A bavette steak is a type of beef tenderloin cut that’s often called “French steak.”
This particular cut of meat comes from the rib section of the steer.
What Is A Bavette Steak?
Bavette steak comes from the rib region.
It has an elongated shape with a thicker cross-section than other cuts like strip or filet mignon steaks.
Bavette steaks have a distinctive look because they’re not uniform across their width.
Instead, they exhibit a slight curve along its length, which makes them resemble a little bit of a bow tie.
The name “bavette” means “bowtie” in French.
However, this isn’t a steak you can eat wearing your best tuxedo! A bavette steak doesn’t really have any bones, but it does come from the rib area where there are many thin muscles that connect to each other.
While it may be difficult to see, these muscles give the steak a distinct appearance when sliced against the grain.
Although bavette steak looks different from other types of steak, it still tastes great — just ask anyone who tried our recipe for bavette steak tartare on Instagram! If you want to try out some French cooking techniques, we also offer recipes for veal osso bucco and pot roast.
What Are The Ingredients In A Bavette Steak Recipe?
The basic ingredients needed to make this bavette steak include beef tenderloin (rib) or filet mignon, shallots, garlic, thyme, peppercorns, salt, and red wine.
There are many variations on how to prepare a bavette steak.
Some chefs prefer to sear the steak before simmering it in a sauce.
Others like to braise their steaks until they fall apart.
And some use a combination of both methods.
Here’s what you need to know about preparing your own bavette steak:
- Beef tenderloins come from the rib area of the cow.
- You can choose between filets mignons, which are long thin strips of meat, or bavettes, which are thick pieces of meat.
- Use fresh herbs whenever possible. They add flavor and aroma to the finished product.
- To get started with your bavette steak recipe, read our step-by-step instructions below!
How Do You Cook A Bavette Steak?
Bavette steaks require a bit more time than other cuts of beef to cook properly.
You can use different cooking methods depending on your preference, but the general rule is to sear it first before simmering it in liquid.
Here’s how to make a bavette steak recipe.
- Trim all excess fat off the bavette steak.
- Season both sides with salt (and pepper if desired).
- Heat some oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan. Cook the steak until one side has browned nicely, about 3 minutes per side. Flip it over and reduce the temperature to medium low.
- Add butter to the pan and let it melt. Pour in 1/4 cup of red wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and continue to cook the steak for an additional 15 – 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour another half cup of wine into a small pot and add 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Whisk together to create a slurry. Add this mixture back to the pan along with two cups of chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking constantly. Continue to cook the mixture for 10 minutes. Turn down the heat slightly so the mixture doesn’t come to a full boil.
- Remove the steak from the pan and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the bavette steak against the grain and serve it with the gravy.
What Is The Best Way To Cook A Bavette Steak?
The bavette steak can be cooked in any number of ways.
It is usually marinated before it is grilled or roasted over an open flame.
You may also use your oven as part of this process.
In general, steaks should be served rare to medium-rare.
If you want to serve them well done, they need to spend time at higher temperatures than most people would tolerate.
Grilling
- Brush on olive oil (or other vegetable oil) to prevent sticking.
- Wrap the bavette with aluminum foil so it doesn’t dry out while grilling.
- Place the steak directly on the grill grate without turning it until it begins to char on one side. Turn the steak over onto its other side so that both sides will begin to brown.
- Continue cooking the steak on each side for about 3 minutes per side. Remove the steak when it reaches desired doneness.
Roasting
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (230 Celsius).
- Rub the bottom of a roasting pan with butter or margarine. Then place the steak inside the pan, fat-side up.
- Bake the steak in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Flip the steak over and roast for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the steak from the oven and brush generously with melted butter or margarine.
- Return the steak to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes or until the internal temperature of the steak registers 120 degrees F (49 C)
Oven-roasted
This method combines all three methods above into one simple step. Simply wrap the bavette steak in aluminum foil and roast it in the oven. Make sure you turn the oven off before removing the steak.
What Are Some Tips For Cooking A Bavette Steak?
Bavettes come from the rib section of the cow.
They can be found on either side of the animal.
When buying one, make sure it has no defects or scars and check its thickness.
If you aren’t able to find a thick enough piece, ask your butcher to slice it down so you have what you need.
Once you get it home, wash it thoroughly under running water before seasoning with salt and pepper.
The most important step in preparing this steak is to sear it quickly over high heat.
You want to let all sides of the steak caramelize (or turn brown) to give them flavor.
After that, just place it into an oven-safe pan filled with red wine and cover until finished cooking.
Don’t forget to add some garlic butter as well!
Read our article about how to properly prep a steak to learn more details about cooking a bavette steak.
How Do You Know When A Bavette Steak Is Done?
The best way to tell whether or not your bavette steak has been cooked properly is by looking at its color.
When it hits room temperature (or slightly warmer), check out how pinkish-red this particular cut of meat appears.
If you see any dark brown areas on top, that might mean that the steak is undercooked.
However, don’t worry about these darker spots too much because they will cook as it rests in the pan.
If you see any light brown spots, those spots indicate that the steak is overdone.
You want them to be mostly white with only a little bit of grayish-brown coloring around the edges.
When you look at the bottom side of the steak, you can also determine how well it’s cooked.
A bavette steak should have a nice sear on both sides, which means that there should be plenty of crispy black bits on each piece of meat.
These black dots form when you place the steak directly over high heat and allow it to sit for just a few seconds before removing it from the stove.
However, if you notice that the underside of the steak looks like it’s still raw, you need to reduce the heat so that the steak cooks more slowly.
If you try to remove the steak from the oven earlier than necessary, you run the risk of burning it.
What Should You Do If Your Bavette Steak Is Overcooked?
When cooking your steak, it’s important to remember that steaks are delicate cuts of meat.
If they get too hot or remain in contact with the heat source for too long, they can become dry, tough, and chewy.
As such, you need to keep an eye on them as they cook so you don’t end up with something like this:
- This Bavette Steak Overcooked!
The key here is timing – just as with most other types of food, the best way to ensure that your steak doesn’t go over-done is by using a thermometer.
You can buy these at many stores now or even order one online.
Once you have one, all you need to do is insert it into the thickest part of the steak, making sure not to touch the bone.
Then set your timer for two minutes per inch of thickness (about 2 inches) until it reaches 145°F (63°C).
Remove the steak from the pan immediately after removing the thermometer. It will be rare, but very juicy.
Don’t forget about the sides
If you’re having guests over, make sure to serve some vegetables alongside your main course.
These may include potatoes, sauteed onions, roasted carrots, or anything else you enjoy eating while enjoying a nice meal.
A side salad would also be great, especially if you plan on serving a lot of different flavors.
What Should You Do If Your Bavette Steak Is Undercooked?
If your bavette steak is too rare when it arrives at the table, simply cook it longer to make up for this mistake.
A medium-rare or well-done steak won’t have as much flavor.
Steak lovers will likely be disappointed by this outcome so make sure to order it correctly before sitting down to eat!
In terms of other cooking techniques, there isn’t an easy way around this issue either.
You can sear the steak on both sides with high heat until the outside gets nice and browned, but once the inside starts cooking, it will start to lose its juices.
This means that if you don’t finish cooking the steak all the way through, you risk losing some of the juices.
If you want to try something different, we recommend using one of our best grilling recipes instead.
Grilled steaks tend to stay juicy because they are cooked over indirect heat which helps retain their moisture content.
How Do You Serve A Bavette Steak
Bavettes are usually served with a simple pan-seared preparation.
They can be cooked on the stovetop or grilled outdoors.
If you want to grill the bavettes, make sure to marinate them overnight before grilling.
You will need plenty of room on the grill rack as well.
Place the steaks directly over medium heat and sear each side until they get nice brown color.
Then move them off the grill so they don’t overcook.
Once cooled down, slice them thinly across the grain.
You may also choose to cook these beauties on the stovetop.
If so, remember to season the steaks with salt and pepper before putting them into a hot skillet.
Sauté each side until it gets nicely charred.
Remove them from the pan once done, let cool down slightly, and then slice them thin.
Finally, this is how to prepare a bavette steak in the oven.
Preheat the broiler and place the steaks on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Broil on high heat until the steaks are completely blackened but still juicy inside.
Let rest for at least five minutes before slicing them.
The following recipes show how to make two different types of sauces for serving alongside your bavette steaks.
- Tartare Sauce (for steak tartar)
- Red Wine Balsamic Reduction (for bavette steak)
Equipment
- Grill, large sauté pan or cast iron skillet
Ingredients
Bavette Steak
- 4 lb bavette steak flank steak, skirt steak
Chimichurri Marinade and Sauce
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 bunch italian parsley
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 6-8 garlic cloves pressed
- 2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prior to cooking, let your steaks sit at room temperature for around 30 minutes. Although not necessary, it enables the meat to cook more uniformly.
- Use a fork or knife to cut a bavette steak. To make beef more soft, pierce it roughly every 1/2 inch.
- Bavette steak can be marinated in chimichurri for up to four hours. Serve with chimichirru sauce if you don’t have time to marinade. But marinating makes the meat more delicious and tender.
- Apply oil to the bavette steak and season with kosher or sea salt.
- Cast iron pan or skillet with oil added; high heat. You should heat up your pan before adding the steak.
- Put a pan with bavette steak inside. Don’t move the steak so it can caramelize.
- Cook the steak until it achieves the desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side. Regarding cooking temperatures, see the notes.
- Bavette steak should be taken out of the pan and placed on a plate to rest for 5 minutes. To maintain heat while resting, lightly cover the top with a piece of foil.
- Make sure to use a sharp knife to slice your meat. Depending on liking, cut into slices of 1/4 to 1/2.
- For a more sensitive bite, it’s crucial to cut the bavette steak against the grain. The muscular fibers in the flesh are referred to as the grain. Cut in the opposite way and keep an eye out for muscle fibers. By slicing these muscular fibers, the meat becomes more tender as opposed to chewy or rough.
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