The encyclopaedia of gravy
Roast beef wants a dark, wine-deglazed pan gravy made in the tin, or a reduced jus if the beef is a prime cut served pink.
Beef gives you the best raw material of any roast: a tin full of dark fond, plenty of dripping and a board full of resting juices. The gravy almost makes itself if you let it.
What to make¶
| Cut | Best gravy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Topside, silverside, brisket | Full red wine pan gravy | Leaner cuts need a generous, flour-thickened gravy |
| Rib of beef, sirloin | Jus or a light pan gravy | A prime cut deserves something that does not mask it |
| Slow-roast shin or shoulder | Pan gravy made from the braising liquid | Already concentrated; just skim and thicken |
| Leftover cold beef | A made-up beef gravy from stock | No fond available, so build it — see gravy without drippings |
The method in short¶
- Rest the beef for 30–45 minutes. This is not optional, and not just for the meat — see why resting meat matters for gravy.
- Skim the tin, keeping 2 tbsp fat and all the dark juices.
- Cook 2 tbsp flour in the fat for 2 minutes.
- Deglaze with 150 ml red wine, scraping hard, and reduce by half.
- Add 600 ml hot beef stock gradually. Simmer 8 minutes.
- Add the resting juices from the board. Season. Strain.
Full version: roast-dinner gravy.
What goes with it on the plate¶
Beef gravy has to serve a whole plate, not just the meat: Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and the horseradish sitting alongside. That means make more than you think and keep it on the thinner side of thick, so it floods a Yorkshire pudding properly.
💡 Chef's tip
Add a teaspoon of the juice from a jar of horseradish, or a half-teaspoon of English mustard, to a beef gravy. Neither is detectable as itself — both make the gravy taste more of beef.
Quantities¶
150 ml per person for a normal Sunday lunch; 200 ml if Yorkshire puddings are involved, which they should be.