Saucy Rossy BBQ
Beef

Steak School: Bavette Steak with Chimichurri

A bold, juicy bavette (flap) steak grilled hot and fast on a gas grill, sliced against the grain, and finished with fresh chimichurri.

TimeHot & fast Prep10 min YieldServes 3–4 CategoryBeef Watch5:47
Steak School: Bavette Steak with Chimichurri — watch on YouTube

Watch the full cook on YouTube

Method

  1. 1Season the bavette steak with Coastal Cookhouse seasoning.Pat the steak bone dry first — bavette is thin and there is no time for surface moisture to boil off before the middle cooks. Season both faces generously; the open grain takes seasoning well.
  2. 2Preheat the Napoleon gas grill to high heat.Full heat, lid down, and give it a genuine 10–15 minutes. A gas grill that is merely hot rather than ripping will cook a thin steak through before any crust forms.
  3. 3Grill the steak hot and fast, flipping as needed, until it reaches your preferred doneness.Two to three minutes a side is usually the whole cook. Look at the raw steak before it goes on and note where the grain runs — that information disappears once it is seared and you will need it.
  4. 4Rest the steak, then slice thinly against the grain for maximum tenderness.Five to ten minutes. A loose-grained steak sliced straight off the fire dumps its juice on the board, because there is no dense structure holding it in.
  5. 5Finish with a generous spoonful of fresh chimichurri and serve bistro-style or on tacos.Spoon it on generously — chimichurri is a sauce here rather than a garnish, and the acidity is what balances a rich, beefy cut.

Watch it on YouTube

What each ingredient is doing

Bavette (flap) steak
Cut from the bottom sirloin. Very coarse, open grain and deeply beefy — closer in character to skirt or flank than to a ribeye. Sometimes sold as flap meat or sirloin tip. Prized for flavour rather than tenderness, which is why slicing matters so much.
Coastal Cookhouse seasoning
A savoury steak blend. On a two or three minute cook there is no time for a rub to mellow, so it works directly on the surface. Keep sugar low at this heat.
Fresh chimichurri
Parsley, garlic, dried oregano, vinegar and oil. It needs at least 20 minutes to sit so the garlic and oregano infuse the oil — made and served immediately it tastes raw. The acid is what cuts through a rich cut.

Temperature guide

StageTempWhat it means
Medium-rare130–135°F / 54–57°CWhere bavette belongs. Past this the open grain tightens noticeably.
Too far140°F+ / 60°C+Good fat between the fibres but little inside them, so it firms up fast.
Cook time2–3 min per sideThin cut, ripping heat. This is not a steak you walk away from.
Rest5–10 minutesLoose grain needs it more than a dense steak does.

Pitmaster tips

  • Bavette comes off the bottom sirloin, and its grain is both very coarse and not perfectly straight — it shifts direction along the steak. Look at the raw meat before you cook, and if the fibres change angle, cut the rested steak into sections and slice each one against its own grain.
  • Slice it thin. On a cut this coarse, thick slices leave long muscle fibres intact and it eats chewy no matter how well you cooked it — thin slicing is doing the same job your teeth would otherwise have to.
  • Hot and fast is not a style choice here. Bavette is thin and open-grained, so a slow cook squeezes it dry before you get a crust; you want maximum heat and minimum time on the grate.
  • Do not take it past medium-rare. Bavette has good fat between the fibres but little marbling inside them, so past about 135°F the texture tightens noticeably.
  • It takes a marinade better than almost any steak. All that open grain is surface area, so even 30 minutes in an acidic marinade penetrates properly rather than just sitting on the outside.
  • Rest it a full 5–10 minutes. A loose-grained steak sliced straight off the fire dumps its juice on the board immediately — there is no dense structure holding it in.
  • Look at the grain before you cook. Once the steak is seared you cannot see which way the fibres run, and on bavette that information is everything.
  • Get the grill genuinely ripping, not just hot. A thin steak on moderate heat cooks through before any crust forms.
  • Make the chimichurri first so it has 20 minutes to sit. Made and served immediately it tastes like chopped parsley in vinegar.
  • Chop chimichurri by hand rather than blending it. A processor bruises the parsley into a dark paste; hand-chopped stays bright and loose.

If it goes wrong

It is chewy
Almost always the slicing, not the cooking. Bavette's grain is coarse and changes direction along the steak — cut it into sections, check each one, and slice thin across the fibres. Overcooking past medium-rare is the other cause.
No crust formed
The grill was not hot enough or the steak was wet. Preheat properly and pat it dry — on a cut this thin you have about two minutes to build colour before the inside is done.
It was well done before I noticed
Bavette is thin and cooks very fast. Stay at the grill and use a thermometer rather than a timer.
All the juice ran out on the board
Not rested long enough. A loose-grained steak has nothing holding the juice in — give it a full 5–10 minutes.
The chimichurri tastes harsh and raw
Made too late. It needs at least 20 minutes for the garlic and dried oregano to soften into the oil and vinegar.

Ways to change it up

Marinated
Bavette takes a marinade better than almost any steak — all that open grain is surface area. Even 30 minutes in something acidic penetrates properly.
Tacos or sandwiches
Slice thin and pile into tortillas or crusty bread. The coarse texture and strong beef flavour suit being built into something.
Charcoal instead
Same hot and fast approach over a full chimney of lump. More char and smoke; the timings are identical.
Different sauce
Salsa verde, a garlic butter, or a horseradish cream. What bavette wants is acidity or sharpness against its richness.
Cast iron
Ripping hot pan, oil with a high smoke point, two minutes a side. Works well indoors and gives an even crust across the whole surface.

What to serve it with

  • Chimichurri, generously — it is half the dish.
  • Grilled bread rubbed with garlic to mop the board.
  • A sharp green salad with vinaigrette.
  • Chips or roast potatoes, bistro style.
  • Malbec, which is the traditional partner for chimichurri.

Storage & reheating

Cooked bavette keeps 3–4 days refrigerated. Store it as a whole unsliced piece if you can — sliced thin, it dries out fast and loses the little tenderness it has. It is excellent cold in salads and sandwiches, which suits it better than reheating; if you do reheat, do it fast in a ripping pan for seconds a side, because a slow warm-through cooks it past where it should be.

Raw bavette freezes well for 6–9 months wrapped airtight. It thaws quickly given how thin it is, so plan on an overnight in the fridge rather than a counter thaw, and pat it very dry before seasoning — a wet surface on a thin steak means no crust.

FAQ

What is bavette steak?

Bavette is the French name for sirloin flap, cut from the bottom sirloin. It is a thin, coarse-grained, deeply beefy steak — closer in character to skirt or flank than to a ribeye. It is sometimes sold as flap meat or sirloin tip in North America, and it is prized in bistro cooking for flavour rather than tenderness.

Is bavette the same as flank or skirt steak?

No, though they are cooked the same way. Skirt is the diaphragm, flank is the abdominal muscle, and bavette is the sirloin flap. All three are thin, coarse-grained and best hot and fast and sliced against the grain, so they substitute for one another in most recipes — but they are different muscles from different parts of the animal.

Why is my bavette chewy?

Almost always slicing, not cooking. Bavette's grain is coarse and it changes direction along the steak, so a single slicing angle will run with the fibres on part of it. Cut the rested steak into sections, check the grain on each, and slice thin and across it. Overcooking past medium-rare is the other cause.

What is the best way to serve bavette?

Sliced thin over a board with chimichurri, or piled into tacos and sandwiches. Its coarse texture and strong beef flavour stand up to acidic, herby sauces in a way a mild tenderloin would not, and thin slices with a bright sauce is how the cut is traditionally eaten in France and Argentina alike.

Can I marinate bavette?

It takes a marinade better than almost any steak, because that coarse open grain is a huge amount of surface area. Even 30 minutes in something acidic penetrates properly rather than just coating the outside. Do not go so long that the surface turns mushy — a few hours is plenty.

What temperature should bavette be cooked to?

130–135°F, medium-rare. It has good fat between the muscle fibres but little marbling inside them, so past about 135°F the texture tightens noticeably. On a cut this thin, a thermometer beats a timer.

Know your cook

More information, cause recipe back stories are stupid

No 500-word life story — just the good-to-know stuff on what’s actually in this cook. Here’s the rundown on every real ingredient, health and nutrition wise.

Beef
Beef is a complete protein and one of the best food sources of highly absorbable heme iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 — key for energy, immunity, and healthy blood. Fattier BBQ cuts are calorie-dense, so lean trimming and sensible portions keep it balanced.

General nutrition info only, not medical or dietary advice — portions, brands and add-ons change the numbers.

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