We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Cooking

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Au Jus?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 27,335
Share

Au jus in French means served with the natural juices or gravy made from the juices of cooked meat. In the US, meals served au jus tend to be defined as served with a light broth-like dipping sauce. One of the most well known of these meals is the french dip, a roast beef sandwich accompanied with broth.

Au jus broth tends not to incorporate much of the meat’s natural juices, but it is a good pairing with a roast beef sandwich. Typical ingredients in an American au jus include soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, and often beef broth. Sometimes, the broth is merely a beef bouillon. You can even purchase this broth in powdered form, which helps meat give off flavored juices. These may be skimmed from a pan after meat has cooked and brought to a quick boil.

Of course there’s no reason why you can’t make an au jus in the French tradition. When you cook your meat, and beef normally is best for this, simply skim off the juices. While you are boiling them, you may want to add a little garlic, some onion powder, a dash of soy sauce and some salt and pepper. You can make terrific french dip sandwiches at home with freshly made thin slices of roast beef on rolls.

Another popular meat served au jus is prime rib. Again in the American sense, this flavoring may be light gravy made completely independently from the meat. However, prime rib served in this way with authentic meat juices is quite tasty. There are several turkey recipes served with the juices, which can mean fewer calories. Still, if the skin of the turkey is left on and the jus is made from pan drippings, it will be fairly high in fat

Americans may use the term au jus incorrectly. The French word au translates to with the. Therefore when you serve something in this manner, it is incorrect to say you are serving the meal with au jus. This would translate to "with with the natural juices". Instead, meat is normally served au jus. The word with is already implied when using the French term, so there is no need to repeat it.

Share
DelightedCooking is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a DelightedCooking contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
Discussion Comments
By anon148330 — On Feb 01, 2011

Americans often make the mistake of describing the natural juice given off by a piece of beef, poultry or pork as "au jus."

"Au jus" is French for "with [its own] juice"; simply "jus" is the natural juice given off by the food itself.

By anon131578 — On Dec 02, 2010

Perkins has a really nice french dip.

By anon106895 — On Aug 27, 2010

longhorn steak house still serves au jus.

By anon71186 — On Mar 17, 2010

Arby's Roast Beef Restaurants serve a French Dip that is very good, also Logan's Road House, I believe, still has them. also very good.

By anon61455 — On Jan 20, 2010

Quiznos had it at one point.

By nightlights — On Jan 02, 2010

I haven't seen a restaurant menu that served a French Dip in a very long time.

Anybody know if any of the big chain restaurants have them anymore?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a DelightedCooking contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-is-au-jus.htm
Copy this link
DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.