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Sticky Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs: tender beef short ribs slow-cooked in a savory, sweet, and sour pomegranate sauce until the beef is caramelized around the edges and falling off the bone. The meat is then shredded and served over steamed rice or creamy mashed potatoes. Add butter-fried sage leaves, sesame seeds, and pomegranate arils for a delicious meal cooked all in one pot. A super easy, slow-cooked dinner!
You know what my mom said to me over the weekend? She feels like so many sites are becoming too cookie-cutter and less personal. She mentioned that she loves that we’ve always shared personal stories with each piece of content we put out.
I said it’s almost impossible for me to write a post without sharing something semi-personal. It’s the way we’ve always written and it feels the most natural to me!
Short ribs are something I’ve been cooking for my family in place of pot roast since way ack. Until recently, I was never interested in cooking a pot roast. I always felt that short ribs were the way to go.
While I do now love a good post-roast, I think the flavor of short ribs is still superior. Cooking them every so often feels special, especially during the fall. Slow-cooked short ribs on a Sunday—it’s so cozy!
Plus, my older brother, Creighton, always gets so excited when I slow-cook short ribs. I couldn’t wait to share these with my family. The sauce on the ribs is a little sweet, mixed with sour, yet still feels savory with fresh thyme and sage. It’s truly the most delicious sauce. We loved these ribs!
These are the details
Ingredients
- bone-in beef short ribs
- yellow onions
- garlic
- honey
- dry white wine, or use broth
- pomegranate juice
- tamari, or use soy sauce
- fresh thyme
- a dried bay leaf
- salted butter
- fresh sage
- toasted sesame seeds
- pomegranate arils
Special Tools
None, just an oven safe Dutch oven or braiser. You could also easily make this recipe in the crockpot as well!
Steps
Step 1: prepare the ribs
This process could not be easier. Use your Dutch oven or a large braiser. I use a cast iron braiser—it cooks the meat perfectly. You could also slow cook the ribs in the crockpot, but I love to use the oven, as it allows the ribs to caramelize and develop a little more flavor.
Add everything to the braiser—no searing, no pre-cooking, none of that. Simply add the beef short ribs, black pepper, onions, and garlic. Drizzle over some honey, then pour over the pomegranate juice, white wine, and tamari/soy sauce.
Add the fresh thyme and a dried bay leaf. Use some chili flakes to your taste.
Cover the pot and let the oven work its magic. I never sear the ribs because they caramelize naturally while cooking in the oven and in all that sweet/sour sauce. By the time I uncover my pot, the ribs are perfectly caramelized and falling off the bone.
This is the easiest method of cooking short ribs, at least for me!
Step 2: shred the ribs
When the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone, shred them and toss them with the sauce. If you notice a lot of grease on top of the sauce, do your best to drain that away before you toss the ribs.
Step 3: fry the sage
Now, fry the sage in butter until it’s crisp. Add chili flakes, again to your taste, and some sea salt too.
Step 4: serve
Serve the ribs and sauce with rice or mashed potatoes. We like both; it just depends on the day.
Then, top with sesame seeds, sage, and fresh pomegranate arils. The pomegranate arils might seem off, but they add fresh flavor and texture. Give them a try!
Enjoy! These Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs are cozy but fresh all at the same time. And most importantly, they’re so darn yummy!
Looking for more easy dinners? Here are a few to try for fall:
Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup.
30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Lastly, if you make these Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sticky Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 692 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- black pepper
- 3 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup dry white wine or broth
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds/arils
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.2. In a large, oven-safe brasier, season the short ribs with pepper. Add the onions, garlic, and drizzle over the honey. Pour over the wine, pomegranate juice, and tamari. Add the thyme, bay leaf, and chili flakes. Cover and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.3. Crank the heat on the oven to 400° F. Remove the lid and toss with the sauce. Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the ribs are caramelized. 4. Shred the ribs and discard the bones. Drain any excess grease away from the sauce. Toss the ribs in the sauce. Keep warm.5. In a skillet, cook the sage in butter until fried. Add chili flakes to taste. 6. Serve the ribs and sauce over rice or potatoes. Top with sesame seeds, sage, and pomegranate arils.
This post was originally published on October 28, 2024
I just made these for Christmas dinner and they were UNREAL, so flavorful and the easiest short ribs I have ever made. I love not having to braise them before. We had ours with Pierogis, HBH garlic pull apart bread and salad. I will absolutely be making these again and I will not be waiting a whole year!!
Hey Brittany,
Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
Happy Holidays!
Which or your salads would pair nicely with this?
Hey Syndey,
Here are some salads I would recommend:
https://fett-weg.today/roasted-sweet-potato-salad/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/cheddar-apple-kale-salad/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/lemon-parmesan-sesame-salad/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions!
One of our favorites! We love it served over hummus. Mmmmmmmm
Thanks so much, Ann! I appreciate you trying this recipe, so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great fall weekend!
Can you cook these and reheat the following day?
Hi Marian,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
How do you think this would be with chuck roast instead of short ribs? Also, could pomegranate molasses somehow be used instead of the juice?
Hey May,
Sure, a chuck roast will work nicely for you. I have never tried using pomegranate molasses, but that might work for you. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
My family LOVED this one (and we cook one of yours every week)! Any way you can shorten the cooking time on a weeknight? Too short too do in a crockpot for a long working day, but too long to start when you get home from work (in the oven). Any way we can use convection or higher heat? Totally delicious and we’ve made it multiple times, just hard to do after a 9 hour work day.
Hey Mary,
Wonderful! Thank you for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! You could try the instant pot for 60 minutes:) XxT
I only had 4.5 pounds of meat and I should have cut back on the marinade. I also marinaded it the night before so maybe that made it have extra juice? Mine didn’t caramelize because of the amount of juice I’m guessing. The bones fell off immediately, and it would have been hard to shred because of the amount of fat. It was still very delicious to cut up. The onions were so good, and a perk to the extra juice was nice with the potatoes. I used thie recipe for 4 adults and next time will double the meat because I was still hungry and craving more short rib!
Hey Jessica,
Awesome! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a nice Sunday:) xx
This turned out well, but I’m lucky I looked at the recipe online again before making it because an additional instruction had been added since I printed it (F. Remove the lid and toss with the sauce. Return to the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the ribs are caramelized.) which I think was very important. I also didn’t bother with the sage leaves, although I had bought them, since I figured we wouldn’t eat them and were there more for looks. Anyway, it was delicious and is one I’ll be making again.
Thanks so much, Helen! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it! xx
I used a crock pot for this recipe and everything was PERFECT! Beef fell apart so nicely – served w mashed potatoes
Hi Olivia,
Amazing! Thanks a bunch for trying this dish and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! XxT
How long did you cook it in the crockpot? 3-4 hours on high?
Can you do the searing in advance and let the whole Dutch oven sit in the fridge overnight (with all ingredients in it) then take out and bake the next day?
Hi Krista,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe! xx
Do I follow the same amount of time if only doing 1 lb? And you dump everything in and then put it on low for 6-8 hours? Thanks
Hey there,
You bet! For 1 pound, I would do 4-6 hours on low. I hope you love this recipe! Merry Christmas! xx