Jus and Gravy for Red Meat Roasts

In Chapter 26 I discussed how to make a jus or gravy (a thickened jus) from the pan drippings from a roast chicken or turkey, but making a jus from red meat roasts requires a slightly different approach. This is because red meats such as lamb, beef, and venison are cooked to a lower internal temperature so that they stay red or pink in the middle. And meats cooked to a lower temperature release few juices, if any. In classic French cooking, the amount and flavor of roast meat juices is enhanced by roasting the meat over a bed of meat trimmings and sometimes bones and vegetables—called a fonçage—so that the trimmings provide the necessary juices. This method Works as well for red meats as it does for white meats, but there’s a problem. The relatively short cooking time for red meat roasts doesn’t give the trimmings enough time to brown, caramelize, and release their flavorful juices before the roast is done. Because of this, the fonçage ingredients should be browned—either in the oven or on top of the stove—in the roasting pan before the cooking of the roast begins or after, while the roast is resting. It’s also possible to make a “fake” jus with appropriate meat trimmings and just forget about making a jus or gravy at the last minute.