Underrated Ingredient - Part 3 (Au Jus)

     So we continue with talking about another use for pan drippings, that underrated ingredient of the kitchen, au jus.  Ahh, au jus.  That wonderful, flavor packed, dipping liquid we all love with a good french dip sandwich.  But just what is au jus, how is it made, and what else can it be used with?  All in good time my friends, all in good time.

     Let's start with what au jus means.  It's simply just a French term for "with juice" which refers to the juices that drip out of the meat during the roasting process.  It is most commonly seen in a little ramekin-type dish along side a french dip sandwich or a nice slice of prime rib.  But these are not the only uses for au jus, but that will be covered more shortly.

     There are several ways to make au jus, from the very very simple to the more complex, all depending on how you are going to use it and how much you need.  So let's start with the simplest way to make it and for now, we'll stick with au jus from roasted beef.  So you want to start by skimming off most of the fat from the top of the pan drippings, this is easier to do if they have been sitting for a little while.  We don't want a lot of fat in our au jus, but we do want some so don't worry about trying to get it all out of there.  Next you'll want to place the roasting pan with the pan drippings on two stove burners and turn them on to medium heat.  Whisk in about 1 1/2 cups of good beef stock (you can use broth if you can't get stock, but never use bullion), making sure you scrape the bottom of the pan so you get those browned bits loose.  Once you get everything mixed together well, bring it to a boil and cook until it reduces slightly, about 5 minutes should be fine.  Put into a small ramekin cup or bowl and serve with your food.

     Another popular variation of this uses both beef stock and red wine.  Instead of using 1 1/2 cups of beef stock, use 1 cup of beef stock and 1/2 cup of red wine.  It is important to note that the better the quality of beef stock and red wine you use, the better the flavor of your au jus will be.

     You can also make au jus from roasted pork, chicken, lamb, or any meat you want.  If you want to make a chicken or pork au jus, use chicken or pork stock (respectively) and a nice white wine as a red wine will be overpowering.

     Now, besides from the classic uses of au jus that we are all familiar with, there are several other ways to use this wonderful substance.  I'm going to keep this part generic because you can use any meat and au jus for them.  It can be used in a hot sandwich as a dipping sauce, or just spoon it over a nice open-faced sandwich for a lighter rendition of the gravy topped version.  You can drizzle it over sliced meats on your plate for a flavor enhancement that will beat any gravy out there.  One of my personal favorite ways to use left over au jus after finishing up a good sandwich is to dip my fries into it.  If you haven't tried it yet, do!  It's really quite tasty.

     That's it for this time, but be on the lookout for the next one as I wrap this little journey up and talk about some of my favorite uses for pan drippings, some of which are not what most people would think about!