Grilled bavette – sauce bordelaise & shallot confit

An aromatic, robust cut straight from the open fire, with a glossy bordelaise made from our own red wine and gently confited shallots. Bordeaux on the grill — with depth instead of effect.

Beef & Game Category

30 MIN Prep time

25 MIN Cook time

4 people Servings

Preparation

Shallot confit

Peel and halve the shallots and confit them slowly in a little butter with the sugar over gentle heat for 20–25 minutes until golden and soft. Season lightly with salt.

Sauce bordelaise

Reduce the red wine with the thyme to about one third. Add the beef stock and simmer down to a syrupy sauce. Take off the heat and mount in the cold butter.

Grilling the bavette

Pat the meat dry, brush it with olive oil and season with salt only just before grilling. Grill over direct, high heat for 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply browned outside and pink within.

Resting & slicing

Let it rest for 8 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain. Serve with the shallot confit and the bordelaise.

Why this wine?

The dense structure and savoury depth of the Sarabande embrace the reduced bordelaise and carry the robust bavette effortlessly — as a sauce, the wine is already in the dish.

Good to know

Tips & insights

Take the bavette out of the fridge in good time and pat it dry so it browns well.
Grill briefly and hard over high, direct heat; the coarse-grained cut stays juicy this way.
Always slice against the clearly visible grain, otherwise the meat turns tough.
For the bordelaise, reduce the red wine hard with shallots and stock and bind with cold butter.
Use the same wine you drink; the reduced sauce then returns deepened in the pairing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which wine pairs with bavette in sauce bordelaise?

The Sarabande. Its dense structure and spicy depth take up the reduced bordelaise and carry the robust bavette effortlessly; as a sauce, the wine is already in the dish. The Gigue sets a brighter, fresher counterpoint that opens the meat and enlivens the shallot confit.

How do I grill bavette correctly?

Bavette is thin and coarse-grained and likes high, direct heat and a short cooking time. Grill it only a few minutes per side to medium-rare, since cooked through it turns tough. Let it rest and then slice it thinly against the grain.

Why must I slice against the grain?

Bavette has long, clearly visible muscle fibres. Cut lengthwise, they stay whole and the meat seems tough. Cut across, the fibres become short and the bavette tender. Guide the knife at a shallow angle for broad, handsome slices.

What is sauce bordelaise?

Sauce bordelaise is a classic red-wine sauce of reduced red wine, shallots and veal or beef stock, often refined with a little marrow and bound with butter. Its dark, spicy depth suits grilled beef beautifully and here takes up the wine of the pairing again.

The wine to pair