The Northern Mexican dish of mixed meats and vegetables cooked on a plow disc is called discada. The name refers both to the meal and, in many contexts, to the broad metal cooking disc used to prepare it.
The utensil began as a disc harrow blade, usually made of iron or steel, repurposed for cooking over an open fire. Its shallow, concave shape concentrates heat near the center while leaving a broad surface for moving ingredients outward as they finish cooking. This design has earned it the nickname “cowboy wok.”
A traditional discada may combine beef, bacon, ham, sausage, and Mexican chorizo with onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Cooks often add each meat in sequence, allowing rendered fat and accumulated juices to flavor the ingredients that follow. Recipes vary considerably by region and household.
Discada is strongly associated with vaquero culture in northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. It is frequently served in tacos with salsa, guacamole, rice, or beans. Carne asada is grilled meat, while discada specifically signals the mixed-meat preparation and its characteristic cooking vessel.