Wuxi Meaty Spareribs

This is a very earthy dish bearing the name of a town not far from Shanghai. Two features distinguish these spareribs from other regional ones: their exaggerated sweetness, not always acceptable to non-Wuxi palates, and their relatively large size. I still remember the ‘sweet impact’ on my own tastebuds when I visited this charming town several years ago and ate them in a small local restaurant. In cooking the dish myself, I have toned down the sweetness, but retained its other characterist