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Kimchi-Marinated Bavette Lettuce Wraps

Meredith Deeds

Servings

6

Prep Time

1 hours

Cook Time

30 minutes

Calories

158

Cuisine

Asian

Category

Fusion & Global Flavors

While you may not have heard of the American Wagyu Black® Bavette cut before, once you’ve had a taste of this ultra-flavorful steak, you’ll never forget it. Much like its cousin the flank steak, bavette also known as “flap meat”, is prized for its intensely rich, beefy flavor. Its strong grain makes it the perfect candidate for marinating, as the loose structure of the meat allows flavors to penetrate.

 

For this Korean-inspired recipe, created by James Beard-nominated cookbook author Meredith Deeds, the bavette is marinated in a lively mix of kimchi, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and Asian pear. The pear, often used in bulgogi marinades, along with the kimchi, adds loads flavor, but also helps to tenderize the meat which marinates for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.

Kimchi-Marinated Bavette Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

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    • 1 American Wagyu Black® Bavette
    • 1/2 Asian or Bosc pear, cored and chopped
    • 1/2 cup kimchi
    • 1/2 chopped onion
    • 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
    • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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    • 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons gochujang
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • sliced green onions
    • sesame seeds

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    • cooked sushi rice
    • large lettuce leaves
    • chopped kimchi
    • grated carrots
    • green onions, thinly sliced
    • fresh herbs, like Thai basil, mint and cilantro

    Directions

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      1. In a blender, puree the pear, kimchi, onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and black pepper until smooth.
      2. Place bavette in a large Ziplock bag. Pour the marinade over the bavette, seal the bag and refrigerate, turning over occasionally, for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
      3. Prepare the grill. For gas grill- Heat the grill with all burners on medium, and then turn off the burners on one side of the grill (cool zone). Adjust the setting on the active burner to medium-high (the hot zone). For charcoal grill- Using a chimney starter, ignite the charcoal. Once it's burning well, bank the coals on one side of the grill (the hot zone). The side without the coals is the cool side.
      4. Remove the bavette from marinade and place on cool side of the grill. Cook turning once, for 4 to 6 minutes a side, until the internal temperature is 100°F.

      5. Place on hot side of the grill and cook, turning once, for 2 to 4 minutes a side, until the internal temperature is 120°F (for medium-rare) to 135°F (for medium).

      6. Make sure to watch carefully for burning and transfer back to cool side to finish cooking if the steak is charring too much.
      7. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
      8. Slice the bavette thinly, against the grain.
      9. Make lettuce wraps by folding a piece of steak or two, some rice, kimchi, vegetables and herbs inside a lettuce leaf.
      10. Serve with dipping sauce.

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      1. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, gochujang, sugar and sesame oil. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.