Bavette Steaks are the cut of beef butchers don’t want you to know about. Why? Because they’re delicious! And in this easy Bavette Steak Taco recipe, the grilled meat is juicy, tender, and oh-so good!
Bavette steaks are NOT flank steaks. There, I’ve said it. Some die-hard beef eaters insist that bavette steaks and flank steaks are the same cut of meat, but I’m in the same camp as the North American Meat Institute and Beef – It’s What’s For Dinner, among others, who clearly state that the bavette steak and flank steak are two totally different cuts.
Bavette Steak vs. Flank Steak
So, what exactly is a bavette steak? Besides being one of my favorite cuts of beef, this little-known cut of meat is a butcher’s secret. It’s so good it’s hoarded by prime steakhouses and people in the know. But now you know, too, so the next time you’re at the butcher, ask for it by name and make your favorite bavette steak recipe!
A bavette steak is cut from the bottom sirloin section of the sirloin primal. It is similar to the flank steak in some ways, but this cut has looser muscle fibers – and in my opinion, more tenderness and flavor. However, we still love a flank steak taco. This cut can also be confused with a skirt steak or a hanger steak.
What To Do With A Bavette Steak
Because of its muscle structure, this steak takes really well to marinades. You can marinate it, then pop it onto the grill, or just season it well with salt and pepper. Or, you can turn it into show-stopping flavor-in-your-face dishes like in this steak tacos recipe.
Ingredients
For the beef marinade:
- Whole bavette steak – Trimmed of visible fat.
- Oil – use a neutral oil like avocado oil.
- Tomatillo salsa
- Lime juice – From a fresh lime.
- Salt
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
For the tacos:
- Tortillas – Flour tortillas, or for more traditional bavette street tacos, corn tortillas.
- Lime wedges
- Radishes
- Pickled cabbage
- Chipotle crema
- Chimichurri – we love our homemade cilantro chimichurri!
- Mini sweet peppers
- Pico de gallo
- Scallions – AKA green onions.
- Fresh cilantro – Chopped.
- And whatever the heck else you want to make these the best steak tacos!
How To Make The Best Bavette Tacos On The Planet
Go bold or go home, right? Forget the flank steak tacos and make these instead with tender, beefy, and oh-so-fabulous bavette steak!
Pat the steak dry and combine the oil, tomatillo salsa, lime juice, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder in a zipper-top bag. Add the steak and massage to coat well. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Prep your charcoal for a 2-zone fire by lighting the charcoal in a charcoal chimney. When it is 70% ashed over, arrange the charcoal onto one side of the grill.
Add the grill grate and clean it if necessary. Close the lid and preheat the grill for 5-10 minutes.
Remove the steak from the marinade and pat it dry. Place the bavette steak over the hot side of the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes, then rotate it 45 degrees and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Flip the steak and cook it on the hot side of the grill until it reaches 130-F for medium rare or your desired temperature.
Remove the steak from the grill, cover it and rest it for 5 minutes.
While the steak is resting, char the tortillas and prep the rest of the toppings.
Slice the steak on the bias against the grain and thinly slice it into strips. Make your tacos and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Is bavette steak chewy? Not if you cut it right! The key to super-tender bavette is to slice it correctly. Look for the grain in the steak – the way the meat fibers run – then cut perpendicular to that. That’s cutting against the grain. This creates short muscle strands that are easy to chew.
- I love these Bavette Steak Tacos in a taco bar! I put out the sliced meat and all sorts of toppings, then let my family and friends build tacos just how they like them!
- Resting the meat is super important. This will allow the meat to relax and retain all the juices.
- Prep all your taco toppings ahead of time so that they’re ready to go when the meat is cooked.
- Save leftover steak for your favorite salads!
Frequently Asked Questions
A lot depends on how hot your grill is and how cold the steak is. Give yourself about 15-20 minutes of total time to grill and rest a bavette steak.
I love bavette steak fajitas, in tacos like this Bavette Steak Taco recipe, in stir-frys, and just well-seasoned and cooked under the broiler. A good char-grilled bavette steak cut into thin strips goes a long way for me too.
This is a thin cut of beef, so it’s a quick cooking steak best with high, direct heat. It’s perfect on the grill, under the broiler, or just in a skillet.
More Grilled Steak Recipes
Bavette Steak Tacos
Ingredients
For the bavette steak and marinade
- 2.5 – 3 lbs whole bavette steak trimmed
- 1/2 cup Oil
- 1/4 cup Green salsa/tomatillo salsa
- 1 tbsp Lime juice from a fresh lime
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Chili powder
For the Tacos
- 12 Tortillas
- 2 Limes sliced into wedges
- 1/4 cup Radishes sliced thin
- 1 cup Pickled cabbage
- 1/2 cup Chipotle crema
- 1/2 cup Chimichurri
- 1/2 cup Mini sweet peppers sliced
- 1/4 cup Scallion sliced
- 1/4 cup Cilantro freshly chopped
Instructions
Marinate the steak
- Pat the steak dry. If the steak is too long, cut it in half.
- Combine the oil, tomatillo salsa, lime juice, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder in a large resealable bag.
- Add the steak and massage the bag to coat.
- Place in the fridge and marinate 2 to 4 hours.
Prep the grill
- When ready to grill, prep your charcoal grill by creating a 2-zone fire.
- Light your charcoal in a charcoal chimney. When the charcoal is 70% ashed over arrange the charcoal onto one side of the grill.
- Add the grill grate and clean if needed.
- Close the lid and allow the grill to preheat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Prep the steak
- Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry.
- Once the grill has preheated, place the bavette steak over the hot side of the grill.
- Cook the steak 4 to 5 minutes, and then rotate the steak 45 degrees cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip and continue to cook on the hot side of the grill, until the steak has reached 130F or youre desired internal temperature as read by an instant read thermometer.
- Remove the steak from the grill and tent with foil to rest, 5 minutes.
- While the steak is resting, char the tortillas and prep all of the toppings.
When ready to serve:
- Slice the steak at a bias against the grain into thin strips.
- Serve as a build-your-own taco bar.
Notes
The trick to making sure this cut is tender is to make sure to slice the steak correctly! Look for the grain and make sure to link against the grain at a bias. This creates short muscle strains that give the best chew!
We love to serve this with grilled spring onions as a side dish along with all of our favorite taco toppings in our keto taco shells.
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My store didn’t have Bavette steak, or claimed they didn’t have it. I see what you mean, though, about the connective tissue being looser, so I will not relent. I used flank and that marinade is amazing!! I can’t wait to use it for all kinds of other meats. Thank you so much for sharing!
I was able to find a bavette steak at the local butcher and it was amazing! I had never heard of this cut before but I will definitely be buying it again!
I’ve never used Bavette cuts before but now I’m obsessed!! And of course.. tacos are always a win lol
Your recipes have SO much flavor in them and this one is no exception! I tracked down these steaks and OMG, they were heavenly! Followed your instructions and Yum! Next time, I’ll make more so we have leftovers!
I’d not heard of bavette steak before but it was delicious in tacos!