Smokin’ Boxcar Offers a BBQ Journey in Morgan

All aboard the Smokin’ Boxcar in Morgan! Where barbecue and breakfast are served up Monday through Saturday.

The Boxcar name is appropriate, since customers can look out the restaurant’s windows and watch Union Pacific freight trains pass back and forth in Weber Canyon. And, it’s location at 145 Commercial Street is just steps away from Morgan County’s historic passenger depot/museum at 98 Commercial Street, which once served a section of the Transcontinental Railroad, and displays an old Union Pacific caboose.

   Owner Jack Neal opened the Smokin’ Boxcar restaurant in 2022. He was in the landscaping business for many years before starting his own food truck, also named the Smokin’ Boxcar. He ran it for four years before deciding to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

  “People told me I should go where there was a need, and Morgan didn’t have a sit-down restaurant since Larry’s Spring Chicken Inn closed,” he said. (The current version of Larry’s Chicken is to-go only.)

  It’s true that he doesn’t have as much competition in Morgan that he would have in a bigger city like Ogden.  “But, there are a lot of days that I would probably sell out if I was in Ogden. Some days business is good, and some days it’s not so good,” he said with a shrug.

  The restaurant site was formerly Buzzy’s Café, “and was closed for 18 years,” Neal said. The big red neon sign in front that says “Country Cafe” is a throwback to earlier times.

Before opening, the interior was completely gutted and renovated. Customers can sit at sturdy wood tables, or at the wooden counter decorated with the Smokin’ Boxcar motif. Each table has a roll of paper towels to help with the finger-lickin barbecue. The meals come on foil-lined platters.

When we visited on a Saturday afternoon, many tables were filled, and there were faint sounds of a private event going on in a separate room.

 The menu has the usual barbecue favorites offered in one- two- or three-meat plates — ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, brats and burnt ends. Neal has also added a smoky twist to diner classics like sloppy joes, Chicken Cordon Bleu, French dip, and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. It’s Smokin’ Joe, smoked Brisket French Dip, Brisket Philly, and smoked chicken Cordon Bleu sandwiches.  You can also get a Navajo taco — smoked chili served over a Utah-style scone topped with lettuce, cheese and chopped tomatoes.

  Neal uses St. Louis-style ribs, so they’re more meaty than baby back ribs. The Smokin’ Boxcar ribs have a rich flavor and fall-off-the-bone tenderness.

  The burnt ends — cubes of beef brisket with a dark, flavorful “bark” on the outside — were moist and tender inside. There was enough smoky flavor that I didn’t even think about adding barbecue sauce.

Currently Neal smokes his meats with peach wood that came from a Box Elder County orchard. He said he’ll soon be getting cherry wood from someone who has a cherry tree. Fruit wood offers a sweeter, milder flavor than hickory. We took home our leftovers in a to-go box, and the next day, the sweet smoky aroma lingered in our kitchen.

You might have the fortune of being waited on by Jack’s wife, Sally Sue Neal. Be sure to ask her about her rodeo pins, and she may show you photos of her big-hair, barrel-racing, rodeo-queen days.

About the sides: The beans are sweet with subtle spice, bits of bacon and bell pepper. The cole slaw stays pretty much traditional, with the cabbage chopped instead of finely shredded. Online reviewers have praised the smoked cheesy potatoes. We’ll have to try them another time. The menu also lists tater tots, deep-fried pickles, onion rings and waffle fries.

 Prices are reasonable, considering the cost of meat these days. My husband’s two-meat plate of brisket and ribs with a side of coleslaw was $17.99. My lunch plate of burnt ends and cole slaw was $11.99, and I added an side of beans for $5.99. Both meals were generously portioned so that we had leftovers to take home.  

 From 8-10:30 a.m., you can get breakfast classics like omelets, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, hash browns, and French toast. What sets it apart from most other breakfast places is that you can add your choice of smoked meats to go with them.

Lunch and dinner are served from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday (closed Sunday.)

The Smokin’ Boxcar also sells its smoked meats by the pound, beans by the quart, and trays of side dishes, making it easy to do a smokin’ workplace lunch, family party or neighborhood happening.

  Website: www.toasttab.com/the-smokin-boxcar or www.facebook.com/thesmokinboxcar

  Restaurant/takeout: 801-603-0166

  Address: 145 Commercial Street, Morgan

  Hours: Open Monday-Saturday. 8-10:30 a.m. breakfast; 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m., lunch and dinner.