Post Updated 11/24/2019
Mucho loaded soul food nachos featuring your typical nacho toppings paired with smoked ham hocks.
With College Bowl Season in full swing, these are perfect for gameday appetizers. The hocks give this nacho recipe some heft so you could get away with just a menu of appetizers.
These nachos ain't really for the faint of heart. I typically allow myself a cheat day, but this may require a cheat weekend! It is sooo good though and seems so appropriate for the occasion. You got overhyped NFL playoffs and College Football Championship games which make perfect excuses for all-out gluttony.
All kidding aside, I was prepared to make vegan nachos, but deez smoked ham hocks caught my heart for the evening while cruising the grocery store aisle. No hesitation, I knew I had to find a way to get them on my gameday menu.
I figured I could find a fun way to use them, hence you end up reading a post about pork nachos. If you grew up in and around Texas or are friends with any, then you know any true Texan always has enough ingredients on hand to create any types of nachos recipes traditional or not so much.
Pork Nachos, But What Are Ham Hocks?
Given the weather situation, I checked in on a few of my East Coast friends. After confirming they were safe, the conversation turned to what I'd be cooking for the big football game. I mentioned smoked ham hock nachos and got responses that ranged from the polite "that's interesting, but what are ham hocks" to the straight-up "what da f&^k are ham hocks!"
For those not in the know, ham hocks are essentially the ankles of a pig. Hocks don't have much fat, but because there is so much collagen in that area the meat becomes very tender during cooking as the collagen is broken down. It's mostly skin though, which makes for good pork "cracklin" or "rinds".
Hocks are sold in most Southern markets/grocery stores already smoked and used to flavor soups and vegetables like collard greens. You also find them in Asian markets and in German towns.
How to make ham hock nachos
Step 1 : Prepare the ham hocks
Carve the meat off the bone and then cut into small chunks depending on how thick you want them. I prefer them to be diced similar to hamburger pieces on a pizza. For convenience, I recommend just pulsing the chunks in a food processor.
This is an optional step, but I like to quickly saute the ham hocks before topping the nachos. This releases some of the flavor.
Step 2: Layer the ingredients in skillet
There is nothing complicated about making nachos, but there are some steps that will level up your nachos. I take a double-decker approach, i.e. create an initial layer of all the ingredients and then layer on another on top of the initial. The other key is I bake the first layer alone first before adding the second layer. This helps ensure the cheese on that bottom layer melts as evenly as the top layer.
Step 3: Bake the nachos
Bake the first layer for 8 minutes ate 350 degrees. Remove and add the second layer, then repeat baking. Remove and top with cilantro, diced avocado, and your salsa of choice.
serving suggestions
My gameday menu is full of different appetizers, particularly wings and more wings. For a few wings options try these:
Pork Nachos, Key Tips
- Hocks, because they are smoked, are essentially already cooked so you technically do not need to cook them before baking them as part of the nachos. However, my preference is to give them a quick simmer in the skillet before assembling the nachos for baking.
- Since nachos require a short cook time, a pre-simmer is good for releasing some of that rich smokey flavor from the hocks. You are basically priming it for the nachos.
- Another trick I like to employ is cooking the nachos in two stages. I made one layer and then cooked it for about 10 minutes, then added a second layer and cooked for another 10 minutes. This ensures all the cheese including the cheese on the bottom layer melts fully.
What are the best nacho toppings for Pork Nachos?
- Cheese of course! Keep in mind that ham hocks tend to be a little salty, so be mindful of the type of cheese you use so that you can monitor salt intake. Monterrey Jack tends to be one of your lower in salt cheeses and is also a good melting cheese.
- For this recipe, I also included black beans, red onions, jalapenos. Not all toppings are meant to be cooked so I added avocado, fresh cilantro, and salsa after cooking
- Typically I'll make a nachos bar, for people to customize their nachos with their toppings of choice. However, this is a fairly specific nacho recipe, that I was pretty prescriptive with the toppings. Sour cream or tomatoes would also work with this recipe
Making Pork Nachos
If you add this appetizer to your repertoire of nacho recipes, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
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For another recipe featuring smoked ham hocks try these:
Smoked Ham Hocks w/ Whiskey and Cola Glaze
Instant Pot Ham and Beans Stew
Quick Brazilian Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 Standard Size Bag Of Tortilla Chips
- 1 bag of Monterrey Jack or Colby Jack cheese
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 1 cup Black beans
- 2 fresh jalapenos sliced
- 1 avocado half
- 1 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ¼ red onions chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare ham hocks - cut away meaty part with a sharp knife. Then cut-off the thick layer of skin (discard). Cut the meat into small to medium chunks
- Quickly sear hocks on medium-high heat in a greased skillet (1-2 minutes). Remove and pat dry.
- Rinse and dry the skillet. Spread half the chips over cookie sheet. Layer half the hocks, jalapenos, black beans, and onions on top of the chips. Top with half the cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and add another layer of chips, ham hocks, jalapenos, beans, onions and cheese and repeat in oven
- Remove and top with avocado, cilantro and your choice of salsa.
Notes
- Hocks, because they are smoked, are essentially already cooked so you technically do not need to cook them before baking them as part of the nachos. However, my preference is to give them a quick simmer in the skillet before assembling the nachos for baking.
- Since nachos require a short cook time, a pre-simmer is good for releasing some of that rich smokey flavor from the hocks. You are basically priming it for the nachos.
- Another trick I like to employ is cooking the nachos in two stages. I made one layer and then cooked it for about 10 minutes, then added a second layer and cooked for another 10 minutes. This ensures all the cheese including the cheese on the bottom layer melts fully.