he is looking to build up an “extraordinary cast of characters” to staff the spot in the upcoming weeks.
