Texas brisket and BBQ breakfast tacos now smokin’ at new Lakewood restaurant
Jack’s BBQ, one of the Puget Sound’s best barbecue brands, has finally landed in Pierce County.
The Seattle-based company opens a full-service restaurant Oct. 22 at 12115 Pacific Highway SW in Lakewood, just south of the intersection with Bridgeport Way and north of the McChord Field Visitor Center.
Owner and Central Texas native Jack Timmons has been quietly expanding his empire of signature brisket, beef bacon, pork ribs and juicy smoked chicken up and down Western Washington. The original Jack’s in South Seattle opened in 2014, followed by a second full-service restaurant in South Lake Union and a lunch-only outpost at Columbia Tower. In 2020, he traveled south, debuting his third — and largest — restaurant in Algona.
Earlier this year, a fourth full-service Jack’s BBQ opened in Bellingham.
Due to space and permitting constraints, the Lakewood restaurant won’t be smoking on site — though in typical Jack’s fashion, an example smoker is stationed outside. Meats will arrive fresh from Algona, which has two 22-by-42-foot smokers next to the building.
Timmons, who spent about 20 years as an engineer for Microsoft and Boeing before embracing the barbecue life, has perfected this style of feeder system, as the additional Seattle spots receive meats from the original in SoDo.
The heart of the menu are the BBQ plates with two sides ($19-$21.50) — your choice of Double R Ranch brisket, pork ribs, pork-and-beef sausage, pulled pork and a half-chicken among them, or mix it up with the Double Trouble ($28) or Texas Trinity ($32).
Sides here pack a punch, whether you opt for the remoulade coleslaw, the savory ranch beans or sharp mustard potato salad. Add a hunk of buttermilk cornbread, queso mac and cheese, collards or Texas caviar (a refreshing black-eyed pea salad, served cold of course) for $4.50 each.
Brisket, chicken and pork are also served as a sandwich with one side ($16-$17), and you can get any meat a la carte, starting at $6 per sausage link, $8 for a quarter-pound of pork and $9 for brisket.
A growing favorite that once was a weekly special, Lakewood will serve the Whatabrisket Burger ($16.50) every day. Sandwiched between a toasted bun is a decadent patty of brisket, ground in-house, with lettuce, tomato, red onion, American cheese and “fancy sauce.”
The Algona restaurant had become a South Sound standout for the otherwise elusive breakfast taco, which will also be available here but only in the mornings.
Weekly specials include smoked prime rib every Friday, while desserts range from pecan pie to banana pudding and peach cobbler. A full bar features cocktails, such as the popular old-fashioned accentuated by smoked orange and brown sugar, as well as wine and $5 draft beers.
Timmons is especially eager to bring another locally owned dining destination — and likely plenty of takeout — to the area around Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
JACK’S BBQ - LAKEWOOD
▪ 12115 Pacific Hwy SW, Lakewood, jacksbbq.com/lakewood
▪ Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (until 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday); 7-11 a.m. for breakfast tacos and coffee
▪ Details: Central Texas-style barbecue with full bar, dine-in or takeout (online ordering available)
JACK’S BBQ - ALGONA
▪ 35731 West Valley Hwy S, Algona, 253-249-7728, jacksbbq.com/algona
▪ Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (until 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday); 5-10 a.m. for breakfast tacos and coffee (10 a.m. Saturday-Sunday)
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 7:05 AM.