From Lockhart to the Mountaintop
Owner James Jackson grew up in Lockhart, Texas—the barbecue capital of Texas—and spent 30 years working at his father's car dealership. When Chrysler filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and the family lost their franchise, Jackson fulfilled a childhood dream: he moved to New Mexico and opened Mad Jack's Mountaintop BBQ the weekend before Memorial Day 2015.
Jackson's secret is simplicity: salt, pepper, wood, and fire. He drives 644 miles every six to eight weeks to source authentic Central Texas post oak—the mildest smoking wood. Meats are smoked overnight starting around 8:30 p.m., then rested and sliced fresh to order. By 3 p.m. most days, they're sold out.
