Recipe: Pork Carnitas Nachos from the cookbook Smokey Goodness

Did you know that carnitas means "small meat" in Mexican? Meat that has been cooked at a low temperature in oil and then pulled apart. Basically, a kind of pulled pork. That already sounds good, but it gets even better when we start smoke-braising in smoke and beer. You can now easily prepare this and many more tasty BBQ dishes yourself thanks to the cookbook Smokey Goodness by Jord Althuizen. Go ahead and fill your ice bucket with beer and invite your friends; it's time for some serious snacking. Have fun barbecuing!

Pork Carnitas Nachos Recipe

Suitable for: 4 persons
Preparation time: Preparation 1 hour, cooking 40 minutes
Ingredients Pork Carnitas:
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tl paprika
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
500 g pork shoulder or pork neck
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, coarsely chopped
2 white onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 tl dried oregano
Juice and grated zest of 2 limes
Juice and grated peel of 1 orange
200 ml of beer
1 tbsp honey
150 g cheddar, grated
150 g Cheesy Nacho Dip (Santa Maria)
250 g nachos
100 g black olive rings
1 avocado, diced
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
150 g Pico de galo
125 ml sour cream
2 tbsp coriander leaves

Handy essentials:
Large BBQ with lid for indirect grilling.
Cast iron grill rack skillet (cast iron pan) or baking dish.
4 smoking wood chunks (blocks of smoking wood measuring approximately 5 x 5 cm), cherry or apple wood.
Aluminum foil.

Pork Carnitas Nachos Recipe: How to Make It

1. Prepare a BBQ with a lid for indirect grilling and heat it until a temperature of 130°C is reached.
2. Mix the cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and black pepper thoroughly. Rub the pork shoulder all over with the sunflower oil and sprinkle with the spice mixture.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients for the Pork Carnitas in a heatproof skillet or baking dish.
4. Place the smoked wood chunks on the glowing coals and the seasoned pork and the stuffed skillet on the grill and smoke the meat and sauce for 2 hours.
5. Add the meat to the sauce in the skillet, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and smoke for another 3 hours or until the meat is tender and easily flakes with a fork.
6. Combine the grated cheddar with the Cheesy Nacho Dip in a pan and heat over low heat until melted. Arrange the nachos in a large baking dish. Shred the pork with two forks and divide it among the nachos. Garnish with olive rings, diced avocado, jalapeño rings, pico de galo, sour cream, cilantro leaves, and the warm cheddar sauce.

Have you got the hang of it and do you want to make more delicious BBQ dishes from the cookbook Smokey Goodness by Jord Althuizen? The cookbook is available to order online!

Order online

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