Credit: Andrew Thomas Lee

Reimagining Barbecue

Ratcheting up both herbal notes and freshness cues

Gene’s, a corner bar and smokehouse that serves barbecue from Louisiana to the Panhandle, takes fish sauce caramel in a bold, unexpected direction. The Sticky Ribs are smoked, dusted in cornstarch, flash-fried until crisp, then glazed in a sticky, savory-sweet caramel laced with Vietnamese fish sauce. Topped with fresh herbs and peanuts, the build honors Southeast Asian flavor principles while riffing on regional Southern barbecue.