Bavette steak is a bottom sirloin cut, often sold as flap steak or sirloin flap, with a loose, open grain and a deep, beefy flavor. Sear it over high heat, check its center with a thermometer, then rest and slice thinly against the grain. For beef steaks, Health Canada lists 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare and 160°F (71°C) for medium.
- What it is: flap steak / sirloin flap, cut from the bottom sirloin
- How to cook it: a hot pan or grill; use a suitable time-and-temperature guide if cooking sous-vide
- Target doneness: 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare or 160°F (71°C) for medium under Health Canada guidance
- Before serving: rest, then slice thin across the grain
Key Takeaways
Bavette rewards a good sear, a proper rest, and thin slicing against the grain more than any special aging or seasoning technique. Check the internal temperature rather than relying on a fixed cooking time.
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Know the names | Bavette is sold as flap steak or sirloin flap in most North American shops. |
| Cook hot and fast | Sear over high heat and check the center; thicker pieces may need a gentler finish. |
| Target medium-rare to medium | For beef steaks, Health Canada lists 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare and 160°F (71°C) for medium. |
| Rest before slicing | Rest 5 to 10 minutes, longer for larger sharing-size pieces, then slice thin against the grain. |
| Buy from a butcher | Ask the butcher for flap steak or sirloin flap; call Pat’s to check bavette availability before planning a meal around it. |
Table of Contents
- What Is Bavette Steak, and How Does It Differ From Flank and Skirt?
- What Does Bavette Taste Like, and How Tender Is It?
- Where Can You Buy Bavette Steak?
- How Do You Trim and Prep Bavette Before Cooking?
- What’s the Best Way to Cook Bavette Steak?
- How Should You Slice and Serve Bavette Steak?
- A Simple Pan-Seared Bavette Recipe You Can Make Tonight
- What a Butcher’s Perspective Adds to Cooking Bavette
- Ask About Bavette at Pat’s Prime Cuts
- Sources
What Is Bavette Steak, and How Does It Differ From Flank and Skirt?
Bavette comes from the bottom sirloin, specifically the obliquus internus muscle that sits just behind the flank. In French butchery it’s called bavette d’aloyau, a name that shows up on bistro menus with a certain amount of prestige. In North America, that same muscle usually gets a plainer name at the meat counter: flap steak, sirloin flap, or just flap meat.
That naming gap matters more than it should. Compared to flank steak, bavette runs thicker and carries more marbling, with a coarser, more irregular grain that fans out rather than running in one straight direction. Skirt steak is thinner and more fibrous still. Flap meat’s loose structure is exactly why it takes to high heat and bold marinades so well.
What Does Bavette Taste Like, and How Tender Is It?
Bavette delivers a big, beefy flavor, richer and more mineral than a flank steak, with just enough fat threaded through the muscle to keep it juicy. The grain runs long and loose rather than tight and uniform, which means it drinks up a marinade fast and holds onto bold, acidic sauces without turning mushy.
It won’t have the buttery bite of a striploin or tenderloin. Chew is part of the deal here. But cooked correctly and sliced properly, that chew reads as texture, not toughness. It’s a trade you make for flavor and price, and most cooks find it a fair one.
Where Can You Buy Bavette Steak?
A butcher shop is your best bet, hands down. Supermarkets sometimes carry the cut, but they rarely label it “bavette.” Look for flap steak, sirloin flap, or bottom sirloin flap on the packaging instead, since labeling varies widely by region and retailer.
A whole bavette can serve a small group as a sliced sharing steak. When you’re at the counter, ask for a few specific things:
- Trim level: how much of the fat cap and silver skin you want removed
- Thickness: even thickness helps it cook uniformly
- Whole vs. portioned: keep it whole for slicing at the table, or have it cut into strips for tacos or fajitas
- Freshness: ask when it was cut and how to store it safely until cooking
If you’re planning a dinner around it, call ahead and ask whether bavette is available or can be sourced for your date. It is not currently listed in Pat’s online catalog; the shop does list skirt and flank steak as alternatives.
How Do You Trim and Prep Bavette Before Cooking?
Bavette sometimes arrives with a layer of silver skin and a fat cap still attached, and how you handle both depends on how you plan to cook it.
- Lay the steak flat and slide a thin knife just under the silver skin, angling the blade slightly upward to avoid cutting into the meat.
- Pull the silver skin taut with your free hand and saw gently along the length of the muscle until it separates cleanly.
- Decide on the fat cap: leave a thin layer if you’re grilling or reverse searing for extra flavor and moisture; trim it closer for a fast pan sear where rendered fat can smoke.
- Portion the meat: leave it whole for a sliced sharing steak, or cut it into three or four-inch strips for fajitas or stir-fry.
- If marinating, give it 30 minutes to two hours. Because the grain is so open, bavette absorbs seasoning quickly, so it doesn’t need an overnight soak.
Pro Tip: Skip a marinade entirely if your bavette came from a good butcher. A hard sear with just salt and pepper often shows off the flavor better than a sauce that competes with it.
What’s the Best Way to Cook Bavette Steak?
A hot pan or grill develops bavette’s crust. America’s Test Kitchen recommends searing and thinly slicing the cut; the method you choose also depends on your equipment and the steak’s thickness. For more on choosing a method, see our steak thickness guide.
Pan or grill, high heat. Preheat a cast-iron pan or grill grate before the meat touches it. For a steak around three-quarters of an inch thick, three to four minutes per side can be a starting point, but actual time varies. Check the thickest part with a thermometer: Health Canada lists 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare beef steak and 160°F (71°C) for medium.
Reverse sear. For a thicker piece, over an inch, start it in a 250°F oven until it nears your target temperature, then finish in a hot pan for about 60 to 90 seconds per side. Check the final temperature after searing. This helps build a crust while cooking the interior more evenly; bavette can taper from one end to the other.
Sous-vide. Follow a validated time-and-temperature recipe suited to the cut and its thickness; a bath setting alone does not establish safe cooking time. Remove the steak from the bag, pat it dry, and sear briefly in a very hot pan to build color. Check that your complete cooking process meets the appropriate food-safety guidance.
Across all three methods, medium-rare to medium usually keeps the coarse grain pleasantly chewy. Temperature matters more than a fixed number of minutes.
- Pan or grill: sear both sides; check the thickest part for 145°F (63°C) medium-rare or 160°F (71°C) medium
- Reverse sear: low oven, then a brief hot finish; verify the final temperature
- Sous-vide: use a validated time-and-temperature method, then pat dry and sear
How Should You Slice and Serve Bavette Steak?
Rest the steak for 5 to 10 minutes on a cutting board, tented loosely with foil, before you touch a knife to it. A larger piece meant for sharing may need a little longer; check the final temperature before serving.
Look closely at the surface before slicing. Bavette’s grain runs in visible long lines, sometimes shifting direction partway across the steak, so check both ends rather than assuming one uniform angle.
- Slice against the grain, in thin strips no more than a quarter-inch thick
- Cut on a slight bias for a bit more surface area per slice
- Plan on 6 to 8 ounces per person for a main course, less if it’s going into tacos or a salad
- Pair with chimichurri, a red wine pan sauce, or something acidic like a squeeze of lime to cut the richness
A Simple Pan-Seared Bavette Recipe You Can Make Tonight
This simple pan-seared version needs only a few ingredients; total cooking time depends on the steak’s thickness and starting temperature.
Ingredients: one and a half pound bavette steak, two tablespoons olive oil, one teaspoon kosher salt, half teaspoon black pepper, two cloves garlic (smashed), one tablespoon butter, a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
Optional quick marinade: whisk two tablespoons olive oil, one tablespoon soy sauce, one minced garlic clove, and a squeeze of lime. Marinate the steak 30 minutes to 2 hours in the fridge, then pat completely dry before cooking.
- Keep the steak refrigerated until you are ready to prepare it, then pat it dry.
- Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat until it’s just short of smoking, then add the oil.
- Sear the steak on both sides, using 3 to 4 minutes per side only as an initial estimate for a roughly three-quarter-inch piece. Add the butter, garlic, and thyme near the end and baste as it finishes.
- Use a thermometer in the thickest part and cook to at least 145°F (63°C) for medium-rare under Health Canada’s beef-steak guidance, or 160°F (71°C) for medium. Transfer to a board and rest 5 to 10 minutes.
- Slice thin against the grain and serve.
Grill variation: cook over direct high heat and verify the center temperature. Reverse sear: for pieces over an inch thick, start in a 250°F oven, then finish in the hot pan and recheck the temperature. Sous-vide: follow a validated time-and-temperature recipe for your steak’s thickness, then dry and briefly sear the surface.
What a Butcher’s Perspective Adds to Cooking Bavette
Ask a butcher three practical questions before you cook bavette: how thick is the piece, should the fat cap or silver skin be trimmed, and is it whole or already portioned? Those answers help you choose between a fast sear and a gentler start for a thicker steak. If you want a marinade, Pat’s lists in-house marinades; ask which options are available for the cut you buy.
Ask About Bavette at Pat’s Prime Cuts
Pat’s current online catalog does not list bavette. Call the shop to ask whether it can source flap steak or sirloin flap for the date you need, and discuss thickness or trimming only after availability is confirmed. If it is unavailable, compare the cuts in Pat’s beef selection.
If you’re feeding a crowd, ask Pat’s catering team about currently available beef options. For a home meal, Pat’s lists skirt steak, flank steak, striploin, and boneless ribeye online; choose based on your recipe and confirm any custom-cut request with the shop.
Sources
- Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures | Health Canada
- A steak you should be grilling (but probably aren’t) | America’s Test Kitchen
- What Is Flap Meat? And How to Cook It | Food Network
- Flank Steak vs Flap Meat: Differences, Techniques, and Argentine Asado Underbelly Cuts
