''Au jus'' () is a French culinary term meaning "with juice". It refers to meat dishes prepared or served together with a light

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups, ...

gravy Gravy is a sauce often made from the juices of meats that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with wheat flour or corn starch for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a simple mix of salt an ...

, made from the fluids secreted by the meat as it is cooked. In

French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...

, cooking ''au jus'' is a natural way to enhance the flavour of dishes, mainly chicken,

veal Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, however most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, v ...

, and lamb. In

American cuisine American cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes prepared in the United States. It has been significantly influenced by Europeans, indigenous Native Americans, Africans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and many other cultures an ...

, the term is mostly used to refer to a light

sauce In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French word t ...

for beef recipes, which may be served with the food or placed on the side for dipping.

Ingredients and preparation

In order to prepare a natural ''jus'', the cook may simply skim off the fat from the juices left after cooking and bring the remaining meat stock and water to a boil. ''Jus'' can be frozen for six months or longer, but the flavor may suffer after this time. ''Au jus'' recipes in the United States often use

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...

, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, white or brown sugar, garlic, beets, carrots, onions, or other ingredients to make something more like a

. The American ''jus'' is sometimes prepared separately, rather than being produced naturally by the food being cooked. An example could be a beef ''jus'' made by reducing beef stock to a concentrated form, (also known as ''Glace de Viande'') to accompany a meat dish. It is typically served with the French dip sandwich. ''Jus'' can also be made by extracting the juice from the original meat and combining it with another liquid e.g. red wine (thus forming a red wine ''jus''). A powdered product described as ''jus'' is also sold, and is rubbed into the meat before cooking or added afterwards. Powdered forms generally use a combination of

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

, dried

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

, and sometimes

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

as primary flavoring agents.

Use as noun

In the United States, the phrase ''au jus'' is often used as a noun, owing to it having been corrupted in culinary references into the noun form: Rather than a "sandwich au jus", the menu may read "sandwich with au jus".

References

{{reflist

External links

French dip with au jus
World cuisine French cuisine Sauces Culinary terminology Types of food

Ingredients and preparation

Use as noun

See also

References

External links