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These Brisket Nachos are easy to assemble and a crowd-pleasing appetizer for bbq cookouts, game days, and tailgates. Each bite is mind-blowing because every chip is perfectly layered with toppings.
Here are more delightful appetizers: Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings, Yellow Squash Fritters, Tomato Corn Salsa, and Cajun Deviled Eggs.
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The first time I ever had nachos that were "single chip nachos" was at a restaurant when I first moved to Dallas. I thought they cheated me out of nachos because I'm used to a stack of tortilla chips covered in cheese and delicious toppings.
To my surprise, those 6 nachos were amazing! They were on to something really good! The restaurant closed not too long after I had them, so I'm grateful that I had this experience, and it changed the way I'll forever eat nachos.
The problem with the traditional way of serving nachos is that by the end, you end up scrapping for more cheese and toppings to get that final perfect bite.
This recipe eliminates that issue because every chip is perfectly stacked with homemade refried beans, tender smoked beef brisket, and chipotle sour cream. You can top your brisket nachos with your favorite topping and enjoy them one bite at a time.
Key Ingredients
Before you start whipping up this brisket nacho recipe, look at this list of ingredients to make sure you have everything you need for some delicious beef nachos!
Refried Beans:
Yellow Onion
Most refried beans come seasoned enough, but I love the extra flavor cooked onions add to the beans.
Black Beans
This is my go-to bean for my homemade refried beans because I love their flavor. You can use red or pinto beans too.
Seasoning
The only thing you might not have in your cabinet is cumin, but I'm confident you have salt and black pepper.
Chipotle Sour Cream:
Sour Cream
Use full fat for maximum flavor, but you can use the low-fat kind too. If you really want to impress your taste buds use crema.
Adobo Chipotles
2 adobo chilies plus sauce add a smoky flavor to the sour cream.
Brisket Nachos:
Corn Tortilla Chips
Round tortilla chips have a better base for adding all the toppings than the traditional triangular version.
Smoked Brisket
I love using my Texas Oven Brisket recipe for this, but you can pick some up at your favorite bbq joint. Any leftover smoked beef brisket is perfect for this recipe.
Shredded Cheese
I'm going against my grain of making a homemade nacho cheese sauce but using freshly shredded Colby-Jack cheese melts perfectly over the top.
How To Make Brisket Nachos Recipe
My goal was to create some incredible brisket nachos that would rival anything I might have at any bbq joint. A few steps are involved, but the real shortcut is going to your favorite bbq joint to get some smoked brisket. Other than that, it's effortless to assemble.
Refried Beans:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat, add onion, cook until translucent, add black beans, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and water cook for 10 minutes or until it lightly boils.
Mash the beans with a fork, potato masher, or puree in a food processor. Place in a zip lock bag and cut about ½-1 inch from the corner bag.
Chipotle Sour Cream:
In a food processor, add the sour cream and chipotle peppers and blitz on high for 1 minute or until smooth.
Brisket Nachos:
Place chips on a parchment or foiled-lined baking sheet; do not overcrowd. Assemble one chip at a time; pipe black beans puree, then brisket, and cover with cheese; repeat until all chips are filled, place in the oven until the cheese is melted.
Garnish each chip with chipotle sour cream, salsa, and sliced jalapenos. Spread shredded lettuce on a platter, add brisket nachos, and serve.
You can also spread tortilla chips on a baking sheet or platter and layer the nachos traditionally.
How To Store Brisket Nachos
After the refried beans cool off, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 days. To reheat the beans, bring a small amount of stock or water to a boil and stir in the beans; cook until hot. A ¼ cup of liquid will be enough for 1 cup.
Store leftover smoked brisket in an airtight container for 7 days.
Place leftover chipotle sour cream in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 days.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are a few notes I had from making these delicious brisket nachos.
- Feel free to swap the brisket for bbq chicken, ground beef, or shrimp, or make them vegetarian with just beans and cheese.
- Swap the black beans for the pinto beans or refried beans. If you use refried beans, skip the pureeing step. Taste the beans and season them to taste before assembling nachos.
- Use 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce instead of the chipotle peppers.
- Any shape, size, and flavor tortilla chip will work, but be sure it's a chip you like and has the most intact chips.
- Swap out regular sour cream for crema. El Savadorina is the best.
- Feel free to use a Mexican blend of cheese instead of Cobly jack.
- Here are my pineapple mango salsa and pickled jalapeno and onion recipes. They would be amazing on these nachos.
- Assemble in advance, and bake right before serving. If you're doing these for a party.
- Here's a bomb simple bbq sauce to make these bbq brisket nachos.
- If you love guacamole on your nachos, try this recipe.
FAQ
Here are the top questions readers have about making some tasty brisket nachos.
Brisket nachos are a jazzed-up version of traditional nachos. The tortilla chips are topped with chopped or shredded brisket, cheese, and various toppings like beans, corn, bbq sauce, sour cream, and jalapenos.
The toppings for brisket nachos are limitless; the most common toppings include pico de gallo, diced tomatoes, corn, jalapenos, sour cream, bbq sauce, fresh cilantro, red onions, avocado slices, green onions, and beans.
The best way to add more flavor to your brisket is to keep a decent amount of fat on it. As the brisket cooks, the fat will baste it, adding flavor and keeping it moist.
Use a generous amount of your favorite bbq rub and let the brisket set overnight before cooking so the seasoning can penetrate the beef. You can also add liquid smoke (if you don't plan on smoking it) and worcestershire sauce to intensify the flavor.
If you trim the brisket correctly, the fat and water will do the same as broth. If you're oven-baking the brisket, you can add some beef broth, chicken, or vegetable stock to add some flavor. I love a combination of worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and some beer; it'll keep the brisket from drying out and enhance the flavor. If you smoke the brisket, you will not add broth to it.
More Amazing Appetizers
If you love a variety of options for finger-licking party food. Try these!
- · Grilled Skirt Steak Chimichurri
- · Caramelized French Onion Dip
- · Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- · Sweet Thai Chili Wings
- · Citrus Chevice over Tostones
- · Blueberry Vodka Lemonade
Before You Begin
Before getting started, here are the steps I use to get organized.
Step 1: Get all ingredients for the brisket nachos on the counter.
Step 2: Put everything measured into individual bowls.
Step 3: We don't want any surprises, so make sure to taste your brisket before using it.
Step 4: Start following the recipe and get ready for some incredible brisket nachos!
When each nacho is individually topped, you ensure an even distribution of the brisket and other ingredients, providing a perfect balance of flavors in every bite. I hope you try these whenever you have leftover brisket or looking for an incredible bite to please your friends!
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📖 Recipe
Brisket Nachos
Ingredients
Refried Beans:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 15 oz. cans black beans or pinto rinsed, drained
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- ½ cup water
Chipotle Sour Cream:
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 2 adobo chipotles
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste
Brisket Nachos:
- 1 bag corn round chips
- 2 lbs. brisket chopped
- 4 cups Colby jack cheese shredded
- iceberg shredded, optional garnish
- guacamole optional garnish
- salsa optional garnish
- fresh or pickled jalapenos optional garnish
Instructions
Refried Beans:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in a medium pot over a medium heat, add onion, and cook for 2 minutes. Add black beans, cumin, salt, black pepper and water cook for 10 minutes. Mash beans with fork or puree in a food processor. Place in a zip lock bag and cut about ½-1 inch from corner bag.
Chipotle Sour Cream:
- In a food processor, add sour cream, chipotle peppers, salt and black pepper; blitz on high for 1 minute or until smooth.
Brisket Nachos:
- Place chips on a parchment or foiled-lined baking sheet; do not over crowd. Assemble one chip at a time, pipe black beans puree, then brisket, and cover with cheese; repeat until all chips are filled, bake in the oven cook until the cheese is melted about 5 minutes.
- Garnish each chip with chipotle sour cream, salsa, and sliced jalapenos. Spread shredded lettuce on a platter, add brisket nachos, and serve.
- You can also spread tortilla chips on a baking sheet or platter and layer the nachos traditionally.
Notes
- Feel free to swap the brisket for bbq chicken, ground beef, or shrimp, or make them vegetarian with just beans and cheese.
- Swap the black beans for the pinto beans or refried beans. If you use refried beans, skip the pureeing step. Taste the beans and season them to taste before assembling nachos.
- Use 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce instead of the chipotle peppers.
- Any shape, size, and flavor tortilla chip will work, but be sure it's a chip you like and has the most intact chips.
- Swap out regular sour cream for crema. El Savadorina is the best.
- Feel free to use a Mexican blend of cheese instead of Cobly jack.
- Here are my pineapple mango salsa and pickled jalapeno and onion recipes. They would be amazing on these nachos.
- Assemble in advance, and bake right before serving. If you're doing these for a party.
- Here's a bomb simple bbq sauce to make these bbq brisket nachos.
- If you love guacamole on your nachos, try this recipe.
Sharon says
Chef, I used chicken instead it was delicious.
Thank you for sharing your recipes. Congratulations!
Kenneth Temple says
Hi Sharon!! Glad you enjoyed it even with the chicken switch.