Red Wine Pan Sauce

Name: Red Wine Pan Sauce
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 Shallot, minced; 1 clove Garlic, minced; 120 g Red wine; 240 g Beef stock; 2 sprigs Thyme; 60 g Cold butter, cut into cubes; Salt and black pepper

by Matt KennardPublished September 25, 2026

Red wine, stock and cold butter in the pan you just seared a steak in. Ten minutes, and it is the difference between dinner and a plate you remember.

Serves: 4
Active: 10 min
Total: 10 min

Simmered Stovetop Dinner

Ingredients

1 Shallot, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced
120 g Red wine
240 g Beef stock
2 sprigs Thyme
60 g Cold butter, cut into cubes
Salt and black pepper

Method

Prep a thin film of fat left

Pour off all but a thin film of fat from the searing pan and set it over medium heat.
Saute 1 min · soft, not coloured

Cook the shallot a minute until soft, then the garlic for about 30 seconds. Do not let the garlic color.
Simmer reduced by half

Pour in the wine and scrape the pan clean as it bubbles. Let it reduce by about half, so the raw alcohol edge cooks off.
Simmer coats the back of a spoon

Add the stock and the thyme, and reduce again. Fish out the thyme.
Prep glossy

Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter a cube at a time. Off the heat matters: butter added to a boiling sauce splits.
Prep seasoned

Salt, pepper, and any juices from the resting steak.

If it's not right

What you see	Why	What to do
Harsh or sour	The wine did not reduce enough before the stock went in.	Reduce the wine by half first.
Split or greasy	The butter went in too hot.	Off the heat, whisk in a splash of cold stock to bring it back.
Thin	Not reduced enough.	Reduce before the butter, never after.
Bitter	The garlic browned, or too much fat was left in the pan.	Lower the heat for the garlic, and pour off more fat.

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Red Wine Pan Sauce

Ingredients

Method

If it's not right

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