Every winter, I can’t wait to make my pomegranate braised short ribs. I get them so tender and fall of the bone ready with a long bake in a flavorful pomegranate juice broth. It thickens up coating the ribs with a little stickiness before I toss pomegranate seeds on top. Add them to a bed of cream cheese mashed potatoes and get your whole life.
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How to Make Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Season your short ribs liberally with salt and pepper, then sear on all sides until browned. Remove and set aside then deglaze the pan.
- Add onion and bacon, cooking until onion softens (6–8 minutes). Stir in garlic (just 30 seconds so it doesn’t burn), then flour (about 2 minutes).
- Pour in pomegranate juice, beef stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger and whisk until smooth. Add thyme and bring to a boil.
- Return the short ribs to the dutch oven, cover with the lid, and braise in oven 2–2½ hours until tender and the sauce has thickened. Skim off excess fat before serving (or chill, remove solidified fat, then reheat for deeper flavor).
Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs Recipe
These Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs are tender, insanely flavorful, fall of the bone perfection because they have baked away in glorious liquids and spices galore. The pomegranate flavor lends the perfect wintery tang and sweetness to this hearty dish that will impress anyone you serve it to, especially during the holidays.
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Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 lbs beef short ribs about 6-7 bone in short ribs
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 bacon slices cut into smaller pieces
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- Fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds for garnish Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add olive oil to large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Liberally season short ribs with salt and pepper to taste then add short ribs to the hot pot.
- Sear ribs on all sides until golden brown. Once beef is finished searing, remove from pot, drain on paper towels, and place to the side. Using a knife, deglaze the bottom of the pan getting up all of the bits of deliciousness stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Next add chopped onion and bacon to pan and brown until onion is tender (about 6-8 minutes). Add garlic and only cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour and stir together and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Pour in pomegranate juice, beef stock, and soy sauce then stir in brown sugar and ground ginger and whisk until everything is smooth. Add thyme sprigs then bring the braising liquid to a boil.
- Once boiling, return beef short ribs to liquid, cover with top and place in the oven for 2 – 2½ hours or until ribs are completely tender (easily separated with a fork) and the liquid has thickened into a gravy that has stuck to the ribs.
- At this point, there will be lots of fat that has rendered to the top from the ribs. You will want to scoop this out to remove it. If you have time, place the entire dutch oven in the fridge for a few hours and let the fat solidify. You can easily scoop it out then and place the oven right back on the heat to heat up. It also let’s the flavors intensify even more.
Notes
How to Store & Reheat
- Fridge: Store the short ribs in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. They’ll last about 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Let the ribs cool, shred the meat off the bone, and pack it into a freezer-safe container. You can freeze the sauce with it or on its own. They’ll keep for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Warm the ribs on the stove in a covered pot for about 20 minutes, or pop them in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes until heated through.
Nutrition
Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 776mg | Potassium: 773mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3mg
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Recipe Help
- Deglaze that Pan: You want to make sure all of that incredible flavor is getting right back into your food and sauce. It makes such a difference.
- Make Ahead if you Can: If you are planning to make this for a holiday event or Sunday supper, start the process the night before. Honestly make the whole thing the night before and put in the fridge overnight! The fat will solidify on the top and you can scrape it off and then heat them through again.
- Short Rib Swap: I used boned short ribs (you can use boneless) but you can replace with chuck roast if it isn’t available.
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Serving Suggestions
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes are always a win however….
- Try GRITS! OMG these creamy, buttery grits are a win! Serve on a bed of these.
- More of a rice fan? Try this Jollof Rice!
- This Potato and Squash Gratin is sensational too! A nice change!
- This Roasted Butternut Squash is also a lovely compliment to the short ribs.
- And of course, you need veggies! Try these Collard Greens or Mustard Greens!
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i did not have enough pomegranate juice so I used 3tbs pomegranate syrup and increased the beef stock.
Well that sounds incredible. So glad you enjoyed this.