We happened to go when there was no line. The staff was amazingly kind and the Dino ribs are enough to feed 3 people!

So this place is amazing! I don't need to flood the fees with the lengthy type review, as everyone else already has. Bottom line up front: I'm a freaking Yelp Gold Elite. Just accept my word as Gold, and believe me when I say: EAT HERE! Mad Jack himself is often present and is such a great dude! They give military discount. They have indoor and outdoor seating. Recommend sitting outdoors if the weather is nice because it's beautiful up there. Listen again: EAT HERE. This Gold elite stood in line for an hour to get some brisket, Turkey, sausage, Mac-n-cheese... and id stand in line to do it again. When not racing motorcycles at the track, we often like to ride still, out in nature. Away from the city (because why have race bikes just to go stop light to stop light). And when we do ride, there is no better area that has corners that often can replicate the track, than Cloudcroft. Being that it's an hour away from my home in El Paso... we always stop at Mad Jacks to refuel. This place is great! Go try i

A friend of mine from the East Coast was the first to recommend MJMB to me when she learned we were moving to Las Cruces, NM. It's only about an hour and 20 mins from our home. The Saturday after Thanksgiving seemed like a great day to make the trip out to Cloudcroft. Lots of friends here in Las Cruces recommended we get there by 10AM, which we did.... the restaurant opens at 11AM. There was already a good line formed by the time we got there an hour before opening. Everyone in line was nice and conversational so even though it was cold, the time went by quickly. The food is ordered and served cafeteria-style, so even though we were in line early, it wasn't until about 11:45am that we got to the front to place our order. Between the three of us, we ordered: Devine Swine (pulled pork sandwich), Dino bone (beef rib), Chopped Brisket sandwich, Green Chile Sausage, Corn bread, 1/2 pint beans, pint mac n cheese, side of pickles and Peach cobbler for dessert. Meats: Hands-down the best BBQ any of us had ever tasted. My husband is a born and raised Texan who loves his BBQ meats... and he confirmed! It was definitely worth the drive and the wait. The sausage was great, but the skin was a little difficult for a toddler/small child to manage. Corn bread and Mac and cheese are must-have sides! They are phenomenal! The beans, the can leave off the menu. Sad to say we ended up tossing what we didn't taste. Dessert: It was OK... but when we heated it up in the air fryer the next day?! It went from OK to DAYUM that's good! They have a good seating area outside, but it's so cold, nobody used it. The inside seating area is pretty small, but surprisingly the turnover of diners went pretty smoothly. Last but not least, I have to mention the people! So sweet!!! The lady who bakes stopped to chat with us and she's just the nicest. Mad Jack himself made every guest feel appreciated for coming to the restaurant. If you're ever even within 2 hours of Mad Jack's, I highly recommend making the trip to experience the food for yourself. We'll definitely be back again.

The dinosaur ribs (beef ribs) are huge and so tender you can cut them with a plastic fork. Sides are great make sure you get the peach cobbler. Owner and staff are helpful and friendly. The wait in line can be lengthy but well worth it.

Got there early and waited in line for about hour before it opened. I know it gets really packed and the line gets long so we made sure to be there just in time. I ordered a slab of pork ribs and half pound of sliced brisket along with a side of Mac n cheese and pinto beans. Brisket was so tender and juicy, just delicious. Ribs were just as delicious. Great taste and bbq sauce was real good. My daughter said the Mac n cheese was the best she ever tasted. Fresh corn bread straight out the oven was tasty. I took home a bottle of bbq sauce to enjoy on my own bbq. My first time and looking forward to coming back soon.

In my opinion, a visit to Cloudcroft is not complete without stopping in for some delicious barbecue from Mad Jacks. If you visit on a weekend, be prepared that there may be a bit of a wait to sit down and eat. It is worth it though!

What can I say. Best BBQ in New Mexico as far I can recommend. Heck Mad Jack's beats even the great establishments of Lockhart TX where Mr. Jack is originally from. Jack recruits the best staff and they make you feel welcome the moment you get up to the line to order. They love interacting with each guest. Many have followed Mr. Jack from Texas! The place has an old school mountain cabin vibe and a great new out door dining area that tends to serve just sandwiches and sides that vary every day so you just need to check the little menu board for that days food. Wife and I love, love the brisket. No question about it, we both think it's the best we ever had. The pork ribs are super meaty and fall off the bone, but with a lot of bite to it. Nice pepper flavor and only enough smoke to balance out some of the pork flavor. The sausage is awesome with a great crisp and definitely not dry. The turkey is moist and not too smoky with just the right amount of poultry flavor. Sometimes turkey just tastes too much like turkey. The cornbread is delicious, but very sweet. The sour cream potato salad is good, but definitely heavy on the sour cream. Baked beans are super good, but sweet as well. Have yet to try their chicken or dino beef ribs, but definitely will on the next trip. Expect to wait in line a couple of hours on the weekends unless you just want a sandwich or something from the outside menu that tends to have a much shorter line.

i came on a saturday and wow the line was no JOKE. i thought that the line would go by fast but no.... it CRAWLED. it took us like two hours of us waiting to finally order! when we got in, i realized it was bc there were soo understaffed and the workers were all so friendly with each customer that came in. i love that they have connections with their customers but man was i HUNGRY. if u come on a weekend, just expect to wait! when we got to the front, i was so sad. they were sold out of the beef rib and good pieces of sliced brisket. but i loved that the workers recommended me to get the chopped brisket and they even gave us a little more bc they felt bad. all the sides were absolutely incredible. my favorite was actually the cornbread. actually never had cornbread so moist and delicious! even though what we wanted was sold out, the pork rib and sausages were both delicious! the ambiance was bustling and also had outdoor seating! it was freezing though so we tried to find seats indoor. anyway, long story short i would say this place is definitely worth going to when you're in town!

Came here off of a suggestion and was not disappointed. They open at 11, and if you don't wanna wait in line too long and want to make sure you get what you're craving, get there early. Dont do what I did and get there an hr later. BUT the wait was well worth it. They have outdoor seating and an area there to order food, but it's just sandwiches and burritos and a few sides. The full menu is inside. Took roughly an hr to finally order, I was really looking forward to the "Dinosaur Rib," which is a smoked beef rib, but that sold out. I ended up getting a brisket and sausage sandwich, potato salad, and bread pudding. I was given some sample brisket for wearing my Dallas Cowboys polo, lol. Man, that is 100% central Texas Brisket. Heavy on the pepper and salt crust, smoke was very pronounced, and meat was perfectly cooked and moist. The sandwich I got was so amazing, buns were toasted and staked with a good amount of meat. My only gripe is the potato salad was mediocre, and the bread pudding was a bit dry. Honestly, though, I was there for the carnivorous activities. It's my first time here, and I will 100% come back. The drive from El Paso or Ruidoso is worth the trek.