Root Beer Pulled Pork Nachos

AP exam season is three weeks away and I can feel it settling into the house like weather. Mama has started leaving snacks outside my door when I'm studying — little plates with sliced fruit or a handful of pecans or sometimes a square of the dark chocolate she keeps in the pantry for what she calls "serious situations." I told her I was fine and she said, "I know you are. I'm feeding myself too." That is Mama in four words — simultaneously caring for me and explaining that she doesn't need to justify caring for me.

I'm taking AP Environmental Science and AP English Literature this year. APES feels close — it connects to my science competition work, to the crawfish paper, to everything I've been learning about food systems and land and water. The English exam feels different, more interior, and I've been rereading the short stories we covered in the fall because I want the literary analysis to feel like a conversation, not a performance.

Tanya and I have been studying together on the back porch most afternoons when it's not raining, which in Louisiana spring means sometimes and sometimes not. She doesn't take APES but she quizzes me from the study guide anyway, reading the practice questions in a ridiculous fake-professor voice that makes me laugh even when I should be reciting nitrogen cycle steps. She takes AP US History and I quiz her right back. We've been doing this since sophomore year. The study-together thing works because we trust each other enough to be bad at things out loud.

Daddy made his gumbo on Sunday — the big pot, the one that means occasion. He said there was no occasion, he just felt like making it, and sometimes that's the truest occasion of all. The roux took forty-five minutes and he did not rush it and he did not let me rush it when I offered to take a turn stirring. "Gumbo teaches patience," he said. "That's why it's the right food to make in a season that's trying to teach you something." I carried that into my study session Monday morning and it helped more than I expected.

Watching Daddy stand at the stove for forty-five minutes, stirring a roux without any apology for the time it was taking, reminded me that the best things we eat carry the patience that went into them. I couldn’t replicate the gumbo — that belongs to him — but I found myself craving something that used the same slow-cooked logic: a big, low-effort Sunday protein that would carry me through the week’s study sessions the way his gumbo carried Sunday itself into Monday. Root beer pulled pork nachos became my answer: the pork goes in the slow cooker with almost no fuss, and by the time Tanya and I finish quizzing each other on nitrogen cycles, there’s something warm and layered and worth sitting down for waiting on the counter.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 8 hrs (slow cooker) + 12 min (oven) | Total Time: 8 hrs 27 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
1 can (12 oz) root beer
1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce, divided
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bag (13 oz) sturdy tortilla chips
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup pickled jalapeño slices
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

Season the pork. Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture evenly over all sides of the pork.
Slow cook. Place the seasoned pork in a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour the root beer and 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce over and around the pork. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.
Shred and sauce. Transfer the pork to a large cutting board. Discard the cooking liquid. Using two forks, shred the pork into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker (or a bowl) and toss with the remaining 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce until well coated.
Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
Layer the nachos. Spread half the tortilla chips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Scatter half the pulled pork over the chips, then sprinkle with half of both cheeses. Repeat with a second layer of chips, pork, and cheese, finishing with cheese on top.
Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and beginning to bubble at the edges. Watch closely in the last few minutes — the chips can go from golden to overdone quickly.
Top and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately scatter jalapeño slices and green onions over the top. Add dollops of sour cream and cilantro if using. Squeeze lime wedges over the whole pan just before serving. Bring it straight to the table (or the back porch) and eat while hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Root Beer Pulled Pork Nachos — When the Big Pot Inspires the Next Occasion