If you are looking for a perfectly cooked piece of meat that costs a fraction of the price of ribeye or sirloin with a silky sweet corn puree underneath is your bag then look no further than this grill bavette steak dish. It's got everything you want and need from a dish.
sponsored by Two Hands Wines, Barossa
Why I Love This Recipe
Steak is my favourite protein to cook so there are many reasons for me to love this recipe!
- simplicity - show me a dish this sexy that takes under 30mins to make!
- cost-effective - using a cheaper cut of beef means you can put up a steak dish of epic proportions for a fraction of the cost
- flavourtown - the beefiness of grilled bavette steak and the silky corn puree = HEAVEN!
- mid-week or date night is 100% covered!
There are so many reasons why I love this grilled bavette steak dish but the proof is in the eating so keep scrolling and whip it up yourself!
What Is Bavette Steak
Bavette steak aka flank or flap meat is a long flat piece of meat from the abdominal muscles of the cow. This means it's a well-worked piece of meat and if not cooked correctly (more on that below) can be tough very easily.
Another name for bavette steak is flap meat or in some supermarkets, they will call it sirloin tip - confusing right! All I can say is it's my go-to meat when cooking steak, especially for large groups.
Taste wise it's definitely a little 'beefier' for want of a better word to use. Due to its coarse grain and loose texture, it has the ability to be cooked any way but medium rare (in my opinion) is where it's at its best!
How To Grill Bavette Steak
Bavette steak is one of my favourite cuts of beef. Maybe it's cause I'm a cheap SOB or maybe because it's just so damn tasty. I'll let you decide! It's a cut that really works great for any application - tacos, fajitas, steak frites or fancier steak dishes (like this one). You can cook it as individual pieces like 2-300g or do what I do is cook it whole and slice it. The benefit to this is you only have one piece of meat to cook!
Now that you are suitably converted to a delicious piece of bavette here are my top tips on cooking it!
My Steps To Cooking Bavette!
- Grilling is best, in my opinion, not that you can't pan fry it, but everything just tastes better on the grill 😉
- The reason I say grilling is best is that it works beautifully with a marinade or spice rub and typically when you fry them after this you can burn the rub/marinade easily
- Remove your meat from the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking. Doing this allows the meat to come to room temperature, which helps the meat cook evenly. If your meat is colder in the centre it will take longer to come to temperature giving you an uneven cook.
- Season it. Be generous! Either add plenty of salt or your favourite BBQ rub. Seasoning your meat is best done 30+ minutes before you cook it or just before. The reason behind this is salt draws out moisture and doing so 30+ minutes beforehand allows the liquid to be drawn out and then re-absorbed. Helping you get a good sear/crust
- Alternatively, you can marinade it. When you marinate a steak it's typically with a form of acid from either citrus or vinegar along with spices and/or herbs. Marinate your steak for up to 2 hours. If you go longer than this the acid starts to cook the meat and alters the texture
- HOT BBQ - heat is key here. 200-220c is the temperature I cook mine at. Plus, don't forget to heat your BBQ for minimum 10mins prior to cooking your bavette steak, or any steak!
- Cook with the lid closed. Place the bavette steak on direct heat and cook with the lid closed. This helps to cook it quicker giving a good sear without burning the exterior
- Use a meat thermometer. I'm pretty good at guesstimating when my meat is cooked but always best to check to make sure you get it right
- Cook bavette steak to medium rare for the best results. There is a strong grain to bavette so cooking it medium rare means it's at its most tender however if you are a well-done kinda person it has the ability to be cooked more and not be too tough. I pull it at 48-52c from the grill and allow it to rest
- Given the course grain I find it requires a little more time to rest. Rest your bavette steak for 5-7 minutes before slicing
- Slice AGAINST the grain - this means the opposite of how the grain runs. If the grain runs north to south, then you cut east to west.
If you follow these instructions you will be on your way to grilling EPIC bavette steaks or any other steak! Check out my alternate steak recipes below.
Making Corn Puree
Such a simple accompaniment to a steak - I can't recommend it enough. To be honest, this works great with fish, grilled vegetables or some grilled chicken too. So, it's definitely one to have up your sleeve!
I love the sweetness of the corn and I figured with the char and beefy flavour from the grilled bavette steak this would make a great accompaniment.
- corn - I used fresh, but you could substitute frozen if necessary
- liquids - water and coconut milk were used. Use milk over cream as coconut cream can be a little thick
- garlic - 2 cloves are the right amount for a little hint of garlic
- onion - half a brown onion, finely diced is the go!
- oil & butter to fry the veg in and add some extra luxury notes too 😉
To make the puree simply fry the onion & garlic, add the corn and then water/coconut milk and let her simmer. More precise instructions are below!
Once made it's best to put it through a sieve to remove the corn kernels - making it a smoother puree.
Wine Pairing
For this cracking grilled bavette steak recipe with corn puree, we have chosen one of my favourite and most consistent wineries in Barossa - Two Hands! I recently did a tasting here in Brisbane of their new vintage, and I was blown away by the quality. I have been lucky enough to taste many past vintages and each year I am left smiling 😉
So, I give you Two Hands Harriets Garden 2019 Shiraz. The wine itself was named after Michael's daughter whose favourite colour (much like my own daughters) is pink. The grapes come from the Adelaide Hills a cooler part of South Australia.
The wine itself has a beautiful nose of lavender, eucalyptus, rhubarb and a little cola too. The palate is medium weight, with bright acidity and glorious red fruit. It's young so I decanted it for an hour and was WELL rewarded as the little bit of air helped it to sing. Barossa may be the home of Australian shiraz but crack me one of these ANYDAY!
Alternative Steak Recipes
Inspired by my grilled bavette steak dish and need more of the good stuff in your life? Well, check out these recipes below and enjoy!
Steak Crostini - brie, roasted tomatoes & anchovy dressing
Grilled Steak Tacos w/ Corn Elote
Happy Cooking and Happy Eating Friends!
Ingredients
- 800 g bavette steak
- 3 bunches asparagus
- oil
- salt
Corn Puree
- 400 g corn
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ brown onion
- 200 ml coconut milk
- oil
- 50 g butter
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- Blender/food processor
- Saucepan with a lid
- BBQ
- tongs
- sieve
Instructions
Corn Puree
- Remove corn from husk of using fresh corn
- Finely dice brown onion and crush garlic
- Fry onion and garlic with oil and butter on medium heat for approx. 2 mins
- Add corn and 100ml water. Cover and simmer for 8mins
- Remove lid, add coconut milk and simmer for a further 2 mins
- Blend until smooth and strain through a sieve
Steak
- Remove steak from fridge and season 20-30 mins prior to cooking *see tips*
- Grill on BBQ @ 200c for approx. 4 mins per side or until internal temp reaches 48-52c for medium rare
- Allow to rest for 5-8 mins before slicing
- Grill asparagus as the steak is resting
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- I like flap meat as it’s full of flavour, not as expensive as other cuts and you can cook it as one whole piece. If you can’t get bavette steak then flap meat is a similar cut. Alternatively, you can use ribeye, sirloin or fillet if you prefer
- ALWAYS rest your meat before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute so that you are left with a juicy, tender steak
- I used fresh corn in the recipe but frozen will also work great too. 400g was the equivalent of 4 husks
Leave a Reply