Quick brined red onion pickles, sticky and sweet pork belly, tortilla chips, and melted queso are combined in the ultimate Pork Belly Nachos. A bit of a labor of love, this recipe takes a little elbow grease, but is well worth the wait. You’ll impress your family, friends, and yourself with this unusual take on traditional nachos.
Making your own pickled red onions is quick and easy. You start with a basic brine and simply leave them in the refrigerator overnight. They are great piled on nachos, topping shredded beef or pork, or tucked into sandwiches.
The primary cheese for these nachos is salsa con queso. It is a creamy blend of cheese and salsa, that is melted and either used as a dip or in this case, drizzled over the chips. You can often buy jars of prepared queso at your grocery store, or you can make your own.
Pork Belly Nachos Recipe
Ingredients
Quick Pickled Onions
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic smashed
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 jalapeño pepper sliced
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- salt to taste
- 2 red onions thinly sliced
Smoked Pork Belly
- 1/3 cup Blues Hog Pork Marinade Mix or favorite pork marinade
- 2 cups water
- 6 pound pork belly
- 1 tablespoon Blues Hog Sweet & Savory Seasoning or favorite sweet rub, to taste
- 1 cup Blues Hog Tennessee Red Barbecue Sauce or favorite mild hot sauce
- 1 cup Blues Hog Smokey Mountain Barbecue Sauce or favorite BBQ sauce
Nachos
- 2 bags tortilla chips
- 1 jar (15 oz) salsa con queso melted
- 1 cup pickled jalapeño peppers for serving
- 2 cups crumbled cotija cheese for serving
- 1 cup Blues Hog Raspberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce or favorite fruit BBQ sauce, for serving
Equipment
- flavor injector
- aluminum foil
Directions
Quick Pickled Onions
- Mix the water, vinegar, and spices in a large sealable container. Add the onions and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Drain well before using.
Smoked Pork Belly
- Preheat a smoker to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Combine the pork marinade and water. Using a flavor injector, generously inject the pork belly with the marinade mixture.
- Evenly and heavily coat the pork with the Sweet & Savory seasoning.
- Smoke the pork for 2 hours. Remove from the smoker and place it on a large piece of aluminum foil. Cover it with the Tennessee Red Sauce, wrap the pork in the foil, and return it to the smoker. Continue to smoke until a skewer enters the meat with little resistance, about 2 additional hours.
- Remove the pork from the smoker and let rest in the foil for 30 minutes.
- Dice the pork belly into 1/2-inch (1 1/2cm) pieces. Toss it with the Smokey Mountain BBQ Sauce.
Nachos
- Load a serving platter with the tortilla chips. Drizzle them with the salsa con queso, and sprinkle them with the pork, quick pickled onions, pickled jalapeños, and green onions. Finish the dish with a sprinkle of cotija cheese and a drizzle of the raspberry chipotle sauce. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information
More Pork Belly Recipes
BBQ Smoked
Candied Pork Belly Cubes
Dutch Oven Main Dish
Chinese Braised Pork Belly
BBQ Smoked
