Today I'm going to show you How To Make Au Jus for French Dip Sandwiches even if you don't have any drippings leftover from a roast!
Sometimes I have a roast that doesn't give much in the way of drippings and other times I just need an au jus as a dipper for deli roast beef.
Either way, this dipping sauce is perfection!
Au jus isn't the only gravy/sauce that can be made without drippings. Give this Turkey gravy without drippings a try. It goes great with turkey and chicken and of course over mashed potatoes!
For Easter this year, I served a boneless prime rib roast. It was awesome by the way. There's really no substitute for this amazing cut of meat.
Here's the thing, as always, I way over ordered my roast. I bought a 14 pound roast and probably had 5 pounds left over. You can't just throw away prime rib, so repurposing it into something else is a must!
My husband suggested making French Dip Sandwiches with the leftovers, which I was willing to do but I had a problem. The problem being that the method I used to cook my roast, resulted in virtually NO drippings to make a proper Au Jus.
If you think about it, it's a good thing, because that means all the "juice" stayed inside the roast, instead of out, making a ridiculously tender dinner.
Uses for au jus
A jus or au jus isn't just for French Dip. It's so flavorful, you can use it for any recipe that requires a gravy. Here are a few ways I like to enjoy this flavorful sauce/gravy:
- As a gravy for mashed potatoes
- Drizzled over roasted chicken or even grilled chicken
- A finishing sauce for pork tenderloin
- Over polena
- In a Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie in place of the gravy
In my usual problem solving mode, I said "screw it" and made it without the drippings. I didn't expect all the flavor to be there but I have to say, IT WAS and this was the best darn French Dip Sandwich I have ever had.
So if you don't have drippings leftover, then this recipe is for you! Heck, if you don't have leftover roast, just go ahead and use deli roast beef, you'll still have one tasty sandwich!
Printable Recipe Card
How To Make Au Jus for French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- ½ Cup chopped sweet onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ Cup red wine
- 2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Cup beef broth
- ½ teaspoon dry thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 whole bay leaf
Instructions
- Melt butter in a pan over medium/high heat. Add onions and cook 3-4 minutes, just until starting to soften; add garlic. Cook 1 minute more.
- Pour in wine, allow to cook 3-5 minutes, until wine is reduced by at least half.
- Once wine is reduced add Worcestershire sauce, broth, thyme, black pepper and bay leaf. Stir.
- Allow mixture to simmer 10 minutes.
- Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove bay leaf before serving.
To Make French Dip: Place beef slices in Au Jus just to warm (1 minute). Layer beef and provolone (or mozzarella) cheese on toasted french bread drizzled with olive oil.
- Serve with Au Jus on the side for dipping.
Nutrition
Cindy @ Hun... What's for Dinner? says
Great recipe! I've had a few roasts that didn't leave many pan juices, so this is great to have for those times.
foodyschmoody says
Thanks Cindy. I know, in the past I've been known to always keep a jar of gravy JUST IN CASE, lol. Those days are over.
peter @feedyoursoultoo says
Looks great. The au jus always makes the sandwich!
Abigail says
Wow, that dip looks so delicious! Am sure the red wine and worcestershire sauce added a lot of yum there. Love it!
nancy@skinnykitchen.com says
My husband and I love French dip. Your recipe sounds wonderful Christine!
Brandy M says
I have always wanted to know how to make the Au Juice for french dips! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
This sounds wonderful! I will have to use this the next time I have leftover roast, yum!
Debra Clark says
Can't have a great French Dip without the perfect Au Jus - love this, pinning!
Raquel says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I have always used soup for this, but your recipe looks great! Great blog and following on Twitter.
foodyschmoody says
Thank you so much Raquel! I'll find you back on Twitter, thanks for the follow!
Alicia L says
I had been craving French Dip Sandwiches for weeks, but I am currently living in Germany and couldn't find any premade sauce. I decided to give this recipe a try and it was a huge success!! I'll never go back to the store bought sauce. Thanks for posting!
foodyschmoody says
Oh, Alicia, I'm so glad to hear this! There's nothing better than waking up to a comment like this. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and I'm even more grateful that you took the time to come back and let me know!!!
Steve says
Outstanding French dip au ju. I added a pinch of Chipolti powder.....thank you!
foodyschmoody says
Great idea to switch up the seasonings! I'll have to give that a try one of these times! So glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for taking the time to report back!
Danielle says
The French Dip recipe I usually make is on the Crock-Pot. Could I use this as the cooking liquid? My son has a wheat intolerance so the gravy packet the recipe calls for is no good for us.
foodyschmoody says
I'm just a bit confused. This recipe doesn't call for a gravy packet.
Danielle says
I should have clarified that I'm looking to use this to replace the gravy packet I usually use and want to know if I can cook this in the Crock-Pot with the meat.
foodyschmoody says
Oh, ha, now I see what you're saying. I think you could cook the roast in this mixture. It won't be as thick as the "gravy" you get from the packet but it will be flavorful!
Linda Henry says
Thank you for your recipe...don't mean to seem stupid...but there is a lot of red wines out there...what red wine did you use in this recipe...I would like to give it a try....I am like you had a lot of Prime rib left and no juices to save...thank you again...
foodyschmoody says
No question is a stupid question! I am a red wine drinker so I just use whatever I have on hand which means either a pinot noir or a merlot. Enjoy!
Grace Morinaga Young says
I had no beef drippings - don't need them! This is delicious. I am allergic to some ingredients in the commercial au jus products and they are waaay to salty. Love this. Thank you so much : )
foodyschmoody says
I can certainly relate to difficulties w/ allergies. My daughter has several severe allergies. I'm glad this works as an alternative for you!