I don't pretend to know all the fine points of barbecue, particularly as they pertain to such regions as Missouri, North Carolina, or Texas. But I do know that Bob Bringhurst's pit barbecue and Becky Bowden's side dishes at Becky's Real B.B.Q. in Middletown have the taste of authenticity about them.

Bob and Becky attended Portsmouth High School together, drifted into different lives -- she as a secretary in Rhode Island, he as a cook's helper in Alabama and St. Louis -- and reconnected a little more than five years ago. Bob had learned to love and prepare barbecue, and Becky was yearning to set up her own business. When a house containing a USDA-approved kitchen -- formerly the site of Newport Upper Crust -- came on the market, Becky's Real B.B.Q. was born. The old-fashioned stone barbecue pit in the backyard, long since abandoned, seems to have been a good omen for the success that Bringhurst and Bowden have found with their tiny restaurant, take-out counter, and catering business.

For it's not just transplanted Southerners, stationed at Newport's Naval Station, who make repeated trips to Becky's to salve their homesickness. And it's not just hungry shoppers, fresh from their toils at the Christmas Tree Shop across the street, who stop by for an Elvis sandwich (pulled pork with a layer of coleslaw). It's also tourists, like us, who notice the portable smoker on the front lawn of Becky's and pull in to check out the barbecue.

On the board and in a paper version, the menu is straightforward and straight-shootin': Ribs (full or half slabs), pulled pork or pulled chicken, barbequed beef brisket or chicken (whole or half). The beef is dry-rubbed, the pork is not. Both spend up to 18 hours in a pit stoked with hickory logs, under Bringhurst's watchful eye. The pit barbeque process "cooks" meats by the very low temperature of the smoke. This creates a reddish color, similar to ham, in the ribs, beef, and pork. It also makes meat incredibly tender and amazingly moist.

Actually, "succulent" was the word of the day, as Bill whittled away at a "Three Combo Plate" ($11.99) of ribs -- five to eight hours in the pit -- pulled pork, and a thigh-leg piece of chicken -- four to five hours pit-time. He tried all three of Becky's sauces, though he emphasized that the meat didn't need any. One had a mustard base, another a sweet, tomatoey taste, and the third was more vinegary and spicy.

Meanwhile, I was savoring a pulled chicken plate ($7.99), with cornbread, and two sides. Becky pulls the pork and the chicken to order, not ahead of time, sprinkling a bit of sauce on the chicken. She makes her own "smashed potatoes" fresh every day. They're fluffy and light, buttery and creamy.

Becky's coleslaw is more Pennsylvania Dutch (vinegary, with diced green and/or red peppers) than Southern, but it's darned good. And her three-bean bake, from a recipe she collected while living in Alaska, features navy (appropriately), kidney, and lima beans, seasoned with brown sugar and crumbled bacon.

The cake-like cornbread is also not Southern-style, but I don't know many Yankees who prefer the heavy-textured, non-sweet, buttermilk-tinged cornbread favored by my Louisiana and Texas relatives. So Becky's playing to her audience, and it applauds quite nicely -- all around us, in the 17-seat dining area, were murmured appreciations of the cornbread.

Her sides include potato salad, corn (usually frozen niblets, but sometimes fresh on the cob), and potato chips, but not the typical soul-food sides of macaroni-and-cheese, green beans, or collard greens. "I've never eaten collards myself," says Bowden. Becky's does feature "sweet tea," of Southern fame -- sugar-sweetened, dark pekoe, brewed tea -- and homemade lemonade (both 99 cents with free refills), another Southern tradition.

Desserts run to frozen Sara Lee and Upper Crust specialties. (Becky apologized for not being able to keep up with making her special apple pie.) A tuxedo mousse cake ($2.99) caught Bill's attention, and we shared it. Vanilla and chocolate mousse layers were set off by a chocolate-cookie crumb crust and chocolate sprinkled on top.

Decor at Becky's is decidedly home-grown, with her grandmother's Hoosier cabinet against one wall, a wire basket and milk bottles from her grandfather's dairy farm on top of it. Walls are papered in a purple/green plaid below the chair rail and an airy cherry-and-vine pattern above. Two shelves hold kitchen knick-knacks, some also from her grandparents' Portsmouth farm. The best thing about the small space, with just six tables, is that it's nicely air-conditioned, and, even when all the tables are full, it doesn't seem noisy. Could be that everyone's too engrossed in the barbecue to carry on a conversation!

Issue Date: August 2 - 8, 2002