Discada 5 pounds of lean beef round or other affordable cut, diced 7 pounds of not-so-lean beef round or other affordable cut, diced 2.5 pounds of baked ham, diced 2.5 pounds of sausages, diced (can use Vienna sausages or any kind of hot dogs) 1.5 pounds of smoked bacon, cut into 1" pieces 1.5 pounds of chorizo 5 medium sized tomatoes, cut into wedges (1/2 #10 or 3 15 oz. cans, drained) 2 medium sized onions, cut into thin wedges 12 jalapenos, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced Garlic powder to taste Salt to taste Pepper to taste 50-60 fajita size flour tortillas homemade corn tortillas (optional) A note on the meat: really cheap meat like brisket will save money but to keep from long cooking times, precook the brisket first in the crock pot. Prepare all the ingredients first, it will make it easier as you go along. Lay out all ingredients. Lay out all the sides as well so that when it's time, serve from the cooking area. Turn up the heat and add a splash of oil, and when hot add the bacon. Stirfry the bacon until it starts to render. Move it out of the center and add the chorizo, cooking and stirring until it comes apart. Move the chorizo out of the center of the disco and toss in a handful of onions. (NOTE: the onions are optional here, but they sure smell good!) When the onions are translucent, make a hole in the middle and add the ham and the sausages. They are already cooked, so you don't need to cook them for long. You just want to get that great liquid all over them! Now push everything out toward the rim, opening a large hole in the middle. Toss in the fattier beef, then the lean beef on top of that. Add seasonings. Add tomatoes, onions and peppers in wide stripes on top of the meat. This is a good time to tell your guests to take pictures, because you've just made a Mexican flag in the middle of your dish! Without mixing it up, cover and turn the fire down low for 7-8 minutes. Then mix it all up and cook covered for another 10 minutes or so. Mix again, and cook for another 15 minutes. When the time's up, all the veggies and meat have given up their juices, and it's ready to eat. If you want, you can continue to cook over a medium heat if desired to reduce the liquid, but that's optional - you 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! NOTE: I have cooked using the above method, and also without covering. I do like to reduce the liquid substantially at the end, otherwise you get taco meat soup! Doing the whole cook uncovered really shortens the time to reduce the liquid, which of course intensifies the flavors. But if you do cook uncovered, make sure you precook the cheap beef. (I like to use brisket, just trim the fat cap a bit and cut into domino-sized pieces, and put all 7 pounds in your crock pot along with a can of beef broth and stew it about 6 hours until tender. Refrigerate along with your other ingredients, and add it below the beef round, all of it, liquid, solidified fat, everything. Nobody will know or care, and you won't have to worry about serving tough meat.) But if you don't precook the tough cheap beef, then it's better to cover the discada and cook it about an hour longer. Serve with Borracho or patiodaddio's funky refried beans, pico de gallo, guacamole or avocado slices, cilantro, lime wedges, crema, Chiles Toreados, and of course, tortillas. IF COOKING OFF SITE, BRING oil, seasonings, chorizo scissors, no. 10 can for spoons, clean bucket for lid for whole recipe 3 bags of fajita-sized flour tortillas bring serving utensils & folding table and matches or torch small cutting board & knife & spoon for limes, avocados Patiodaddio's Funky Refried Beans Ingredients 2 cans (15 oz) Original Ranch Style Beans 2 cans (10 oz) Rotel Tomato & Green Chilies, undrained 1 red onion, diced 1/2 cup water 4 teaspoons New Mexico chile powder (or ancho) 2 tablespoons oil Saute onions in oil in heavy pot. When translucent, add chile powder and saute until onions just begin to brown. Add Rotel, bring to simmer, then add beans and water, bring to simmer, simmer 30 minutes. Mash if desired. Serve with cheese, onions, crema/sour cream .. Chiles Toreados 6 large hot jalapeño chiles, whole 1 tsp oil (just enough to aid in blistering the chiles) generous salt Heat comal or heavy bottomed skillet to medium high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, carefully add whole jalapeño chiles. Turn chiles constantly so that the skin is blistered on all sides and the flesh is evenly roasted. Use caution as chiles have a high moisture content and tend to cause the oil to splatter. Roast chiles for 5 -10 minutes, or until they are completely blistered and have softened slightly. Remove chiles to a plate with a paper towel to drain any excess oil . Salt generously. Serve immediately for best flavor. Chiles can be kept for several days in a well-sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. Fresh Mexican Pico de Gallo 2 white onions 8 plum tomatoes 2 serranos 4 jalapenos 1 cup cilantro leaves 2 limes Buy these vegetables very fresh, top quality. This is no place to buy tired, cheap produce. Chop tomatoes and cilantro. Peel and chop one white onion finely and mix it. Look at the mixture - does it look like it needs more onion? If so, add more, again finely chopping it. Add the lime juice. The key to adding the peppers is to add them incrementally, and keep tasting. If you make the salsa too hot it kind of spoils the effect. I prefer the flavor of the (much hotter) serrano peppers, so I start with two of those. Then I add about half a teaspoon of salt and mix thoroughly and taste it. It probably will need more heat. Chop in the jalapenos one at a time, tasting as you go to get the heat right. Add salt at the end if needed, as well as garlic powder if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. (Makes 5 cups, just about right for a batch of discada) Ingredients 1 white onion, finely chopped 4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped 2 or 3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped juice of 1 fresh lime salt and garlic powder to taste Preparation: Chop in the onion, tomatoes and cilantro. Add the lime juice. Chop in the jalapenos one at a time, tasting as you go to get the heat right. Add salt at the end, as well as garlic powder if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. (Makes 2 ½ cups per single recipe) The Week Before Three days before: Buy all meats, cut all meats for storage Two days before: pull frozen brisket chunks from freezer chop ham, bacon, sausage repack chorizo as needed start crema if homemade desired start beans soaking if you plan to serve beans Day before: cook brisket chunks in slow cooker, cool, store in big tupperware make beans if you plan to serve beans shop: salsa ingredients crema tortillas night time: pull frozen discada beef chunks make pico de gallo