Traditional Discada

In some ways discada resembles a paella, as all is cooked in one pan and there are many ingredients. Discada appeals to my inner carnivore, because instead of a lot of rice and vegetables as a filler, it is mostly meat. One interesting note is the use of Vienna sausages and/or diced pineapple in many recipes, inexpensively adding to taste, texture and volume when you need to stretch your dollars. This will probably server 25-30 people, so the cost per each is really pretty small.

***Version from Durango, Mexico - not my recipe or my disco*** "

How to serve 30 people with $75"

INGREDIENTS:
5 pounds of lean beef round or other affordable cut
7 pounds of not-so-lean beef round or other affordable cut (think juicier & tastier discada)
2.5 pounds of baked ham
2.5 pounds of Vienna sausages
1.5 pounds of smoked bacon
1.5 pounds of chorizo
5 medium sized tomatoes
2 medium sized onions
14 jalapenos
Garlic powder to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Paprika addded for color

METHOD:
I don't know what the Spanish term for "mise en place" is, but it really applies here. Prepare all the ingredients first, it will make it much easier as you go along.

Slice tomatoes into thin wedges. Same goes for onions. Roast and peel a dozen jalapenos, and then dice for the discada. Remember to save other jalapenos for the Pico de Gallo. Dice both types of beef, as well as the ham, bacon and Vienna sausages. Remove casing from chorizo if it has it. Reserve each meat on a separate plate or bowl.

Turn up the heat and add a bit of vegetable oil, and when hot add the chorizo, cooking and stirring until it comes apart. Move the chorizo out of the center of the disco and toss in the bacon. Once the bacon starts to render, move it out of the center and toss in a handful of onions.

When the onions are translucent, make a hole in the middle and add ham and the sausages. They are already cooked, so you don't want to overdo it. You just want to get that great bacon fat all over them!

Now push all that stuff out toward the rim, opening a large hole in the middle. Toss in the fattier beef, then the lean beef on top of that.

Onions, tomatoes and peppers go on to of everything. Add first batch of seasonings and paprika to color. Without mixing it up, turn the fire down low and cover for 7-8 minutes.

Then you can mix it all up and cook covered for another 10 minutes or so. Mix again, and cook for another 15 minutes.

While you are doing all this mixing and waiting, you can make your Pico de Gallo, ready your beans and gather all the toppings. When time's up, all the veggies and meat have given up their juices, and it's ready to eat. If youo want, you can continue to cook over a medium heat if desired to reduce the liquid, but that's optional - you just don't want to saturate the tortillas. When it is how you like it, turn heat to low, heat the tortillas and serve it up!

FINALE:
Serve with Borracho or basic pinto beans, Pico de Gallo, guacamole, cilantro, lime wedges, crema, chiles and salsa. Corn tortillas are traditional, but I confess I am a flour tortilla man. If you really want to impress your guests, make them yourself. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't use the ham or Vienna sausages, my palate just doesn't understand them in this setting.