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.
| Country | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Chuck eye steak | Sold bone-in in US Hispanic markets as agujas or bone-in chuck eye steak |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Chuck eye steak | |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | Aguja norteñaprimary | Defining cut of northern Mexican (Monterrey) grilling culture; also called flecha informally |
| 🇦🇷Argentina | Aguja | Same anatomical zone but used as a braising/stewing cut in Argentina rather than a thin grill steak |
| 🇫🇷France | Basses côtes | Primal-level equivalent; the specific sub-cut is the noix de basse côte (chuck eye) |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Aguja | Spanish butchery uses aguja for the chuck zone; typically braised rather than grilled |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | Acém | Also historically spelled agulha in older Portuguese nomenclature |
| 🇧🇷Brazil | Acém | Brazilian chuck equivalent; the specific sub-cut is sometimes called acém comprido (chuck eye) |
Both are chuck primal cuts; paleron comes from the shoulder blade center while aguja norteña is from the chuck eye roll closer to the rib
Both are chuck primal steaks; flat iron is from the top blade (infraspinatus) while aguja norteña is from the chuck eye roll
The chuck eye roll is a continuation of the ribeye muscle into the chuck; aguja norteña is often described as a more affordable alternative to ribeye