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1
Temper the bavette at room temperature until no chill remains at its centre. Season generously with flaky salt on both sides. Do not apply pepper — it will combust at the temperatures required. Heat a heavy steel or cast-iron pan over the highest available flame until a drop of water vaporises on contact and the pan shows the first wisps of smoke (280 °C+). The surface must be visibly dry and uniformly hot.
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2
Add a thin film of neutral oil to the smoking pan and lay the bavette away from you. Do not move it. Sear for 3 minutes undisturbed — this is where the dish lives or dies: insufficient heat or any movement at this stage produces a grey, stewed surface rather than the sealed, flavour-carrying crust that the open grain of bavette demands. The underside should release cleanly from the pan and show a deep mahogany crust before the flip.
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3
Flip once only and cook for a further 2–3 minutes for medium-rare. The target internal temperature is 54–56 °C. Do not cook beyond medium: above 62 °C the long muscle fibres contract sharply, squeezing out moisture and rendering the cut tough. Remove the bavette to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes uncovered.
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4
Reduce the heat to medium. Add 30 g butter to the same pan and, when foaming, add the finely minced shallots. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The shallots should soften and colour to pale gold — not brown, which would draw bitterness from the fond. The aroma shifts from raw and sharp to sweet.
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5
Deglaze with 100 ml red wine, scraping up all the fond with a wooden spoon. Reduce by three-quarters over medium-high heat until the liquid is thick and syrupy around the shallots. Add the veal jus or demi-glace and reduce again until the sauce coats the spoon and falls in slow, heavy drops.
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6
Remove from the heat. Stir in the cold butter in one piece until emulsified and glossy, then add the splash of red wine vinegar and the chopped parsley. Season with black pepper (applied now, after the high-heat stage) and salt if required. The finished sauce should be bright, balanced, and coat a spoon cleanly.
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7
Slice the rested bavette against the grain at a steep, near-horizontal angle into thin, angled slices — this is the single most important step for tenderness, as the pronounced parallel grain of bavette becomes unchewably tough if cut with it. Fan the slices on warmed plates, spoon the shallot sauce over, and serve immediately with pommes frites.