PAT These young graduates don’t want a sit-down meal at their celebration. They want fun foods that they can eat (and spill all over your carpet!) while walking around and chatting with each other. Nachos fit the bill, and this Neely’s Bar-B-Que version has been a signature dish in our restaurants for over 20 years. Smoked brisket, pulled pork, or store-bought rotisserie chicken—they all work just fine. And for you non–meat eaters, grilled vegetables work as well!

　　

Ingredients

serves 6 to 8

　　One 16-ounce bag thick tortilla chips

　　1 pound processed American cheese, such as Velveeta, melted

　　1 cup Neely’s BBQ sauce (page 37)

　　2 pounds easy BBQ pork (recipe follows, or store-bought)

　　One 4-ounce can sliced pickled jalapeños, drained

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

　　

Step 2

Spread a single layer of tortilla chips out on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the cheese and BBQ sauce, and top with a few spoonfuls of pork or whatever meat you want to use. Make two more layers of chips, cheese, sauce, and meat. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and hot and the nachos are heated through, about 10 minutes. Garnish with the sliced pickled jalapeños.

　　

Note

Step 3

If you decide to use rotisserie chicken for your meat in this recipe, it’s easy to prepare. Just debone the chicken, remove the skin, and chop the meat in chunks on a cutting board. Wrap the meat in foil, and place it in a 350-degree oven to warm for a few minutes before adding it to the nachos.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Neelys' Celebration Cookbook by Pat and Gina Nelly. Copyright © 2011 by Pat and Gina Nelly with Anna Volkwein. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Pat and Gina Neely are restaurateurs, best-selling authors, popular speakers, and hosts of the Food Network hit series Down Home with the Neelys. They recently opened their first New York City restaurant, Neely's Barbecue Parlor. They live with their daughters in Memphis, where they enjoy cooking at home with family and friends.Ann Volkwein is a best-selling food and lifestyle author based in New York City and Austin, Texas. Her previous books include: The Arthur Avenue Cookbook, Chinatown New York, Mixt Greens (with Andrew Swallow), and, with Guy Fieri: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; and Guy Fieri Food.