The first time I saw Frank Morse doing his thing, he was grilling for a few friends on the side of the road before a Dauphin Island Mardi Gras parade. And by “a few,” I mean 30 or 40.

His industrial-grade mobile smoker was made from a length of pipe that a friend had scavenged from a derrick barge serving the offshore petroleum industry. It was loaded with several kinds of sausage, bacon-wrapped chicken breasts and pork loin, ribs, beef tenderloin and more.

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It turned out that the former commercial captain was no amateur: He was the proprietor of Capt. Frank’s Smoke Shack in Bayou La Batre. I was too early to sample the mouth-watering meat cornucopia slow-cooking before the Krew de la Dauphine rolled out, so I made a mental note to visit the Smoke Shack at first opportunity.

Capt. Frank’s Smoke Shack turned out to be just about everything a barbecue lover hopes for when seeking out a new place. Let’s tick off the boxes.

Box one: Is it a destination? Yes. You can’t exactly say that that the Smoke Shack is off the beaten path, because it’s right on Ala. 188, a connector that, among other traffic, carries vacationers from I-10 in Grand Bay down to Dauphin Island. But it’s also within easy walking distance of Bayou La Batre’s working waterfront. That means that no matter which way you come, you’re going to see things that give you a sense of place unlike anywhere else in Alabama. Shrimp boats at the dock. Glimpses of the Mississippi Sound.

While in the parking lot, I saw a young man walking past with a couple of takeout containers in hand, looking like he was on the way home after a shift at a local processor. He sported shoulder-length-plus hair worthy of a rock star, a heavy dark work jacket and pants that suggested he’d spent time in a freezer, and white shrimp boots. That’s just not a look you’re going to see anywhere else.

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Box two: Is it small? As in, tiny? Yes indeed. Capt. Frank’s is a weather-worn wooden building barely the size of a shotgun house, always a good sign when it comes to barbecue. Inside, accommodations are tight. On your side of the counter, there are two small tables, augmented by two picnic tables on the porch. There’s not a lot of room behind the counter, either, so you can see a lot of the magic happening. He may be the captain, but if you order a baked potato, he’s probably going to be the one who slices it open and loads it up for you.

Box three: Is it a family affair? Again, yes. You’ll find Ann Morse taking orders, sharing updates on local happenings and keeping her husband company.

Box four: Is the décor, shall we say, organic? Absolutely. It’s just as it should be: Family photos, old newspaper clippings, nautical knick-knacks and an impressive collection of awards won over the years at the Blessing of the Fleet Gumbo Cook-Off: First place, second place, people’s choice. He earned his most recent No. 1 in May, so you know he’s not just resting on his laurels.

Box five: But how’s the food? Another yes.

We didn’t come here for gumbo, so what to order first? Well, there’s something on the menu called the Bayou Pig sandwich ($8.50), so the choice is pretty much made for you. I mean, knowing there’s something called a Bayou Pig, how can you not order that? It’s a deluxe take on the common pulled pork sandwich: a big heap of pulled pork topped with house-made sauce and slaw, and an unusual garnish of olives. It is a mess, in the best possible way.

The full menu includes pulled pork, chicken quarters, half-chickens, ribs and brisket. You can get plates ($10.99 for pulled pork, up to $16.33 for the jumbo rib plate), sandwiches ($5.75-$8.50) or loaded potatoes ($11.90). Sides include potato salad, slaw and chips. Root beer aficionados will be glad to hear that the soda case includes not just Barq’s but cane-sugar IBC in glass bottles.

On another visit, I tried the brisket plate. Spoiler alert: It’s fabulous. Although no barbecue wizard is going to share all his secrets, Morse said his approach to brisket has evolved over the years, and he pays special attention to the second stage of the process, where the meat is wrapped and cooked at higher (but still not very high) temperatures. That and the final resting stage are essential to getting a tender, juicy brisket, he said.

Ann Morse said that evolution reflects her husband’s general approach to barbecue. He’s not stuck in his ways, she said: He’s always on the lookout for tips and tricks that he can incorporate into what he does.

“He has a lot of practice,” she said. “He has learned new tricks all along the way. He always says that some of the best tips come from the least likely of people.” (Another example: Somewhere along the line, he decided to try keeping his whole chickens breast-down as he smoked them. Somehow the bird seems to hold more moisture that way, he said.)

His willingness to try something new says a lot, considering that he’ll soon mark his 20th anniversary in the business.

Morse said his career as an offshore captain took a one-two punch in 2005: Hurricane Katrina shut down the work he was doing in Mississippi that August. After that, he worked Cameron, La., but Hurricane Rita wiped that out in September 2005. “So that put me out of the boat business,” he said.

He opened the Smoke Shack that November. Business was slow that Thanksgiving, he said, but since then smoked turkeys have become a seasonal staple.

He appreciates the balance he gets. He’s well known to locals, but 188 brings a steady stream of first-timers.

“There’s a lot of people passing through,” he said. “You can tell tourists when they come. A lot of people from Texas. A lot more Texas plates around.”

Whether you’re a traveler or a local, if you see an Alabama barbecue joint with Texas plates in the parking lot, that’s a good sign.

Capt. Frank’s Smoke Shack is at 13876 S. Wintzell Ave. in Bayou La Batre. It’s open for lunch Monday-Friday. For updates, visit www.facebook.com/capt.franksinc.