Beer-braised carnitas nachos

How is it already March? I know February is a short month and all, but seriously. Somehow I managed to wait an entire month before sharing the delicious nachos I made for the Super Bowl.

If you don’t like nachos… well, we probably can’t be friends. But you could always just use these beer-braised carnitas for something else, like tacos.

Carnitas are sort of like Mexican pulled pork. But instead of smoking (or Crockpot-ing) a whole pork shoulder (or a whole pig, for that matter), with carnitas you need to cut the pork shoulder into small-ish pieces and then cook the pieces. The traditional method involves cooking the pork in lard; this method involves cooking it in beer.

pork-shoulder cooking-pork

If you’re getting a little freaked out right now, don’t. This is one of those things that takes kind of a long time to cook, but requires very little actual effort on your part. The thing that took the longest in active time for me was cutting the pork shoulder into pieces. And that’s kinda gross, but definitely not difficult.

not-quite almost-done

Also, it took a lot longer than the recipe said for the liquid to evaporate/be absorbed/whatever happens to it. This might be because I stopped cooking halfway through and then started again later (don’t worry, the meat was cooked through before I turned the heat off the first time). But I would recommend making this the day before and giving yourself some extra time, just in case.

carnitas-nachos

I was running late, as usual, so I didn’t remember to take photos of the nacho assembly process. But it’s pretty easy: Just spread a layer of sturdy corn tortilla chips on a baking sheet, then (as evenly as possible) distribute cooked carnitas (they don’t need to be warmed ahead of time), black beans and monterey jack or cheddar cheese over the top. Easy cheesy.

superbowl-spread

Beer-braised carnitas nachos (adapted from Bon Appetit, serves a crowd)
For carnitas:
4 pounds skinless, boneless pork shoulder (I couldn’t find any that wasn’t still on the bone, so I got one that weighed a bit more than 4 pounds)
2 dried New Mexico or guajillo chiles
12 ounces lager (I think I used Yuengling)
4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup water

Cut the pork shoulder into roughly 2-inch squares, discarding some (but not all!) of the fat. Get rid of the bone, if there is one.

Toast the dried chiles in a heavy skillet or saucepan for about two minutes, until the chiles puff up slightly and are a bit darkened on both sides. Carefully remove the chiles from the heat and allow them cool, then cut off the stems and cut the chiles in half lengthwise. Take out and get rid of the seeds. Wash your hands.

Place the chiles, pork pieces, beer, garlic, salt and water in a large heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 60-80 minutes, or until the pork is tender.

Uncover the pork mixture, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the liquid evaporates and the pork starts browning (at least 20 minutes, but possibly a lot more). Continue cooking, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot, for another 10 to 15 minutes — until the pork is all browned and mostly shredded.

Note 1: If you need to re-heat the carnitas after refrigerating, add about ½ cup water to the pot and heat, covered, until warmed through.

Note 2: This recipes makes more carnitas than necessary for one baking sheet worth of nachos.

For nachos:
1-2 bags sturdy corn tortilla chips
carnitas
1-2 cans black beans, drained
1 1/2 to 3 pounds grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese (I recommend grating it yourself, vs buying pre-shredded)
Crumbled Cotija cheese (optional – I bought it and forgot to use it!)
Cilantro (optional)
Salsa, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos and other fixings to serve

Preheat oven to 350F. Line one (or two, if you’re so inclined) large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread a layer of tortilla chips on the baking sheet(s), then top as evenly as possible with carnitas, beans and cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 20-25 minutes.

Top with crumbled Cotija cheese and cilantro. Serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream or any other toppings you like!

One thought on “Beer-braised carnitas nachos

Comments are closed.