Known as the butcher’s cut, bavette is a very popular cut of meat that has lost its charm in recent years. Due to low-quality supermarket meat cuts, this wonderful steak is not something that can be found very easily.
But if you can get a hold of this, or if there are some butcher shops around you, bavette steak is something you have to try! Filled with tons of flavor and depth, this meat is pretty cheap and versatile.
In this article, we will take a closer look at bavette steak and all the confusion surrounding it. This French style cut is a great mid-week meal within a reasonable price. So let’s find out what a bavette steak really is!
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What is a Bavette Steak?
So, what is a bavette steak? Bavette is simply the French term for flank steak. So if you are looking for bavette and can’t find it, chances are it was labeled as flank steak and you missed it!
This cut was popularised in France hence the name. Bavette steak is taken from the abdominal of cows, a part which is very well-exercised. Due to this, thick cuts are often tougher than other popular steaks. This is one reason why it’s comparatively cheaper.
But if you know how to prepare your bavette steak properly, you will be amazed at how tender, juicy and meaty it can be. Most people do not like bavette steak because they do not know how to cook it.
We have a solution for that!
How to Cook the Bavette Steak
With many experiments, we have found the best way to cook a bavette steak is to marinate it very well. You can try many different marinades for it.
You will find many bavette steak recipes on the internet. But today we are going to share one of our favorite ways to enjoy bavette steak as a mouth-watering meal.
Decide on the Recipe:
Depending on the recipe, the rest of the steps can vary a lot. If you decide to grill the whole steak, you will have to follow a different preparation method than if you were to stir fry it.
The great thing about bavette steak is, you can try a lot of different recipes with it. It’s incredibly versatile and soaks in flavors.
Marinade It Well!
Marination is a very crucial part if you want tender and juicy bavette steak. As bavette and other similar cuts of meat do not have a lot of fat, they can taste a bit dry and tough. Marinating helps to tenderize the muscle fibers so it cooks faster and tastes better.
You can use many different types of marination and there are so many great bavette steak recipes! From classic BBQ style to some eastern twist, you can do anything.
One of our favorite marinades for bavette steak is using soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, honey, and vinegar. Try it once and you will want this delicious dish every day.
If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, try playing with Indian garam masala and seasonings. They add a certain what and depth to this flavorful cut of meat.
Time to Cook:
To cook your bavette steak you can follow a few different methods. Preparing flank steak is a crucial part before cooking. Firstly, you can toss it in the grill and it will be ready in a few minutes.
This is undoubtedly the best way to enjoy a bavette steak. The high heat and smoke from the grill make it tender and easy to chew.
But if you are cooking on your stove, grab your grill pan and add a few drops of sunflower oil to it. Sunflower oil is great for high heat cooking as it doesn’t burn very easily.
When the pan gets super hot, put your bavette steak and let it do its thing for 3-4 minutes. You might see a lot of smoke coming out of the pan but that’s totally normal. As this piece of meat has a lot of liquid, it creates tons of smoke.
Flip your steak and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. Then let it rest for 5 minutes and it’s ready to enjoy! You really don’t need more time than this for a perfect medium-rare steak.
How Do You Cut a Bavette Steak?
Bavette steak is not the most tender piece of meat out there. The artistry of it relies on the way it’s been cut. That’s why it’s ideal to purchase your bavette steaks from local butchers instead of supermarkets.
Bavette steaks contain a lot of fibers which makes them quite tough to chew. The solution is to tenderize it. You can tenderize your bavette steak with the help of marinade. This is a pre-cooking method.
When you are eating the steak, always cut it across the fiber and grain. This helps to cut through all those tough lean fibers which are essentially muscles.
You will be able to clew very easily after that. The advantage of a bavette steak is that it’s extremely juicy. This is the key reason why people love this cut of meat so much.
Cooking Tips for Bavette Steak
Now that you know how to make the perfect bavette steak aka braised skirt steak, here are some tips that you can use to make many different dishes:
- Use different marinades to add flavor to your dish. Bavette cuts are known to soak up flavors very well.
- Use lime and chili in the marinade to add a Mexican punch to the dish. This works very well for BBQs.
- Cook your bavette steak quickly and fast on very high heat. Otherwise, you lose a lot of moisture and they become very dry.
- Unlike other stakes, you should not use it directly out of the freezer. Let the meat come to room temperature before putting it on a hot pan.
- Rest your bavette steak on a piece of foil paper. This ensures even heat distribution.
- Always cut your bavette steak in the opposite direction of the muscles. This helps to chew easily.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
01. What Cut of Meat is a Bavette Steak?
Though it sounds quite fancy, bavette is just the french name for flank steak. Taken from the abdominal muscles of a cow, bavette steak is a great cut of meat for a wide range of dishes.
Due to its loose texture, it does not get chewy or tough. The tender meat tastes flavorful and juicy in whichever way you prepare.
02. What is Bavette Steak Good for?
You can make a wide range of dishes with bavette steak. We personally love to sear it on a cast iron pan. Grilling it on a charcoal or gas grill adds tons of depth to this meat.
You can add different sauces or use sliced bavette steak for fajitas or shawarmas. It’s a very versatile cut of meat that can be celebrated in many different ways.
03. Is Bavette Steak the Same as Skirt?
It’s very easy to get confused between bavette steak and skirt steak. They both look practically the same with long muscle fibers and rich dark color. They are different, but not the way you’d think.
Both bavette steak and braised skirt steak come from the same region, which is the lower abdomen of a cow. This part actually has quite a few different cuts of meat.
They all basically taste the same. The difference is mainly in the way they are shaped and cut.
The name also varies based on the region you live in. In the UK, this cut is known as hanger steak while in the US, they are known as the butcher’s cut. So onglet, skirt bavette or flank, whichever you decide to call it, is a very tender and delicious cut of beef that should be celebrated more.
04. What Can I Use Instead of Bavette Steak?
If you are preparing a dish that specifically asks for a bavette steak but you don’t have one available, swap it with a skirt steak. You can also use flat iron steak for it.
All these steaks come from the same region of the cow, which is the lower abdomen area. This is why they all have the same texture and bite. This makes them all good alternatives to each other.
05. Why is Flank Steak So Expensive?
It’s quite the opposite actually. Flank steak is one of the cheapest cuts of meat available.
It’s also called the butcher’s cut as most butchers used to keep this piece for themselves. Nowadays flank steaks have grown in popularity due to them being widely used for fajitas.
06. How Long to Cook Skirt Steak in a Pan?
Skirt steak does not require too much time to cook. So traditional steak cooking methods won’t work here. All you need is a super hot pan.
Cook your steak for 3-4 minutes on each side until you get a nice caramelized layer. Then rest your skirt steak for 5 minutes to get a medium-rare doneness level.
07. Is Flank Steak the Same as Brisket?
Flank steak and brisket are not the same even though both come from the underside of a cow. Brisket is a part of the breast portion of the cow whereas flank steak is at the abdomen area.
Brisket is all muscle so you need to cook it for a prolonged period of time. So it works really well in stews, chili, curry, and slow-cooked broth. It’s a great cut of meat for smoking and BBQs too.
Flank steak on the other hand needs high heat cooking. You need to cook it fast otherwise the meat becomes too chewy and dry.
08. Is Bavette Steak Chewy?
Bavette steak is a very well-exercised muscle so it’s definitely not as tender as ribeye or tenderloin. Bavette is quite chewy if you don’t cook it properly. It has a lower fat content so it’s not a great option for slow-cooked recipes.
Bavette steak is best to be cooked on the grill on high flame. Adding marination before cooking ensures that the meat will stay juicy and tender.
09. What is Wagyu Bavette Steak?
Wagyu beef is a premium Japanese cow breed that has a high fat to meat ratio. Due to this wagyu beef is super soft and juicy. It’s so tender that it melts in your mouth.
Wagyu bavette steak is basically a bavette cut from wagyu cows. It doesn’t taste anything like normal bavette steak. It’s more flavorful, and softer due to the marbling.
To Conclude
Bavette is a very underappreciated cut of meat full of flavors and depth. Hopefully, with our easy guide, you will be curious to explore more recipes with it.
It’s affordable and fast to cook, so perfect for when you’re meal-prepping under a budget! Well, even if you are not, who would say no to this delicious steak anyway?
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