Thanks to Mark Sisson for alerting me to this cheap but, oh so kind cut of beef. The bavette (flap steak). Funny. I just wasted like 10 minutes trying to find it on his blog to link to it before I realized it was in his Insider newsletter.
But I wasted no time in securing some. I was due to make another order to La Cense, and so I got four of them. Tonight was the first.

Bavette or Flap Steak
It’s just seasoned with some salt, pepper and garlic powder, then onto the grill on high. In the meantime, sweet potato fries in coconut oil & lard and a reduction of some fresh bone stock which I now have plenty of.

Bavette and Sweet Potato Fries
I must say that if you are considering going grassfed, this is a particularly nice cut, as is hanger and flank steak. Really great flavor, fast to cook, versatile (think fajitas) and tender.
Well, almost finished with part II of my saturated fat series. That should go up within hours.
It really does look like a nice cut of meat. Usually belly meat is pretty good stuff.
Yeah, I’m going to have to ask my grass-fed beef vendor for some on my next visit. I make sweet potato fries pretty regularly, too, and with my bone stock to boot, so it should be quite doable.
Richard,
Bavette is wonderful! I did a post a while back (http://feelgoodeating.blogspot.com/2009/02/cilantro-basil-and-garlic-chimichura.html)
And I was amazed how good it was. My dad tells me it used to be on most menus in Paris, not so much anymore. I wonder why. I have not found Bavette other then from LaCense.
I’m going to have to try making some fries your way, they look delicious.
Marc
Looks great, Marc. I just had the cold leftovers, no sauce, alongside an omelet with cheddar cheese. I was very impressed with how excellent, tasty, meaty it was cold.
The other great thing is that the four packages I got were all substantial, probably at least 16 oz (for $14.50) while the flanks, hangers, etc, are both significantly more expensive and the sizes seem to vary greatly.
I just had sweet potato (yam) fries last night — fried up in coconut oil. I use Louana brand oil from Walmart for my deep frying needs. Somehow using extra-virgin coconut oil doesn’t seem economically sustainable for me. :-)
Tasty stuff. Thanks for the post Richard!
Hi, i have a question. Do you think that the less carbohydrates we eat in the day, the easier it will be for us to burn fat? and to get more muscular? I mean can we burn fat more efficiently by ingesting 10 to 15 grams of carbohydrates a day compared to taking 60 grams of carbohydrates a day?
Because remember that some low-carb diets are divided into 2 kinds. A real low carb diet and a higher low-carb diet of around 50 to 70 grams of carbohydrates a day like the phase 1 of the Protein Power low-carb diet, and the South Beach low-carb diet.
Thanks and i would like to know what do you think
.
Can’t really say. Probably depends on the individual. I don’t count or measure, so some days I’m zero carb, some maybe 15-30, and some perhaps as much as 100 or so.
Thanx for clearing that up !! The thing is that i thought that some amount of carbohydrates low in glycemic index such as green cabbage, brocoli and brussel sprouts was good in low-carb diets.
But i guess that we can follow a diet without any carbohydrates and get our glucose that the body needs for energies from the protein and fat we eat.
Thanks, have a nice day :-)
:-)
To All,
Any recommendations on how to cook flap meat? Grill, slow-cook, etc?
Thank you.
@ 14.50, it might be cheaper than Lacenses other steaks, but it is by no means cheap
US Wellness is much cheaper . I’ve found a local grass fed rancher and he’s @ 10 for flank/skirt steaks
I’m sure in the San Jose area you’d be able to find local/cheaper alternatives
LaCense is pricey, but it’s taste is very very good. People seem to like US Wellness, but from what I can tell most of it comes from outisde the country.
Shanker in Texas is also good.
Marc
US wellness is mainly locally sourced
Some of their items are from New Zealand ( Tasmania ) where they’ve been doing grass fed beef forever. I’ve had some od those cuts and actually prefer them to the US stuff
I’ve had very bad experiences with Slanker in terms of the quality of his product, the poor shipping methods ( US Wellness does next day air at the same prices ) and his lack of ethics
Steven,
I only ordered from Slanker once and it was good. Lack of ethics? Please share. Always looking to learn….
Marc