Meat lovers across the Natural State have savored the hearty creations and hometown favorites of Mark Jackson’s culinary excellence, prompting his newest venture in Conway, Arkansas: Jackson’s Meat Market.
Jackson got his start in his very own backyard, cooking for friends statewide and hand-delivering smoked meats around Arkansas. After two layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic and a 20-year career in big-box retail, Jackson said he knew his next step needed to be something he loved to do.
“For the last four or five years or so, I’ve done some cooking on the side, just out of the house – started offering turkeys and hams for Thanksgiving,” Jackson said. “The first year I did it, I got maybe 15 or 20 orders. The last year I did it, I was right around 100 orders coming out of my backyard. It was like, ‘Well, this is awesome.’ I love doing this. I like to cook. I do it every weekend.”
Jackson said everyone had always told him he had great turkeys and hams, and with the growing sales year after year seemingly validating those opinions, his future in the industry looked promising.
“I knew I could probably pull this thing off, so that’s kind of where we’re at,” he said.
Located at 2670 Prince St., Jackson’s Meat Market is a one-stop shop this holiday season, and the small business plans to offer everything from take-home meals to rich cheesecakes and sweets.
Jackson said that while they’re still checking off the last list items before they open, he’s excited to offer a new shopping experience to the city of colleges. Opening Nov. 18, he said that Thanksgiving orders are the highest priority.
“We’re going to smoke hams and turkeys for Thanksgiving,” Jackson said. “We’ll do some desserts for Thanksgiving that you can pre-order and take with you. And then during the week, we’ll offer stuff like smoked ribs, smoked half chicken, smoked sausage, things like that, because we’ve been making some fresh sausages too.
“We’ll have some premade sides – potato salad, baked beans, mac and cheese, things like that that you can grab a couple of, or do like a combo thing: grab a rack of ribs, grab two sides and take them home to feed your family. We’ll also do some premade soups that you can take, like chili, chicken tortilla, enchilada-type soups. Grab a quart, take it home, heat it and have soup for the night.”
The outfit will also be partnering up with Ozark Beef, a local 500-acre family-owned cattle farm based in the Ozark Mountains. Jackson said this personal touch is something Conway has needed desperately.
“Conway does set up a nice system for a small business to thrive,” Jackson said. “It’s a community that’s constantly growing. You have a great base between the three colleges, and it has an educated, high-end feel. People here are looking for something better – that homegrown thing where they know what’s in it. They like that feel of, ‘If I buy this rib off you, it came from Ozark Beef – I know that guy.’ That’s what people are looking for.”
While Jackson admits Kroger and Sam’s have great meats and other items, a little something is missing from those products.
“They don’t have that personal touch where you come in and say, ‘I want it this way.’ That’s what I was looking to create – that old-feel butcher with a modern twist, where you can get something different all the time,” he explained.
As Jackson puts the finishing touches on his new shop, he’s hopeful that Jackson’s Meat Market will become a gathering point for Conway’s growing community and food lovers. With a focus on freshness, local sourcing and a genuine love for the craft, Jackson’s goal is simple: to bring back the tradition of knowing your butcher and trusting where your food comes from.
Whether you’re stopping by for a holiday ham, a weeknight dinner or simply to chat about the perfect cut, Jackson’s Meat Market aims to make every customer feel like family – one slice at a time.
Beginning Nov. 18, the market will be open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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