Red Wine Braised Short Ribs Recipe
Servings: 4
Calories: 865kcal
Red wine braised short ribs cook in a Dutch oven until they are falling off the bone. Pomegranate juice adds a pop of sweet and tart flavor to create a stunning main course that is incredibly easy to make!
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Equipment
- wooden spoon or silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- 4 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 3 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2-4 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Lay out the short ribs on a sheet pan and season generously on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Start with 2 teaspoons of salt and see if you need more. You can season the meat and leave at room temperature up to 60 minutes before you start cooking. See note below.
- Place your Dutch oven over medium high heat and add one tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is shimmering, start searing the short ribs in batches. Be sure to get a hard sear on all sides of the ribs and render as much fat as you can, including the thin layer under the bone. Set aside.CAREFULLY drain the oil from the Dutch oven and CAREFULLY wipe out with a paper towel. *Always use caution when working with hot oil like this!!*
- Smash the garlic and remove skins. Use a good chef's knife to cut the onion into wedges. (You're just using these to flavor the red wine sauce and then be strained out, so no need to get fancy or waste time with dicing them up small.)
- Place the Dutch oven back over medium heat and add remaining olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, and thyme to the pan along with a pinch of salt. Sweat them until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown around the edges, about 8 minutes.
- Add the red wine to the pot and stir all around (with a wooden spoon if you have one), scraping up any browned bits the short ribs left behind. Then add the pomegranate juice and bring to a boil.
- Once the braising liquid is boiling, add the short ribs back to the Dutch oven. Arrange them so that each rib has about ¼-⅓ of meat exposed above the surface of the liquid. See the photo above for reference. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and transfer it to the center rack of the oven. Braise for about 3 hours, until the short ribs are easily pierced with a fork.
- Transfer the short ribs to a platter. Skim the fat off the top of the sauce in the pot with a large serving spoon or you can use a fat separator if you have one.
- Place a wire mesh strainer over a sauce pan and pour the sauce into it. Discard the solids in the strainer. Place the sauce over medium high heat and bring to a boil for 5-15 minutes until it thickens to your desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Pour red wine sauce over braised short ribs on the platter, top with pomegranate seeds and serve. You may have some sauce left to keep on the side depending on how much you choose to reduce it.
Notes
- You can adjust the ratio of red wine to pomegranate juice to your liking, just don't increase or decrease the total amount of liquid.
- For best results, make sure that the short ribs are not completely submerged in the braising liquid. If it's completely covered, it's stewing not braising.
- You need a pretty large pot for this recipe, I used a 6-quart Dutch oven.
- If time allows, season the meat and let it sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. This lets the salt have time to really get into the meat for the best flavor.
- When cooking the garlic and onion don't forget that pinch of salt! This allows the onions to sweat, not caramelize and keeps the garlic from scorching. We want the onions tender and translucent, but still holding flavor that they will give up to the red wine sauce during the braise.
- If you like, you can thicken the sauce with a bit of flour. Add it to the aromatics and stir for about one minute before you deglaze the pot with red wine. Or to keep it gluten free, make a slurry with cornstarch and add it after you strain the sauce.
- Be sure to read the post above for FAQs, make ahead and freezing instructions and more tips!
Nutrition
Calories: 865kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 1397mg | Potassium: 1650mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 8mg