Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs with Root Vegetable Puree

The pomegranate braised short ribs. The sauce. The root vegetable puree. I can’t decide what part of this recipe is best!

Seriously, these pomegranate braised short ribs are unbelievable! The meat is perfectly tender and falls apart with the poke of a fork. The sauce is flavored with port wine, pomegranate juice, ginger, thyme, and warm spices like cinnamon. The puree is made with sweet potatoes and carrots that are cooked in the sauce with the short ribs, then blended with canned pumpkin.

You’ll start by searing the meat and browning it in the dutch oven or pot. Depending on how many you’re making, you may need to do this in batches. Don’t overcrowd the surface area of the pot or else they won’t brown well.

Then you’ll lightly cook the vegetables, add in the liquids and short ribs, bring to a boil, then cook low and slow in the oven for 3 hours.

After everything is finished cooking, remove the short ribs and veggies from the sauce. Puree the veggies with the pumpkin in a food processor until smooth. Meanwhile, you’ll reduce the sauce until it’s deliciously thickened and perfectly saucy.

Serve the short ribs over the puree with the sauce drizzled on top. Sprinkle with fun garnishes, if desired, like pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and herbs.

Ingredient Notes:

• Bone-In Short Ribs – I like to use bone-in because they have a bit more flavor than boneless.
• Gluten-Free Flour – I love Cup4Cup and King Arthur, but you can use any gluten-free all-purpose flour.
• Port Wine – Port wine is a bit sweeter than red wine, which is why I like it here. You can easily find a cheap cooking port wine at most liquor stores. However you can also use red wine if needed.
• Pomegranate Juice – I definitely do not juice pomegranates myself. I buy pomegranate juice, which you can find at most grocery stores.
• Beef Stock – I use beef stock since we’re making short ribs, but you can definitely use chicken stock if that’s all you have on hand.
• Thyme Sprigs – You can also use dried thyme, if necessary. But I do like fresh thyme better. For a portion of 4, use 1/2 teaspoon dried.
• Ground Cinnamon – Burlap and Barrel makes the best cinnamon I’ve ever had. You can buy it here.

Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs with Root Vegetable Puree

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Equipment

• 1 Large Dutch Oven or Oven Safe Pot
• Paper Towel
• Tongs
• Tinfoil
• Slotted Spoon
• Food Processor
• Fine Mesh Sieve

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 ½ lbs. bone-in short ribs
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup gluten-free flour
• Avocado oil
• ½ yellow onion peeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 medium carrots about ¾ lb., peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 large sweet potato about ¾ lb., peeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
• 1 inch piece ginger peeled and left whole
• 1 cup port wine
• 3 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 cup beef stock
• 3 sprigs thyme
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 4 tablespoons butter
• Lemon juice optional
• Fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish, if desired
• Fresh herbs or micro greens for garnish, if desired

Instructions

 

• Adjust oven racks so that a large pot can fit into the oven. Preheat to 350°F.
• Season short ribs all over generously with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then lightly coat short ribs all over with flour.
• In a 6 quart Dutch oven or large, oven-safe pot heat 3 tablespoons avocado oil over medium-high heat. Add short ribs and brown well on all sides, working in batches to not overcrowd the pot, adding in more oil if needed in between batches.
• Remove pot from heat, transfer short ribs to a plate, and set aside. Discard oil. If there are burnt black pieces on the bottom of the pot, use a paper towel to remove them, being cautious of the hot pot. Anything brown on the bottom is okay.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the same pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrots, sweet potato, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, lightly golden and fragrant.
• Pour in port wine and cook for about 1 minute until the alcohol cooks off, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release the brown fond stuck to the bottom. Add in pomegranate juice, beef stock, thyme, and cinnamon and stir to combine. Add in short ribs, nestling them into the vegetables and juices so they’re not all sitting on top. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then cover pot and transfer to the oven.
• Immediately lower the oven temperature to 275°F. Cook for 3 hours, until short ribs are completely soft.
• Using tongs, remove short ribs and bones and transfer to a plate. Cover tightly with tinfoil. Remove and discard thyme sprigs. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Transfer them to the bowl of a food processor. Add pumpkin puree and half the butter and process until smooth, at least 1 full minute. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
• Strain sauce through a fine mesh sieve and return to pot (TIP: This is necessary to get an ultra-smooth sauce. But if you don’t mind a few chunks, you can skip this step). Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by ¾ and thickened.
• Transfer short ribs back into the sauce to keep warm. Remove pot from heat and stir in remaining butter, until melted (TIP: If cooking on an induction stove, remove the pot from the hot induction burner instead of turning the burner off. The induction stays hot for a while, and it's likely your sauce will separate from the residual heat). Taste sauce and season with Kosher salt, if needed. If sauce is a bit sweet for your liking, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
• Serve short ribs over root vegetable puree. Pour as much of the sauce as you’d like on top. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and herbs, if desired.

Notes

Short Ribs and Sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Root Vegetable Puree can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Keyword braise, cozy, Fall, warm, Winter

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!