Au Jus for Prime Rib

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/23/24
Tested by
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Tested by Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 22 mins
Total: 32 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 2 cups

Au jus, the French word meaning "with juice," is a simple but sophisticated sauce that's thinner than gravy and concentrated in flavor. It's made from the juice of cooked meat, aromatic vegetables, and beef stock and is ideal for roasted meats and roast beef dishes like prime rib.

Why is Au Jus The Best Choice for Prime Rib?

There are many reasons why au jus is considered the best sauce for prime rib. It perfectly complements this already flavorful cut of meat because it's created with the meat's natural juices. It's simple to make using few ingredients and provides extra moisture for meat that might be cooked too long. Caramelized flavors are coaxed from the fond in the pan when deglazed with stock or wine.

How Does the Sauce Come Together?

This au jus recipe assumes you have just roasted a large prime rib, as the meat juices and the fond at the bottom of the roasting pan are important components of the recipe. Once the roast is removed from the pan, the remaining drippings are cooked with chopped carrot, onion, and celery. The pan is deglazed with beef stock, reduced slightly, creating a richly flavored thin sauce.

Tips

  • Choose a roasting method. The au jus works well with a traditional prime rib recipe, or the closed-oven method.
  • Get rid of the fat. A fat separator can be useful for separating the fat from the meat juices so that your jus isn't greasy.
  • What to expect. Keep in mind that au jus is not a gravy, so don't expect a thick, heavy sauce.
Au jus in a bowl and drizzled over beef

The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

"This is an excellent recipe. It’s easy, uses simple ingredients, and has great flavor. I didn’t need to strain it through cheesecloth or to use a fat separator. It makes a lot of sauce, and depending on how much prime rib you have, there may be some left over for other dishes." —Colleen Graham

Au Jus for Prime Rib Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 (11- to 18-pound) cooked beef roast

  • 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped

  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

  • 2 medium stalks celery, coarsely chopped

  • 3 cups beef stock

  • Fine salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for prime rib au jus

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  2. Remove the roast from the pan and let it rest on a large platter tented with foil. If there is a lot of fat left in the pan, pour most of it off—you can save it refrigerated in a Mason jar to add concentrated flavor and richness to soups, stocks, chilis, and even pasta. When pouring out the fat, take care not to lose any of the meat juices.

    Roasting pan with juices in it

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  3. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop across two burners. Add 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped, 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, and 2 medium stalks celery, coarsely chopped.

    Onion, carrots, and celery in a roasting pan

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  4. Cook on high heat, stirring everything around with a wooden spoon until the veggies begin to brown, and most of the liquid has cooked off, about 1 minute—don't let anything burn.

    Vegetables browned in roasting pan

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  5. Pour half the 3 cups beef stock into the pan and cook over high heat, scraping all those toasty bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, about 1 minute.

    Stirring vegetables cooking in roasting pan

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  6. Pour the contents of the roasting pan into a large saucepan with the remaining 1 1/2 cups beef stock. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by 1/3, about 20 minutes.

    Simmering in a saucepan

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  7. Pour the liquid through a medium-mesh strainer. For a smoother sauce, you can line the strainer with cheesecloth. Let it sit for a couple of minutes so that you can skim off any fat that rises to the top.

    Vegetables straining over a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  8. By now, your roast will have finished resting and will be ready to carve. Transfer the roast to a cutting board. Stir any additional juices from the platter into the sauce. Slice the roast and return it to the platter.

    Carved prime rib and au jus on the side

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  9. Add salt and pepper to taste to the au jus.

    Salt and pepper next to the au jus in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  10. Serve the sauce with the meat and enjoy.

    Au jus with prime rib on a platter

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Recipe Variations

  • Use this recipe to make au jus for roasted chicken, veal, or lamb simply by substituting the appropriate stock for beef stock.
  • Use leftover roast beef or prime rib and au jus to make French dip sandwiches.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
3107 Calories
196g Fat
4g Carbs
310g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 3107
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 196g 252%
Saturated Fat 78g 389%
Cholesterol 1225mg 408%
Sodium 780mg 34%
Total Carbohydrate 4g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 310g
Vitamin C 2mg 8%
Calcium 194mg 15%
Iron 26mg 146%
Potassium 2727mg 58%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)