Smoked Nachos

It's the smoke that takes these nachos to the next level.

It's hard to find anyone who doesn't like nachos.  Whether you prefer simple cheese nachos or you like to put everything but the kitchen sink on a pile of chips; nachos just work.

In our house of five, it's hard to please everyone when it comes to food.  We cook a lot of truly good food and I am always astonished when one of my daughters tries to act like she doesn't like what we've cooked.  But I can pull these nachos from the grill, set them in the middle of the table out on the back porch, and step back and watch the pizza stone get picked clean, all the way down to them scraping up the burnt cheese with a fork.    

I start these nachos by generously seasoning four or five chicken breast cutlets with a fajita spice blend.  In a preheated, non-stick frying pan I melt a chunk of butter and then cook the chicken five or six minutes per side.  Since the chicken cutlets are sliced thin, be sure not to over cook the chicken or it may dry out.  Once done, set the cooked chicken aside to rest.  

In a bowl, combine one diced tomato and a can of strained and rinsed black beans.  Squeeze the juice from one lime into the tomatoes and black beans and mix together, being careful not to over mix and crush the black beans.  Chop some fresh cilantro and put into another bowl.  Fill a third bowl with the chicken, sliced into bite-sized pieces.  This is the fun part of making nachos because you can pretty much put whatever you want on them.  For us, the tomatoes, black beans, cilantro, and chicken all work well together, but I have a feeling we will be experimenting with all kinds of different toppings.  I melted cheese in the microwave over a bowl of chips and the sausage and scrambled eggs leftover from the buffins we made the other day.  I think I might be on to something.  I am definitely going to try some sausage, egg and cheese breakfast nachos on the grill sometime soon!  The point is, just have fun with it and be creative.   

Along with a bag of your favorite nacho chips and shredded cheese, head out to the grill with the toppings and begin getting the coals ready.  Light half a chimney starter of hardwood lump charcoal.  When it is white hot, dump it into your grill and add four good-sized chunks of hickory or pecan wood.  You want a lot of smoke.  Place your pizza stone on the grill grate and begin building the nachos.  Start with a layer of chips and then a handful of chicken, tomatoes and black beans, cilantro and then cheese.  Add another layer of chips followed by another layer of toppings and cheese.  Finish with one more handful of cilantro.  Close the lid and let them cook for three to five minutes.  Have a hot pad or two in place where you want to serve the nachos because the stone will be hot.  When the cheese is melted and has just begun to brown on the stone, take the nachos off the grill using oven mitts.  Serve the nachos directly from the pizza stone.