Let’s get the first thing first here – the Bavette is a bavette.  Not a hanger, not a skirt, not a flank.  It is mistakenly made interchangeable with these other alternative grilling steaks, but in reality they all are completely different muscles that all have different functions in a living, breathing beef cow. The bavette is considered to be one of the most tastiest cuts of beef. It should be seared on high heat for a short amount of time (to blue rare or rare) due to its long muscle fibers that will become tough when cooked longer – rested, then sliced thinly against the grain.

This recipe is reminiscent of the classic French dish bavette à l’échalote, and is a great accompaniment to house-made fries.

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. bavette

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, finely diced

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 garlic clove, minced

3 sprigs fresh thyme

Preparation

Place steak in a resealable plastic bag with olive oil and shallot and coat evenly. Remove as much air as possible, seal bag and chill until ready to cook, at least 1 hour and up to 24hrs.

Remove bag from the refrigerator and let steak sit at room temp 20 minutes.  Heat grill over high heat.  Remove steak from the bag, brush off shallots, and sprinkle both sides each with salt and pepper. Grill, turning only once, (about 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare – I would not cook this cut any longer than this). Transfer to a cutting board, cover loosely with tin foil and let rest 10 minutes.

Strip leaves from the thyme sprigs and roughly chop to release their aroma.  Over medium heat, melt butter in a small fry pan, then add garlic and thyme leaves and cook until simmering and fragrant, 2 minutes. Slice the steak thinly against the grain.  Pour warm butter mixture over steak. Season to taste with salt and pepper.