Grilled Bavette Steak with Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce
Aug 07, 2019, Updated May 24, 2024
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The bavette steak is the greatest steak you need to know about. Tender like skirt steak, and full of flavor, this Grilled Bavette Steak with a decadent Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce will be your go to option for tender and flavorful steak.
Table of Contents
- What Cut of Meat is Bavette Steak?
- How to Prepare Bavette Steak
- How to Cook Bavette Steak
- How to Grill Bavette Steak
- What Temperature is a Bavette Steak Done?
- The How-To Video
- Where Can I Buy Bavette Steak
- More Awesome Steak Recipes for the Grill
- About Vindulge
- Grilled Bavette Steak with Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce
What Cut of Meat is Bavette Steak?
Bavette steak, or flap steak, comes from the sirloin primal of beef. As a sirloin is cut up for steaks, the bavette is created from the bottom portion of the sirloin. It’s very similar in texture to skirt steak and often confused with flank steak, but not the same cut. The location of the bavette steak adjacent to the flank gives a tender texture and great marbling. The literal french translation is bib, and in beef terms, refers to flat cut.
How to Prepare Bavette Steak
A bavette steak is very versatile to season. It is great in a marinade, and also great simply seasoned with a dry rub (or both). There is very little to trim, simply remove any excess fat prior to seasoning. often there is a thick end and a thin end. Important to note as you cook it.
How to Cook Bavette Steak
Bavette steak is perfect grilled or seared on a cast iron pan. The tender texture of bavette makes for a great fajita cut, or simply sliced for a small group dinner.
Add a pan sauce like a whiskey peppercorn sauce for a touch of extra flavor. Or try a refreshing chimichurri. A bavette steak is also great with a beef marinade.
How to Grill Bavette Steak
Bavette is best grilled using the two zone or direct/indirect method. This allows a good sear for both sides, and moving the steak to indirect heat to finish.
This grilling technique prevents scorching or burning the Bavette over a hot flame. We noted earlier there is often a thinner side. When grilling indirect position the steak so the thicker side is facing the heat source.
What Temperature is a Bavette Steak Done?
Bavette is very tender, and so rare or medium rare is the recommended finishing temperature for this cut of beef. Use an instant read thermometer like the Thermoworks MK4 and pull at 120 degrees for rare, and 130 degrees for medium rare.
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Let it rest!
The How-To Video
Let the steak rest for 10 – 15 minutes and then slice against the grains. When slicing any beef cut, slicing against the grain is important to keep that delicate texture. Slice at a slight bias as well.
Where Can I Buy Bavette Steak
The cut can be a unique one to source. Snake River Farms has an American Wagyu Bavette with incredible marbling and flavor shipped straight to home flash frozen and still packed with flavor.
Or call a butcher in advance and ask for it to be custom cut if needed.
More Awesome Steak Recipes for the Grill
- Grilled Hanger Steak with Red Wine Reduction
- Grilled Flank Steak Salad
- Reverse Seared Smoked Ribeye Steaks
- Red Wine Marinaded Grilled Skirt Steaks
- Grilled NY Steak with Coffee Marinade and Rub
- Coulotte
About Vindulge
About Vindulge
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
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Grilled Bavette Steak with Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 pound Bavette Steak, (We like Snake River Farms American Wagyu)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
Bourbon Peppercorn Sauce
- 1/4 cup whiskey
- 1 tablespoon crushed peppercorn
- 1/2 cup beef stock or bone broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Grilled Bavette Steak
- Preheat grill for two zone or direct/indirect method.
- Trim extra fat off bavette steak and pat dry. Combine salt, pepper, and garlic powder and sprinkle generously over both sides of the bavette steak.
- Place the steak over direct heat for two minutes or until you see a sear develop. Flip the steak and place back over direct heat for another two minutes or until you see a sear develop on that side.
- Move the steak to indirect heat, and cover. Check temperature after five minutes and remove from the grill when the temperature of the thickest part of the steak reaches 125 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the steak rest for 10 minutes, then slice against the grain. Plate, and drizzle sauce over the steak.
Bourbon Peppercorn Sauce
- Preheat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat or direct heat on the grill. Pour bourbon and peppercorns in as you see a small amount of smoke coming from the pan. Let simmer for 1 minute and pour in beef broth, stir. Let simmer again for 2 minutes while stirring. It will slightly reduce.
- Add the cream and salt and continue stirring for another eight to ten minutes. It will reduce. Move to indirect heat if it is boiling over, or reduce heat on the stove-top. Sauce will slightly thicken.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried your recipe…my family loved it!
That was amazing! Cooked it all up on my Cinder grill with a sear at the end and it was fantastic!!
This was delicious and very easy to make. We used our Butcher Box Bavette. The whiskey peppercorn sauce is amazing!
Absolutely amazing steak. I would reduce the pepper though. Maybe a teaspoon or just shy of the full tablespoon. A little goes a long way, dress it sparingly. Instead of covering the meat, I reduced temperature and spooned butter over the meat for 5 minutes. Removed at 130. Brilliantly juicy and tender after resting I will definitely cook Bavette again.
Really delicious! I too got a Bevette in Butcher Box. I added a little tarragon to the sauce and it was great!
I had never prepared a bavette steak before so when I received one in a butcher box, this was a nice recipe to find. We paired it with a side of broccolini. My husband loved it. The sauce turned out very flavorful, although if I made it again I would omit the salt.