Bavette Steak is incredibly flavorful and needs just a few minutes in a cast iron skillet or on the grill to be cooked to medium rare perfection. Follow along for easy to follow instructions on how to cook bavette steak along with a tasty peppercorn cream sauce to top the meat with.
If you have never had beef bavette before, you are in for a real treat! Full of flavor, this steak cut is absolutely delicious. Bavette steak is known as a "butcher's cut" of meat. Why? Because it's so delicious that butchers want to keep it for themselves!
This peppercorn sauce is just one delicious way to serve bavette meat. I purposefully kept the seasoning super simple, just salt and pepper for the meat itself. This way you can choose whether you want to make the creamy peppercorn sauce or if you want to serve it a different way! It would be delicious marinated in teriyaki sauce or served with cilantro chimichurri.
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What is bavette steak?
Bavette steak is the french term for flank steak. It literally means "bib" in french. The name comes from the location on the cow. This cut of steak comes from the lower chest area or the abdominal muscles. Other names for bavette include flap steak, sirloin flap, and sirloin butt.
Bavette steak is VERY similar to skirt steak or flank steak, they come from the same region of the cow. So if you are unable to find bavette steak, either of those would make for a good substitute.
For more steak recipes try steak gorgonzola alfredo or steak and arugula sandwich.
How to cook bavette steak
Don't worry! Cooking bavette steak is not hard. Arguably the best way to cook bavette steaks is on a piping hot cast iron skillet or on the grill. This allows for a nice sear on the outside and a medium rare inside. This cut of meat is not super thick, so a few minutes on each side is all you will need.
After cooking, allow the meat to sit on your cutting board for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This allows the muscle fibers to relax, which will make it extra tender and tasty. Be sure to cut against the grain when slicing.
Ingredients (steak + sauce)
- bavette steak
- salt and pepper
- oil
peppercorn sauce
- butter
- whole peppercorns
- shallot
- beef stock
- brandy
- heavy cream
Instructions
Before you begin, leave your meat on the counter for 30-45 minutes to come up to room temperature.
Season liberally with salt and pepper, pressing the spices into the meat.
Add oil to a large cast iron skillet over high heat. You can use olive oil, but ideally you would want to use something with a higher smoke point, as you are cooking at high heat.
Once the skillet is hot, carefully place seasoned bavette steak in to the pan.
Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, the outside should have a nice char on it and the inside pink with an internal temperature of about 130 degrees F (it will carry over cook about 5 degrees).
Remove cooked steak to cutting board and allow 5-10 minutes of rest time.
While the steak is resting, it's time to make the creamy peppercorn sauce.
Begin by crushing the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or running over them a few times with a rolling pin.
Reduce heat to medium and to the same skillet, add butter. Once melted add shallots and crushed peppercorns. Saute for 2 minutes until the shallots are fragrant and the peppercorns have begun to soften.
Add brandy and cook for 30 seconds. Add beef stock and with a wooden spoon, scrap up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce by half.
Add heavy cream and stir, reduce by half again.
Serve over sliced steak.
How to Serve
What to serve with steak bavette can vary a lot based on the sauce, marinade, seasonings you use. To pair with this peppercorn sauce recipe, I would choose one of the following.
- creamy rice and spinach casserole
- garlic butter soy sauce mushrooms
- simple rocca salad
- oven roasted carrots and green beans
- mashed potatoes
Where to buy bavette steak
Bavette steak isn't the most common cut in the United States, so it can be difficult to find at standard grocery stores. I was able to get it through my local butcher, who was VERY excited that I knew about this "prime cut" of meat.
Bavette steak can be purchased online through specialty meat sellers as well, such as Porter Road, Grass Roots Farm, and Wild Fork Foods
Recipe FAQs
Bavette steak comes from a well-exercised muscle in the cow, which can make it slightly tougher. However, with proper cooking techniques and marination, you can make bavette steak more tender.
Bavette steak usually has a thin layer of fat on the outside, which can add flavor during cooking. The internal marbling in bavette steak is typically minimal, resulting in a leaner texture. This can make it a popular choice for those seeking a balance between flavor and lower fat content.
Wagyu bavette steak refers to a bavette steak cut from the Wagyu breed of cattle. When it comes to Wagyu bavette steak, you can expect it to have a higher degree of marbling compared to bavette steaks from other breeds. This marbling contributes to a buttery texture and a rich, beefy flavor.
more steak recipes
Bavette Steak
Ingredients
- 2 lb. bavette steak
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. oil
creamy peppercorn sauce
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 tsp. whole peppercorns
- 1 shallot minced
- ¼ cup brandy
- ½ cup beef stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Before you begin, leave your meat on the counter for 30-45 minutes to come up to room temperature.
- Season liberally with salt and pepper, pressing the spices into the meat.
- Add oil to a large cast iron skillet over high heat. You can use olive oil, but ideally you would want to use something with a higher smoke point, as you are cooking at high heat.
- Once the skillet is hot, carefully place seasoned bavette steak in to the pan.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, the outside should have a nice char on it and the inside pink with an internal temperature of about 130 degrees F (it will carry over cook about 5 degrees).
- Remove cooked steak to cutting board and allow 5-10 minutes of rest time.
- While the steak is resting, it's time to make the creamy peppercorn sauce.
- Begin by crushing the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or running over them a few times with a rolling pin.
- Reduce heat to medium and to the same skillet, add butter. Once melted add shallots and crushed peppercorns. Saute for 2 minutes until the shallots are fragrant and the peppercorns have begun to soften.
- Add brandy and cook for 30 seconds. Add beef stock and with a wooden spoon, scrap up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce by half.
- Add heavy cream and stir, reduce by half again.
- Serve over sliced steak.
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