Ultra silky and smooth red wine jus imparts a bold, perfectly complementary flavor to steak and other beef dishes. Thickened with body from an ingredient superstar, this sauce is fitting for your holiday table but simple enough to prepare for a regular evening. No pan drippings are needed, and excess portions are easy to freeze for later.
Red wine and steak is not just a combination I enjoy side-by-side. Red wine is a crucial part in why marinated flat iron steak just tastes so good, and its fruity acidity adds a special element to soups, stews, and pan sauces.
I was introduced to red wine jus while at a steakhouse and upon first bite knew I'd be working on recreating it at home. This jus was thick, much thicker than the jus served alongside a French dip sandwich, and I could not get enough. It just oozed fancy, which was good, because this was a fancy steakhouse where we were celebrating a fancy occasion. It all fit.
As it turns out, it's not as hard to make fancy jus from scratch as you might think. This red wine jus recipe is an impressive accompaniment to your holiday menu for roasts or steaks, but truly is simple enough for whenever you feel like a fancy steak night at home, too.
What Makes This Red Wine Jus Special?
- Its flavor. You get it all: an ultra savory beefy flavor combined with the fruity acidity and tartness from red wine, all tied together with herbs, shallots, and a pinch of sugar for a well-rounded beef jus.
- It uses beef bone broth. Bone broth provides a richer flavor and shimmery finish to homemade jus.
- Flour and butter are combined separately. This paste-like mixture is big in providing a luxuriously thickened consistency.
- You can freeze it. Leftover portions can be frozen and reheated beautifully (see tips below).
Recipe Ingredients
- Beef Bone Broth: Beef bone broth, when compared to regular beef broth, has a richer flavor, is less of a high-level salty, one-note ingredient, and is almost more beefy? All good things that carry through to the finished sauce, making it more impactful to hold its own against the wine. It has an almost oily sheen to it that makes this jus shimmery! I buy a store-bought beef bone broth in the reduced-sodium variety (salt is added to taste).
- Red Wine: Choose a dry red wine variety that you enjoy drinking, but don't break the bank. Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot are good options.
- Shallot: To be honest I've been known to sub in onion for shallot in a recipe a time or two, but the more ~sophisticated~ and mild flavor of a shallot complements this sauce. It is a make-at-home fancy steakhouse kind of recipe after all.
- Flour & Butter: Softened butter and flour is combined to form beurre manie and is a key part of upping the luxe factor of this red wine jus. It's added at the end to thicken the body and add a rich flavor note.
- Garlic: Fresh, not the jarred stuff. There's no need to press it as the pieces are strained out at the end. Minced is fine.
- Herbs: Fresh rosemary and a bay leaf for background flavor.
- Sugar: Just a tiny bit is crucial in balancing the acidic, ultra savory flavors and tying things together.
- Salt & Pepper: Added to taste.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is an abbreviated look at the step-by-step process of making a batch of red wine jus. You can find full measurements and all the little details within the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 0: Prepare the beurre manié so it's ready to go later. Do this by stirring/working together softened butter and flour until evenly combined, then shaping into a ball. See photos of it in action in this Guinness beef stew post.
- Step 1: Sauté shallot in olive oil for 5 minutes, then add garlic for 1 minute more.
- Step 2: Add herbs and wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by half (roughly 8-10 minutes).
- Step 3: Pour in the beef bone broth and simmer until everything is reduced by half again (roughly 15 minutes).
- Step 4: Strain the reduced jus to remove all solids, clean out the pan, then pour the jus back in.
- Step 5: Bring the jus to a simmer and add the beurre manié in pieces. Simmer for a minimum of 4-5 minutes (this is to cook off any raw flour flavor), but keep it going as the jus thickens. Once the sauce has thickened to your liking, remove the pan from the heat and season with sugar, salt, and pepper.
Estimating "Reduced by Half"
It's not super practical to weigh a hot pan of liquid to precisely know when it's reduced by half. Here's what I do instead using a take-out wooden chopstick (or wooden utensil).
Stick the chopstick straight down into the jus right after adding either the wine or bone broth, leave it in for a few seconds, then lay the chopstick down on a piece of paper or paper towel. Mark the depth of the liquid on the paper. Repeat periodically, noting the new liquid level as the jus reduces, eyeballing when it reaches about half.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Watch the consistency - It can be a fine line between wanting a rich red wine jus texture and over-simmering so it becomes too thick and a bit gelatinous. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken up a bit more as it cools down as you get the meal ready to serve. If it becomes too thick, thin it out with a small drizzle of water at a time, whisking well to incorporate it smoothly.
- Subbing in regular beef broth - I have done this and while I didn't think it was quite as rich as versions using bone broth, it certainly had a nice flavor.
- Freezing red wine jus - This works surprisingly well! Freeze in smaller portions (an ice cube tray is great), wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3-4 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating. It's normal for the jus to be very thick, but reheat in a small pan over low heat, adding a tiny bit of water and whisking well to liquefy it again.
More Steakhouse Recipes
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Red Wine Jus
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (6g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 large shallot finely diced
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 4-inch (10 cm) fresh rosemary sprig
- 6 ounces (180 ml) dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir
- 10 ounces (300 ml) beef bone broth reduced-sodium preferred
- 1 pinch granulated sugar (1⁄16 teaspoon)
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Add the softened butter and flour to a small bowl and mix with a fork or spoon until it becomes evenly combined. Form it into a rough ball shape and set aside for later. This is the beurre manié.
- Pour olive oil into a medium heavy-bottom saucepan and set the pan on the stovetop over low-medium heat. Once heated, add the shallot and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring it up a few times. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
- Add the bay leaf and rosemary to the pan and pour in the wine. Adjust the heat to a simmer and simmer uncovered until the wine has been reduced by half. This can take around 8-10 minutes.
- Once the wine has reduced, pour in the beef bone broth. Bring everything to a nice simmer, then simmer again, uncovered, until everything is reduced by half again. This can take around 14-15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour the jus through a fine mesh sieve, straining out and discarding the shallot, garlic, and herbs. Press down on the shallots, etc. with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to release as much of the jus you can. Carefully wipe out the pan of any solids and pour the strained jus back into the pan.
- Set the pan back on the stovetop and bring the sauce to a simmer again. Slice the beurre manié into several smaller pieces and whisk it into the sauce until it melts completely. Continue to simmer as it begins to thicken up. Make sure to cook the jus for at least 4-5 minutes after adding this flour/butter mixture to ensure the raw flour taste cooks off.
- Once the jus has thickened to your liking, remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Pan Size: If you're deciding between two medium-ish saucepans, choose the larger of the two. A greater surface area speeds up the reduction.
- Consistency: If at any point the sauce overly thickens, whisk in a tiny bit of water at a time until it thins back out.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftover portions in an air-tight container for up to 2-3 days before thoroughly reheating. This sauce can also be frozen for 3-4 months, thawing in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating red wine jus: Place in a small pan (it will likely be quite thick) set over low heat and whisk in a tiny bit of water until hot and thinned out.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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