Recipe Background
Yarr! Pass us more of those Pirate Nachos, matey! Argh, can't get enough of those crunchy tortilla chips piled high with tender pulled pork and homemade smoky, sweet barbecue sauce! A sea of nacho cheese with ships of pickled jalapeños and queso fresco on top to boot! Yarr, the treasure is not buried with Pirate Nachos. It's right before yer eyes!
Yarr! Pass us more of those Pirate Nachos, matey! Argh, can't get enough of those crunchy tortilla chips piled high with tender pulled pork and homemade smoky, sweet barbecue sauce! A sea of nacho cheese with ships of pickled jalapeños and queso fresco on top to boot! Yarr, the treasure is not buried with Pirate Nachos. It's right before yer eyes!
Ingredients
For the pulled pork:
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 ( 3 1/2-4-pound) pork shoulder bone-in, fat-cap intact
- 1/2 cup lager-style beer
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
For the barbecue sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup steak sauce
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the nachos:
- 1 (12-ounce) bag tortilla chips
- pickled jalapeños to taste, store-bought or homemade
- queso fresco or cotija cheese to taste, crumbled
- hot sauce to taste
- nacho cheese sauce to taste, homemade or store-bought
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add the paprika, the kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper, the garlic powder, the chili powder, the mustard powder, and the cayenne pepper and whisk to combine.
- Massage the spice rub mixture into the pork shoulder, making sure to coat all sides.
- In a large Dutch oven, add the pork shoulder, the beer, 1/2 cup of the cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of the liquid smoke.
- Cover the Dutch oven and roast, while basting the pork occasionally with the cooking liquids, until the pork reaches a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees F and falls apart easily, about 3 hours.
- Transfer the pork to a large cutting board while it is still hot.
- Cut off the excess fat from the pork, then using two forks, shred the pork.
- Transfer the shredded pork back into the Dutch oven and toss it with the cooking liquids.
- Cover the Dutch oven and set it aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add the ketchup, the Worcestershire sauce, the steak sauce, the maple syrup, the brown sugar, the remaining cider vinegar, the onion powder, the remaining liquid smoke, and the extra black pepper and whisk to combine.
- Bring the sauce mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce until it is thickened, about 10 minutes.
- On a serving platter, arrange the tortilla chips.
- Add the warm pull pork, the barbecue sauce, the pickled jalapeños, and the queso fresco to the tortilla chips.
- Serve topped with the hot sauce and the nacho cheese sauce.
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