It’s been almost six months since the No. 1 barbecue joint in New Mexico announced it was expanding back to Texas, setting up shop in a beloved Hill Country town. While there have been delays in officially opening, the Lockhart-born brand is now targeting the biggest weekend of the summer for a grand opening picnic.

Mad Jack’s Hill Country Barbecue, the offshoot of Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, was initially aiming to open in late May but is now targeting the Fourth of July for its official Texas debut, owner James Jackson confirmed with MySA. The barbecue joint has faced construction delays but shared an exciting update on Wednesday, May 6, that the old-school neon-lit “Mad Jack’s Hill Country BBQ” signs have been installed on the historic Johnson City home.

“What a great day! Jeremy and crew from Blackout Signs installed our new sign here at the new Johnson City location. And let me tell you, the pictures don’t do it justice,” Jackson wrote on Facebook. “It couldn’t have turned out better. When we turned the power on it blew us away! It’s old school, complete with neon lighting!”

Jackson, a Lockhart native, founded Mad Jack’s in 2015 and over the next decade attracted visitors from around the world to try his Texas-style barbecue in New Mexico. Mad Jack’s has earned numerous accolades as the best barbecue in New Mexico and was named one of the best Texas barbecue joints outside Texas, but Jackson told MySA he’s been looking to move back to the Lone Star State to be closer to his children and grandchildren.

Last year, Jackson scoured Texas for a new barbecue location and settled on a Johnson City homestead along the Pedernales River that was once owned by friends of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Since then, he’s invested $2 million into renovating the house and clearing the cactuses growing near the river, making room for future guests to picnic with award-winning barbecue.

If all goes smoothly, Jackson has hopes to land on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ Joints List in 2029.

“That’s on my list of things due before I retire,” Jackson said to MySA last year. “I think a lot of people probably think I’ve lost my mind, go start a brand new business, especially a restaurant-style business, but I’m just not ready sitting on the porch yet. I love the challenge of it all.”

Find it: 624 N. US 281, Johnson City, TX 78636