Game Day Food: Smoked Brisket Nachos

Football season is back and so are some of our favorite game day recipes. Here is our smoked brisket nachos recipe; my husband did the heavy lifting, as he smoked the brisket until it was perfectly tender and moist.

Use a 2 ½-lb Brisket

Dry rub of salt, pepper and garlic powder (don’t be skimpy with the rub mixture)

We went to our charcoal smoker to smoke the brisket, and used mesquite wood chips.

Smoked for 6 – 6 ½  hours at temps between 225 and 250.

Once your brisket is smoked, let it rest for about ½ hour, then slightly shred/chop the brisket into small pieces.

Once brisket is cooked, spread out the tortilla chips on a large plate. Layer freshly grated extra sharp cheddar, making sure to cover each tortilla chip. You can apply as much or as little as you like, and explore with your favorite cheese (Monterey Jack is another nice cheese to add some heat to your nachos).

Melt the cheese under the broiler. Watch very closely. You want to melt it, not burn it.

When the  cheese has melted, remove from the oven and quickly layer with the chopped brisket, chopped Vidalia onion, fresh or pickled jalapenos, and fresh chopped parsley or cilantro.

Shred a little more fresh cheese on top and heat for just about a minute or 2 longer. You don’t want to cook your meat! You want to heat the brisket nachos just long enough to get the cheese to melt.

Once the cheese is melted through, add a big spoonful of homemade pico de gallo:

• 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes- Drain juice)
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 large fresh jalapeno (remove the seeds) – add more until you reach your desired heat!
• 1 to 2 fresh garlic cloves
• Squeeze the juice from a half of a lime
• Couple sprigs of fresh parsley or cilantro (use what you like)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Throw all these ingredients in my food processor and pulse until all ingredients are well blended, but not soupy.

This dish does require some planning and time, but I promise you won’t be disappointed. Between the smoked, juicy flavors of the brisket, the spicy jalapenos, hot melted cheese, tortilla chip crunch, and a mix of the fresh spicy and sweet flavors of the pico de gallo, you have a winning appetizer for game day!