Cut · Bottom sirloin, the flap

Bavette

Bavette steak is, in France and Belgium, the flap: bavette d'aloyau, a loose, coarse-grained muscle of the bottom sirloin, known in the United States as flap meat or sirloin flap. The French bavette de flanchet is a different cut, the flank. Both are seared hot and sliced across the grain, but the name is used for either one depending on the country and the butcher.

Also known as: flap meat · sirloin flap · bavette d'aloyau (FR) · flap · カイノミ (kainomi)Last reviewed Nov. 3, 20267 sources

At a glance

Primal: Bottom sirloin, next to the flank
Muscle: Internal oblique of the abdominal wall
Grain: Coarse and open, runs across the piece
Best cooked: Hot and fast to medium-rare, 52–55 °C / 126–131 °F, sliced across the grain

A name that means two cuts

Bavette means "bib" in French, and French butchers apply it to two flat belly-area cuts. The bavette d'aloyau is the flap, a muscle of the bottom sirloin. The bavette de flanchet is the flank steak proper, in the American sense: the rectus abdominis of the flank. The two sit next to each other on the carcass, and the Larousse and the American specifications describe them under separate names.

In English-speaking markets the word travels loosely. In Britain, a butcher or restaurant that sells "bavette" may mean the flap or the thin flank, and the AHDB purchasing guide does not settle which. In the United States the word appears mostly on menus with a French accent, for flap meat. When a label says only "bavette", the question to ask is which muscle the piece is.

The flap: a loose, open muscle of the bottom sirloin

The flap is cut from the bottom sirloin butt, which is the lower, thinner part of the hip region. In the USDA's IMPS series it is item 185A, the bottom sirloin flap, boneless; the same bottom sirloin butt also gives the ball tip and the tri-tip, and the sirloin article places all three. In Australia it is the flap, a name that refers to the internal oblique muscle of the abdominal wall.

Its defining feature is the grain. The fibers are long, coarse and open, loosely bound, with visible bundles of muscle that run across the piece. This is the same open texture that makes skirt take a marinade in minutes, and it gives the flap a strong beef flavor and a looser chew than a loin steak. It is neither the most tender cut nor an expensive one.

In Argentina and Uruguay it is not sold on its own. The flap and the flank steak are both part of the vacío, the whole belly wall cooked in one piece. In Japan the flap is kainomi, a yakiniku item.

Next step

Cut · Flank, long-grainedFlank steakThe flat belly muscle of fajitas, London broil and phở: never past medium-rare, always cut across the grain.

Bavette vs flank: how to tell them apart

The flank steak is the rectus abdominis: a flat, lean muscle about 2–3 cm / ¾–1¼ in thick, with a fine membrane on each side and fibers that run the full length of the piece. The flap is a different muscle, thicker and looser, with a more open grain and more marbling running between the fibers. Flank is the leaner of the two and flatter in shape; the flap tends to be more uneven in thickness and juicier.

Cooked the same way, they behave similarly: hot, fast and thin-sliced, both turn tough when overcooked or cut along the grain. For most cooking, the one can stand in for the other, with the flap taking a little more heat to render its fat and a little less time per side if it is thin. The full discussion of the lean cousin is in the flank article, and the other labels used for these cuts are in the names guide.

Cooking it: hot, fast, sliced across the grain

Bavette is a cut for high heat. Seared on a very hot grill or in a smoking pan, 3–5 minutes a side depending on thickness, it is pulled at 52–55 °C / 126–131 °F (medium-rare) and rested for 5–10 minutes. Past medium, about 60 °C / 140 °F, the loose fibers tighten and the meat turns dry and chewy.

Slicing is as important as heat. The grain runs across the width of the piece, so the steak is cut into sections and each is sliced thin against the fibers; sliced along the grain, the same steak is chewy at any temperature. It takes marinades readily, and in French kitchens it is classically pan-seared with shallots and served with a pan sauce or frites.

It is also used for fajitas and stir-fries, where thin slices cook in a minute. A long braise is possible, but the grain is not built for it: it rewards quick cooking more than the shoulder cuts do.

Buying it

Ask the seller which muscle they mean. In France, bavette d'aloyau is the flap and bavette de flanchet the flank; in Britain the label can be either; in Brazil fraldinha is used for both. A good piece has deep red color, fine white fat between the fibers and a thickness that is not uneven end to end; ragged pieces cook unevenly. Pre-marinated packs hide the color of the meat and make the comparison harder.

Because the flap is lower-priced than loin steaks and sold at a modest size, it is often sold whole in a single piece of 500 g / 18 oz to 1 kg / 2.2 lb or more. It does not carry a grade or an aging premium the way a ribeye does, so the supplier and the fat cover tell most of what matters.

Keep reading

Names around the world

The same muscle, named by language and by trade system.

English	Bavette · flap meat · sirloin flap · bavette d'aloyau (FR)
Español	Bavette · flap · bavette d'aloyau (FR)
Tiếng Việt	Bavette (flap)
Français	Bavette d'aloyau
日本語	カイノミ (kainomi)
한국어	바베트 · 플랭크 미트 · 서로인 플랩 · bavette d'aloyau (프랑스)
Português	Fraldinha (aprox.)

Every cut's name, country by country →

Trade and national systems

System	Name	Reference
France	Bavette d'aloyau (the flap) · bavette de flanchet is the flank, a different muscle	Larousse
United States	Flap meat · sirloin flap · bottom sirloin flap (bavette on some menus)	IMPS 185A
United Kingdom	Bavette (may mean the flap or the thin flank, depending on the butcher)	AHDB
Australia / NZ	Flap (internal oblique) · flank steak is a separate cut	HAM
Belgium	Bavette (used for the flap in butcher shops and brasseries)
Brazil	Fraldinha (also used for the flank; approx.)	Portaria 5/88
Argentina / Uruguay	Part of the vacío (the whole belly wall), not sold separately	IPCVA
Japan	カイノミ (kainomi), the flap, a yakiniku cut	JMGA

Frequently asked questions

What is bavette steak?

In France and Belgium, bavette d'aloyau is the flap, a coarse-grained muscle of the bottom sirloin, sold in the United States as flap meat or sirloin flap.

Bavette vs flank steak: what is the difference?

Flank steak is the rectus abdominis, a flat, lean muscle. Bavette d'aloyau is the flap, a different muscle that is looser, thicker and more marbled. The French bavette de flanchet is the flank itself.

Is bavette the same as skirt steak?

No. Skirt is the diaphragm. Bavette (the flap) and skirt both have a coarse open grain and are cooked hot and sliced across it, but they are different muscles from different parts of the animal.

How do you cook bavette?

Over high heat, about 3–5 minutes per side to 52–55 °C / 126–131 °F, then rest it and slice thin across the grain.

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Sources

Larousse Gastronomique, rev. ed. London: Hamlyn, 2009.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications: Fresh Beef Series 100. Washington, DC, 2014. www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/IMPS_100_Fresh_Beef%5B1%5D.pdf
Huerta-Leidenz, Nelson. International Nomenclature Guide of Beef Cuts for the U.S.A. and Other Countries Targeted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Denver: U.S. Meat Export Federation, 2013. www.usa-beef.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1064.GUIDE_beef-cuts_ingl%C3%A9s_09oct13.pdf
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (UK). Beef Meat Purchasing Guide. Kenilworth, 2016. ahdb.org.uk
AUS-MEAT Limited. Handbook of Australian Meat, 7th ed. (International Red Meat Manual). Brisbane, 2005. www.ausmeat.com.au
Instituto de Promoción de la Carne Vacuna Argentina (IPCVA). Cortes de carne vacuna argentina — nomenclatura y usos. Buenos Aires. www.ipcva.com.ar
McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, rev. ed. New York: Scribner, 2004.