Pulled Pork Nachos are a crowd-pleasing party recipe that’s smokey, crispy, rich, and melty. Layered for the perfect sharable appetizer.
This mouthwatering pork recipe is the ultimate Party Appetizer. For more instant family favorites, try Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, and Crispy Thin French Fries.
Sabrina’s Pulled Pork Nachos Recipe
Pulled pork is a classic BBQ recipe usually used to make sandwiches. For this recipe, I repurposed the juicy, tender meat, and served it over crunchy tortilla chips with my favorite nacho toppings to make the ultimate party snack. It’s the perfect finger food for a game viewing party, a family get-together, or as a fun change on a weeknight meal. You can also set up a nacho bar if you want a more personal touch. I’ve got tips for that listed below.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Pulled Pork:
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup smoked salt
- 1/4 cup coarse ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup sweet paprika
- 1/3 cup smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cayenne red pepper
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 5 pounds pork shoulder
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Nacho Cheese Sauce:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 10 ounces evaporated milk
- 4 cups cheddar cheese
Nachos:
- 8 cups yellow tortilla chips
- 1 cup pico de gallo , drain liquid
- 1 cup guacamole
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
Pulled Pork:
- Mix everything but the pork shoulder and the oil together in a large metal bowl.
- Add in the pork shoulder and roll it in the seasoning well, packing on all the seasoning as best as you can.
- Wrap the top with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight (optional but very highly recommended).
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Using a large dutch oven add the canola oil over medium high heat.
- Brown the pork on all sides then turn off the stovetop.
- Add in a small rack under the pork into the dutch oven (in the absence of this use foil).
- Place the pork on top then cover.
- Cook for 3-3 ½ hours (if the meat is longer rather than thicker 3 should be long enough).
- Shred before serving.
- If you want to keep the juices, skim the fat off then pour over the pork before serving.
- Shred the pork with two forks, discarding any large chunks of fat.
Nacho Cheese Sauce:
- Add butter to a large pot on medium heat.
- When butter melts add in the flour, chili powder, salt, onion powder and cayenne pepper; whisk well to combine.
- Slowly pour in the evaporated milk while whisking constantly.
- When the mixture starts to come to a simmer, add in the cheese and whisk well to combine.
- When smooth and melted, use to top the nachos immediately.
Nachos:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Add chips to your parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 7 minutes.
- Move chips to your serving platter.
- Add nacho cheese over the top of the chips.
- Scatter pulled pork over the chips.
- Top with drained pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and green onions over the top.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
Instead of assembling the nachos, you can let everyone assemble their own nacho servings at a DIY nacho bar. Cook the pulled pork and toast the tortilla chips according to the recipe instructions. Put out all the nacho toppings in bowls and arrange them on your kitchen table or countertop. Place the chips, pulled pork, cheese sauce at the start of the bar. All your guests can add chips to their plate, then add the pulled pork and any of their favorite topping options.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Nachos are best served fresh. The chips will easily get soggy if you leave them sitting for too long. But you can prepare the pork in advance and store it in the fridge to reheat and serve over nachos in a couple of days.
How to Store
- Serve: It’s essential that you don’t leave this nacho recipe sitting at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: If you have any leftovers, you can cover them in the fridge overnight. For a longer storage option, remove the leftover meat from the chips and store it separately in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: To try to crisp up the leftover nachos before serving, spread the chips, meat, and toppings in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a 375° oven for 10 minutes or until warm and crispy.
Variations
- Beans: There are several varieties of beans that would taste great in this nacho recipe. Try adding black beans, Refried Beans, or pinto beans to add more flavor and make the homemade nacho dish more filling.
- Meat: If you don’t want to make the pulled pork, you can make nachos with bite-sized pieces of chicken, ground beef, ground pork, or steak strips instead.
- Cheese: You can introduce new cheese flavors to the homemade nacho sauce by melting Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or Mexican blend into the creamy sauce mixture. You can also add shredded sharp cheddar cheese over the top with your other favorite nacho toppings.
- More topping options: There are so many delicious ingredients that you can add to personalize your homemade pork nacho recipe. Try topping it off with fresh fresh cilantro, red onion slices, pickled jalapeños, yellow peppers, or hot sauce.
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