I normally don’t like waiting for food, (I get hangry) but these 48 Hour Sous Vide Short Ribs with Pomegranate Sauce and Pickled Brussels Sprout Slaw are soooo worth it.
That’s right, 48 hours. A cooking time nearly as long as this recipe title. Sorry bout ya. So start cooking dinner today, and eat it Thursday. I know that sounds crazy, but using sous vide cooking is as easy as a slow cooker, but way more impressive. And not just because it’s French, though that doesn’t hurt.
You may remember a few months back when I spoke at a conference for culinary school instructors. You can go read about it if you like. I’ll wait. I met some of the Sous Vide Supreme team while I was there and they offered me one of their gadgets to play with. After tasting the ridiculously tender ribs they made in the demo, how could I say no? Spoiler alert, I didn’t. Soon I had a Sous Vide Supreme of my very own. (Cue angels singing.)
(Please ignore the smudge marks, there was a lot of embracing when I opening her up.) What is sous vide exactly? I’m glad you asked! French for “under vacuum” involves cooking food in vacuum-sealed pouches, submerged in a water bath held at a precisely controlled temperature. Instead of hoping you are cooking food to the ideal doneness, the machine does it for you. Like it or not, machines are smarter than you are. You can read more about it on the Sous Vide Supreme site.
All you do is fill the Sous Vide Supreme with water, set the temperature (this can vary depending on what you are cooking), vacuum seal your food, and place the packet in the water bath. Set timer, wait, wait some more, and that’s it! For my first sous vide project, I had to do meat. My mind is on Rosh Hashanah (it’s a month away!). These short ribs are perfect with a sweet New Year pomegranate glaze and pickled Brussels sprouts topping. Plus, using your sous vide machine frees up the oven for the other 100 dishes you have to make. Next I want to venture into non meat sous vide cooking- brightly colored veggies, perfectly cooked fish, eggs, even ice cream. I know, still crazy.
For these short ribs, I marinated them in pomegranate juice for 24 hours (yes, more waiting). Then, dry the ribs really well as to not affect the vacuum sealing. Season with salt and pepper and sous vide at 146 degrees F for 48 hours.
Meanwhile, sometime in the two day cooking process, whip up some quick pickled sprouts. Combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and garlic in a medium saucepan over high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Then pour over shaved Brussels and let cool. You can make these up to five days ahead of time.
Once your short ribs are cooked to perfection, pour liquid from bag into a small saucepan (don’t waste that!) and add 1 cup pomegranate juice. Bring to a simmer and reduce until the sauce reduces to 1/4 the volume. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I seared the short ribs in a dry pan to add a crust. Toss short ribs in sauce, plate, and garnish with the slaw and parsley. Pomegranate arils would also be pretty here!
See how tender this meat looks? Notice how my fancy stage plating doesn’t include a knife? These don’t need one! I KNOW. So good. You’ll love these!
Have you ever tried sous vide? Would you?

48 Hour Sous Vide Short Ribs with Pomegranate Sauce and Pickled Brussels Sprout Slaw
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone in short ribs
- 3 cups pomegranate juice divided
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 2 cups shaved Brussels sprouts
- Parsley for garnish
- Pomegranate arils for garnish
Instructions
- Marinate short ribs in 2 cups pomegranate juice for 24 hours, flipping periodically.
- Then, discard marinade and dry the ribs really well as to not affect the vacuum sealing. Season generously with salt and pepper and sous vide at 146 degrees F for 48 hours.
- Meanwhile, sometime in the two day cooking process, whip up some quick pickled sprouts. Combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and garlic in a medium saucepan over high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Then pour over shaved Brussels and let cool. You can make these up to five days ahead of time.
- Once your short ribs are cooked to perfection, pour liquid from bag into a small saucepan (don’t waste that!) and add 1 cup pomegranate juice. Bring to a simmer and reduce until the sauce reduces to 1/4 the volume. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- I seared the short ribs in a dry pan to add a crust. Toss short ribs in sauce, plate, and garnish with the slaw and parsley. Pomegranate arils would also be pretty here!
Disclaimer: I was given a Sous Vide Supreme to play with (yay!), but all opinions are my own.
Amazing!!! I can only imagine how tender these are…nicely done!
Thanks, Sam! They were so so good.
Those look amazing!
Thanks, Serena!
This is epic. LOVE.
Thanks, Jen!
If someone does not have a sous vide cooker, but would like to make this recipe (which looks delicious and is the reason to subscribe to this site), how would one do so?
Aw thanks! I know a few readers are trying it in a slow cooker. I haven’t tried it but that should work!
Looking for a kosher market in the Tampa Florida area.
Not sure. Sorry Charles!