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This Discada recipe is made with pork, chorizo, bacon, pinto beans and is so hearty, delicious and filling.
Discada is a dish consisting of a mixture of meats that is very popular in northern Mexico. The dish itself is a mixture of meats roasted on a concave metal disk (usually similar to a Chinese wok). The composition for a traditional discada includes beef or pork, usually a medium cut that is balanced in meat-fat ratio, bacon, ham, sausages, and Mexican chorizo. The meat is usually marinated and seasoned with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and garlic, accompanied with onions, peppers, or serrano or jalapeño peppers.
If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Tinga de Res and my Arroz con Pollo.
Jump to:
- What is Discada?
- Why you will love this recipe
- Discada Ingredients
- How to make Discada
- Substitutions
- Variations
- Equipment
- Storage
- Top tip
- Discada Recipe
- Food safety
What is Discada?
Discada comes from Coahuila, Mexico which is the northern part. It include a mixture of meats and cooked on something similar to a paella pan, which is where the recipe name comes from. These meats can be beef, pork, bacon, ham, sausage and Mexican chorizo. The sauce usually consists of onion, garlic, jalapeño and tomatoes. You can serve this on a taco or as is.
Why you will love this recipe
Full of flavor: This sauce is one of my favorites. I love making a homemade sauce because it had all the flavors you want.
Hearty: The combination of the meat, beans, and homemade sauce makes this such a hearty dish.
Great for any weather: This dish is amazing to make during the summer or winter months.
Serves a crowd: This dish is so filling and it is easy to make at your next dinner party.
Discada Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Oil
- Pork tenderloin
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Jalapeño
- Pinto beans
- Bacon
- Mexican chorizo
- Chiles anchos
- Tomatoes
- Onion
- Avocado
See recipe card for quantities for this Discada Recipe.
How to make Discada
Make the sauce: Add water in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add salt and add the chiles anchos, roma tomatoes, garlic cloves, and onion. This should boil for 15 minutes. When it is done, add everything in a blender and about 2 cups of the same water. Reserve for later.
Meanwhile in a very large pan on medium high heat, brown the pork for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. We want to just sear it. Remove and set on a plate. Toss in the chorizo, minced garlic and bacon, stirring frequently until browned, about 8 minutes. Pour in the sauce and bring to a simmer.
Return the pork and add the beans and it’s juices into the sauce. Add the pork, jalapeño, beans, cilantro, salt and pepper and cook in the sauce for about 30-40 minutes, until liquid has reduced.
Garnish with cubed avocado and cilantro.
Hint: You may need to add some water or broth if you feel the liquid is too thick.
Substitutions
Pork Tenderloin: I used pork tenderloin but feel free to use beef instead, or a mix of both. There are many different variations of discada.
Jalapeño: I used jalapeno but feel free to use serrano peppers instead.
Beans: I used pinto beans because it is more traditional, but black beans will work too.
Bacon: I used bacon but you can use pancetta or capicola as well.
Chorizo: I used Mexican chorizo, which is much softer than Spanish chorizo. You can use chopped salami or crumbled Italian sausage.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
- Deluxe - add orange juice into the broth, for a nice tangy kick.
- Kid friendly - add this into a taco.
Check out my Avocado Lettuce Wraps.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality.
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
These Discada Recipe ingredients can be frozen for up to three months.
Top tip
You may need to add some water or broth if you feel the liquid is too thick.
Discada Recipe
- Author: Maxine Dubois
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Description
This Discada recipe is made with pork, chorizo, bacon, pinto beans and is so hearty, delicious and filling.
Ingredients
Scale
Pork:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch cilantro, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, with its juices
- 4 pieces bacon, chopped
- ½ cup soft chorizo, crumbled
Sauce:
- 4 chiles anchos, deseeded and destemmed
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ yellow onion
Garnish:
- 1 avocado, diced
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Add water in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add salt and add the chiles anchos, roma tomatoes, garlic cloves, and onion. This should boil for 15 minutes. When it is done, add everything in a blender and about 2 cups of the same water. Reserve for later.
- Meanwhile in a very large pan on medium high heat, brown the pork for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. We want to just sear it. Remove and set on a plate.
- Toss in the chorizo, minced garlic and bacon, stirring frequently until browned, about 8 minutes. Pour in the sauce and bring to a simmer. Return the pork and add the beans and it’s juices into the sauce. Add the pork, jalapeño, beans, cilantro, salt and pepper and cook in the sauce for about 30-40 minutes, until liquid has reduced. (Note: you may need to add some water or broth if you feel the liquid is too thick).
- Garnish with cubed avocado and cilantro.
Notes
You may need to add some water or broth if you feel the liquid is too thick.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove