“Growing up in Texas, in Houston especially, where there’s a ton of Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian people, Korean, Japanese, Pakistani… that has a huge influence on how and what we cook,” says Don Nguyen, who along with his brother Theo, co-owns and operates Khói Barbecue in Houston. “When we cook [at] Khoi we ask ourselves: ‘What dishes can we riff on that brings us nostalgia?’”

That’s where notable dishes like Khói’s brisket pho come into play. Growing up eating both Texas–style