Bavette.
The French bistro sirloin flap. A marbled flank cousin with real beef flavor. Steak-frites royalty that's finally getting American respect.
- Origin
- Bottom Sirloin (Flap)
- Marbling
- Good
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Sweet Spot
- Med-Rare
The Sirloin's Bistro Secret.
Bavette is the French name for the sirloin flap steak — the obliquus internus abdominis, one of the muscles that makes up the bottom sirloin primal. In France it's called bavette d'aloyau and it's a foundational cut in bistro cooking. In America it went unlabeled for decades — either ground into hamburger or sold under the plain-english name "sirloin flap" — but has recently started appearing in butcher shops under the French name as more Americans discover it.
The cut is long, flat, and loose-grained. Visually it looks like flank steak — same general shape, same visible parallel grain — but the meat is thicker (typically 1 to 1.5 inches vs flank's 3/4 inch) and has noticeably more intramuscular fat. That marbling is the key difference. Where flank needs marinade to become interesting, bavette can carry a simple salt-and-pepper preparation and reward you with real beef flavor.
The bottom sirloin primal is small and contains several distinct cuts — tri-tip (the triangular Santa Maria cut), ball tip, sirloin tip (sometimes labeled with the round), and bavette. In modern American butcher shops, bavette is often the most overlooked of the four despite arguably being the best-eating cut of the group when handled correctly.
Historical note: the reason bavette went unlabeled for so long in America is butcher-shop economics. It's a cut that yields well from a whole primal breakdown but doesn't have the visual drama of a ribeye or the recognized name of flank. Grinding it was easier than trying to sell it. That's changing fast — bistro-influenced steakhouses have been putting bavette on menus for years, and consumer awareness is finally catching up.
The Facts
- PrimalBottom Sirloin
- Also CalledSirloin Flap, Bavette d'Aloyau
- MuscleObliquus internus abdominis
- Typical Length10" – 14"
- Typical Thickness1" – 1.5"
- Typical Weight1.5 – 2.5 lb per whole cut
Flavor Profile
- Beef FlavorRich · Beefy · Sirloin-forward
- TendernessMedium-High if sliced right
- MarblingGood (much more than flank)
- JuicinessHigh at med-rare
- TextureLoose grain, visible fibers
- The Money BiteThin slice with pan sauce
Salt & Pepper. Or Bistro Style.
Because bavette has real marbling (unlike flank), you don't need marinade to make it good. Salt and pepper is a legitimate approach. If you want to lean into the French bistro tradition, skip the marinade and focus instead on the pan sauce — that's where the classic Parisian preparation shines.
Salt & Pepper.
Dry brine 40 minutes minimum, overnight better. The marbling holds up to a simple approach. Pepper right before the sear. Let the sirloin flavor speak.
- 01Kosher salt, generous
- 02Coarse cracked black pepper
- 03Dry brine 40 min to overnight
- 04Pepper right before the sear
Red Wine Shallot Sauce.
The classic French bistro finish. Salt and pepper the bavette, sear it plain, then build a pan sauce with the fond: red wine, shallots, beef stock, and cold butter mounted at the end. Spoon over the sliced meat at plating.
- 01Bavette: kosher salt + black pepper
- 023 shallots, minced fine
- 031 cup dry red wine
- 041/2 cup beef stock
- 052 tbsp cold butter, cubed
- 06Fresh thyme, salt to taste
- 07Mount cold butter at end
Screaming Hot. Then Slice.
Bavette cooks like a hanger steak or a flank — screaming hot direct heat, both sides seared hard, no zones, no reverse sear phase. The thickness (1 to 1.5 inches) means you can push the sear a little longer without overcooking the interior. Cast iron with butter baste is the bistro approach; grill is the outdoor equivalent.
Cast iron gets the STEAKMAN PICKS designation here because the traditional French bistro preparation depends on the pan fond for the sauce. You can't make a proper bavette pan sauce off a grill grate. Skip the pan sauce and grill is equally good.
Cast Iron + Pan Sauce
Bistro classic. Screaming hot cast iron with neutral oil. Sear both sides hard, pull, rest. Build red wine shallot pan sauce from the fond. The whole point of bavette in the bistro tradition is this sauce.
- Pan Temp
- 500°F+
- Fat
- Neutral oil, then butter mount at end
- Sear Time
- 3–4 min per side
- Bonus
- Red wine shallot sauce from fond
Grill Hot & Fast
Full direct heat over hot coals or high gas. 3–4 minutes per side. The char adds flavor lift that pairs beautifully with compound butter at plating. No pan sauce option — but the flame flavor is compensation.
- Heat
- 600°F+ direct
- Zone
- Direct only
- Sear Time
- 3–4 min per side
- Best Fuel
- Lump charcoal + oak
Fire Setup. By Rig.
Every rig configured for aggressive direct heat. Bavette at 1 to 1.5 inches thick doesn't need reverse sear.
Bistro Standard
The correct pan for bistro-style bavette. Preheat until it smokes. Neutral oil first, then butter mount at the end.
Kettle / Weber
Full chimney lump, spread even. Grate over full coal bed. Vents wide open.
3+ Burner Gas
All burners on high, preheat 10 minutes. Full grate hot. Direct sear both sides.
Sear Zone Only
Max sear setting. Standard pellet temps not hot enough for a proper bavette crust.
Med-Rare. Nothing Past Medium.
Bavette has enough marbling to be forgiving through medium-rare, but not enough to save it past medium. The loose grain fibers tighten fast at higher temps and turn from tender to tough surprisingly quickly. Med-rare is the sweet spot. Rare works but doesn't render the marbling.
Steakman Picks · Medium-Rare
Rare
Cool red. Marbling underrenders. Better than raw, worse than med-rare.
Med-Rare
Warm pink. Marbling renders. Bavette sweet spot.
Medium
Losing juice. Fibers tightening. Serviceable upper limit only.
Med-Well
Dry, tightening fast. Bavette turns from bistro to boot leather.
Well Done
Grind it, don't grill it. Bavette past medium has no upside.
Carryover cook: Bavette carries over 5–6°F. Rest 8 minutes loosely tented on a warm plate. The slicing is critical: bavette has a very visible parallel grain running along the length of the steak. Rotate the steak so your knife runs perpendicular to the grain, angle the blade at about 30–45 degrees, and slice thin. Thin slicing across grain is what makes bavette tender to eat.
Six Steps. Every Time.
Bavette is bistro cooking — direct heat, pan sauce, thin slice, red wine. If you can cook a hanger steak or flank, you can cook bavette. The difference is you don't need marinade first, and you should build a pan sauce after.
- 01
Dry Brine
Kosher salt both sides, 40 minutes minimum. Overnight uncovered on a rack is ideal. Bavette's marbling means the brine has time to do its work without competing with a marinade.
- 02
Room Temp Rest
30 minutes on the counter before the cook. Bavette is thin — cold interior will overcook the outside before the inside catches up.
- 03
Screaming Cast Iron
500°F+ in cast iron with a thin layer of neutral oil. Pan should be smoking when the bavette hits. If you're grilling instead, direct high heat over full coal bed.
- 04
Sear 3–4 Minutes Per Side
Don't move it. Look for a dark mahogany crust with some charred edges. Flip once. Repeat. Pepper the raw side just before flipping.
- 05
Pull at 128°F, Rest 8
Instant-read into the thickest part. Rest loosely tented on a warm plate. While it rests, build the pan sauce: shallots + red wine + stock + cold butter mounted at the end.
- 06
Slice Thin Across Grain
Bavette's grain runs the length of the cut. Rotate 90 degrees so your knife runs across the grain. Angle at 30–45 degrees. Slice thin. Fan on the plate, spoon pan sauce over. Frites and watercress on the side.
Gear We'd Actually Use.
Bavette is a bistro cut so the gear leans bistro — cast iron for the pan sauce fond, a sharp slicer for the thin cross-grain cuts.
Lodge 12" Skillet
The only correct pan for bistro bavette. Heat retention + fond development for the pan sauce.
Very Sharp Chef's Knife
The thin cross-grain slicing is critical. Sharpen right before the cook. A slicing knife works too.
Dry Red — Cabernet, Syrah
For the pan sauce. Don't use "cooking wine." If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it.
Kerrygold Unsalted
For mounting into the pan sauce at the end. The cold butter gives the sauce body and gloss.
Frites + Watercress
The bistro plate. Twice-fried russet frites and a small watercress or arugula salad with vinaigrette.
The Bavette FAQ.
What is bavette steak?
Bavette is a French name for the sirloin flap steak — the obliquus internus abdominis muscle from the bottom sirloin primal. It's a long, flat, loose-grain cut, similar in shape and structure to flank steak but with more intramuscular marbling and richer flavor. In French bistro tradition it's called "bavette d'aloyau" and is a foundational cut for classic steak-frites.
Bavette vs flank steak — what's the difference?
Same family of cuts, different personalities. Flank is from the abdominal wall (flank primal), extremely lean, needs marinade to shine. Bavette is from the bottom sirloin, with noticeably more marbling and richer beefy flavor — you can cook it plain with just salt and pepper and get a good result. Bavette is generally considered a step up from flank in flavor and forgiveness, though flank is still cheaper and more common in American markets.
Bavette vs skirt steak — same thing?
No, but they're close cousins. Both are long, thin, loose-grain cuts with strong beef flavor. Skirt comes from the plate primal (diaphragm muscle). Bavette comes from the bottom sirloin (sirloin flap). Skirt is slightly beefier and gamier; bavette is slightly more marbled and refined. Cook both the same way — hot and fast, thin slice against grain. Interchangeable in most recipes if you can't find one.
What's steak-frites bavette style?
Steak-frites is the classic French bistro plate: a whole bavette (or hanger, or entrecôte) cooked medium-rare, sliced thin against the grain, plated with fresh-cut french fries and a small watercress or arugula salad. Traditional accompaniment is a red wine shallot sauce, béarnaise, or compound butter. Bavette is one of the most common cuts for this dish in French bistros because it's affordable, flavorful, and cooks fast.
Where do I find bavette at the butcher?
Ask by name — bavette or sirloin flap steak. Some butchers still grind it into hamburger by default, so calling ahead helps. It's more common at higher-end butcher shops and steakhouses than at supermarkets. If your butcher doesn't have it, ask if they can save one from the next primal breakdown. Once you eat one bistro-style, you'll want it in the regular rotation.
The Loose-Grain Family.
Bavette's cousins — the other long flat cuts with visible grain that share its high-heat, thin-slice cooking approach.
Flank
Bavette's leaner cousin. Same family, less marbling, needs marinade. Cheaper and more common.
Skirt
Plate primal instead of bottom sirloin. Beefier, gamier, similar cooking approach.
Hanger
The bistro classic. Same cooking approach as bavette. Steak-frites often uses hanger.
Tri-Tip
Same primal (bottom sirloin) as bavette. Different shape, different approach — reverse sear vs direct.