This is the Barebones Cowboy Wok, it was designed in the style of the originals from the 1800s, but it benefits from modern heavy-duty carbon steel construction with a hand-blued finish, and forged steel handles.
There are a few names for these circular steel or cast iron cooking pans, some call them cowboy woks, others call them a discada, disco, or disk grill. They all have a similar design, with a shallow dished pan that’s suspended over fire and typically used for cooking a number of different ingredients at once on different sections of the pan.
The wok can be used over a camp-style gas burner or a campfire depending on which is more convenient.
It’s believed that the original cowboy woks of the 1800s were directly inspired by the woks being used by the Chinese migrant laborers working on the rapidly expanding American railroad network. The simplicity and versatility of the wok quickly made it a favorite among many of those who saw it, and local American-made versions were fashioned from disc harrows used for plowing fields.
It wasn’t long before the wok was adopted by the cowboys of the American west, likely as the railroads moved through, and it soon became a favorite way to prepare both breakfast and dinner when out in the wilderness.
One of the benefits of the wok, and by extension the cowboy wok, is that the temperature of the pan can be different in the center when compared to nearer the edges. The center is ideal for cooking meat and other ingredients that need more heat, while the edges are well-suited to cooking vegetables or heating tortillas.
The Barebones Cowboy Wok
The Barebones Cowboy Wok is a modern take on the classic design, whereas the originals were often made from iron this one is made from carbon steel construction, making it strong and less susceptible to cracking.
The main body of the wok is 1.5mm thick with a hand-blued finish, and it measures in at 15″ (or 380 mm) in diameter. There is a 0.5″ depth from the edge to the center, it has twisted, forged steel handles, and three steel legs.
Each Barebones Cowboy Wok comes with a carry bag and a steel stand included, making transportation nice and easy.
Barebones is offering their Cowboy Wok with a two-year warranty and free shipping to the 48 contiguous states with an MSRP of $139.99 USD. It’s likely to be the last cowboy wok you’ll ever need to buy, as it’s designed to last decades of regular use.
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