Austin-Style BBQ Nachos
Nachos make the perfect appetizer for parties or snacks for a crowd! Everyone loves them and they are easy to make. But sometimes a change with a beloved favorite is good, and Austin-Style BBQ Nachos are that change! No, no tortilla chips or salsa with these nachos, but it’s delightful, nonetheless. Austin-Style BBQ Nachos are loaded with cheese, bbq sauce, mustard, pulled pork, and any other topping your heart desires! Sound yummy? It is, let’s go!
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The Story of Austin-Style BBQ Nachos
I realize most of my recipes start with a story, but that’s what makes food remarkable. One bite can take you back to a special moment or remind you of someone that you love. This recipe is from someone I love and one we eat together. No, the “Austin” in Austin-Style BBQ Nachos is not named for Austin, TX and its famous BBQ but for my husband.
My husband, Austin, makes many things “Austin-Style” meaning it contains bbq sauce, mustard, and cheese. He introduced me to these nachos when we were dating and I still crave them as a snack every now and then! If you think the bbq sauce and mustard sound strange together, I swear it is just one of those magic combinations that work and tastes amazing! Thank you, Austin 🙂
The Perfect Food
If you have a house full of teenagers and you need a quick snack to fill them up. Look no further.
If there is a game on and you have company over to impress, surprise them with these nachos.
If you are college-age to 25 years old and it is between 10 pm and 2 am and you are hungry but there is an ice storm preventing you from making a fast food run, this is your ticket.
If you are over 25 and go to bed at 9 pm every night and wipe others’ butts and are made to pretend that your hand is a pet bird all day for your toddler’s amusement…then treat yourself and that bird with these nachos.
Austin-Style BBQ Nachos are that highly sought-after combination of salty-sweet and I bet you always have the ingredients on hand in the pantry.
Ingredients
Chips: For these nachos, we swap out tortilla chips for a nice thick potato chip. Ruffles are our go-to for this. You can use tortilla chips, but really the potato chips are a slam. It resembles a loaded french fry dish in flavor.
Cheese: Instead of nacho cheese, top it with your favorite shredded cheese. I prefer colby-jack because it melts beautifully. Unlike cheddar, colby-jack adheres to the chips better even after it has cooled so you won’t get the separation of cheese sliding off your chips when you try to pull one out. Just my preference. Also, I like to shred my own cheese. The pre-shredded cheese from the store is coated with ingredients that prevent a nice melt, so shredding your own is worth it if you can. I use 8 oz, but you may want more.
BBQ Sauce: use your favorite BBQ sauce but try to go for a sweet one like Sweet Baby Ray’s.
Mustard: lastly, standard yellow mustard. You’ll use slightly less mustard than bbq sauce, but it adds that zing that makes this recipe memorable!
Toppings: just these ingredients will create a craveable snack! However, we always like to add pulled pork if possible. You can buy this packaged from the grocery store, from your local bbq joint, or your own leftover pork. Any other topping is your call: green onions, jalapenos, brisket, pulled chicken, bbq beans, fried onions, etc.
Looking for another quirky and delicious appetizer? Try my Easy Fried Goat Cheese!
How to Make Austin-Style BBQ Nachos
I really don’t know what to say here because they are nachos? Layer the chips, cheese, sauces, and toppings, and then cook long enough to melt the cheese. I can’t bring myself to educate more on them because everyone should be born instinctively knowing how to make nachos. The one thing I do suggest is to heat the pork up in the microwave first so it will be hot with the rest of the nachos. If the cheese melts faster than the pork is able to heat through then you’ll get bites of cold pork and I don’t want that.
What I will say is that you can scale these nachos up or down based on your needs. If you have a crowd, then lay them out on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook them in the oven at 350 until the cheese melts. If it is just you, then the microwave or toaster oven is fine.
My husband, bringing the subject back to him, believes all food can be cooked in the microwave. He astounds people with the things he makes for himself in the microwave. But this recipe of his is a keeper!
Short but Sweet
This post is shorter than my others but I don’t need to do much convincing for Austin-Style BBQ Nachos. This was quick to read and the nachos are quick to make and guaranteed to please! Austin has taught me many things in our time together, but this is one thing I’m happy he shared with me. Be on the lookout for more “Austin-Style” recipes 🙂
Austin-Style BBQ Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 8.5 oz Bag Potato Chips Ruffles are a good thick chips that hold up well for this recipe.
- 1 8 oz Block Colby-Jack Cheese Shredded. You may want more cheese than this on your nachos.
- Sweet BBQ Sauce
- Yellow Mustard
- 1 1 lb Package Pulled Pork Heated to package directions. Or use leftover pork, or buy some from your local BBQ joint.
- Green Onions Chopped for garnish.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 and lay aluminum foil down on a baking sheet.
- Dump the bag of chips onto the baking sheet and arrange them to cover the baking sheet in an even layer.
- Evenly top with shredded cheese. Drizzle desired amount of BBQ sauce and mustard onto the nachos. Top with pulled pork.
- Bake until the cheese melts and nachos are hot. About 15 minutes give or take.
- Top with green onions and enjoy!
