Beer-Braised Barbecue Beef Nachos

I concocted this recipe on a whim after craving barbecue nachos, which has been a recent culinary trend in restaurants across the South. However, after tasting them, I'm rather partial to my homemade version.

Beer Braised Barbecue Beef

1-1  ½ lb. beef roast*

Salt & pepper

1 tbs. olive oil

2 12 oz. bottles of beer*

½ cup barbecue sauce

1 tbs. garlic powder

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. hot sauce

½ tsp. Liquid Smoke

*I used a London broil, as it’s one of the cheaper cuts of meat. Since the braising process is what will ultimately tenderize the meat, just use whatever cut you’d like.

*When choosing a beer for braising, the best option is to go for something full-bodied, like a stout. Just make sure the beer’s flavor is palatable; you don’t want something too strong, nor do you want a cheap beer that tastes like dirty water. For this recipe, I used Killian’s, because it’s what I had on hand, and it worked beautifully.

Season the roast liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot, and bring to high heat. Allow the roast to sear (on both sides) in the pot until it has thoroughly browned.

Reduce the heat to medium, and add the barbecue, Worcestershire, and hot sauces, garlic powder, Liquid Smoke, and one bottle of beer. Cover the pot, and allow the roast to braise for 2 hours. Make sure to turn the meat every so often so that it doesn’t burn on the bottom.

After the initial 2-hour braising period, remove the meat from the pot, and slice it. Return it to the pot, and add the remaining bottle of beer. Allow the meat to cook for 30 minutes or until it easily pulls apart.

At this point, you’ll want to gently “pull” the meat with a fork for easy distribution over the nachos. Also, you may want to use the reduced braising liquid as a sauce for the nachos – it’s pretty delicious!

For assembling the nachos, you will need:

Tortilla chips

Pulled beef

White queso dip*

Sliced jalapenos

Chopped tomatoes

Barbecue sauce

(And any other ingredient you’d like – This would be fantastic with some sliced avocado or chopped onion!)

*Some people prefer to make their own queso dip. However, the store-bought variety suits me well enough. If you don’t have queso dip on hand, you can use whatever kind of cheese you prefer.

Here’s how I usually make my nachos: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Assemble all the ingredients on a baking sheet or baking dish. Make sure to layer the ingredients so that you are able to get a bit of the “good stuff” on each tortilla chip. Allow the nachos to bake for 5-10 minutes, and then enjoy! 

(Dreams can come true...)