Pulled Pork Nachos
with homemade BBQ sauce
When I think of pulled pork nachos, I’m instantly transported back in time when I was in my mid-20’s and snowboarding every winter weekend in the Canadian Rockies (which is like 6 months out of the year up there). After riding straight through lunch, my friends and I would stop around 2pm and head to the pub on the mountain. We’d order a large plate of pulled pork nachos to share and beers. You can imagine my delight when earlier this year my husband and I took a weekend trip back to Canada to ski and I was able to order this exact same menu item at the same restaurant!
I don’t know if this meal will ever be as delicious as it is after a day of snowboarding, but when you’ve already eaten leftover pulled pork on a bun, over a sweet potato, on top a salad or in a breakfast taco….it’s time for pulled pork nachos!
Taking a stab at making my own BBQ sauce definitely made me feel better about eating this “pub-style” meal at home. I love making my own BBQ sauce because I can control all the ingredients going into it. It’s hard to find a clean BBQ sauce at a grocery store. Many of the leading brands dump loads of sugar/high fructose corn syrup, “natural flavors” and preservatives. With the recipe below, you can adjust the sweetness and spice however you’d like. I’ve written it up using a jar of passata (which is uncooked, pureed and strained tomatoes with a pinch of salt) because it’s the most minimally processed base, but you could also substitute canned tomato sauce or ketchup. If using ketchup, I’d recommend using one less tablespoon of maple syrup since there is already sugar in the ketchup).
You can feed a crowd with this meal by baking it on a large baking sheet, or just make a single serving. The options to use any leftover BBQ sauce are endless. As I drafted this post, I brushed it on chicken breasts to throw on the grill for dinner! This BBQ sauce is the perfect addition to my collection of Seven Sauces for Summer…or winter if you’re eating pulled pork nachos after a day of snowboarding. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
For the pulled pork:
Pork butt or shoulder (any size is fine)
1 onion, diced
Pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground pepper, to season pork
For the BBQ sauce (makes about 2 cups):
1 cup passata tomato puree (or tomato sauce or ketchup)
5 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
4 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (or less, if you don’t like a medium level spice)
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the Nachos:
Pulled pork mixed with BBQ sauce (see above)
Tortilla chips (I love SIete’s grain free version)
Cheddar cheese, grated
Suggested toppings:
black beans
avocado, diced or mashed into guacamole (with a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt)
sour cream or Greek yogurt
tomatoes, diced
red onion, diced
jalapenos, sliced
green onion, sliced
cilantro, chopped
Instructions:
For the pulled pork:
Season pork butt or shoulder with salt and pepper
Place the pork on top of diced onion in the crockpot.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours (you can do this overnight).
Remove and discard any large layers of fat, bone and the onion. Shred pork with two forks and set aside.
For the BBQ sauce:
In a bowl or glass jar, whisk together the passata, maple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.
For the Pulled Pork Nachos:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line the bottom of your baking dish with parchment paper.
While the oven preheats, mix desired amount of pork with how ever much BBQ sauce you’d like. Warm this up in the microwave. Prepare and chop all the toppings you’d like to use. Grate cheese.
Place a single layer of tortilla chips onto of the parchment paper. Layer with half the cheese. Scatter the pulled pork and then top with the remaining cheese.
Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
Add desired toppings and serve with guac and yogurt (or sour cream).
