These awesome Extreme Nachos are sure to raise your cholesterol level! I wanted to create the ultimate Mexican feast and came up with a version of nachos featuring my favorite foods, including various parts of pig, steak, chicken, shrimp & nopal.

You will find a really helpful tutorial on Pork Belly, which is the star of these Extreme Nachos.

I also made a version of these with Tofu cheese for a friend who was Dairy free.

Enjoy!

Step 1: Extreme Nachos Ingredients

Ingredients:

Tortilla Chips:

Corn Tortilla
Quinoa & Black Bean
Veggie & Flaxseed
Blue Corn

Meat:

Pork Belly 1/2LB
Steak 2 Filets
Chicken 2 Breasts
2 Rolls Pork Chorizo
1 Package Pork Carnitas

Shrimp:

1/2 Package Raw Shrimp Tail On

Beans:

Spicy Jalapeno
Green Chile & Lime
Black Beans

Salsa's

Mango
Corn Salsa
Roasted Green Tomatillo
Spicy Salsa
Serrano Salsa Fresca
Fire-Roasted Guacamole

Vegetable:

Nopal

Salt
Pepper
Avocados
Hot Sauce
White Wine
Onions
Fresh Jalapenos
Poached Egg

Step 2: Pork Belly

Preheat oven to 465 degrees.

Visit your local butcher or specialty grocer to find pork belly. After slow roasting my pork belly for almost 3 hours, it added the perfect fatty touch to these awesomely extreme nachos. I scored the pork belly myself, but you can ask your local butcher to do it for you.

To prepare the Pork Belly:

Lay the pork belly skin side up on clean work surface. Score gently with a sharp knife. The skin will be tough, so make sure your knife is sharp or it won't go through. Do not penetrate all the way into the meat, just deeply enough to break through the skin. Spread a thin layer of good quality olive oil over the skin. Then generously sprinkle a nice amount of salt over the skin and rub it in.

Cut the pork belly in half. (My piece was really long and wouldn't fit in the pan.) Slice an onion into thick wedges and lay down in pan. Pour about 2 cups of wine in the pan. Place the Pork Belly in the oven for half and hour at 465 degrees F.
This will leave the skin nice & perfectly crispy. After half & hour, lower the heat on the oven to 250 degrees and cook for another two hours. I added 6-8 whole garlic cloves and two cups of water to the pan.

After two hours, remove pan from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes. Cut into desired size pieces for your nachos.

Step 3: Chicken Breasts

To prepare the chicken, lightly salt & pepper each side of the breasts. Add some oil to a saute pan and lay the breasts in the pan over medium- medium low heat. After 5-9 minutes, check to see if the opposite side of the breast has turned golden brown color. When it has, flip the breasts over and allow to cook an additional 7-8 minutes.

Allow breasts to cool for a few minutes and cut into small pieces for the nachos.

You don't want to overcook the chicken. Keep in mind it will have an additional cook time of 10-20 minutes while cooking the nachos. You just want to cook it long enough to where no pink color remains, but it maintains its moisture level.

Step 4: Jalapeno Tequila Steak

To prepare the steak, marinate in hot sauce for 6-8 hours or overnight to impart flavor.

Pour the hot sauce in a zip lock bag and add the steaks. ( I used Blairs Jalapeno Tequila) Rub the steaks together so that the hot sauce gets over the steaks evenly. Place the steaks in the fridge to marinate. Remove the steaks from the fridge at least 20 minutes before cooking, to bring them close to room temperature.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Using a cast iron skillet, add some oil and place over high heat on the stove. Once the oil is hot, lower the temp to med. heat and add the steaks. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side. Then place skillet in the oven to finish for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into pieces for the nachos.

I like my steak rare/medium rare. If you like your steak more well done, up the cooking times a few minutes longer.

Step 5: Fried Pork Carnitas

To prepare the Carnitas, open package and place in a saute pan. Cook Carnitas for 7-8 minutes, into meat is broken up and warm. Set aside.

Step 6: Pork Chorizo

Pork Chorizo is a mixture of chopped pork & pork fat mixed with paprika& salt. It's super delicious and one of my favorite additions to nachos or eggs.

Remove the casings from the chorizo and place the meat in a pan. Lightly break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until it is warm. Around 5 minutes.

Set aside.

Step 7: Red Pepper Flake Shrimp

To prepare the shrimp, place in a bowl to defrost. You can also use fresh shrimp. Once the shrimp is defrosted, remove the tails and devein the shrimp if you prefer. Add a few tbsp of canola oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes on top and stir very gently to combine. Wrap with saran wrap and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

When it is time to prepare the nachos, you will need to cut the shrimp into little pieces. I didn't want to cook the shrimp first because I didn't want them to taste hard and rubbery. I placed the shrimp raw on the tortilla chips and they turned out just fine.

Step 8: Prepare the Beans & Nopal Catcus

To prepare the beans, open the cans and place in separate sauce pans until warm. You want to heat the beans up before placing them in the oven so they will be at the right temperature. If you don't heat up the beans first, you take the risk of having cold beans with your nachos.

Nopal are very common in Mexican cuisine. I wanted to add a vegetable element to the nachos and this was the perfect choice. They are very similar to Okra in taste and texture. I bought mine cleaned and ready to cook. They are fairly time consuming to clean, so try to buy them pre-cleaned. To prepare the Nopal, add some water and salt to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 25-30 minutes and drain. Set aside.

Step 9: Prepare the Nachos & Serve

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with Parchment paper. Place each different brand of tortilla chip down on the baking sheet in rows. Next, scoop the different varieties of beans on top of the tortilla chips. Add your different toppings, steak, chicken, pork belly, shrimp, carnitas, chorizo, etc.
Sprinkle cheese on top and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

I didn't add cheese to the nachos with the pork belly. I added a poached egg to make the flavors pop.

Serve with multiple salsas, sour cream,cilantro & fresh avocado. Don't forget the hot sauce & margaritas.