Agujas Norteñas y Tablitas
Agujas Norteñas y Tablitas·(ah-GOO-has nor-TEN-yas ee tah-BLEE-tas)
Fin de Semana: Weekend Parrilladas and Sunday Suppers
If you grew up in a Tejano or Northern Mexican household, this is the unmistakable scent of a Saturday afternoon: the hypnotic, savory smoke of rendering beef fat, citrus, and garlic hitting hot coals. While American steakhouses worship the thick, rare ribeye, the borderlands mastered the art of the thin cut. Agujas (thinly sliced chuck) and tablitas (cross-cut short ribs) are cheap, highly marbled, and cook in literal minutes. The secret to recreating that exact taste of home isn't a complex, hours-long adobo, but a fast, punchy marinade relying on two bottles found in every Mexican grandmother's pantry: Jugo Maggi and Salsa Inglesa. Whether you fire up the backyard grill or rip a cast-iron skillet on a Tuesday night, this is the unpretentious, deeply authentic soul of the border.
Before you start
Source the right cuts.
Look for flanken-cut or Korean-style short ribs for the tablitas, and chuck eye or Denver steaks for the agujas.
Ask the butcher for thin slices.
If you cannot find pre-sliced thin cuts, ask the meat counter to machine-slice the short ribs to 3/8-inch thick and the chuck to 1/2-inch thick.
Ingredients
- flanken-cut beef short ribs1 1/2 lb
- thin-cut chuck eye steaks1 1/2 lb
- Jugo Maggi1/4 cup
- Worcestershire sauce1/4 cup
- fresh lime juice1/4 cup
- neutral cooking oil3 tbsp
- garlic4 med
- white onion1/2 large
- ground cumin1 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- coarse sea salt1 tbsp
- corn tortillas12 med
Method
- 01
Combine the liquid marinade ingredients.
In a large bowl or a gallon-sized zip-top bag, combine the Jugo Maggi, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, oil, garlic, cumin, and black pepper.
- 02
Marinate the beef and onions.
Add the sliced white onions, short ribs, and chuck steaks to the marinade, massaging the liquid into the meat to ensure every thin slice is well coated.
- 03
Rest the meat in the refrigerator.
Marinate for at least two hours, but absolutely no longer than four, as the acidic lime juice will begin to chemically cook the thin beef and turn it unpleasantly mushy.
- 04
Preheat the grill or cast-iron skillet.
Remove the meat from the fridge twenty minutes before cooking to take the chill off, and set up an outdoor grill for direct high heat or get a large cast-iron skillet smoking hot on the stove.
- 05
Season the meat right before cooking.
Pull the beef from the marinade, shaking off the excess liquid, and generously season both sides with coarse sea salt right before they hit the heat.
- 06
Sear the tablitas over high heat.
Place the short ribs on the hottest part of the grill or skillet, leaving them untouched for three to four minutes until the edges crisp and caramelize, then flip and cook for three more minutes.
- 07
Grill the agujas past medium-rare.
Cook the chuck steaks for four to five minutes per side, intentionally taking them to medium or medium-well so the heavy connective tissue and fat completely melt into a buttery, tender bite.
- 08
Blister the reserved onions.
Toss the marinated onions onto the grill or into the skillet, letting them char and soften in the residual beef fat.
- 09
Rest, slice, and serve.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board for five minutes, slice the agujas across the grain, and serve immediately alongside the charred onions and warm corn tortillas.
Notes
Do not undercook the chuck steaks.
Unlike a standard American steakhouse cut, agujas are inherently tough if served rare; the magic happens when the fat fully renders at higher temperatures.
Sourcing Jugo Maggi.
If you cannot find Jugo Maggi in the international aisle, substitute equal parts standard soy sauce and concentrated beef broth.
From Cook Tex-Mex.