Dirty Bavette Steak with Roasted Bone Marrow Butter
Ingredients
500g Bavette steak
6 rounds or 2 shafts of beef marrow bones
100g of unsalted butter
Chopped parsley
1 clove of crushed garlic (optional)
Smoked salt
Black pepper
Bone Marrow Butter Preparation
I used six rounds of fresh marrow bones placed on a small roasting tray as the marrow will melt out of the bones therefore, use a tray with edges rather than a flat one.
The marrow bones where sprinkled with smoked sea salt, this can be bought or cold smoked yourself, and placed on the tray in the bqq set at 180-200°c. Roast for 10-15mins until soft and melting. Once roasted push the marrow out of the centre of the bone into a bowl. Blend the butter, chopped parsley and garlic into the marrow until well and evenly mixed. Place the bowl in the fridge to set this up slightly.
Dirty Cooking Preparation
For cooking dirty (direct on the coals) I would recommend fresh lump wood charcoal from a known source which burns clean and stable. The charcoal should be well lit providing an even burn across the area you are planning to cook on. I tend to create a flat area in the charcoal once burning to give you the best overall contact with the meat. The idea behind the technique is to have direct contact between the meat and the hot coals, this reduces any air gap between the meat and charcoal reducing the chance of flare ups and burning.
The technique can be used on most type of charcoal bbq from say a tabletop bbq, a kettle or bullet smoker, a ceramic egg, a firepit or even in the firebox of an offset, to name a few, giving all the opportunity to try this method.
Light your bbq with time to get the coal hot and burning evenly across the cooking area, for this cook I used a ceramic bbq with fresh UK sourced sweet chestnut lump charcoal. Before placing the meat on I tamped down a flat area and wafted off any surface ash to give a clean contact area.
Take the steak out of the fridge an hour before you plan to cook and trim off any surface sliver skin which will tighten on cooking.
Cooking
Place the steak directly onto the flat area of hot coals making sure it is in overall contact across the whole surface. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side brushing off any coals that stick onto the surface of the meat when you turn it. If using an instant read temperature probe you are looking for 50-52°c in the thickest part which will give you a rare to medium rare steak when rested. If the steak is short of the required temperature, then continue to cook in 20-30 second periods flipping regularly to ensure an even but not overcooked temperature.
Once the steak has had this time or is to the correct internal temperature, take from the heat and place onto a warmed plate, spread some of the bone marrow butter over the steak while it rests and loosely cover with foil. Rest for up to 10 minutes before cutting across the grain in medium thick slices. This piece has the benefit of obvious graining therefore, making this easy to follow.
I served this with a chimichurri, fries and a tomatoes salad but would be equally superb in a small taco with a fresh pico de gallo.
This is a simple but interesting way to cook an inexpensive piece of steak that adds flavour and a bit excitement to a Friday night cook up, I urge you to give it a try!!
