I’m a little embarrassed to even ask this, but I’m looking for recommendations for a good premade or instantized beef au jus. “Good” means solid beef flavor, dark color, and not overly salty.
Thanks!
I haven’t seen it in supermarkets. I bought it online several years ago. If the sodium is too high for you, BTB’s reduced sodium beef base, which I often see in stores, may work for you. I’ve never bought the organic version but HAVE used their organic chicken base, which had quite weak flavor. I had to use 3-4 times as much.
Thanks, Erica, but even BTB’s reduced sodium version is uber salty. I think they have to load it up with salt to make it keep.
What prompted my query was a burger dip in a humble restaurant that came with a superlative jus. A dog turd dipped in that would have been good.
Chances are they mixed beef and chicken broths. Beef broth/stock requires a lot more meat per volume of resulting liquid than does poultry. Darken the color, add seasonings, and most people will think it’s beef.
Roasting a turkey is, for me, an occasion for French Onion Soup. I make turkey stock, and “beef” it up with BTB and red wine. It’s wonderful.
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Funny that I also was just investigating what “au jus” is, because, although I do not make it myself for anything so far, it is an annual component of a family member’s Christmas roast dinner, and she uses some kind of paste from a plastic bottle. Unfortunately, it’s pretty horrible stuff–not just too salty, but really not appetizing in general.
So I look forward to seeing what people offer here.
On looking to how one would make “au jus” from scratch, it’s basically a time- and cost-intensive beef stock process. No wonder the market for prepared compromise bases is so robust.
I do like greygarious’s idea of doctoring chicken stock with beef elements. After all, au jus is supposed to be beefy but not as rich a beef stock.
I use small amounts of demi-glace. Watered down it is like a meaty aus juice. I usually make my own in huge vats several times a year from roasted meat or poultry, reduce, and freeze in ice cube trays.
But, D’Artagnan Demi Glace is excellent. Usually found in the meat section in my local supermarkets. Pricey, but worth it, like most of their products.
http://www.dartagnan.com/DemiGlace.html
Also, if you can find it, Knorr makes a condensed “Home Style Stock” that is ok. Better than BTB or any other brands of similar products. You can usually get some good stuff at restaurant supply stores. Or if you are friends with a restaurant owner, they can order stuff for you.
http://www.knorr.com/product/category/245804/homestyle-stock
I know it’s nitpicking, but what you want to make is “jus” (juice). “Au” is a preposition meaning “on” or “with”, depending on connotation.
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I know. It’s just English parochialism, and the way “au jus” is marketed. I’m a descriptive rather than prescriptive grammarian. I go with the flow, mostly.
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