NOTHING FEELS ORDINARY WHEN YOU walk into Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue. The golden glow of holiday lights wrapped around wooden beams and the enticing smell of oak smoldering in the pits lets you know you’re in for something special.
On the morning I visit the popular Cloudcroft establishment, owner James Jackson carries his coffee outside to chat with folks starting to gather on the wooden porch. By the time the doors open for business two hours later, Jackson is positioned behind the cafeteria-style line with his crew in the open kitchen, welcoming guests as they walk through the door, asking what brought them to town. As I watch him sling his signature smoked meats for a seemingly never-ending line of hungry guests, perhaps what is most striking is his genuine interest and delight in everyone he meets.
Although Jackson grew up in the barbecue capital of Texas, he spent 30 years working at his dad’s car dealership in Lockhart. When Chrysler filed for bankruptcy in 2009, his family lost their car franchise. With it went Jackson’s dream of taking over the family business.
from left
The Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue dining room feels comfortably nostalgic; customers line up to get a taste of the smoked meats.
“I told Lockhart not to worry about me,” he says. Yet his goals were modest when he packed up to start a barbecue joint in New Mexico after a childhood spent vacationing here. “I had visions of me and one employee waiting for customers. Maybe three or four people would walk in while we’d be playing dominos or cards,” he says. “We’d get up to help them, then go back to our game. But when we opened the weekend before Memorial Day 2015, we rocked from the first day and have been busy ever since.”
Today, the space has an inexplicable feeling of nostalgia, no matter where you’re from. Family and BBQ-related photographs, signs, posters, and objects fill the walls, climbing their way into the rafters. The dining table that belonged to Jackson’s mother sits in the middle of the room, and anyone who visits is welcome to pull up a chair to this beloved heirloom.
Mad Jack’s pulled pork, pork ribs, “dinosaur” beef ribs, turkey, chicken, and sausages are gently smoked throughout the night starting around 8:30 p.m., coming off the pits just long enough for the meat to rest before the team starts pulling out red butcher paper and slicing it to order the next morning. But some might say that it’s Jackson’s brisket that draws two- to three-hour lines on the weekends.
Owner James Jackson serves brisket by the pound.
“I don’t know what you do,” I overhear a guest telling Jackson, “but I’m from Texas, and this is the best bark I’ve ever had.” The 62-year-old pitmaster smiles as he weighs brisket on a digital scale and hands a paper boat of blackened beef to the man across the counter. Later, I ask Jackson what makes his brisket so sought-after, even from people who come from places famous for BBQ.
“I remember when I was trying to learn how to cook a brisket,” he recalls. “I thought, I’m gonna do it better than all these up-and-coming Lockhart guys.” He looked up competitive pitmaster recipes and tried a variety of complicated rubs for his meats, but none of them turned out very well. “Then I remembered that the old Lockhart pitmasters mostly just used salt and pepper,” he says. “It was the best brisket I ever made. There’s nothing very complicated about what we do—salt, pepper, wood, and fire.”
Jackson’s devotion to authentic Central Texas BBQ means he drives 644 miles every six to eight weeks to pick up Central Texas post oak, the mildest of barbecue smoking woods. But he doesn’t shy away from adding a bit of New Mexico to the mix.
Bring your appetite for the “dinosaur” beef ribs.
On the day I visited, the special was a customer-requested brisket green chile stew. The broth was rich and satisfying, with generous chunks of brisket and the familiar flavor and heat of New Mexico green chile throughout. Mad Jack’s daily menu also has half a dozen sandwiches, including chopped brisket topped with mac and cheese. Sides include all the classics, like potato salads, loaded baked potatoes, coleslaw, and pinto beans.
Gracie Jo Grey, Mad Jack’s baker and Jackson’s fiancée, makes all the fruit cobblers and corn bread from scratch, including a green chile variety that often sells out before the pan goes from the oven to the line. “This summer, we’re going to build a mini bakery, and Gracie wants to start baking breads in-house,” Jackson says. By 3 p.m. most afternoons, they are sold out of everything.
Jackson’s brisket draws two- to three-hour lines on weekends.
“Maybe the other guys are smarter businessmen than me, but I’ve never been in this for the money,” Jackson says. In fact, when a customer recently asked about his secret for success, Jackson didn’t have an answer. “But later, I thought about it and realized I love what I do, I love people, and I have a great crew,” he says. That’s why it’s important that he greets customers outside, opens the door in the mornings, and takes their orders. “We care a heck of a lot about how a person feels when they leave here.”
Everything about Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue was enough to inspire me to try to create a bit of this magic at home. A big thanks to Jackson and Grey for sharing their signature pork rub and cobbler recipes.
Read more: Buffalo Hall Bar and Cowboy Café BBQ dishes out a delicious recipe of food, good times, and historic preservation.
This bright and earthy slaw comes with a bit of New Mexico heat.
- 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 medium head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
- 10 scallions, sliced into 2-inch matchsticks
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels (around 4 ears of corn)
- 2 fire-roasted poblano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Makes 6–8 servings
1. In a small saucepan over low heat, lightly toast the coriander seeds until fragrant. Crush the seeds in a small blender or mortar and pestle. Transfer to a large salad bowl.
2. Add and whisk together the lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, hot sauce, honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Add cabbage, scallions, corn, poblanos, and basil, tossing everything until evenly coated in the dressing. Add salt and pepper as needed and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Potato salad featuring gribiche, a classic French sauce, takes a Southwestern spin with jalapeño and lime.
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold, new, or red potatoes, washed and diced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ cup sour cream or crème fraîche
- 8 scallions, trimmed and sliced
- 1–2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 fire-roasted poblano peppers, seeded and finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Makes 6–8 servings
1. Place potatoes in a pot, add water until they are covered by at least one inch, and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Be careful to not overcook. Drain the cooked potatoes and transfer to a large sheet pan to cool to room temperature.
2. Place eggs in a pot with enough cold water to cover by one inch. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and cover for 10 minutes. Transfer cooked eggs to a bowl of ice water until cool, and peel.
3. Separate the cooked egg yolks and egg whites. Place the yolks in a large mixing bowl; dice the whites and reserve.
4. Mash the egg yolks with a whisk or fork, and stir in the Dijon, fresh lime juice, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until it’s a smooth consistency. Add the cooled potatoes, reserved egg whites, scallions, jalapeño, poblanos, and cilantro. Fold everything together and taste, adding salt and pepper as needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue owner James Jackson shares the special, signature rub that makes his BBQ pork sing.
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons celery seed
- ¼ cup coarse pepper
- ¼ cup paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup dried onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 six-pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and tied with butcher twine
Makes 10–12 servings
1. Preheat oven to 250°. In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, kosher salt, celery seed, coarse pepper, paprika, garlic powder, dried onion flakes, and cayenne pepper.
2. Rub a quarter of the mixture all over the tied pork shoulder and place the meat in a roasting pan. Roast for 6 to 8 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 195°. Leave uncovered until it has a nice “bark” developing and then gently cover it with foil so the outside doesn’t burn.
3. When the pork is done cooking, let rest at room temperature until it’s cool enough to safely pull apart into pieces with your hands. As you’re shredding the pork, sprinkle a little of the rub into the shredded meat, tasting as you go. You’ll likely have some extra rub to
use later.
4. Let cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge for up to 4 days.
Mad Jack’s signature BBQ sauce is Jackson’s secret, but this sweet and spicy version tastes pretty close!
- 1½ cups ketchup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 anchovy filets
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Makes about 3 cups
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together ketchup, water, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, anchovy filets, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
2. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat and let the mixture slowly simmer for around 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and carefully blend until smooth. Let cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator in an airtight container; store for up to 2 weeks.
This was the fruit cobbler Gracie Jo Grey’s mother taught her, and she’s been making it ever since.
- 1½ sticks (6 ounces) butter
- 2 cups flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 4 cups blueberries
Makes 6–8 servings
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place butter in a medium-size baking dish and melt it in the oven.
2. Remove melted butter from the oven and swirl it around, making sure it evenly reaches all sides and corners.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and 1½ cups sugar into a mixing bowl. Stir in the milk and pour the batter into the buttered baking dish.
4. In another bowl, toss together remaining sugar and blueberries. Evenly pour the blueberries over the batter and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
