Discadas are having a major moment, due in no small part to a recent Los Angeles Times feature about these converted plow discs which cook “like a cast-iron skillet on steroids.” While traditional discadas have been used for more than a century in the Southwest, they’re not only still popular today, but have also inspired a new and exciting take on the concept: the FIREDISC.
Here’s a closer look at the rich history of discada cooking, along with why the FIREDISC cooker is an appealing alternative for modern-day outdoor cooking enthusiasts.
A Rich and Tasty Tradition
While many people haven’t even heard of discada cooking, for others it’s a way of life. Fashioned from actual plow disks usually seen attached to farming trailers, these outdoor cookers have been used by cowboys in the fields as far back as the late 1800s according to some lore. Says Mike Montaña, who grew up in Luling, Texas, “I’ve known about this type of cooking since I was a little kid. I remember my father and much older brother having a 20-inch little disc. It was pitted, a rinky-dink little thing.”
But Southwesterners don’t have sole claim to discada cooking. Texans actually co-opted the craft from another culture entirely. “A majority of the railroad workers coming through New Mexico and Texas were Chinese. When they would take their lunches, they’d use a wok. We didn’t have the same woks they had, but we had these plows. We filled in the disc holds and turned them into cookers,” continues Montaña. According to experts, disc cooking has been used everywhere discs have been used in the field plowing process.
From the Fields to Wherever You Fancy
There’s a reason — well, several of them — why discadas are making their way into the mainstream. They’re durable, sturdy and versatile. These same reasons spurred brothers Hunter and Griff Jaggard to create the FIREDISC, a modern spin on the original.
Taking heart the adage, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” the Jaggards embraced the best of discada cooking — and modernized it for the convenience of today’s outdoor cooks. With no sacrifice of the discada’s legendary durability, the FIREDISC offers a number of clever updates.
For starters, it’s propane-fueled for the ultimate in user-friendliness. It also boasts a premium super-flame burner that promises unprecedented reliability, as well as other ingenious improvements aimed at helping you do more with less, including a whopping 69″ circumference, 22″ surface and five-gallon capacity; surface angling for healthier cooking; and three temperature zones that allow you to simultaneously cook and warm food. It’s also powder coated for cooking temperatures of up to 450° F.
Made with ultra-high carbon steel, the FIREDISC propane cooker isn’t just remarkably durable, it’s also extremely lightweight. This cutting-edge cooking surface boasts another upside, as well: Because it’s more porous than cast-iron, it has a seasoned effect meaning that that more meals you cook on it, the more amazing they’ll taste.
For on-the-go cooks, FIREDISC propane cookers feature collapsible three-piece construction that disassembles in seconds with no need for tools or hardware, a flexible stand that easily adapts to uneven surfaces, fire-retardant disc grips, and one-minute cleanup make cooking all of your favorite meals possible — wherever you roam.
Whether you’re a longtime fan of discada cooking or you’re just hearing about it now for the first time, FIREDISC cookers can help minimize effort and maximize fun. Shop our products today to get your hands on this next-level portable grill.
