Game–Day Loaded BBQ Nachos
My favorite thing about game-day food is the extremely bold flavors! Wings, pizza, BBQ — all classics for a reason. And depending on where you are in the country, “game day” means something different: gumbo down south, chowder up north… It’s almost as if people are signaling, “on game day, just feed me whatever feels good!” It’s a sentiment I can get behind, so I’m throwing my hat in the ring to hopefully land a spot on this already star-studded list. These loaded BBQ nachos blend the best parts of Tex-Mex and Southern-style BBQ. It takes a little more time than your standard Nacho recipe, but the extra steps to make the fresh queso and homemade tortilla chips really turn this recipe up. Go ahead, make your friends a batch and thank me later!
Ingredients
For the Chips:
15 white corn tortillas (about 1 standard package), cut into triangles
2 Cups neutral, high-heat cooking oil like avocado oil, rendered duck fat, or vegetable oil
Salt or Cajun seasoning, to taste
For the Queso:
1 Can of evaporated milk (12 oz.)
½ Cup Spanish light Beer, like Modelo or Corona
2 tsp. Sodium citrate (8g) (optional, but guarantees ultra-smooth queso)
2 Cups White American Cheese (about 8 Slices)
2 Cups Pepper Jack, shredded
¼ tsp. Garlic powder
¼ tsp. Onion powder
⅛ tsp. Chili powder
⅛ tsp. Smoked paprika
Kosher salt, to taste
Assembly:
1 lb pulled meat (chicken, turkey, pork, or duck all work great)
A few handfuls of shredded Mexican cheese
½ Red onion, half-moon slices
1 Jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (or any spicy pepper variety!)
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 Avocado, diced or sliced
¾ Cup Cotija Cheese, crumbled
Your Favorite BBQ Sauce (I like Kinder’s Original or My Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce)
2 green onions, sliced
Directions
For the Chips:
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat your oil to 350ºF. If you don’t have a thermometer, don’t worry, just look for the oil to shimmer a bit once ready. Preheating the pot for 10-15 minutes over medium heat should do. While the oil heats, find a medium-sized bowl or baking sheet and line it with paper towels. This is where your chips will land after being fried.
Fry the cut corn tortillas in batches until the chips are golden brown, about 2 minutes will do, but use your judgment. Use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the chips and place them onto the lined bowl or baking sheet.
Season immediately and set aside for assembly.
For the Queso:
Begin by adding the evaporated milk and beer to a medium-sized saucepan. Slowly bring to a simmer over Medium-Low heat.
Once simmering, add the Sodium citrate (if using), followed by both cheeses, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, and a pinch of kosher salt. Whisk to combine until the cheeses are melted. But for that “restaurant-level” smooth, you will want to run it through a high-powered blender for a few seconds.
Store this queso in a deli container, standing in warm water until ready to assemble.
Assembly:
Building your nachos right is the final step to making a plate that eats as good as it looks! Begin by preheating an oven to 350ºF and lining a sheet tray with your choice of parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Spoon a modest layer of queso as a base and cover it with your first layer of chips, followed by a layer of cooked meat, shredded cheese, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and another layer of queso. Feel free to repeat this process if you have room for another layer.
Place the nachos in the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes. You are looking for the shredded cheese to melt and the edges of the exposed chips to brown juuuuuust a tiny bit.
Once baked to your preference, remove the nachos from the oven and immediately garnish with avocado, cotija cheese, a healthy drizzle of BBQ sauce, and a bit of sliced green onion.
Notes & Free Game
Tempting as it may be, do NOT use olive oil to fry your chips. We are frying them at 350ºF, meaning an oil with a low smoke point will… well, SMOKE! Resulting in bitter, sad, burnt chips. On the contrary, if you opt to fry at a lower temperature, 300ºF, for example, the corn tortillas would absorb too much oil and become chewy.