Beer Chili Nachos
We firmly believe there is no such thing as a bad nacho. It’s hard to go wrong with the nearly irresistible combination of seasoned meat, melty cheese, and snappy toppings over crisp, crunchy tortilla chips. With that said, we also believe that there are ways to make good nachos, better.
For this dish we braised a beautiful piece of chuck roast for hours with onions diced small, so they can melt into the braise, and fire roasted tomatoes. Once the chuck roast was falling-apart tender we shredded it so it was nacho ready and paired it with our favorite toppings. In the end, what we had was not so much a plate of food and more of an edible, shareable work of art. And while this meat makes much more than one sheet pan of nachos, it will also be terrific in a cheesesteak, as a taco salad, in a wrap, over grits, or as a simple bowl of chili with some cornbread on the side.
For braised chuck roast:
3-4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
5-6 Tablespoons Beer Chili Seasoning, divided
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups red onions, cut into a 1/4 inch dice
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 – 12-ounce bottle of IPA
1 cup water or beef broth
1 – 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
For nachos:
1 bag tortilla chips
2 cups shredded, meltable cheese, like Monterey jack or Oaxacan cheese
Suggested toppings: Salsa, cilantro, diced red onion, red bell pepper, guacamole, avocado slices, sour cream, jalapeno slices, black olives, cotija cheese
1. Make sure oven racks are set to accommodate a large Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot. Preheat to 325°F. Pat beef dry.
2. Rub beef all over with 3-4 Tablespoons Beer Chili Seasoning, until it is coated on all sides.
3. Pour vegetable oil into the Dutch oven and heat until shimmering, over medium to medium-high heat. Put seasoned chuck roast into the oil and brown on all sides. Remove from heat.
4. Add more oil if necessary, then add onions to the hot oil. Saute for a few minutes, until onions start to turn soft and slightly golden.
5. Add tomato paste and one more Tablespoon Beer Chili Seasoning to the pot. Cook everything together for another minute or so, until seasonings get fragrant and the tomato paste starts to caramelize.
6. Pour IPA into the Dutch oven to deglaze. Stir up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and cook for a 2-3 minutes, until the alcohol has cooked out. Then place seared chuck roast back in the Dutch oven along with any juices that have collected with it while it was sitting. Cover with broth and diced tomatoes.
7. Put the lid back on the Dutch oven and place the entire thing in the heated oven. Cook for one hour.
8. At the end of one hour, flip the chuck roast in the oven. Stir again, put the lid back on, and place it back in the oven. Braise for another hour.
9. At the end of the second hour, check your chuck roast for doneness. The internal temperature should be between 190-200°F to ensure that connective tissue has rendered. If it is not, put it back in the oven, adding more water or broth if needed.
10. Keep the beef in the oven until it has reached the proper internal temperature. This should take no more than 3 hours for a 3-pound piece of chuck. Once it has thoroughly cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.
11. When it is cool enough to handle, shred meat, removing any silver skin or sinew that didn’t render into the dish. Return shredded meat to the tomato braise and stir together. Taste, and add up to one more Tablespoon Beer Chili Seasoning, if desired.
12. Heat oven to broil. Spread tortillas on a baking tray. Add dollops of meat to the chips and cover with cheese. Broil until cheese is brown and bubbly.
13. Arrange your favorite toppings across the top of the nachos. Eat immediately!
