How to Make Delicious Au Jus with Beef Consommé

Au jus is a savory sauce often used for dipping French dip sandwiches. With its rich, beefy flavor, a good au jus can take an average sandwich to the next level. While many recipes call for using the natural juices and drippings from roasting meat, you can also easily make au jus from beef consommé. This method produces a flavorful au jus without the hassle of waiting for a roast and skimming the fat from the drippings.

In this article, I’ll explain exactly how to make homemade au jus using beef consommé. I’ll cover

• What is au jus and beef consommé
• Benefits of using consommé
• How to make au jus with canned or boxed consommé
• Tips for the best homemade au jus
• Serving suggestions and recipe ideas

I’ve been making au jus with consommé for years, and my homemade recipe always gets rave reviews. The method is simple, the ingredients are easy to find, and the result is a rich, beefy dipping sauce that’s perfect for French dip sandwiches. Read on to learn all my tips and tricks!

What is Au Jus and Beef Consommé?

First, let’s cover the basics. Au jus (pronounced “oh-zhoo”) is a French term meaning “with juice.” It’s a sauce made from the natural juices that are released when cooking meat especially beef. The sauce is flavored by the meat drippings and any seasonings or liquids added during cooking.

Beef consommé is a type of broth made by simmering beef and vegetables to extract their flavors, then clarifying the broth. Clarifying removes the fat and particles, leaving a clear, concentrated beef flavor. Canned and boxed beef consommé can be found in most grocery stores.

Both au jus and consommé are known for their deep, savory beef taste. But while au jus uses the drippings from roasted meat, consommé offers that flavor without requiring you to cook a roast first.

Why Make Au Jus with Consommé?

Using beef consommé to make au jus has several advantages:

• Saves time – No need to cook and wait for a roast to make the drippings
• Adds flavor – The consommé provides a ready-made rich, beefy base
• Avoids fat – Clarified consommé has the fat removed, unlike meat drippings
• More customizable – Can tweak flavor with extra ingredients like garlic, onion, wine
• Convenient – Canned or boxed consommé is shelf-stable and easy to find

Making au jus from consommé rather than meat drippings streamlines the process. You skip straight to creating the savory sauce, avoiding the hands-on time, guesswork, and mess of dealing with drippings.

How to Make Au Jus with Canned Consommé

The easiest way to make au jus with beef consommé is by using canned or boxed consommé. Here is a simple recipe and method:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups canned or boxed beef consommé
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the beef consommé, water, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf and several grinds of black pepper.
2. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Do not boil.
3. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
4. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
5. Use warm or let cool and refrigerate until needed.

And that’s it! The simmering concentrates the flavor while the Worcestershire and herbs add extra depth. This easy homemade au jus will make about 3 1⁄4 cups, perfect for dipping a pile of French dip sandwiches.

Tips for the Best Homemade Au Jus:

• Use high-quality consommé – Look for a brand marked “100% beef” without added flavors.
• Simmer gently – Letting it boil will cloud the appearance and dull the flavor.
• Add herbs and spices – Experiment with different mixes like rosemary, garlic, red wine.
• Reduce or thin as needed – Simmer longer to reduce and strengthen flavor or add water or stock to thin.
• Strain if desired – For the cleanest flavor, pour through a fine mesh strainer before serving.

Making Au Jus from Boxed Consommé

In addition to canned, you can also find boxed beef consommé powder on grocery shelves. Popular brands like Better Than Bouillon paste or McCormick consommé powder offer convenience similar to bouillon cubes.

To make au jus from boxed consommé:

• Mix the powder with hot water per the package directions to make the consommé.
• For a 1-cup yield, use 3 tsp powder and 1 cup hot water.
• Then simply follow the steps above, simmering the dissolved consommé with Worcestershire, herbs, and pepper.

The paste or powder may have a more concentrated flavor than canned, so start with less and adjust to your taste. Otherwise, the method is the same – an easy shortcut to homemade au jus!

Serving Suggestions and Recipe Ideas

Homemade au jus from beef consommé is extremely versatile. Here are some of my favorite ways to use this flavorful sauce:

• French dip sandwiches – The classic! Use on roast beef, prime rib, or deli sandwiches.
• Pot roasts – Ladle au jus overtop braised pot roasts and veggies.
• Steaks – Serve au jus with grilled steaks for extra moisture and flavor.
• Gravy – Thicken with a roux for an easy beef gravy over mashed potatoes or meatloaf.
• Onion soup – Splash into French onion soup in place of just broth.
• Pizza – Drizzle over meat lover’s pizza fresh from the oven.

I also like to get creative and use the au jus as a base for other recipes:

• Mushroom au jus – Sauté mushrooms in butter, then deglaze pan with au jus.
• Horseradish au jus – Stir prepared horseradish into warm au jus for a kick.
• Au jus glaze – Reduce au jus and brush over meat as a glaze during grilling or roasting.

With canned consommé on hand and this easy method, you can whip up homemade au jus anytime the craving for its bold beefy flavor strikes. This versatile sauce elevates sandwiches, roasts, steaks and more. Now you know exactly how to make restaurant-quality au jus easily using beef consommé.