Discada is northern Mexico’s glorious answer to the question “what if we cooked six meats in one giant disc?” Traditionally made on a plow disc (the disco that names the dish) over an open fire, it is a smoky, beer-splashed feast built for a crowd and destined for tacos.
I learned it from my neighbors, a wonderful family from northern Mexico, over a dinner where I shamelessly asked for the recipe before dessert. Their version layers beef, pork, bacon, ham, sausages and chorizo with a blended tomato-spice sauce and a couple of cans of beer.
You do not need a plow disc — a big heavy pot or disco-style pan works — but you do need tortillas, because discada served any other way is a missed opportunity.
Mexican Discada Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef (sirloin or chuck), diced
- 2 pounds pork leg, diced
- 1 pound smoked bacon, chopped
- 1 pound smoked ham, diced
- 1 pound Vienna sausages, sliced
- 1 pound pork chorizo
- 3 onions, divided
- 3 garlic cloves
- 6 tomatoes, divided
- 1 bunch cilantro
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano or marjoram
- 2 cans of beer
- Oil, as needed
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Dice all the meats. Blend half the onion and half the tomatoes with the garlic, cumin, pepper, thyme and marjoram, adding enough water for a smooth sauce.
- Heat oil in a large heavy pot (or disco) and fry the bacon and pork until half-cooked.
- Add the beef with a little salt.
- When the beef is half done, pour in the beer and add the remaining onion and tomato, plus the ham, sausages and chorizo. Stir in the blended sauce.
- Cook everything together for about 20 minutes, until the meats are done and the flavors have fused.
- Serve in tacos with flour or corn tortillas — charro beans on the side make it a proper norteño feast.
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