Pomegranate Braised Beef Ribs

The calendar says spring but we are having some serious weather issues in NH! One day it’s snowing the next it’s 50 degrees! I usually make this kind of dish on a cold snowy day.  Although it’s spring it was snowing when I made this! Welcome to NH! This recipe comes from Martha Stewart, so I knew it was going to be good and it was…very tender with lots of flavor!  A delicious comforting dish.  I served this with a side salad and garlic mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS
5 Tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
4 pounds bone in beef short ribs, cut into 3 inch pieces (8-12 pieces total)
Salt
Pepper
1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
10 sprigs of thyme
1/4 cup flour
3 cups pomegranate juice
1 cup dry red wine, merlot
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds for serving, optional

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a large heavy pot with a tight fitting lid heat 2 Tablespoons of oil over high heat. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. In batches brown ribs on all sides. Transfer ribs to a plate, pour off oil and scrape to remove loose bits out of pot. Reduce heat to medium-high and add the remaining 3 Tablespoons of oil to the pot. Add onion, garlic and thyme.  Cook scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon until onion is soft. About five minutes. Add flour and stir to coat.  Whisk in pomegranate juice and wine, bring to a boil stirring frequently. Return ribs to pot, cover and transfer to the preheated oven.  Bake until the ribs are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife. About 3 hours. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer ribs to a large platter. Strain liquid into a fat separator, let sit briefly and return to pot discarding the fat, or skim fat off with a spoon. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook until reduced to a sauce like consistency, 10 minutes. Strain through a fine strainer, season with salt and pepper and pour over ribs. Garnish with pomegranate seeds if desired.

Enjoy!