In their heyday, the vaqueros who rode across South Texas and north Mexico were some of the hardest around, running cattle through thick mesquite brush in temperatures well over 100 degrees. If you weren’t as tough as nails and a maestro on the back of a horse, then you didn’t even consider saddling up in that region. Long days. Short nights. The hard ground. Harder work.
But let’s not forget that this lifestyle had its upside, too. Imagine for a moment that you’re a vaquero, rounding up cattle in a place like the King Ranch. After a long day on the ranch, you set up your bedroll, stoke the campfire, and listen to the coyotes howl and the barred owls rattle their calls across the dry senderos of south Texas. It was all you had, and it was also all you needed. No one ever says, “more is more,” after all.
It’s this simple way of living that inspired the Discada, an invention born out of the barren expanses of the region and driven by a horde of vaqueros with empty bellies. As they say, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and the Discada is one hell of a love story.
I’m proud to offer my own version of this bootstrapped invention in LG Shop, but it’d probably be helpful to tell you what it actually is. Walk through just about any town in Texas (much less, the world) and you’ll get a blank stare when you ask someone what a Discada is. It’s high time we introduced this culinary stroke of genius to the world.
Making Lemonade
Sure, you can thread a hunk of meat onto a stick and roast it over a fire. But when you’re spending every night under the stars, shoe leather on a stick probably gets a little old. A group of scrappy vaqueros came up with a solution hiding in plain sight.
Working a ranch requires working the land. And working the land requires implements. Over time, those implements break down and become permanent yard art in the wild places across our great state. So when the vaqueros saw more than a few harrows nestled among the mesquite trees and scrub brush, they had a light bulb moment: Could we cook on that thing?
Long story short, the answer is yes, and a little-known South Texas solution to camp cooking was born. They popped one of the discs off of the harrow, cleaned it up (I hope), and used it as a cooking surface for everything from tacos and fajitas to whatever else they could nab while working the ranch.
Since then, the discada has become the Discada. In the southern parts of the state, it’s a singular cooking device born out of necessity and the ingenuity that comes with it. The crazy part? It wasn’t just a desperate solution. Whether they knew it or not, they came up with an incredible cooking device.
“When the vaqueros saw more than a few harrows nestled among the mesquite trees and scrub brush, they had a light bulb moment: Could we cook on that thing?”
Vaquero Versatility
We didn’t introduce the El Kenedy Discada solely as an homage to those hardy vaqueros who love hearty cooking. While it’s certainly that, we also saw the Discada as a unique and versatile cooking implement born from a farming implement that had seen its prime come and go.
First, the shape and structure of the Discada is incredibly useful. Much like an Asian wok, the bowl shape of the disc gives you multiple cooking options at the same time. Need to get a hot sear on a steak or cook some scrambled eggs? Throw ’em in the middle of the Discada, where the flame is closest. Then, as you move outward, the temperatures get incrementally lower.
Imagine if you drew a dart board on the Discada. The innermost ring is where the real heat happens. The second-most ring is perfect for slower sautées with things like peppers, onions, tomatoes, and more. The outer ring is just hot enough to keep tortillas warm, as well as other ingredients during meal prep.
And that’s where the similarity to the wok ends. The design of a harrow disc is much thicker than a typical cooking pan. You could farm with a Discada; you couldn’t necessarily farm with a wok. So while a wok or kitchen pan will heat up faster, they don’t necessarily regulate heat as well, which is what makes the Discada ideal for getting the perfect temperature.
Does it take longer to heat up? Sure. But, much like a cast-iron skillet, you can retain heat longer and make subtle adjustments if needed without over-cooling or overheating your cooking surface. Paired with the bowl structure of the Discada, you’ve got one of the most versatile ways to cook a meal in the backcountry or your backyard.
“I assure you, once you meet the magic of the Discada in person, it’ll be tough to go back—plus, the horseshoe handles are pretty darn charming.”
The LG Flavor
So you have two options if you’re feeling the call of the Discada. First, you could go trudge around the border and try to track down a harrow for yourself—if it’s not rusted out by now, you may even be able to get a disc loose. The other option (which, admittedly, may not be quite as fun) is to pick up our brand-new El Kenedy Discada.
I collaborated with top-notch craftsmen to design both our 18" and 22" models, made with heavy-gauge steel for a lifetime of durability and an even heat dispersion for even the trickiest of camp dinners. It’s custom-made for cooking over an open flame. I assure you, once you meet the magic of the Discada in person, it’ll be tough to go back—plus, the horseshoe handles are pretty darn charming. You can find it in our shop, ahora.
