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LEVEL 10 NACHOS
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6 servings
US
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INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Smoked Carnitas-Mojo Pork (Carmojo)
INGREDIENTS
Pork shoulder, cut into ~1.5" chunks
Kosher salt, for dry brine
1 lb rendered lard
1 whole head garlic, halved
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 ½ tsp coriander seeds
1 Mexican cinnamon stick
1 tsp dried oregano
3 –4 bay leaves
1 rounded tsp whole black peppercorns
1 white onion, cut into wedges
1 navel orange — juice + quartered rind
1 lime — juice + rind
Beer, enough to almost cover the pork (1 beer)
TOOLS
Smoker
DIRECTIONS
1.
Cut pork into 2" chunks; dry brine with kosher salt ~30 min before cooking.
2.
In an enameled cast iron pot; add peppercorns, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, oregano, bay leaves and briefly toast in the hot fat.
3.
Kill the heat, let the mixture cool slightly, then nestle in the pork on top of the onions so roughly one facet of each piece sticks up out of the liquid.
4.
Add orange (juice + quartered rind) and lime (juice + rind) around/under the pork.
5.
Pour in beer to almost — not fully — cover the pork; each piece should still have one exposed facet.
6.
Put into a smoker, preheated to 325°F. Smoke, exposed-side up, flipping halfway through. It should take about 3 hours total.
7.
Pull once shreddable (~3 hrs). Shred, pulling out big unadulterated hunks of pure fat but leaving some in for flavor. Season with a bit more salt to taste.
Refried Beans
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup of the pork fat and citrus infused lard reserved from the carnitas pot (or store bought lard/butter/oil if not making the carnitas)
¼ cup chopped white onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
A hefty pinch of freshly ground cumin
¼ tsp dried oregano
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
1.
Heat the infused lard.
2.
Sauté onion and garlic until aromatic with a little color.
3.
Add cumin and oregano while the fat is still dry, so the spices toast.
4.
Add rinsed/drained beans; cook ~5 minutes, letting them soak up the fat and brown a bit.
5.
Mash to a coarse (not fully smooth) texture; kill the heat before the bean paste scorches on the bottom.
6.
Salt to taste.
Pico de Gallo
INGREDIENTS
1 tomato, seeds/pulp removed, chopped
¼ White onion — about the volume of the tomato, finely diced (plus extra reserved for sprinkling on top separately)
1 whole jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
A small handful of cilantro (or parsley as a visual stand in, per his own aside — worth flagging if that's staying in the cut)
Juice of ~1/2 lime
~1 tsp olive oil
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
1.
Combine chopped tomato, onion, jalapeño, garlic, and herbs.
2.
Add lime juice, olive oil, and salt.
3.
Taste and adjust salt.
4.
Optional: to keep it from getting watery, salt the chopped tomato separately and drain it in a colander ~30 min before combining.
Quick-Pickled Fresno Chilies
INGREDIENTS
3 Fresno chilies, sliced into thick ish rounds
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup water
1 tbsp coriander seeds (standing in for the traditional mustard seed)
1 ½ tsp salt
3 Black peppercorns, a few
¾ cup brown sugar (his ratio: roughly half as much sugar as total vinegar — he used 1.5 cups vinegar total)
½ white onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic
DIRECTIONS
1.
Slice chilies, place in a heatproof bowl.
2.
Combine both vinegars, water, coriander seeds, salt, and peppercorns in a saucepan.
3.
Add brown sugar; bring to a simmer until fully dissolved.
4.
Stir in sliced onion and garlic.
5.
Pour hot brine over the chilies.
6.
Let sit 30–45 minutes until cooled and pickled.
Chili Cheese Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
8 oz pre shredded Mexican cheese blend (Monterey Jack, cheddar, asadero, quesadilla cheese — he used the Cabot brand)
1 –2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced (optional — omit for a plain "world's easiest 2 ingredient cheese sauce")
Salt to taste
Splash of milk, as needed to thin
DIRECTIONS
1.
Heat evaporated milk gently in a saucepan — do not let it hard-boil.
2.
Add pre-shredded cheese; stir until melted and smooth.
3.
Stir in minced chipotle(s) and salt to taste.
4.
If it thickens too much as it sits, thin with a splash of milk.
5.
If it splits/breaks: a quick blend can bring it back together in the moment. If it sets up grainy after cooling (which can happen even if it looks fine warm): stir in a splash of cold water — this rebalances the emulsion and brings it back smooth, even hours later at room temp.
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