Bavette – also known as flank steak – is a wonderfully flavoursome cut of beef that was underappreciated for a long time. These days it’s popular in restaurants and available at most quality butchers. What makes this delicious cut so special, and what should you look out for when buying and preparing it?
Taste and texture of bavette
Bavette has a unique texture compared with other steaks. It’s a lean cut with visible grain, making it fairly coarse. Despite its low fat content, it’s very tender when prepared the right way. What really defines bavette is its intense flavour, which is why meat lovers love it so much.
Eating bavette as a steak became popular in France. The cut comes from the flank of the cow, located on the underside between the leg and breast. The muscles in that area are used a lot, which gives bavette its distinctively strong flavour. This part of the cow was originally mostly used for stewing beef.
What to look for when buying bavette
Generally speaking, bavette is always a tasty cut of meat, but there is variation between pieces. When buying bavette, it’s worth paying attention to a few things to find the best piece:
- Colour: choose a piece with a deep red colour.
- Fat: bavette is a lean cut, but a thin layer of fat on one side is fine – it can add a bit of extra juiciness.
- Texture: compared with other types of steak, bavette is relatively coarse with a pronounced grain.
- Thickness: make sure the bavette you buy has an even thickness; that makes it much easier to cook evenly.
Versatile and easy to prepare
Start by patting the bavette dry (with a paper towel, for example) – this is essential for a good sear. For the best flavour and tenderness, the meat shouldn’t be too cold, so take it out of the fridge about 45 minutes before you start cooking.
Like other steaks, bavette tastes best when seared briefly at high heat on both sides. Make sure to sear both sides quickly so the meat stays juicy. A meat thermometer is very handy for getting it just right – ideally, the core temperature should be between 50 and 60°C. A lower temperature gives you a rare steak, while medium is reached at around 58°C.
Slicing bavette requires a bit of care: it’s essential to cut against the grain. This breaks up the long fibres and makes the meat more tender. The grain runs across the width of the meat – if it’s hard to see, you can usually feel with your hand which direction the fibres run.
A culinary comeback
Meat lovers can’t get enough of bavette. Its intense flavour makes it a truly unique steak. Interestingly, it took a while for bavette to become properly popular – for a long time it was considered inferior to cuts like fillet, entrecôte or rump steak. True connoisseurs now know that bavette is just as delicious.
This promotional feature is brought to you in partnership with online butcher INAMOOD.