CarneAtlas
Arrachera

Arrachera substitutes

What to use when you can't find Arrachera at your butcher

Arrachera is the traditional name in Mexico. Outside that tradition, butchers carry comparable beef cuts under different names — sometimes the same anatomical piece, sometimes a close cousin. The alternatives below are grouped by country so you can match what your local butcher actually carries.

Mexico

Faldaapproximate

Both are thin, flat cuts from the plate/flank area used in similar long-cooked Mexican preparations; skirt steak is the diaphragm muscle with more intense flavor, falda is the plate muscle and slightly milder.

Argentina

Vacioapproximate

Both are flat, fibrous cuts from the belly area suited to marinating and slicing thinly, but flank is leaner and milder while skirt has more fat and a more intense flavour.

France

Bavette d'aloyauapproximate

Both are intensely flavored, fibrous cuts used similarly in bistro and taquería cooking, but bavette is from the flank while skirt is the diaphragm muscle.

Ongletapproximate

Both are flavourful, coarse-grained cuts from the plate/diaphragm area that benefit from high heat and slicing against the grain, but the hanger is a single thicker muscle while the skirt is thinner and wider.

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