Josh Davis originally planned to throw a 25th anniversary bash for Smoke Shack Southern Barbecue in Boscawen this fall.
But when flames engulfed the kitchen of his longtime business at the end of June, Davis was forced to recalibrate.
The fire destroyed the kitchen and the attic space above it. Smoke and water damage seeped into the rest of the red barn-like structure, whose dining room and ice cream room have since been stripped to the studs.
Now, rather than an anniversary celebration, he hopes to throw a grand reopening once the interior of the space is back up and running.
“We’re just thankful for the continued support through these times, and we’re very excited to get it all rebuilt and share on the reopening, whenever that may be,” he said.
He remains optimistic for a November date. If not, then the spring, he said. Right now, he’s waiting for investigators to finish their investigation into what caused the fire. After the fire, he said, he thought the culprit might have been the smoker in the kitchen.
Once the investigation wraps up, the kitchen will be released back to him so he can start renovating the space.
Until then, customers can continue to enjoy their barbecue favorites served hot from a trailer parked outside the establishment. And there’s no shortage of ice cream, either.
Picnic tables offer an outdoor dining atmosphere, although the whole operation is currently weather-dependent, Davis said. Still, it was a “simple” transition, one that took him back to the origins of Smoke Shack, which began out of a food truck in 2001. The business already had the ice cream and barbecue trailers at the ready.
Because of space constraints cooking in a much smaller kitchen, he isn’t able to offer the full menu on a regular basis. But he remains attuned to what people want and aims to adapt accordingly.
“We’re trying to throw different specials on because we have a lot of requests with different things from our regular customers. So it’s a juggling act to try to keep everyone happy and give them what they expect from the small shed,” Davis said.
He has outdoor tents set up for cooking and refrigeration, striving to give his customers as much normalcy as possible.
For Brian Stiles, who has been coming to Smoke Shack multiple times a week for two decades, the specials have been a boon. But beyond that, he appreciates the sense of community he finds there.
“It’s close,” he said. “And I like supporting people in town. And when I go in there, I’m not a number. People know who I am, the people behind the counters and so forth.”
Smoke Shack owner Josh Davis stands outside by the barbecue trailer on July 30, 2026. Credit: RACHEL WACHMAN / Monitor 
Smoke Shack owner Josh Davis preps the ordering tent ahead of customers’ arrival on July 30, 2026. Credit: RACHEL WACHMAN / Monitor 
Smoke Shack owner Josh Davis wipes down the ice cream trailer’s counter on July 30, 2026. Credit: RACHEL WACHMAN / Monitor
Through an unexpectedly challenging summer, Davis has sought to boost morale among his customers and his team of about two dozen staff members. He’s been holding weekly meetings, offering them gift cards, sending them on paid days off to the beach, and just trying to keep up spirits as much as he can.
He holds food service contracts at the NH Motor Speedway and the New England Dragway, in addition to running a catering facility in York, Maine. All of the business logistics keep him busy. Still, he hopes to maintain his Boscawen clientele, which he said took over two decades to cultivate.
For him, communication plays an instrumental role in this. He said he’ll let customers know as soon as a reopening date is on the horizon.
“We’ve built a great family restaurant and a great community,” he said. “Seeing the smiles on our customers’ faces is what means everything to me.”
