With the Super Bowl just around the corner you'll want some delicous and hearty food to satiate your own team. Nachos are the perfect football food (well, they're just plain perfect, really) and these scrumptious smoky brisket Cowboy Nachos from cookbook author Matt Moore score big time. This recipe is from his latest book The South’s Best Butts, which features recipes from the South's most revered pitmasters. Crack the spine and you can almost smell the smoke, hear the crackle of wood, and the sing song of juices hitting fire. You may even find yourself licking your fingers just reading about ribs. Moore goes beyond just recipes and examines the connections between meat, method, and sauce across the South and how each varies according to culture, climate, ingredients, and wood. Make note, this is certainly not a diet book - you will get your pork on! And love each delicious moment of it.
Cowboy Nachos
Serves 6 to 8 • Hands-on: 15 minutes • Total: 1 hour, including Pico de Gallo
"One thing is true about nachos: If you serve them, I will eat them. Adding in a hefty amount of smoked brisket and plenty of Monterey Jack cheese only increases said odds that I’ll not only eat them, but likely ALL of them." ~Matt Moore
2 (16-ounce) cans seasoned pinto beans, drained
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 cup (4 ounces) water
3 1⁄2 cups shredded brisket
1 tablespoon canola oil
1⁄2 cup (4 ounces) taco sauce
1⁄4 cup meat drippings from brisket or beef broth
1 (9-ounce) package round tortilla chips
1 (8-ounce) block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Pico de Gallo
Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, pickled jalapeño chile slices, chopped fresh cilantro
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cook the first 4 ingredients and 1⁄2 cup water in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally, over medium-low 5 to 7 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
2. Heat the brisket in hot oil in a large skillet over medium, stirring often, 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in the taco sauce and the pan drippings; cook 2 minutes.
3. Divide the chips, bean mixture, brisket mixture, cheese, and 1 cup of the Pico de Gallo among 3 pie plates.
4. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately with the remaining Pico de Gallo and desired toppings.
Pico de Gallo
6 plum tomatoes, chopped
1⁄2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Makes 3 1⁄2 cups
Excerpted from The South’s Best Butts by Matt Moore. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
