Reimagining Barbecue

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.

Flavors on the Edge is an ongoing series that explores emerging ingredients poised to become high-impact flavor builders.