When you walk up to the meat counter of a grocery store or into your local butcher, there are many cuts of steak to choose from. Perhaps your go-to cut is a melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon or a big porterhouse to share with the table. But sometimes, you might want a leaner, thinner cut of steak that will cook fast and can be versatile in dishes from tacos to salads. Two types of steaks that are similar in that way but have subtle differences are flank and bavette steaks.
Both flank and bavette steaks are thin cuts, making them ideal for any recipe that hinges on a quick, high-heat cooking technique for a fast meal. The steaks are also both on the leaner side, but that’s mostly where the differences stop. One of the biggest contrasts is that bavette steaks have more marbling, and that extra fat makes the cut a bit more tender. To help you make the best decision for your next steak meal without any mishaps, we’ll dive into the more detailed similarities and differences between the cuts.
What is flank steak?
Flank steaks might sound more familiar than bavette steaks. Cut from a cow’s lower abdominal area (hence why it’s lean), the steak is often long and thin. Beef strips often refer to flank steak that is cut into long pieces, rather than a larger piece of meat. Because of the toughness, the cut is often one of the more affordable cuts of steak, which certainly helps with the grocery bill considering the rising costs of beef and specifically high-quality steaks.
Because of the aforementioned toughness and thinness, flank steaks are an ideal cut for stir fry dishes. Flank steaks are also a superb cut for grilling or searing in a pan so that you can achieve a nice crust on the outside without overcooking the inside. To achieve a medium-rare flank steak, it should take a few minutes per side over medium-high heat or on a hot grill. Try your next one with our grilled balsamic flank steak recipe that turns out four servings. When it’s time to eat, cut it against the grain for the best texture.
What is bavette steak?
In comparison, bavette steak, which gets its name from the French term for “the bib of the sirloin”, is something you might not see at the butcher counter quite as often. This steak comes from the sirloin primal area of a cow, which is just above where flank steaks are cut from, standing out as one of the major differences despite common culinary confusion. When it comes to what else you need to know about bavette steak, since it’s from higher up and deeper than flank, it’s near muscles that aren’t exercised as much. That’s why it has higher fat content with more marbling than the tougher flank steaks.
Quick cooking methods are the best techniques to cook bavette steaks, just like flank steaks. A quick sear on each side in a pan over medium-high heat or on a fired-up grill will result in a tender, flavorful bavette steak. Around three minutes per side for any of those cooking methods will garner a medium-rare bavette steak. And with either a bavette or flank steak, let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving so that the juice stays in the meat instead of on the cutting board.
Bavette steaks are more tender
The biggest difference between bavette and flank steaks is where the meat is cut from, and the resulting fat content and texture. Sometimes, you might read that these are the same cut, but that difference in where it comes from on the cow is why that’s not correct. Flank steaks are cut from a cow’s lower abdominal section, where the muscles that do a lot of work are located. Therefore, the lean cut of meat is rather tough, especially if it’s not cooked properly, so stick to that previously-mentioned guidance.
Just above the abdominal area, the flank is cut from the bottom sirloin. Yes, it’s still part of a cow’s abdomen, but it’s slightly higher up and deeper into the cow, so it doesn’t get as much exercise. Because of that, expect more marbling and fat compared to flank steaks, but not nearly as much as a ribeye. It will be tender and juicy with similar cooking methods to flank steaks, such as grilling.
For more help, here are a chef’s tips for cooking a restaurant-quality steak at home that can be applied to both cuts.
