Jus

Long, slow cooking is not always the best way to prepare a stock or jus with the flavor of a specific meat. Although slow simmering will extract much of the gelatin and nutritive elements from meat and bones, much of the character, individuality, and freshness of the meat will be lost. Many chefs mistakenly assume that the best method of extracting and intensifying the character of a particular meat such as game, duck, pigeon, or lamb is through long cooking and subsequent reduction of the simmering liquid. Actually, the best method for extracting the natural flavor from meats is to brown them in a heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan with a small proportion of mirepoix vegetables until their juices are released and caramelize on the bottom of the pot. This process of caramelization is essential to extracting and amplifying the natural savors and should be repeated several times by deglazing the pan with a small amount of stock, wine, or water. These successive deglazings create steam that further cooks the meat and causes it to release juices, which are again caramelized on the bottom of the pot.