In French, au jus means "in its own juice". Generally, the term is used to define a meat sauce that is used as a dip for various meat-based foods, such as beef sandwiches, prime rib steaks, and deep hashed steaks. If you've never made one yourself, why not try it now? Trust me, the recipe is very easy because the main ingredient you need to prepare is the starch that comes out when the meat is roasted. After that, the meat juice can be directly processed with a little flour, spices and meat broth to produce a delicious bowl of au jus!
Ingredients
- About 60 ml of beef juice
- Salt and pepper (optional)
- 1, 5 tbsp. flour
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce (optional)
- 120 ml fermented red wine (optional)
- 1 tsp. soy sauce (optional)
- 500 ml beef broth
Step
Part 1 of 2: Making Meat Juice
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, then place the meat on a baking sheet
Generally, the oven will need to sit for 10 minutes until it is really hot. If you want to add flavor to the meat, try seasoning it with a little salt and pepper.
Or, you can also season the meat with garlic or mustard to make it even more delicious. If you don't want to do it, don't worry because the taste of the meat juice will still be delicious even if the meat is not seasoned at all
Step 2. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake the meat for 2 hours
After 1.5 hours have passed, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. If the temperature has reached 55 degrees Celsius, immediately remove the pan.
If the internal temperature of the meat reaches 55 degrees Celsius before 2 hours have passed, remove the meat immediately so it doesn't end up overcooking. However, don't check the oven temperature too often so that not too much heat is wasted
Step 3. Remove the pan from the oven and place the meat on a cutting board
Wrap the beef in aluminum foil to keep it warm until it's time to serve, and let the gravy remain in the pan.
Later, the meat can be processed into various dishes, such as sandwiches, for dipping in au jus
Part 2 of 2: Extracting the Essence of Moving Meat and Perfecting the Taste of Au Jus
Step 1. Place the pan with the gravy on the stove and heat it over medium to high heat
In particular, the fire or medium to high temperature is located between the lowest and highest number marked on the stove. For example, if the temperature marker on the stove is symbolized by the numbers 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), it means that the medium-high temperature setting is between 7 and 8.
If the temperature marker on your stove is denoted by the numbers 1 through 6, the medium-high temperature should be at number 4
Step 2. Add flour and various other spices to the beef juice
Add about 1.5 tbsp. flour for every 60 ml of meat juice. Remember, the flour should be added gradually, approximately as much as 0.5 tbsp. in each pouring process, so that the texture does not clump.
- Most likely, there will only be about 60 ml of beef juice dripping to the bottom of the pan. If the amount is more than that, stick to the recommended ratio of ingredients to determine the portion of flour needed.
- Commonly added seasonings are Worcestershire sauce, fermented red wine, soy sauce, or simply salt and pepper.
Step 3. Use a wooden spoon to remove the juices from the bottom of the pan
In the culinary world, the behavior of releasing or taking the meat juice that moves at the bottom of the pan and then mixed with other ingredients is known as the "deglazing" method. In particular, the flavor of the beef juice that floats on the bottom of the pan is very rich! That's why, you have to take it and mix it with other ingredients to make the au jus taste even more perfect.
If you'd like, you can also use a non-abrasive dough beater to scoop up the meat juices that have moved to the bottom of the pan. Do not use a metal whisk to prevent the baking sheet from being damaged or scratched, OK
Step 4. Pour 500 ml of beef stock into the pan, then wait until the temperature is hot
Very slowly, pour in the beef broth so that the very hot liquid doesn't splash onto your skin. After that, turn up the stove to heat it up.
It's best not to use block broth, which risks making the au jus taste too salty when cooked
Step 5. Boil the solution for 5 minutes, then add salt to taste if needed
After 5 minutes, the au jus solution should appear to have thickened and reduced in quantity. Try taking a little au jus with the tip of a spoon, blowing it cool, then tasting it. If the taste is not salty enough, add salt to taste. Once the taste is to your liking, serve the au jus in a small bowl and place the bowl on the edge of the plate containing the main course.
If you want, you can add a little pepper at this point
Step 6. Store the remaining au jus in an airtight container, then place the container in the refrigerator or freezer
If you want to reuse it, simply remove the layer of fat that has frozen on the surface and warm the leftover au jus in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Generally, au jus can last for 2 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
Tips
- Au jus is best served while still warm in individual portions.
- Spices such as ground paprika, ground red chili, cayenne pepper powder, and ground mustard are also commonly added to make the au jus taste spicier. For spicy lovers, there's nothing wrong with adding these spices to the recipe!
