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Aguja norteña

Beef · Chuck
Grill

Aguja norteña is known in English as Chuck eye steak.

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Chuck eye steak (aguja norteña)

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Also called
🇺🇸🇬🇧Chuck eye steak🇦🇷🇪🇸Aguja🇫🇷Basses côtes🇵🇹🇧🇷Acém🇮🇹Reale🇩🇪Hochrippenkern
Raw Aguja norteña — Beef Chuck cut

A bone-in chuck eye steak cut thin for grilling, prized in northern Mexico — particularly Monterrey. It comes from the chuck eye roll, the ribeye muscle as it extends into the chuck primal, giving it more marbling than a standard chuck steak. Traditionally cooked hot and fast over direct heat and served well-done.

Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇺🇸United StatesChuck eye steakSold bone-in in US Hispanic markets as agujas or bone-in chuck eye steak
🇬🇧United KingdomChuck eye steak
🇲🇽MexicoAguja norteñaprimaryDefining cut of northern Mexican (Monterrey) grilling culture; also called flecha informally
🇦🇷ArgentinaAgujaSame anatomical zone but used as a braising/stewing cut in Argentina rather than a thin grill steak
🇫🇷FranceBasses côtesPrimal-level equivalent; the specific sub-cut is the noix de basse côte (chuck eye)
🇪🇸SpainAgujaSpanish butchery uses aguja for the chuck zone; typically braised rather than grilled
🇵🇹PortugalAcémAlso historically spelled agulha in older Portuguese nomenclature
🇧🇷BrazilAcémBrazilian chuck equivalent; the specific sub-cut is sometimes called acém comprido (chuck eye)
🇮🇹ItalyRealeThe chuck eye in Italian butchery — extension of the entrecôte muscle into the shoulder.
🇩🇪GermanyHochrippenkernSometimes called 'Falsches Filet' — the eye of the chuck where the rib-eye muscle ends.
What to ask for
Shopping outside the tradition Aguja norteña comes from?

Cook it like they do

Flavor Fiesta BBQ Box from Grill Masters Club

$49.99 · Ships free in the US · Grill Masters Club

Season it the way a norteño asador would

  • Fiesta That Mexican seasoning
  • Carnitas grill & wing squeeze
  • Citrus pucker pepper rub
  • Six-recipe booklet and pinch mitts

Flavor Fiesta BBQ Box

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Similar cuts

→ See all Aguja norteña substitutes by country
TenderloinRoundBottom SirloinRibPlateChuckShort LoinBrisketFlankSirloinShankShank

Select a primal to see its cuts

Classic recipe

Asado de Aguja Norteña30 min

Aguja norteña — the blade from the northern Mexican frontier — is the classic parrilla cut of the north, where cattle ra…

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Steak searing in a cast-iron skillet beside an unbranded knife

$ · indoor steak searing and plancha-style cooking

Sear aguja hard so it stays tender

Hard sears when a grill is unavailable or inconvenient.

Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet

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Sources