Sauces for meat: peppercorn, mushroom, gravy, chimichurri and barbecue
How to turn the pan from a steak into a restaurant sauce in 5 minutes, classic peppercorn with brandy, creamy mushroom, lump-free gravy for a roast, a quick jus, chimichurri and salsa verde, homemade barbecue, horseradish and mint sauces — and which sauce goes with which meat.
A pan sauce in 5 minutes
After searing meat, the brown bits left on the bottom of the pan are concentrated flavour. In a few minutes they become a sauce a restaurant would serve with a steak.
- Take out the meat and let it rest. Pour off excess fat, leaving 1 tbsp.
- Soften a finely chopped shallot or onion and garlic over medium heat — 1–2 minutes.
- Deglaze: pour in 100 ml wine, brandy or stock and scrape the bottom with a spatula.
- Add 150–200 ml stock and reduce by half over high heat.
- Take off the heat and whisk in 20–30 g cold butter in cubes — the sauce turns glossy and velvety.
- Season and add the juices the meat released while resting.
Peppercorn sauce
The classic for beef steak. For 2 servings, in the pan the steak was cooked in:
- 1–1.5 tbsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed in a mortar or with the flat of a knife.
- 1 shallot, finely chopped, cooked for 1 minute in the steak fat with the pepper.
- 50 ml brandy — pour in and cook off (or carefully flambé with the pan off the heat).
- 150 ml beef stock — reduce by half.
- 150 ml 33% cream — reduce for 3–5 minutes until it coats a spoon.
- Salt to taste and 1 tsp Dijon mustard if you like.
Creamy mushroom sauce
Goes with beef, pork, chicken and patties. For 4 servings: 300 g button or wild mushrooms, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 250 ml 20–33% cream, 100 ml stock, a sprig of thyme, 20 g butter.
Fry the mushrooms over high heat in a dry or lightly oiled pan, unsalted, until all the water has evaporated and they brown — 8–10 minutes. Add the butter, onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes more. Pour in the stock and reduce by half, then add the cream and thyme. Simmer for 5 minutes until thick. Salt at the end.
Gravy for a roast
Classic gravy is made from the fat and juices left in the roasting tin. For 500 ml gravy:
- Pour the tin juices into a jug and leave for 5 minutes — the fat rises. Spoon off 2 tbsp of fat.
- In a saucepan, cook the fat with 2 tbsp flour, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until golden — that's a roux.
- Gradually, a ladle at a time, add 500 ml hot stock (with the defatted tin juices), whisking constantly.
- Simmer 5–10 minutes until thick and season. For depth, add 1 tsp soy sauce or a spoon of redcurrant jelly.
A quick jus — concentrated meat juice
Demi-glace is the classic restaurant sauce of dark veal stock reduced tenfold. At home it takes two days. A simplified version, a jus, takes 30 minutes and is perfect with steaks, roasts and duck.
Brown 300 g meat trimmings or chicken wings until dark. Add onion, carrot and 1 tbsp tomato paste and cook 5 minutes more. Pour in 100 ml red wine and cook off, then 1 litre stock. Reduce over medium heat to 250 ml — 20–30 minutes — and strain. Finish with a knob of cold butter.
Chimichurri and salsa verde
Fresh, no-cook herb sauces are the perfect match for fatty grilled meat: acid and herbs lift the flavour.
Chimichurri (Argentina): a large bunch of parsley and 1 tbsp oregano (fresh or dried), 3–4 garlic cloves — chop very finely by hand. Add 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 100 ml olive oil, ½ tsp chilli flakes and salt. Leave for 20–30 minutes. Keeps 3–4 days in the fridge.
Salsa verde (Italy): a large bunch each of parsley, basil and mint, 1 tbsp capers, 2 anchovies, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp wine vinegar or lemon juice, 100 ml olive oil. Chop finely or pulse briefly in a blender.
Homemade barbecue sauce
For ribs, wings, burgers and kebabs. In a saucepan mix 200 ml ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar or honey, 2 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or 1 tbsp soy), 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp mustard, 1 garlic clove and a pinch of chilli. Simmer on low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring, until thick.
When glazing, brush the meat only in the last 10–15 minutes of cooking: the sugar in the sauce burns faster than the meat cooks.
Horseradish, mint and other cold sauces
- Horseradish (for beef, cold cuts, roasts): 200 g sour cream, 2–3 tbsp grated horseradish, ½ tsp sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp lemon juice.
- Mint (for lamb): a large bunch of mint finely chopped, 2 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp boiling water, 3 tbsp wine vinegar. Dissolve the sugar in the water, add the mint and vinegar and leave for 30 minutes.
- Honey mustard (for pork, chicken, sausages): 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp wholegrain, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil.
- Garlic yoghurt (for kebabs and lamb): 200 g Greek yoghurt, 1 grated cucumber (squeezed), 1 garlic clove, dill, mint, salt, 1 tbsp olive oil.
Which sauce for which meat
- Beef steak: peppercorn, chimichurri, mushroom, a red wine pan sauce, horseradish.
- Roast beef: gravy, jus, horseradish.
- Pork: mushroom, honey mustard, barbecue, apple sauce, gravy.
- Lamb: mint, garlic yoghurt, salsa verde, red wine jus.
- Chicken: creamy mushroom, honey mustard, a white wine pan sauce, yoghurt.
- Kebabs and grills: chimichurri, barbecue, yoghurt, tkemali, adjika.
- Patties and meatballs: mushroom, sour cream, tomato.
Questions and answers
What can replace brandy in peppercorn sauce?＋
Stock with 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, or dry red wine. Brandy gives a characteristic sweetish depth, but the sauce is excellent without it too.
Why did my cream sauce split?＋
The cream was too thin (10%) or the sauce boiled hard with acid (wine, lemon). Use 20–33% cream and reduce the wine before adding the cream.
How do I thicken a sauce without flour?＋
Reduce it over high heat, whisk in cold butter off the heat, or add 1 tsp starch mixed with cold water per 250 ml sauce.
How long do sauces keep?＋
Cream and mushroom sauces 2–3 days in the fridge. Barbecue sauce up to 2 weeks. Chimichurri and herb sauces 3–4 days. Gravy and jus freeze in portions for up to 3 months.
Can I make sauce ahead?＋
Yes, almost all of them except a butter-finished pan sauce. Reheat gently, stirring, and add a spoon of water or stock if it has thickened.
Try it in practice
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