Recipe: Perfect Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs

Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs. Jump to Recipe. 'Tis the season for comfort food! And I'm really starting to ring in said season with pomegranate short ribs. Why have I waited so long to make this?

They are juicy, succulent, rich and flavorful and deceptively easy to make even. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. These short ribs are tender and succulent when braised in a pomegranate molasses sauce. You can cook Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs using 24 ingredients and 16 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs

1. Prepare 4-5 lbs of short ribs, English cut.
2. You need 2 Tbsp of salt.
3. It's 1 of onion, diced.
4. It's 1 of carrot, diced.
5. It's 2 Tbsp of ras el hanout.
6. Prepare 4 cloves of garlic, minced.
7. You need 4 cups of pomegranate juice.
8. Prepare 1 cup of water.
9. It's 1 of Bou beef bouillon cube.
10. Prepare 1 cup of pitted prunes, halved.
11. You need 1 handful of cilantro, roughly chopped.
12. It's 1 Tbsp of toasted sesame seeds.
13. You need of ras el hanout.
14. It's 12 of green cardamom pods.
15. You need 4 of black cardamom pods.
16. It's 4 tsp of cumin seed.
17. You need 4 tsp of coriander seed.
18. Prepare 2 tsp of anise.
19. You need 1/2 tsp of allspice berries.
20. Prepare 1/2 tsp of black peppercorns.
21. You need 4 tsp of ground ginger.
22. Prepare 2 tsp of Aleppo pepper.
23. Prepare 2 tsp of ground nutmeg.
24. You need 2 tsp of ground cinnamon.

The sweet and sour sharpness of the pomegranate complement the melt. Short ribs come in two styles: English-style ribs contain a single rib bone and a thick piece of meat. Transfer short ribs to bowl, discard any loose bones, and tent loosely with aluminum foil. In the winter, a nice comforting stick-to-the-ribs sort of meal like that's much easier than one would think as most of the time it spends is in the oven making itself all fall off the bone delicious.

Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs step by step

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. If you have a convection oven use it..
2. In a large roaster or sheet pan, lay out the short ribs, bone side down. Season liberally with salt..
3. Roast in the oven 40-45 min until browned and the fat has rendered. Remove the ribs from the pan, pour the fat off into a glass bowl, and return the ribs to the pan and roast another 10-15 min..
4. While the ribs are roasting prepare the other ingredients..
5. When the ribs are about 5 minutes from done, heat 1 Tbsp of the beef fat in a dutch oven over high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until translucent (~5 min).
6. Add the garlic and ras el hanout and cook another 30 sec..
7. Add the water and beef bouillon and turn the heat to low..
8. Remove the ribs from the pan and add them to the dutch oven. Add the prunes on top. Turn the oven down to 300°F..
9. In the still hot pan, add the pomegranate juice..
10. Scrape the fond up with a whisk or wooden spoon..
11. Add the pomegranate to the ribs..
12. Cover and place in the oven for 2-2.5 hours..
13. Remove the dutch oven from oven..
14. Place the ribs in a bowl..
15. Add the braising liquid, veggies, and any meat scraps to a blender and blend until smooth..
16. Return the sauce to the dutch oven, and add the ribs to coat. Toss with cilantro and sesame seeds..

Brush the reduced sauce onto the short ribs and sear in a saute pan over high heat until the sugars are nice and caramelized. Place the meat into the braising pan with the orange slices. Pour in the remaining barbeque sauce and pomegranate juice and enough water to cover the meat completely. Slow cooking these ribs in a sauce of pomegranate molasses, spices and dates will reward you with the most tender, delectable fall-off-the-bone meat. Cool the ribs in the braising liquid then cover and chill overnight.