What is the Meaning of ‘Au jus’?

Au jus is a French term that, although it sounds fancy on a menu, refers to nothing more than meat served in its natural juices. The word jus, pronounced zhoo, refers to the thickened juices from a roast or other meat. Most of us are most familiar with the term being used with prime rib, in prime rib au jus.

Au jus translates literally to “with the juice.” When used in the name of dishes or on restaurant menus, the words au jus traditionally appear just after the particular meat it is modifying. However, it has been corrupted in recent times so that au jus is used as a noun, as if it is a particular sauce.

For example, we sometimes hear usages such as steak with au jus. This makes no literal sense. Modern cookbooks often tell you how to “make the au jus,” as well.

roast beef sandwich au jus

The French pronunciation of au jus is something like oh-zhoo but English speakers tend to say oh-zhoos or oh-joos. Prime rib au jus means “prime rib with the juice.” Prime rib with au jus or prime rib with au jus sauce (gravy, broth, etc.) is technically redundant.

Another confusing misuse of the term is French dip au jus or French dip with au jus. We can already see that “with au jus” is redundant, but, as well, a “French dip” without jus would be nothing more than a dry piece of meat inside bread or a roll. It is meant to be dipped into pan juices.

That a French dip is served au jus, therefore, is understood. Roast beef sandwich au jus, which is essentially the same thing, makes more literal sense, and simply means a roast beef sandwich served with the jus for dipping.

Although broth is sometimes added to the drippings from a roast in order to extend it, it is not really the same as gravy, which is the thickened drippings from a meat preparation.

However, since when cooking even a large piece of meat, the drippings tend to evaporate and brown in the pan, deglazing the pan with stock or other liquid is customary, and the resultant jus may be seasoned, slightly reduced, and strained. It is not really thickened like a gravy, but the jus, when reduced and strained in this way, is often called a gravy.

roast beef au jus

Sometimes the word jus is also used to refer to an unthickened liquid flavored with the essence of a certain ingredient, such as a vegetable or mushroom. For example, a mushroom jus can be made by simmering mushrooms in stock or broth until the liquid has a strong mushroom flavor and becomes concentrated.

This can then be strained (or passed through a food mill) and used as the basis of a sauce, gravy, soup, etc. A jus made in this way may also be called an essence.

Roast beef au jus image © MSPhotographic 

More About Beef

burgers cooking in skillet with cheese

Angus Beef Burgers: Why Quality Cooking Matters

It seems that just about every restaurant that serves burgers, including carryout and delivery restaurants, have at least one Angus Beef Burger in place of honor...
Skirt steak fajita tacos

Are Fajitas Just Do-It-Yourself Tacos?

In the article How Do You Eat Tacos Without Them Falling Apart I mentioned that many folks claim that much of the food labeled ‘Mexican’ in America...

Beware of FAKE Kobe Beef

I first started thinking about Kobe beef and researching in 2014 when it was one of the most faked foods you could find in the...
steak and mushrooms with brocoli and potato

Broccoli Has More Protein Than Steak?

I’ve seen this stated on numerous websites and featured in numerous memes. It seems incredible, which, I suppose is why it’s so often repeated: Broccoli...

Can You Dry Age Beef at Home?

The first thing that we need to get into, before I answer the question of whether you can age beef at home, is the difference...
beef jerky

How did Beef Jerky Get Its Name?

Most information concerning how the dried strips of meat we call jerky got its name takes to the form of folk etymology. The most common...

You May Be Interested in These Articles