I made these epic nachos for lunch earlier today, and decided that they should be considered an entrée by themselves. I then went ahead and took an unscheduled ninety-minute nap.
The nachos in the recipe below are assembled with alternating layers of spicy cheesy sauce, tortilla chips, slow-braised pork with BBQ sauce, red onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, sour cream, and spicy salsa. Any extra pulled pork can be used for sandwiches, tacos, or pizza toppings.
Cheesy Nacho Platter with Slow-Braised Pulled Pork
I made these epic nachos for lunch earlier today, and decided that they should be considered an entrée by themselves. I then went ahead and took an unscheduled ninety-minute nap. The nachos in the recipe below are assembled with alternating layers of spicy cheesy sauce, tortilla chips, slow-braised pork with BBQ sauce, red onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, sour cream, and spicy salsa. Any extra pulled pork can be used for sandwiches, tacos, or pizza toppings.
Ingredients
For the Slow-Braised Pork:
- 32 oz 2 lbs pork shoulder
- 3 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 quart pork stock
- 1 white onion (roughly chopped)
- 3 stalks celery (roughly chopped)
- 2 carrots (roughly chopped)
For the Homemade BBQ Sauce:
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
For the Homemade Cheese Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 12 oz 1.5 cups whole milk
- 5 slices processed American cheese
- 1 Tbsp hot sauce
For the Remaining Nacho Components:
- 1 bag of tortilla chips (you don’t need to use them all)
- ½ cup pickled jalapenos
- 1 tomato (medium dice)
- ½ red onion (small dice)
- ¾ cup sour cream or crème fraiche
- ¾ cup prepared guacamole
- ½ cup spicy salsa of choice
- 1 Tbsp hot sauce of choice
Instructions
- Prepare the braised pork and BBQ sauce the day before you intend to assemble your nachos.
- For the braised pork, add Kosher salt to the exterior of the pork shoulder.
- Add the pork should to a soup pot with the pork stock, onion, celery, and carrots.
- Bring the contents to a gentle simmer, and then reduce the heat to low.
- Cook the pork for roughly 6-8 hours, adding more water if needed to keep the meat mostly covered with the braising liquid.
- When the meat is done cooking and falling apart when you try to take it out of the liquid, allow it to cool down in the stock at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Pull apart the braised pork meat in a bowl using two forks.
- Taste the meat mixture, and add a bit more salt if desired.
- For the BBQ sauce to go with the pork, simply whisk together the ½ cup ketchup with ½ cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, and 2 Tbsp brown sugar.
- Mix the sauce with the pork, and set the seasoned pork aside in the fridge for whenever you are ready to assemble your nachos the following day.
- When you are ready to make your nachos, prepare your toppings and begin to make your homemade spicy cheese sauce.
- For the cheese sauce, melt the unsalted butter in a small sauce pot and add the all-purpose flour.
- Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula.
- Add the Kosher salt, and slowly begin to whisk in the whole milk.
- *Don’t add too much milk at once.
- Add the 5 slices of processed American cheese, and stir until the cheese is melted and incorporated with the sauce.
- *This should take about 7 minutes.
- Add a Tablespoon or two of hot sauce to the cheese sauce.
- Taste the cheese sauce, and add more Kosher salt if desired.
- When you are ready to assemble your nachos, heat your pulled pork mixture that you made earlier in a small sauté pan until hot.
- Arrange a thin layer of tortilla chips on a large serving platter.
- Add the hot cheese sauce, some of the pickled jalapenos, some diced tomato, red onion, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, and pulled pork.
- Repeat the layering process until you have run out of toppings and your nacho platter resembles a small mountain.
Notes
These nachos are best eaten right after they are assembled, when the cheese sauce and pulled pork are still warm.
For the cheese used in this recipe, I have included slices of American cheese in the bechamel, but you can use whatever melting cheese you prefer. I like using American cheese because it creates a stable cheese sauce.
You can make your own simple guacamole by combining mashed very ripe avocados with some lime zest, lime juice, salt, and a bit of chopped cilantro.
You can make your own crème fraiche at home by combining 1 part buttermilk with 8 parts heavy cream at room temperature, and letting the contents sit covered with cheesecloth for three days.