Red Wine Pomegranate Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Red Wine Pomegranate Slow Cooker Short Ribs – Seriously, these are too good and too easy not to make! The flavor you get from using both red wine and pomegranate is incredibly rich.

Red Wine Pomegranate Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Hubs and I finally had a date night. It was the first time we had been out without the boys in months. I had the inspiration for these slow cooker short ribs after visiting a local restaurant that night. They had a Short Rib recipe as an appetizer that they served with blue cheese polenta. Hubs don’t like blue cheese so I knew that wouldn’t work. He loved the short ribs so that’s what I wanted to focus on.

I actually have another short rib recipe that is cooked in the oven. It’s very good, but I wanted something I could fix and forget so I tried using the slow cooker. I worked like a charm!

Slow Cooker Short Ribs

These ribs are tender and succulent. This is an easy recipe that yields a hearty, rich dinner.

My whole purpose for using a slow cooker was to have a hands-off experience and, quite honestly, my kids are driving me nuts keeping me busy this summer. I don’t have time to babysit a three-hour dinner!

How to sear meat

To get a rich brown crust on meat, you need to brown it in a hot pan. Searing caramelizes the sugars and browns the proteins present in meat. It results in a more appealing color and richer flavor.

1. You can sear all kinds of meat. I usually sear meat that is tougher and requires a long cook time.
2. Allow the meat to sit out at room temperature for a while before searing and the moisture will be reabsorbed into the meat.
3. Season the meat with salt and pepper, this sticks to the meat and flavors the crust.
4. If you have marinated or brined the meat, do not add salt before searing.
5. If your marinade had sugar in it be careful when searing. The sugar burns quickly.
6. Make sure when searing to use a very hot pan. If the pan is cool, the meat can stick and tear.
7. If you use a fatty cut of meat, like a roast or short ribs, you don’t need to add oil to the pan. However, if you use a leaner cut, like pork roast or loin, you need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan before searing
8. The method for adding oil will be: get your pan hot then add the oil. Once the oil ripples immediately add the meat before the oil begins to smoke.

More…

After browning the meat, I simply added the meat to the slow cooker where I had already added the other ingredients. I set the temperature on low and let it cook for 7 hours. It was perfect when Hubs got home!

I like to serve short ribs with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Basic Risotto, or Slow Cooker Cheese Grits.

You may also like my Best Damn Short Ribs or Molasses Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs recipe. The video below is the Best Damn Short Ribs recipe.

For more, see all my time-saving slow cooker recipes. Hamburger Steak with Onions Brown Gravy is also a family favorite.

Red Wine Pomegranate Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Slow cooking short ribs brings out an intense flavor. Bonus? slow cooking means you don't have to stand over the stove for hours!

Author: Paula

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 8 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef short ribs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 large white onion cut into quarters
• 4 cloves garlic clove minced
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 and ½ cup pomegranate juice
• 1 cup red wine I use Cabernet Sauvignon
• ⅓ cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Heat a heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven on medium high heat.
• Sprinkle short ribs with salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Once the pan is hot, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the short ribs.
• Sear meat on every side. It may take 1 minute per side.
• Meanwhile, add onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, pomegranate juice, red wine, beef stock, thyme, rosemary, and red pepper to slow cooker.
• Remove short ribs from pan and place in slow cooker.
• Cook on low 7 to 8 hours or high 4 to 5 hours. Time will depend on size of rib and how many you have in pan. Test with a fork. I like them to be falling off the bone.

Notes

I like thicken the sauce. This is optional. To thicken remove the ribs when done, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to 1/4 cup cold water and stir to dissolve. Add to slow cooker. Turn slow cooker on high and remove lid. Allow to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until desired thickness. 

Nutrition

Calories: 608kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 425mg | Potassium: 1293mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.

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