Bavette Steak

What is Bavette Steak?

Bavette steak is a large flap muscle from the boneless flank beef primal. Its role is to support the animal's viscera along with a couple of smaller muscles on the side of the belly. 

The muscle is also known as flap meat but the French word bavette, which translates to 'bib', more accurately describes its broad and flat shape. 

Pictured below is a whole bavette flap, which typically:

• weighs around four pounds when properly trimmed;
• has one end that is thinner and tapered;
• has striated muscle fibers, much like outside skirt steak, and its meat is very dense. 

Other Names for Bavette Steak

This delicious beef cut is also known as sirloin flap steak, being derived from the bottom sirloin butt. Other names include flap steak and sirloin bavette.  

Buy Bavette Steak

Buy the right cut. Bavette is often confused with flank steak, which it is not. The two are located adjacent to each other, but flank is dryer, smaller, without any fat and with fibers that run along its length. Be sure to buy bavette from a butcher that knows his cuts well. 

Grade matters. This cut will taste best when USDA Choice or Prime beef. Also, make sure that not all the fat has been removed as the steak lacks internal marbling.

NOTE: Although bavette is a delicious steak, the nature of the cut requires aging in order for the meat not to be chewy. An industry standard is twenty-one days. Very tender examples have often been wet aged up to forty-five days. 

What Does Bavette Steak Taste Like?

There is a saying among butchers that bavette sits at the apex of the flavor and price ratio. Bavette steak has a robust beefy taste that rivals that of ribeye. Because it is leaner its flavor often comes through even stronger than ribeye's. 

What is the Best Way to Cook Bavette Steak?

Grill. Grilling is by far the best way to cook a bavette - whole or smaller portions of it. On the grill it forms a beautiful crust and if using charcoal it takes on the delicious aromas from the wood. 

Stove top. If you would like to cook bavette on the stove, the best approach is to cut the whole piece into thick steak strips - with the grain.

Searing the smaller pieces in a skillet is much easier and also addresses an issue with the open grain texture of the meat. Open grain releases a lot of water and if you try to cook the whole bavette on the stove top there is a high chance that it will steam in the pan instead of form an appetizing thick crust like it does on the grill. 

Step-by-Step Grilled Bavette Sirloin

Prep. Before you grill this steak you need to make sure that you have brought it to room temperature. While you can marinate it (we like this beer marinade for steak), you can simply use kosher salt to liberally season the outside. 

Grill. Place directly over the grates of a preheated grill (medium-hot) and allow up to twelve minutes per side for a whole bavette, about four-five minutes per side for smaller sections. 

Top Tips to Consider

• When grilling the whole flap it is to be expected that the ends will cook faster, which is why we recommend that they are situated on the periphery of the heat source as shown above. This ensures less intense heat is cooking them.
• The density of the flap muscle and the thickness of the cut account for it coming to temperature quite slowly, so medium-hot grill is better than hot. 

To What Temperature Should You Grill Bavette Flap Steak?

The ideal temperature to cook bavette to is medium-rare to medium. Our preference is a solid medium-rare. If cooked only until rare it will be too chewy, even if it has been aged sufficiently.

Note that there is a difference between when the steak should be removed from the grill or skillet and the final serving temperature.

Medium-rare. Stop cooking when 120-125 F in the thickest part / final serving temperature will reach 125-130 F.
Medium. Stop cooking when 130-135 F in the thickest part / final serving temperature will reach 135-145 F.

Rest Time is Essential

While all beef steaks benefit from rest time, in the case of bavette, especially when cooked whole, resting is crucial. 

Due to the sheer size and thickness of the cut allow at least 15 minutes of rest in order for the natural juices to be retained and tenderness increased. You can rest it in a very low heat area of the grill or onto a board, loosely tented to keep warm.

How to Slice This Steak Against the Grain 

• To cut the whole flap bavette against the grain aim for diagonal slices at about forty-five degrees to the width of the meat. This will help you slice tender pieces because the muscle fibers run sideways. See picture above. 
• If you cooked smaller steaks carved from the whole flap with the grain, then you simply need to cut these elongated steaks into bite sized pieces on their short side. This will essentially be about ninety degrees against the grain. 

Compatible Sauces & Serving Ideas for Sirloin Flap

• A perfectly grilled steak is best complemented by a champion sauce and in keeping with the French name we like to serve bavette steak with persillade - a vibrant parsley centered French sauce that just sings along the tender bites of meat. Here is a recipe if you'd like to try it.
• Also try grilled bavette with classic chimichurri. Recipe here.
• Skillet seared smaller portions of bavette are superb with this bourbon sauce for steak or this creamy shrimp steak sauce.
• Classic steak side dishes such as frites, twice baked potatoes, crispy roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables, blistered asparagus spears, sauted mushrooms and onions.