Pulled Pork Nachos

Zesty, crispy and cheesy, my pulled pork nachos are a twist on classic nachos, brimming with smoky flavor. Made with crispy corn chips topped with succulent, slow-roasted, pulled pork, plus jack cheese, salsa, beans, corn, fresh green onion and cilantro, this recipe takes homemade nachos to the next level!

Nachos loaded with succulent pulled pork

Whenever my hubs and I go out to one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants, we find it utterly impossible to skip the loaded nachos offered on the menu.

Honestly, there are times when we specifically crave the nachos, and only the nachos. So we each order a portion as an entree, and enjoy diving into them over good conversation, thoroughly stuffing ourselves.

While we love going out for nachos, I also love to make them from scratch at home, often preparing my zesty chicken nachos, my unique Thai nachos, or more classic nachos made with ground beef or tender carne asada.

And seeing as we're suckers for succulent, slow-roasted pork shoulder, I thought putting together a zesty and loaded up pulled pork nachos recipe would be a delicious way to go!

These pulled pork nachos are a really unique twist to traditional nachos. They're piled with seasoned and slow-roasted pulled pork, plus lots of other mouthwatering bells and whistles. This recipe delivers must-have ingredients when it comes to a platter of cheesy, crispy homemade nachos.

They're the perfect zippy and zesty option to share, made in the comfort of your own kitchen!

My recipe for pulled pork nachos

Making homemade nachos is all about creating layers of flavor, in a really simple and easy way, using corn tortilla chips as the base.

I like to use a more sturdy corn chip rather than "light and crispy", so they can hold all the goodies that I love to pile up!

And speaking of those goodies...

The star of these pulled pork nachos is that pulled pork. I use pork shoulder (or Boston butt), and season it liberally with lots of smoky spices such as cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, pepper, and even a touch of dried oregano.

I mix the seasonings together with some olive oil, garlic, lime juice and lime zest, then rub it all over the pork before it heads into the oven at a low temp for a few hours to roast until easily shredded or "pulled".

Sure, roasting the pork takes time, but these nachos are not your average nachos. The star really is the juicy, succulent pulled pork, which takes these nachos to the next level and makes a true meal out of 'em. As a bonus, you can make delicious sandwiches out of any leftover pulled pork you might have.

Of course, nachos need a hefty sprinkle of cheese and other toppings, so I love to add lots of creamy Jack cheese, as well as pinto beans and fire-roasted corn kernels for even more texture and flavor.

Then, everything gets doused in either a regular salsa or salsa verde (or both!), with a topping of fresh green onion and cilantro to seal the delicious deal.

Is your mouth watering yet?

Here's a glance at my pulled pork nachos recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I prepare my seasoning rub.
2. I then apply the rub liberally all over the pork shoulder (if making ahead, you can marinate in the fridge for a day or two for even more flavor).
3. Next, I roast my pork shoulder low and slow in a 300° oven, for roughly 4 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 205°, so that it easily shreds or pulls using a fork.
4. To assemble the pulled pork nachos, I use either a large cast iron skillet or a sheet pan lined with foil as the vessel for baking and serving. I add lots of corn chips in a single layer, then sprinkle on a little cheese, then the pulled pork, then my beans and corn, and more cheese.
5. I bake just until the nachos are hot and the cheese ooey and gooey.
6. To finish, I drizzle over lots of salsa (red, verde, or even a combo of both), then top with fresh green onion, cilantro, and Cotija cheese, and serve with additional salsa and lime wedges on the side.

Recipe

Pulled Pork Nachos

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

Succulent and smoky, these mouthwatering pulled pork nachos are loaded with Jack cheese, pinto beans, corn, salsa, and fresh cilantro!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican-American

Yield: Serves 6 (appetizer portions)

Nutrition Info: 686 calories per serving

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours 40 minutes (includes slow-cooking pork shoulder)
Total time: 5 hours

Pulled Pork Ingredients:

• 2 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• Zest of 1 lime
• Juice of ½ lime
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (heaping) teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil

Nachos Ingredients:

• 8 to 10 ounces corn chips (thicker rather than thin and crispy)
• 3 cups grated Jack cheese
• ¼ cup pinto beans
• ¼ cup fire-roasted corn kernels (frozen and thawed)
• ½ cup red salsa or salsa verde (or combo of both), plus extra as needed
• 2 tablespoons Cotija cheese
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
• Lime wedges, for serving

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients for the pulled pork according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. To prepare the pulled pork, preheat your oven to 300°, line a sheet pan with foil, and place a wire rack over the sheet pan, if you have one.
3. Place the pork shoulder into a large bowl and set aside. Prepare your seasoning rub by mixing together the garlic, lime zest and juice, the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, black pepper, salt and oil in a small dish.
4. Pour this seasoning rub all over the pork and massage it into the meat, getting it thoroughly covered and well seasoned. Place the pork shoulder onto the wire rack over the sheet pan, insert a digital thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat, and roast for roughly 4 ½ hours, or until the internal temp of the pork reaches 205°.
5. Once the pork has roasted, allow it to cool just enough to handle. Then, pull the meat apart, and using a fork, shred it into smaller, bite-size pieces. Reserve 2 generous cups of the pulled pork and set aside for the nachos, and save any remaining pork for another use such as sandwiches, or freeze for a later time.
6. Next, gather and prep your nachos ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
7. To assemble the nachos, turn the oven temp to 350°, and line either a large cast iron skillet or a smaller 13 inch by 9 inch (roughly) sheet pan with foil, for easy clean up.
8. Arrange the corn chips on the bottom as evenly as possible, then sprinkle evenly over about half of the cheese, then the 2 cups of the pulled pork, the beans, fire-roasted corn and the remainder of the cheese, and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is very gooey and melted.
9. To finish the pulled pork nachos, dollop over top the salsa or salsa verde (or both), and sprinkle over the Cotija cheese, the cilantro and the green onion, and serve hot with lime wedges on the side, plus extra salsa, if desired.

Tips & tidbits for my pulled pork nachos recipe:

• Pork shoulder for juicy, tender pulled pork: I like to use boneless pork shoulder for this recipe, though bone-in will work just fine. Just take into consideration that the bone will add weight, not meat, so you may want to purchase a slightly larger piece. Boston butt also works terrifically here, as it is also part of the shoulder, just a bit higher on the foreleg and a little more fatty.
• Cook the pork low and slow: To make juicy, succulent pulled pork, the pork should cook low and slow until it reaches 205° for easy "pulling". I love to roast mine in the oven at 300° for a few hours. The meat gets a nice crust and some char, which adds flavor, and it renders off some of the fat as it roasts.
• Prepare the pulled pork the day before for convenience: Whenever I know we're craving some of these nachos, I'll prep the pulled pork a day or two ahead of time, to have that roasted and ready to add to the nachos. It saves a lot of time the day of, and you can keep the pulled pork in a covered container in the fridge for a couple of days. Just gently reheat it a bit in a pan with some oil before topping the nachos with it.
• Choice of cheese and beans: Jack cheese is a really nice mild and highly meltable cheese to use here, but you can certainly use cheddar, mozzarella, or any other highly meltable cheese. I also like to sprinkle the nachos with Cotija cheese to finish. And while I use pinto beans here, black beans are also terrific.
• What to prepare the pulled pork nachos in: I've used my large cast iron skillet (12 inch) for these nachos, lining it with foil before layering in the corn chips and toppings. The lining helps keep things really clean, for easy clean up. You can also use a small sheet pan, such as a 13 inch by 9 ½ inch size.

Craving more zesty recipes like this one? Check out my recipe for Pulled Pork Sliders, Chicken Tostadas, Mexican Pizzas, Chicken Taquitos with Avocado Ranch, Sweet Potato Bowl with Carne Asada, or even my Chicken Burrito Bowl recipe!