For those of you that know me, this recipe for loaded BBQ Pulled Pork Totchos might just be so far out of left field that you’re wondering if something happened when my dial hit 38 yesterday and that I’d gone completely mad. However, you’d also then remember that two of my favorite types of food are barbecue and French fries (i.e., fried potatoes) and that this recipe in fact makes total sense.
Every year for my birthday I indulge you and myself with my favorites, and this is one of my recreation from my favorite local lunchtime haunts when I need a break from the salad monotony rut that I find myself in once every while.
To call these tatchos is a bit inaccurate because unlike as the name would imply (tot + nacho), this recipe actually has no cheese sauce. Sure, you could add it, but it does just fine on its own without it.
The biggest thing to cook here is the pulled pork. Pork shoulder is made all good and plenty in the slow cooker with homemade barbecue sauce (my fanciful addition this go-round is that I used gochujang Korean sauce in place of the ketchup!), which is later reduced to as thick as you like it. I cheated and bought coleslaw from the store, as well as had my way with frozen tots because…frankly, I’m not sure tater tots are considered real enough food to even try to make them at home.
Once the pork is shredded and ready, it’s layered between the tots and the slaw, and drizzled with Carolina mustard BBQ sauce (which is actually my favorite type of barbecue sauce). Served with a side of bread & butter pickles, this is so delicious you’ll have to remind myself that it’s not something that should be eaten on the regular (yet, let’s be honest, not too on the irregular)!
Since it’s a birthday treat, remember to save room for cake…if you can.
BBQ Pulled Pork Totchos
Slow-cooker BBQ pulled pork totchos are a delicious twist on pulled pork nachos, with homemade BBQ sauce, and topped with coleslaw and Carolina mustard BBQ.
Ingredients
- For the Pork
- 3 pounds pork butt or shoulder
- 1/2 TB garlic salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 TB smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- For the Barbecue Sauce
- 1 cup gochujang sauce
- 2 TB Dijon mustard
- 2 TB maple syrup
- 2 TB vinegar
- 2 TB Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 8 ounces beer of your choice (lager or ale would be great)
- 2 cups store-bought coleslaw
- 2 bags frozen tater tots
- 1/2 cup Carolina mustard bbq sauce
- 4 green onions, sliced, for garnish
- bread & butter pickles, to serve
Directions
- Step 1 Coat the pork on all sides with the garlic salt, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, add about 1 TB vegetable oil and brown all sides, about 4 minutes per side, to get a nice crispy crust.
- Step 2 Combine the all the sauce ingredients in a small pot in the bowl of your slow cooker. Add the pork to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 6 hours.
- Step 3 Once the pork is done, use 2 forks to pull the meat apart.
- Step 4 Drain the sauce and put on the stove in a saucepan over medium high heat to reduce a bit while you finish the pork, about 30 minutes.
- Step 5 Cook the tater tots according to package directions.
- Step 6 Assemble by dividing the tater tots between 8 plates. Cover each with an equal amount of pork and an equal amount of coleslaw. Drizzle with the mustard BBQ sauce, garnish with green onion, and serve with pickles.
