PRE-ORDER −20% until Wednesday 2 December, 17:00 · first orders ship Wednesday 2 December · over €129: free delivery to mainland Spain and a tray of 4 criollo sausages · See the BBQ boxes

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Grand reopening, now taking pre-orders: 20% off everything until Wednesday 2 December, 17:00

Order now and secure your cuts. The first orders ship on Wednesday 2 December with SEUR Frío (refrigerated courier) and arrive the next day (Balearic Islands: two days).

On orders from €129: free delivery to mainland Spain and a free tray of 4 criollo sausages.

Flank · bavette · retinto · approx. 1.2 kg

Flank Steak (Vacío), Retinto Beef, approx. 1.2 kg

Flank, or bavette (US: flank steak), is vacío on a Spanish or Argentine grill menu; to a Spanish butcher it is part of the falda. It is a flat, long-fibred piece from the side of the animal: big flavour, some chew. One retinto piece weighs approx. 1.2 kg and costs €30.90, enough for three or four.

Roasted retinto flank (vacío) with a golden crust, carved into thick tender slices
Flank steak (vacío), retinto beef

Flank steak (vacío), retinto beef

On the label: Vacío de Ternera Retinta

30,90€ VAT incl.

In stock

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What you get

Cut Flank or bavette, in one piece (US: flank steak)
On the Spanish label Vacío de Ternera Retinta
Animal Retinto beef; our retinto comes from the province of Cádiz
Pack One piece of approx. 1.2 kg, vacuum-packed
Fresh or frozen Chilled, vacuum-packed. Can be frozen on arrival.
Serves 3 to 4 at 300–350 g per person
Red-brown retinto cow grazing in a green dehesa pasture with a calf and holm oaks behind

How to cook it

  • The Argentine way: whole, over medium embers, mostly on the first side, turned once. It is slower than a steak.
  • The quick way: a very hot pan or plancha, a few minutes per side. Halve the piece if it does not fit.
  • Stop at medium-rare, 54–57 °C (129–135 °F), or at medium, 60–63 °C (140–145 °F), at the latest. Long, lean fibres dry out beyond that.
  • Rest for five to ten minutes, then carve thinly across the fibres, which run the length of the piece, knife slightly tilted. The slicing matters as much as the cooking.

Flank steak: honest answers

Is vacío the same as bavette?

In the kitchen, yes: British bavette or flank, American flank steak, Spanish vacío. If a counter does not know the word, ask for the flat piece of the falda. See our guide to beef cuts in Spanish.

Is it tender?

Not by nature, and we would rather say so. Flank is bought for flavour; tenderness comes from not overcooking it and slicing it thin.

How does it differ from skirt?

Skirt is the diaphragm, thinner and cooked in minutes. Flank is a thicker belly muscle that copes with longer cooking. The skirt steak page compares them.

Goes well with

For an Argentine-style grill: skirt, short ribs, criollo sausages or the asado box.