Rioja Jus
Roasted bones, caramelised vegetables, a bottle of Rioja reduced hard.
The heart of the dish, and the one preparation that cannot be hurried. Everything is roasted properly before any liquid arrives, the wine is reduced almost to nothing, and the finishing happens to order rather than in the pot.
Approximately 500 to 600 ml of finished jus · Preparation 30 min · Cooking 4 hr
Ingredients
- Beef trimmings or veal bones1 kg
- Onion200 g
- Carrot100 g
- Celery80 g
- Garlic, cloves4 each
- Tomato paste40 g
- Rioja red wine750 ml
- Beef or veal stock1.5 L
- Thyme, sprigs2 each
- Bay leaf1 each
- Black peppercorns6 each
To finish, at the pass
- Rioja red winea little
- Butter, or excellent olive oila small knob, or a few drops
- Aged sherry vinegara tiny splash
Method
Roast the bones and beef trimmings until deeply caramelised.
Add the vegetables and roast until golden.
Add the tomato paste and caramelise well.
Deglaze with the Rioja.
Reduce the wine by 75 to 80 percent.
Add the stock and the aromatics.
Simmer gently and reduce until intensely flavoured.
Pass, and continue reducing until you have a rich jus.
Finish to order with a little Rioja and either a small knob of butter or a few drops of excellent olive oil.
Chef’s notes
- At the very end, add a tiny splash of aged sherry vinegar. Not enough to taste as vinegar: it simply sharpens the Rioja and stops the jus becoming heavy.
- The tomato paste has to caramelise, not just warm through. Undercooked it stays sour and that sourness never leaves the sauce.
Make ahead
Make it the day before. Finish it only at the pass, never in the pot.
Keeping
Keeps for several days refrigerated. It sets firm when cold, which is a good sign. DUKAI storage guidance to put a number on that: 5°C or below, within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it. Finish it at the pass, never in the pot.
Allergens and diet
Sulphites, from the wine. Milk, if finished with butter.
Used in
Also in the Recipe Book
Last refined · September 2026