Mad Jack’s Hill Country Barbecue, the upcoming Johnson City smokehouse from Lockhart native James Jackson, recently received a citation for its neon sign. The citation was the latest in a number of setbacks the restaurant has faced, ranging from septic tank issues to clearing away cactus brush for a picnic area. Well, Johnson City City Council officially approved Mad Jack’s sign during its Tuesday, September 15, meeting, clearing the way for an official November 7 opening date, Jackson shared with MySA.
“It was a huge relief, a big weight off my shoulders,” Jackson said to MySA. “It was kind of an unexpected thing. It seems like it’s been a series of unexpected problems, and that was the most recent one. And I’ve had, you know, some bad experiences with dealing with the city over in Lockhart that I didn’t want to relive that all over again. So anyway, it went a lot smoother than I thought it was going to. So it was a big big relief for sure.”
Jackson is the creator of Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and has gained a worldwide following as arguably the best Texas-style barbecue joint outside of Texas. To be closer to family, he announced the creation of Mad Jack’s Hill Country Barbecue in November 2025 but has faced development and funding issues along the way. However, Tuesday’s city council win appears to have given Mad Jack’s the shot in the arm it desperately needed.
City Council also approved a Burma Shave-style sign Jackson is installing farther up U.S. 281 to let people know where the smokehouse is. It reads, “Turn Right Here. Ain’t No Joke. Mad Jack’s BBQ. Hugged By Smoke. Kissed By Fire.”
Jackson told MySA that he considered waiting till November 21, his birthday, for the opening date, but decided on early November to get things rolling. Mad Jack’s will soon be doing a casting call to fill out the staff, but the restaurant is down to the final details of adding an ice machine and picking out tables. With the septic system and water well installed, and a picnic area cleared along the Pedernales River, Jackson said he’s having more fun now that he’s in the decorating phase.
“November will be a year since we started this project. So anyway, I thought 11 seven sounded kind of good, so we’ll shoot for that,” Jackson said to MySA. “If something pops up that slows this down a little bit, we pay for it. We’ll have to bump it a week or two, but if things go smoother than expected, it may open a week or two sooner than that.”
Find it: 624 N. US 281, Johnson City, TX 78636
Dining and Cooking