POM Wonderful Slow Cooker Beef!

Technically, we made it on Saturday, but how could I resist when it's so cold outside!!!  Rick and I were looking for something to do that was, as he put it "a day long process." Publix has their chuck roast on sale this week so I hit the internet in search of something different to make.

Around the holidays, the people at POM Wonderful were awesome enough to send me a case of their yummy pomegranate juice, and while I have been using it to cocktails, I've been wondering what it would be like to cook with it! Is it bad that I feel a little guilty for using it for drinks?  The juice is really good for you as it is loaded with antioxidants which we all need during this time of the year when a yucky cold is lurking around the corner.  I personally am a fan of POM juice + vodka + a little bit of Sprite Zero, but hey, that's me.  Anyway, in order to do something a wee bit more productive with the juice (though I do like it with just the Sprite Zero, too), I went searching and came across the blog, A Year of Slow Cooking.  The original recipe had raisins in it, but I'm not a huge raisin fan so I left them out.  The end result was awesome!  Rick called it a "gem." 


For a side, I decided to use some of the leftover fontina cheese for a polenta that's a combo of several recipes.  Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped so I've opted not to post what I did.  We baked it, but it never got the consistency that I was hoping for.  If I do it again, I'd follow one of the recipes direction of refrigerating it before baking.

Beef in Pomegranate Sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 pounds beef roast 

5 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

Coat the bottom of the crockpot with olive oil.  Add onion and stir to coat them with the olive oil.  

Mix the spices together in a small bowl, and then rub the meat on all side with it. Add garlic, tomatoes, pomegranate juice, vinegar, and syrup.  Stir to mix together.  

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5.