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.

After several deglazings, the meat trimmings and bones should have released most of their savor, which will in turn have caramelized on the bottom of the pot. At this point, any fat will have separated and can be easily removed. The caramelized trimmings are moistened with a small amount of water or stock and cooked only long enough to dissolve the juices that have already been released. If the trimmings are moistened with a full-bodied stock, the jus should not require any reduction. If a thicker texture is desired, it is better to add meat glaze to the jus rather than reducing it.

In the recipe that follows, a small amount of jus is prepared in a pot. To master the technique of caramelizing the meat trimmings in stages, it is easier to see and control the process in a pot on top of the stove. For larger quantities, however, it is often easier to brown the ingredients in a roasting pan in the oven.