Au jus, the French word meaning "with juice," is a simple but sophisticated sauce that's thinner than gravy and concentrated in flavor. It's made from the juice of cooked meat, aromatic vegetables, and beef stock and is ideal for roasted meats and roast beef dishes like prime rib.
Why is Au Jus The Best Choice for Prime Rib?
There are many reasons why au jus is considered the best sauce for prime rib. It perfectly complements this already flavorful cut of meat because it's created with the meat's natural juices. It's simple to make using few ingredients and provides extra moisture for meat that might be cooked too long. Caramelized flavors are coaxed from the fond in the pan when deglazed with stock or wine.
How Does the Sauce Come Together?
This au jus recipe assumes you have just roasted a large prime rib, as the meat juices and the fond at the bottom of the roasting pan are important components of the recipe. Once the roast is removed from the pan, the remaining drippings are cooked with chopped carrot, onion, and celery. The pan is deglazed with beef stock, reduced slightly, creating a richly flavored thin sauce.
Tips
- Choose a roasting method. The au jus works well with a traditional prime rib recipe, or the closed-oven method.
- Get rid of the fat. A fat separator can be useful for separating the fat from the meat juices so that your jus isn't greasy.
- What to expect. Keep in mind that au jus is not a gravy, so don't expect a thick, heavy sauce.
![Au jus in a bowl and drizzled over beef](https://www.thespruceeats.com/thmb/HqG9aJCNGbTpYhVCatEz4KITgJ4=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/au-jus-recipe-for-prime-rib-996073-hero-01-dc7c5db7381a4a978ae0a42ecf9a3732.jpg)
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
"This is an excellent recipe. It’s easy, uses simple ingredients, and has great flavor. I didn’t need to strain it through cheesecloth or to use a fat separator. It makes a lot of sauce, and depending on how much prime rib you have, there may be some left over for other dishes." —Colleen Graham
![Au Jus for Prime Rib Tester Image](https://www.thespruceeats.com/thmb/0yhR_kZdUnumOsgFU4yOTr1h09Q=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/au-jus-recipe-for-prime-rib-996073-c-graham-2020-0261-b758ef9a073f44bea7cfc0ab39293efa.jpg)
Ingredients
-
1 (11- to 18-pound) cooked beef roast
-
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
-
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
-
2 medium stalks celery, coarsely chopped
-
3 cups beef stock
-
Fine salt, to taste
-
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Steps to Make It
-
Gather the ingredients.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
-
Remove the roast from the pan and let it rest on a large platter tented with foil. If there is a lot of fat left in the pan, pour most of it off—you can save it refrigerated in a Mason jar to add concentrated flavor and richness to soups, stocks, chilis, and even pasta. When pouring out the fat, take care not to lose any of the meat juices.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
-
Place the roasting pan on the stovetop across two burners. Add 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped, 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, and 2 medium stalks celery, coarsely chopped.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
-
Cook on high heat, stirring everything around with a wooden spoon until the veggies begin to brown, and most of the liquid has cooked off, about 1 minute—don't let anything burn.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
-
Pour half the 3 cups beef stock into the pan and cook over high heat, scraping all those toasty bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, about 1 minute.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
-
Pour the contents of the roasting pan into a large saucepan with the remaining 1 1/2 cups beef stock. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by 1/3, about 20 minutes.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
-
Pour the liquid through a medium-mesh strainer. For a smoother sauce, you can line the strainer with cheesecloth. Let it sit for a couple of minutes so that you can skim off any fat that rises to the top.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
-
By now, your roast will have finished resting and will be ready to carve. Transfer the roast to a cutting board. Stir any additional juices from the platter into the sauce. Slice the roast and return it to the platter.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
-
Add salt and pepper to taste to the au jus.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
-
Serve the sauce with the meat and enjoy.
The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack
Recipe Variations
- Use this recipe to make au jus for roasted chicken, veal, or lamb simply by substituting the appropriate stock for beef stock.
- Use leftover roast beef or prime rib and au jus to make French dip sandwiches.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
3107 | Calories |
196g | Fat |
4g | Carbs |
310g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 8 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 3107 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 196g | 252% |
Saturated Fat 78g | 389% |
Cholesterol 1225mg | 408% |
Sodium 780mg | 34% |
Total Carbohydrate 4g | 2% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 3% |
Total Sugars 2g | |
Protein 310g | |
Vitamin C 2mg | 8% |
Calcium 194mg | 15% |
Iron 26mg | 146% |
Potassium 2727mg | 58% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |