For as long as I can remember, my mom has kept a Family Circus comic taped to the inside of her cupboard next to the calendar she still writes all of her appointments in just above another comic strip featuring Maxine making some sassy comment about the holidays. It shows the family eagerly making their way into a football stadium and above each family member is a thought bubble. Inside the dad’s thought bubble is a vision of football players at the start of a play. Each of the kid’s thought bubbles feature fantasies of popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, and other stadium delicacies. My mom and I are those kids.
Attending sporting events with my family is often less about sports than it is about finding the kielbasa stand we passed on the way in. Over the summer we celebrated my dad’s birthday at a Tiger’s game and spent a grand total of 20 minutes in our seats and the rest of the time circling the stadium sampling food from each of the vendors including bratwursts, street tacos, and delicious micro brews.
So I couldn’t possible be more excited about the Super Bowl this weekend. I mean, do you see these nachos?
They started with a colossal bone in pork butt. Like, Flintstone size hunk of meat. I bought the biggest one I could find at the store partly because I thought it would be funny, but mostly because half of it was going as part of a meal delivery to a coworker.
The pork butt was seasoned with a dry rub, seared over high heat on each side and left in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours. I prepped it the night before and left it in the slow cooker over night.
When you love food, nothing beats waking up to a house permeated by the smell of smokey, succulent pork.
To assemble the nachos, I smear the chips with warmed refried black beans, pile shredded pork on top and pop them in the oven to warm them up for a few minutes while I make the pepper jack cheese sauce.
The tender pork and slightly spicy queso are the stars of these nachos so I keep the other toppings simple and just stick with creamy avocado and crunchy green onions.
If you’re making these for the big game, you can roast the pork the night before, shred it in the morning, and assemble the nachos when you’re ready to serve.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Nachos with Pepper Jack Queso
For the Pork
- 7-8 Lb Pork Butt
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Salt
- 1/2 Tbsp Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 Onion, chopped
For the Queso
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- 1 Cup Whole Milk
- 1 Cup Pepper Jack Cheese
For the Nachos
- 1/2 Cup Refried Beans
- Avocado, smashed
- Green Onions, chopped
Heat a large pan over medium high heat. If your pork butt has a fat cap, take a knife and score the top to help the seasonings seep into the meat. Combine the spices in a bowl and rub over the surface of the pork. Sear in the pan for a minute or two until each side is browned.
Place the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the meat on top of the onions and set the slow cooker on low. Let cook for about 8 hours. Remove from the slow cooker and shred the meat using 2 forks.
To assemble the nachos, preheat the oven to 375. Place the refried beans in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds. Use a spatula to smear the chips with the black bean mixture. Add the pulled pork on top and place in the oven.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until combined. When the mixture starts to bubble, add the milk. As soon as the mixture starts to thicken, add the cheese and stir until all the cheese is melted.
Remove the nachos from the oven and drizzle with the queso. Top with avocado and green onions. Serve with a frosty cold one and enjoy!
