Saturday, November 10, 2007

How To Make Roast Beef Au Jus

Here's a most yummy-licious crock pot recipe for Roast Beef Au Jus. I've been making this for years and it is a winner every time! It makes about 16 sandwiches so you can make it for a big crowd, or if you're like me, eat some now and freeze some for later. Start it in the morning, cook it all day and eat it for dinner!

What you'll need:

Crock Pot
4 to 5 lb of beef rump roast
1 oz package of dry onion soup mix (like Lipton's or store brand works fine too)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried parsley
3 beef bouillon cubes
3 cups water
12 oz can of beer (not light.. regular or dark preferred)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sandwich Rolls

I bought 2 beef rump roasts (above) that equal out to about 4 1/2 pounds.

Trim off the fat and discard. You don't want the broth to be all fatty, so cut off the thick fat on the sides of the roast, don't worry about the little bit in the middle of the meat.


Place meat in a large crock pot and set on high.


Add the package of dry onion soup mix. I used to be picky and only buy the name brand and I have since wisened up and fattened up my wallet as well. The store brand tastes just as good!


Add the 2 teaspoons of sugar,


and the teaspoon of dried parsley.

Unwrap the bouillon cubes and add to the pot. You could substitute the cubes with 2 cans of beef broth if you wanted, but I've always used the cubes. Just a matter of preference.

Add the minced garlic. I buy my garlic already minced in jars, because I never seem to use up the garlic cloves fast enough before they sprout on me. So I buy the jarred garlic and it works out fine.

Add the beer. I always used the light beer and then one day I sent Hubby to the store to buy beer so I could make this and he came back with the regular beer. The flavor was much better and I've experimented with dark beers, too. Regular beer seems to taste the best to me. That's the only time we buy beer, to cook with!

Add the water. Put the crock pot cover on and let it cook for 6 to 8 hours. 2 pieces of meat will cook faster than 1 large piece of meat.. so just keep an eye on it. Your house will smell like a good restaurant while this is cooking and if any visitors stop by, they'll be inviting themselves for dinner.

When you can stick your fork in the meat and twist it easily, it's ready!

Take it out in chunks and start breaking it up into smaller pieces...

When it is cool enough to handle, I just use my fingers to break it up. Pick out any fatty pieces or strips of tendon and veins and feed the scraps to the cats or dogs. Your cat will sit on your lap and purr for hours and your dog will fetch your slippers!

Toss the shredded beef back into the crock and let it cook another half hour to get hot again. Sample repeatedly. Quality control is important here!

Serve on rolls and a bowl of the drippings to dip the sandwich in. SO good!

Whenever I make this, we eat a little for dinner and then I take the leftovers and freeze in batches. I can make 4 meals out of this-- one to eat now and 3 to save for later. They freeze well, and don't forget to add some of the drippings to the meat when you freeze it. Enjoy!

15 comments:

DJ Kirkby said...

Yum, yum, yum, yuuuuuummmmmm! Making it next weekend! Thanks. Know what I really miss? A good corned beef brisket, they don't sell them in England.

lady macleod said...

I'll just appreciate the thought shall I? good work.

Wendy said...

Oh, man! That sounds incredible! We've purchased a quarter of a cow, and will certainly have some roast. I'll be trying out this recipe. Thanks for sharing!

IndianaJones said...

To a new found meat lover this looks fabulous. I'm going shopping tomorrow and will no doubt be trying out some version of this in the coming few days. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Elsie Button said...

oh my god - amAzing! Tom (and Betty for that matter) will LOVE this - thank you. and the detailed pics must have taken an age! sorry haven't been for a while, been so madly busy and trying to catch up. hardly get a chance to post anymore!

jenny said...

Dj-- Y'know, I have never had corned beef brisket. I should try it one day. My mom never cooked what she wasn't familiar with, so we ate a lot of the same foods every week. Which as a kid, didn't bother me! Hope you like the Roast Beef Au Jus!

Lady M-- It's so easy to make, even YOU could do it! :o)

jenny said...

Wendy-- It's really worth trying and too easy to taste so good!! Let me know how long a quarter of a cow lasts your family. We think of buying half a cow but wonder if that would be too much?

Summer-- It is SO SO good!! The meat just falls apart and melts in your mouth! Plus it will be good for you, you don't need to constantly stand at the stove making dinner, just throw it in the crock and lay on the couch!

jenny said...

Elsie-- Well Hello there!!! It's been a while! I completely understand you've been busy, though, we all have our busy moments! Glad you came back, though! I'm sure Betty and Tom will like this, our girls do (well, except Middle, she rarely eats meat). The pics weren't too much trouble and I think it makes it easy to see how easy it is to make this! :o)

D-HOR said...

OH frickin YUM!! AHHHHH and here I am reading this before lunch. AHHHH and starting yet another diet today. OH crap.

MMMMMmmm and what about them taters? They look yummy too!

Blue Yonder said...

Oh man! That looks REALLY seriously delicious!

jenny said...

Hor-- the taters are easy to make: wash the poatoes, I buy the thin skinned ones so I don't have to peel 'em (less work for me and more healthy to eat!), cut them in wedges, plop onto a greased baking sheet, sprinkle olive oil on top, then sprinkle: seasoned salt, parsley and parmesan cheese. Bake in a 425 oven for about 20 minutes, or until tender. My kids gobble it up!

Blue Yonder-- it IS really seriously delicious! :o)

Unknown said...

I tried this roast beef recipe and it was soooo good - used Heineken too. This was my first time making roast beef and it won't be my last, thanks to this recipe.

1fixitchick said...

Jenny...I'm back yet again! When you freeze this...what do you do for extra Au Jus to serve when you thaw out for use? This looks great and I will try it. I love making things and freezing some for nights when things get hectic!

jenny said...

1fixitchick-- I just take enough meat that would make one meal's worth and add maybe half to 1 cup of broth to the container. I use 2-cup Tupperware containers that are perfect for one meal with my family (though not for long, their bellies are growing!). When it's time to cook, I just reheat in a pan until hot and serve as usual. We love this meal and often make it when expecting lots of extra people for dinner!

jenny said...

1fixitchick-- if there are any leftovers, I usually add them into soups for lunch. Broth and meat added to noodles and vegetables make a great meal! Nothing goes to waste!