Gravy for Roast Beef: A Simple, Hearty Homemade Recipe

A good gravy for roast beef starts in the roasting pan: caramelize meat trimmings, shallots, and garlic around the roast, then deglaze with a little red wine and water, scraping up the browned bits. Let it reduce by half, strain it, and finish with the meat’s resting juices and a knob of cold butter.

It's really simple, but it makes all the difference for a Sunday meal. I serve it in a gravy boat under the pergola, and, poor thing, there's never a drop left.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 1 beef roast weighing 1 kg (sirloin, rump, or chuck), trussed
• 250 g of beef trimmings (ask your butcher for them)
• 2 shallots
• 3 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• 2 sprigs of thyme and 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 20 g of very cold butter
• 10 cl of red wine
• 30 cl of water (or light veal stock)
• Fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper

For 2 people, use a 500-gram roast and 120 grams of trimmings; halve the rest and keep an eye on the reduction—it will cook faster.

Preparation: 15 min · Cooking: 50 min · Rest: 15 min

The Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Take the roast out of the refrigerator 1 hour ahead of time. Preheat the oven to 210 °C and finely chop the shallots.
2. In a pan that can go on the stove or a casserole dish, heat the oil and sear the roast for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper, then set it aside.
3. In the same fat, brown the trimmings for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are nicely browned. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf.
4. Place the roast back in the center of the pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes for rare (50 °C at the center), or 35 minutes for medium (55 °C). Halfway through cooking, pour 3 tablespoons of water into the pan to prevent the juices from burning.
5. Take the roast out of the oven, wrap it loosely in aluminum foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes on a plate.
6. Place the dish on the stove, pour in the red wine, and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spatula. Let it reduce until almost all the liquid has evaporated.
7. Add the water, bring to a boil, and let it simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until about half of it remains.
8. Strain the mixture into a small saucepan, squeezing the trimmings well. Add the juices released by the roast while it was resting, then whisk in the cold butter off the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

My Cooking Tips

• Don't add salt to the juice until after it has been reduced: as it reduces, the salt in the juices becomes more concentrated, and it can quickly become too salty.
• No garnish? Place a halved onion, cut side down on the dish, and a carrot cut into chunks: you'll have fewer pieces, but it will have a nice color.
• For a slightly thicker sauce, mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with a little cold water and stir it into the simmering sauce 1 minute before it's done.
• Use the same method for a pork roast, with pork trimmings and a few sage leaves. The pork is cooked to the core at a temperature between 63 and 70 °C.

Under the pergola: how to serve

I slice the roast thinly, against the grain, right on the cutting board in the middle of the table, and the juices flow into a gravy boat. Served with a gratin dauphinois or roasted baby potatoes, green beans, and a Bandol red—in moderation—it’s the perfect Sunday lunch on an autumn day, when the light falls on L’Estaque.

The leftover juice will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and freezes very well in small containers. It adds flavor to mashed potatoes, pasta, or cold roast slices the next day.

Your Questions

How do you make a good beef gravy?

It’s all about the juices: brown the meat and trimmings thoroughly, then deglaze and reduce. A simple liquid will do—water or a light stock—and a small pat of cold butter at the end to thicken and add shine.

What kind of sauce should I make for a roast beef?

In addition to plain juice, you can make a shallot-red wine sauce by reducing the shallots with the wine before adding the stock. A pepper sauce, made with coarsely ground pepper, cognac, and cream, is also very popular.

How can I make a roast beef tender?

Choose a cut of meat to roast, take it out of the refrigerator 1 hour beforehand, don’t overcook it—stop when it’s medium-rare—and let it rest for 15 minutes. Slice it thinly, across the grain.

Can you make the juice without a pot that goes on the stove?

Yes: Pour the wine and water directly into the hot dish, scrape up the pan juices, and return it to the oven for 5 minutes. Then strain the mixture into a saucepan to finish reducing it.

Is pork roast gravy made the same way?

Exactly: juices, deglazing, reduction. Pork yields a milder juice, which I like to spice up with a splash of white wine and a spoonful of whole-grain mustard.