![What Cut Is Bavette Steak? [WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW]](https://bbqrover.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/bavette-1024x627.png)
Bavette steak, also known as flap steak, is a mouthwatering steak cut from a cow. It is flavorful and easy to cook due to its high-fat content making it many people’s favorite.
In a nutshell, a bavette steak from the lower chest of a cow. It is flat and has a flexible texture because it comprises high-fat content. This cut is flavorful but sometimes tough because it has some exercised muscles due to its area of location. The balanced ratio of fats and muscles makes the meat flavorful and less tender, as the fats are essential in reducing the chewiness that comes with tough muscles.
Read through to understand more about what you didn’t know about bavette and what you would want to know about this steak.
What cut is bavette steak?
This steak is obtained from the lower place of sirloin, which is why you can find it labeled in grocery stores as top sirloin instead of bavette steak. It is located deeper in the cow. An area less exercised, thus giving less tough meat cuts. This is why bavette steak is on top compared to flank steak. The flank usually is over-exercised, making it have many tough fiber muscles and less fat. Bavette steak is tender and flavorful, while flank steak is tough and needs seasoning to make it tasty.
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Why is it Called Bavette Steak?
Bavette is French for flank steak. It is a French word for bib, referring to the shape of the cut and its location on the cow. It is cut from the region next to the skirt and flank steaks. However, even though they come from almost the same place, the three steaks are completely different and should never be categorized together. So, the name bavette is derived from French as a direct translation for bib and as French’s flank steak.
How is Bavette Steak Taste?
The steak is tender, juicy, and with an intensely beefy flavor. Its flavor still stands out even when paired with different side dishes and sauces. It is easy to cook as it is tender and thus does not require you to spend too much time making the steak.
Is Bavette the Same as Hanger Steak?
Even though bavette steak and hanger steak are close in a cow’s location, they are not the same. The hanger steak is between the skirt and bavette steak, they might have some common features, such as flavor and texture, but their location and fat content make them different.
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What’s the Difference Between Bavette and Flank Steak?
Flank steak and bavette steak are very confusing. Some people will say that bavette and flank are the same things, which they are not. However the two steaks have some similarities, but that does not make them the same thing.
Bavette steak is thicker than flank steak and contains a thick layer of fat marbling, making it juicier and tender even without marinating. Flank steak has tougher muscles because it is cut from the exterior side of the cow’s lower abdomen, unlike the bavette that comes from the interior part that does not experience too much exercising, thus containing tender muscles.
How is Bavette Steak Best Cooked?
You can use several ways to cook bavette steak. However, pan frying and grilling are the best ones to cook your bavette steak to give it the best flavor possible.
You should be keen when grilling or pan frying because bavette steak has one end thicker than the other. Therefore it is likely to cook unevenly. The thin end cooks faster than the thick end, so you need to be keen to ensure both ends cook evenly. When seasoning, trim off the steak’s extra fats and then marinate with your favorite marinade or rub any dry rub you prefer.
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Grilling bavette steak is simpler, just like how you do with all other types of steaks. Let it cook until it attains a safer internal temperature of 120 degrees F – rare, 125 degrees F – medium rare, and 130 degrees F – medium. You should remember that the bavette continues cooking while resting. Therefore remove it from heat when it is at medium.
How to season bavette steak
Rub any dry rub you prefer on the steak, such as classic seasoning or Mexican-inspired rub. Or if you do not like rub, you can only season with coarse salt and black pepper. Some people love wet marinades containing savory ingredients like barbeque sauce, garlic, and soy sauce. Leave the cut to marinate for at least 12 hours before cooking.
Grill Preparation
To perfectly grill your bavette cut, use the two-zoned grilling method, where you will have to place hot charcoal on one side and cool ones on the other side. Or Preheat your grill to 225 degrees F so you can achieve smoking and low-heat grilling. This way, you will end up with an evenly cooked bavette steak that is juicy and tender, as it ensures that your steak does not dry out.
Cooking the steak
Bavette steak is perfectly grilled with the two-zoned method or the direct-indirect method of cooking, as discussed earlier. This method enables you to get a perfect sear on both sides first. Then you move the steak to indirect heat for finishing.
Preheat your grill to 225 degrees F and place your steak with the thick end close to direct heat or the hot zone. However, you should not put it in the hot zone because it will start searing instead of cooking. Further, you only want it to cook, not sear. Putting it closer keeps the middle warmer, enabling your steak to cook slowly.
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Mix butter and tallow in a pan and place the mixture on the grill. Tallow is essential in this step because it ensures that butter does not burn completely, thus intensifying the flavor. Immediately the mixture of butter and tallow starts smoking. Place your bavette steak on the hottest part of the smoker.
Cook each side of bavette steak for around 3 to 7 minutes based on the level of doneness you want. While cooking, flip it frequently to ensure that it cooks evenly on both sides. Also, baste it with tallow and butter to ensure it retains its juices.
Check its internal temperature using a meat thermometer after about three minutes, where it should be at 115 degrees F. When the internal temperature reads as per your likeness, remove it from the pan and let it rest for five to ten minutes before you slice and serve.
Bavette Steak Availability
Bavette is not common in grocery stores like any other steak. Meat dealers specially sell it. Therefore, when you want to buy bavette steak, it is better to source it directly from a butcher rather than buying blindly from any grocery that might have labeled something different. Online-based meat dealers can easily avail it to you.
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Conclusion
Bavette steak is flavorful, tender, and juicy. Cooking it on a grill is still the best method to ensure that you achieve even cooking on both ends of the steak. It has a thick marbling of fat, thus giving you an easy time cooking as you do not need to do a lot of marinating. In addition, bavette steak goes well with almost all side dishes and sauces while maintaining its intense beef flavor.
Courtney is a professional grilling enthusiast who has spent a good portion of his life grilling and exploring different methods and techniques for preparing delicious meals. As he always says, creativity is key to preparing sumptuous meals.