Kalua Nachos Recipe

Prep and season pork

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Pat the pork shoulder dry. Rub olive oil over the pork, then evenly coat with sea salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Drizzle liquid smoke over the pork and rub to distribute.

Roast

Place the pork fat-side up in a Dutch oven or a deep roasting pan. Add 1 cup water to the bottom of the pan to keep the environment moist. Cover tightly with a lid or heavy foil and roast for 3.5–4 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender and an instant-read thermometer reaches at least 195°F (90°C).

Shred and finish

Remove pork from oven and let rest, covered, 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and shred with two forks. Skim any excess fat from the pan juices and mix a few tablespoons of the reserved juices into the shredded pork to keep it moist. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or a touch more liquid smoke if desired. Keep warm until assembly (or briefly reheat in a low 300°F oven).

Make roux

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until foamy. Whisk in the flour and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes lightly golden and loses its raw flour smell.

Add milk and thicken

Slowly whisk in the whole milk, a little at a time, to avoid lumps. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, whisking frequently, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon (3–5 minutes).

Finish cheese sauce

Lower heat to low. Remove from heat and add cream cheese, whisk until smooth. Gradually stir in shredded cheddar and monterey jack until melted and glossy. Return to very low heat if necessary to keep warm but do not boil. Season with salt, pepper, and optional cumin. If sauce is too thick, whisk in 1–2 tbs warm milk.

Combine diced tomatoes, diced onion, minced jalapeño, chopped cilantro, lime juice, kosher salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Stir to combine and let rest 10–15 minutes at room temperature for flavors to meld. Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate if not using right away.

In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, minced chipotle in adobo, a teaspoon of adobo sauce, lime juice, and salt until smooth. Taste and add more chipotle or adobo for heat/smoke as desired. Chill until assembly.

In a blender or food processor combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, packed cilantro, chives, parsley, minced garlic, dried dill, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Blend until smooth and bright green. Taste and adjust thickness with more buttermilk or seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat and layer

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Arrange half of the tortilla chips in a large oven-safe platter or rimmed baking sheet in an even single layer (you can slightly overlap).

Add toppings

Evenly distribute half of the warm shredded kalua pork over the chips. Spoon or drizzle about half of the cheese sauce over the chips and pork, leaving some chips crisp. Scatter half of the pico de gallo and a few pickled jalapeños where desired. Repeat with remaining chips, pork, cheese sauce, and pico for a second (or stacked) layer.

Bake briefly

Place the assembled nachos in the oven for 8–10 minutes, just until cheese sauce is warmed through and edges of chips are lightly toasted. Remove from oven.

Finish and serve

Drizzle chipotle sour cream and cilantro ranch over the hot nachos (use a squeeze bottle or spoon). Sprinkle sliced green onions and additional fresh cilantro leaves on top. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side for squeezing.