Discada (dees-KAH-dah) is what northern Mexican families cook when a lot of people show up: bacon, chorizo, hot dogs, ham, steak and pork, chopped small and browned one after another in the same pan, then finished with onion, jalapeño, tomato and a bottle of beer that cooks away completely. You scoop it into tortillas. It is party food in Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Durango, and in Texas; in the US the deep plow-disc pan it is named after is often sold as a cowboy wok. This recipe makes it for 6 in an ordinary 12-inch skillet.
What is discada?
How do you make discada? Render 7 oz (200 g) of bacon over medium heat for 8 minutes and lift it out. In the fat, cook 7 oz (200 g) of chorizo for 5 minutes, brown the hot dogs and ham for 4, then sear 1¾ lb (800 g) of steak and pork over high heat in two 6-minute batches. Sauté onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and tomato, return all the meat, add 12 fl oz (355 ml) of beer and cook it down for 10 to 12 minutes until no liquid is left. 75 minutes for 6 servings.
The name comes from the disco, a steel disc from a farm plow that ranch cooks turned into a pan and set over a wood fire or gas burner. The center is deep and hot and collects the fat; the rim runs cooler, so each meat gets pushed out there once it is browned while the next one cooks in the middle.
What you end up with. Bite-size pieces of browned meat, salty and smoky from the bacon, red from the chorizo, with a mild kick from the jalapeños. It is nearly dry and glossy, not saucy. It is eaten in tacos.
Is it worth making? For a backyard get-together, a game day or a Sunday lunch where the pan goes in the middle and people help themselves, yes. It is filling: about 860 kcal a plate with three corn tortillas. It is not for anyone avoiding pork, since half the meat is pork.
Time and effort. 75 minutes: 25 of chopping and 50 at the stove, and you stand at the stove the whole time. Nothing about it is difficult.
Discada ingredients and US and UK swaps
There is no single official discada; every family has its own mix. This one uses what most versions share, about 9 oz (250 g) of raw meat per person, fresh and cured together.
| You need | In the US | In the UK | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh Mexican chorizo | Refrigerated case, near the sausages, in most supermarkets | Rare in supermarkets; Latin shops and online | Spanish cooking chorizo is cured and firm: dice it small, expect smoked paprika flavor and more salt. Or use 7 oz plain pork sausage meat with 1 tsp chili powder and 1 tsp paprika |
| Smoked bacon | Regular smoked bacon | Smoked streaky | Back bacon is leaner and gives off less fat |
| Hot dogs | Hot dogs or wieners | Frankfurters | None that matters |
| Steak | Top sirloin, flank or skirt | Rump or sirloin | Stewing beef or chuck stays tough in 6 minutes |
| Pork | Boneless loin chops | Pork loin steaks | Shoulder is juicier but chewier in this short time |
| Jalapeños | Any supermarket | Most supermarkets, or green finger chillies | Finger chillies are usually hotter |
| Maggi seasoning | Latin or international aisle | Soy sauce | Very little |
The beer. One 12 fl oz (355 ml) bottle or can. A Mexican-style lager keeps it mild; a dark lager gives a toastier finish. The alcohol mostly cooks off during the reduction, though not all of it. Without beer, use the same amount of beef stock.
Equipment
A 12 to 13 in (30 to 32 cm) skillet in cast iron or stainless steel that can take high heat, or a large wok. A big bowl to park each meat in, and a wooden spoon or spatula.
How to make discada in a skillet
All timings are for a 12-inch skillet and 6 servings. Have everything chopped before you start.
- Bacon, 8 minutes over medium heat, starting in a cold pan. The fat renders slowly and the bacon doesn’t scorch before it lets go of its fat. Take it out while it is golden and still bendy; it dries out a little more later.
- Chorizo, 5 minutes over medium heat. Break it up as it cooks. It is done when there is no pink left and the fat in the pan is brick red. More than a finger’s depth of fat? Spoon some off and keep about 3 tablespoons.
- Hot dogs and ham, 4 minutes over medium-high heat. Both are already cooked. You only want toasted edges.
- Steak and pork in two 14 oz (400 g) batches, 6 minutes each over high heat. Leave each batch alone for 2 minutes so it browns, then toss. All 1¾ lb at once cools the pan and the meat boils grey in its own juice.
- Vegetables, 8 minutes in all. Onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and garlic go on top of the last batch of meat for 5 minutes and pick up the browned bits; the tomatoes follow for 3.
- Everything back in with the beer, 10 to 12 minutes, lid off. Stir every few minutes. The beer lifts what is stuck to the pan, then evaporates.
- Salt and cilantro, 1 minute. Taste first. Bacon, chorizo, ham, hot dogs, Worcestershire and Maggi all bring salt, and in my kitchen it rarely needs more.
Why the meats go in this order
Fattiest first, leanest last. Bacon and chorizo release the fat and flavor that the rest of the meat browns in; put them in last and the steak and pork would fry in plain oil. The precooked hot dogs and ham brown quickly and come out before they dry. Steak and pork go in last because they toughen the longest they sit over heat, and they need the hottest pan. Vegetables follow the meat, because their water would stop the meat from browning.
On a disc nothing leaves the pan: each meat slides to the cooler rim and the next one goes in the center. A skillet has no cool rim, which is why you use the bowl.
How to tell it’s done
- The bacon has golden edges and the fat in the pan is clear.
- The chorizo shows no pink and the fat is red. With a thermometer, 160°F (71°C), as for any ground meat.
- A cube of pork cut open has no pink; pork is safe at 145°F (63°C) in the center.
- The onion is translucent and the pepper still crunches.
- It is ready when you tilt the pan and no liquid runs, only shiny fat. Still wet? Keep going, lid off, over medium-high heat.
Discada on a plow disc, a wok or a griddle
You do not need a disc for 6 people. What changes with each pan is where you put each finished meat and how well it cooks off the beer.
- Skillet, 12 to 13 in (30 to 32 cm). The method above. Anything under 11 in (28 cm) can’t hold the meat in one layer: cook 9 oz (250 g) batches.
- Wok. The closest thing to a disc. The deep bowl pools the fat in the center and you push each meat up the sides instead of taking it out. Best on a strong burner.
- Flat griddle or plancha. Browns beautifully because of the surface area, but liquid runs off the edges. Use half the beer, 6 fl oz (175 ml), splashed on a little at a time and cooked off each time. The result is drier, closer to a stir-fry.
- Dutch oven or deep pot. Not my choice: tall sides trap steam and the meat stews. If it is all you have, cook 7 oz (200 g) batches and reduce the beer longer, until nothing is left.
- Plow disc (discada pan or cowboy wok). Sold ready to cook on, with handles and legs, for use over a propane burner or wood fire outdoors. Worth it from about 12 people up, because everything fits at once.
Discada for a crowd, 12 or 20 people
Allow 9 oz (250 g) of raw meat per person when discada is the main dish, and 7 oz (200 g) if there are other dishes on the table. Three tortillas a person is the minimum; big eaters manage four.
| Ingredient | 6 people | 12 people | 20 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon | 7 oz (200 g) | 14 oz (400 g) | 1½ lb (650 g) |
| Mexican chorizo | 7 oz (200 g) | 14 oz (400 g) | 1½ lb (650 g) |
| Hot dogs | 5 oz (150 g) | 10 oz (300 g) | 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) |
| Ham | 5 oz (150 g) | 10 oz (300 g) | 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) |
| Steak | 14 oz (400 g) | 1¾ lb (800 g) | 3 lb (1.35 kg) |
| Pork | 14 oz (400 g) | 1¾ lb (800 g) | 3 lb (1.35 kg) |
| Onions, large | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Green bell peppers | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Jalapeños | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Tomatoes | 9 oz (250 g) | 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) | 1¾ lb (800 g) |
| Beer, 12 fl oz (355 ml) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Tortillas | 18 | 36 to 48 | 60 to 80 |
That is about 6½ lb (3 kg) of meat for 12 and 11 lb (5 kg) for 20.
Scaling up. For 12 in a kitchen, cook two batches back to back or run two skillets side by side; one 12-inch pan can’t brown 3½ lb (1.6 kg) of steak and pork without endless batches. For 20, use a disc or a large outdoor griddle. With triple the meat, each stage takes longer to brown, so go by the signs above rather than the clock.
Make ahead. The night before, chop the fresh meat, the cured meats and the vegetables and refrigerate them in separate containers. Leave the tomatoes and cilantro for the day. Discada is best cooked just before eating.
Common discada mistakes
- Soupy, like a stew. Too much beer, or the lid went on. Cook uncovered over medium-high heat until no liquid runs.
- Grey, tough meat. It all went in at once, or the pan was not hot enough. Batches of 14 oz (400 g) over high heat, steak and pork last.
- Greasy. Bacon and chorizo release a lot of fat. Spoon off the excess after the chorizo and keep 3 tablespoons.
- Too salty. It was salted before tasting. Every cured meat and both sauces carry salt.
- Burnt bacon. The pan was already hot. Start cold over medium heat.
Heat level. Mild with seeded jalapeños, medium with the seeds in. For kids, leave out the jalapeños and serve the salsa on the side; meat, bacon and hot dogs in a tortilla usually go down well.
Allergens. Worcestershire usually contains anchovies (fish); Maggi and soy sauce contain wheat and soy; flour tortillas contain gluten, corn tortillas don’t. Some hot dogs and hams contain soy or milk protein, so check the label.
Discada variations
- With or without hot dogs. Some families use only fresh meat, bacon and chorizo; others add hot dogs and ham to stretch it. Without them, add 5 oz (150 g) more steak and 5 oz (150 g) more pork.
- No beer. 12 fl oz (355 ml) beef stock, or no liquid at all for a drier, crustier discada.
- With potatoes. 14 oz (400 g) potatoes in ½ in (1.5 cm) cubes, browned in the bacon fat before the chorizo until golden and easily pierced with a fork. Stretches the pan and makes it heartier.
- With cheese. At the end, 7 oz (200 g) shredded Monterey Jack or asadero over the top, lid on for 2 minutes over the lowest heat, until melted.
- Hotter. Serranos instead of jalapeños, or whole jalapeños cooked in the fat so people can take one if they want.
What to serve with discada tacos
Bring the pan to the table with warm tortillas. Flour tortillas are the northern Mexican default, and soft homemade flour tortillas are worth the effort here; corn works too. On a disc, warm the tortillas on the rim once the meat is done.
Set out a taqueria red salsa with chiles de árbol, lime wedges, chopped onion and cilantro, and guacamole or a pico de gallo that stays crisp. Frijoles charros, pinto beans with bacon and chorizo, come from the same northern kitchen. So does a pan of frijoles puercos, a chorizo and cheese bean dip, to put out with chips while the meat cooks. For a second meat, skirt steak carne asada can go on the grill while the discada cooks. For a smaller skillet taco for 4 built on the same cook-each-thing-separately idea, try Mexican alambre with melted cheese.
Storing, freezing and reheating discada
- Out of the fridge: no more than 2 hours.
- Fridge: covered, 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer: up to 2 to 3 months, in flat portions in freezer bags so they thaw quickly. Thaw in the fridge.
- Reheat: in a skillet over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water or beer so it doesn’t dry out, until steaming hot in the center, 165°F (74°C). In the microwave, covered, stirring halfway; the bacon loses its crispness.
Frequently asked questions
What meat goes in discada? Usually bacon, chorizo, beef and pork, and many versions add hot dogs and ham. There is no fixed list.
What order do the meats go in? Bacon, chorizo, hot dogs and ham, then beef and pork. Fattiest to leanest, so the fat from the first ones browns the last.
How much discada per person? About 9 oz (250 g) of raw meat and 3 to 4 tacos. For 20 people, about 11 lb (5 kg) of meat in total.
What is a cowboy wok? A US name for the discada pan, a deep steel disc originally cut from a plow. A large wok does the same job indoors.
Can I make discada on the stove? Yes. A 12 to 13 in (30 to 32 cm) skillet handles 6 servings if each meat goes into a bowl before the next.
Nutrition
Per serving (about 9 oz / 250 g of raw meat, the vegetables and three 24 g corn tortillas), worked out ingredient by ingredient from the quantities in this recipe, with no added salt and counting all the fat from the bacon and chorizo:
- Calories: 860 kcal
- Protein: 47 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g (mostly tortillas)
- Fat: 53 g, of which 17 g saturated
- Fiber: 7 g
- Sugars: 5 g
- Sodium: 1,280 mg
Without tortillas, the discada itself is about 700 kcal a serving. Of those 700, roughly 230 kcal come from the bacon and chorizo together, so spooning fat out of the pan after the chorizo brings it down. Almost all the sodium comes from the cured meats and the Maggi or soy sauce.
I did not grow up with discada. Family gatherings at home in Venezuela meant a grill and whole cuts of meat. The first time I made it I seared the steak and pork before the bacon, out of habit, and got dry meat sitting in flavorless fat. Cooked in this order, each meat browns in what the last one left behind, and the pan does the rest. Josnaisis.