P
Chinese · Wuxi
Jiangsu Wuxi Spareribs (Wu Xi Pao Gu)
Wuxi pao gu (Wuxi pork spareribs): the sweet-dominant braised pork ribs of Jiangsu cuisine — braised in soy, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, and aromatics until tender and lacquered. Wuxi cuisine is the sweetest expression of Jiangnan cooking. The sauce is extremely sweet by any other regional standard. Served with the thick, sweet sauce poured over.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
1 kg
pork spareribs
cut into small individual ribs, not full rack size
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
80 ml
Shaoxing wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
80 ml
soy sauce
80 g
rock sugar
broken into small pieces; quantity is intentionally high
Origin · ChinaWismettac · Vancouver →
3
spring onions
tied in a knot
Your own market
4 slices
fresh ginger
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
2
star anise
Your own market
500 ml
water
or enough to just cover ribs
Your own market
10 g
dried hawthorn berry (shan zha)
optional; helps tenderise and adds slight tartness
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Place the ribs in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to the boil. Blanch for 3–4 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold running water. The water runs clear and the ribs are free of grey scum.
2
Return the ribs to the pot. Add the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, rock sugar, spring onions, ginger, star anise, and hawthorn berry if using. Pour over enough water to just cover the ribs. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. The liquid is deep amber and fragrant with wine and anise.
3
Cover and braise at a gentle simmer for a minimum of 1.5 hours, turning the ribs occasionally. This is where the dish lives or dies: the ribs must become very tender — the meat yields at the touch of a chopstick and begins to pull from the bone without resistance. Do not shorten this stage.
4
Uncover and raise the heat to medium-high. Reduce the braising liquid, turning the ribs frequently, until the sauce is thick, sticky, and coats every rib in a dark, lacquered glaze. A spoon dragged through the sauce leaves a clean trail that closes slowly.
5
Transfer the ribs to a serving dish. Pour the remaining thick sauce over. The surface of each rib is glossy and deeply coloured; the sauce pools beneath in a coating consistency, not a pool of thin liquid.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Small, well-trimmed spareribs from a heritage breed with good fat-to-meat ratio; Shaoxing wine of named-vintage quality; Yunnan or premium Chinese rock sugar in large amber crystals.
02
Estate — Free-range pork spareribs, butcher-cut into short sections; decent Shaoxing cooking wine (not cooking-wine substitute); standard Chinese rock sugar.
03
Market — Supermarket spareribs cut to size on request; widely available Shaoxing wine; rock sugar from any Chinese grocer.
04
House — Any pork spareribs available; pale dry sherry as a substitute for Shaoxing; soft brown sugar in place of rock sugar — the dish will be less lacquered but the Wuxi character remains.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Braising liquid is deep amber and translucent after the blanched ribs are added and brought to a simmer.
◇Touch. After the full braise, the meat yields completely at the push of a chopstick and begins to pull from the bone without force.
◇Sight. During reduction, the sauce shifts from a loose braise liquid to a thick, dark glaze that coats the back of a spoon and closes slowly when a line is drawn through it.
◇Sight. Finished ribs are uniformly lacquered — dark, glossy, with no pale or un-coated patches.
◇Where it lives or dies. The braise must run a minimum of 1.5 hours at a gentle simmer: the ribs must be very tender before the sauce is reduced, or neither the texture nor the lacquer can be recovered.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Agave spirit
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance