Ribs midwestern style

Perched on a lotus lake in Beijing's north, Windy City Ballroom serves up generous plates of American comfort food. Mike Peters tucks in.

"They are a rich dark brown, tangy with sauce and falling-off-the-bone tender. Wood smoke is palpable around the plate," chef Dustin Merrett says of his meaty signature ribs.

"They are rubbed with our own spice mix and smoked with cherry and peach wood for two hours. Then we douse them with an American beer blend, wrap them up in tinfoil and throw them back in the smoker at a lower temperature for approximately another two hours.