Satisfy your cravings for something extraordinary with this recipe for Guy Fieri's Trash Can Nachos. Buckle up and get ready to experience the epic flavor explosion that Chef Tom shows you how to do.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Adding the cheeses to the simmering half-and-half one handful at a time, waiting for each to fully melt, keeps the Super Melty Cheese smooth instead of risking a broken, grainy sauce
- Blending the black bean purée smooth in the Vitamix before cooking it down builds a consistent texture that whole beans layered directly onto the nachos wouldn't give
- Pre-baking the nachos on a sheet pan before stacking them in the can means the cheddar is already melted and the bean purée warmed through, so the final assembly doesn't need any more oven time
- Building the tower inside an open-ended can, then carefully lifting it away, is what gives the nachos their signature stacked, structural shape instead of the usual flat sheet-pan pile
Trash Can Nachos
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Appetizer
Cuisine
American
Servings
16
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
40 minutes
Calories
776
Buckle up, because Chef Tom is taking us to Flavor Town with one of Guy Fieri's own recipes. Give credit where credit is due. These Trash Can Nachos are out of bounds!
Ingredients
- 2 lb skirt steaks
-
Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles Fajita Bath
-
Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning
-
Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning
- 2 cups Half & Half
- 8 oz white Velveeta American cheese, cubed
- 8 oz (2 cups) smoked Gouda, grated
- 8 oz white cheddar, grated
- 2 tbsp pickled jalapeño juice
-
1 tbsp Worcestershire
-
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce
- 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained, rinsed
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
-
1/4 cup Holmes Made Marty’s Roasted Green Chile Salsa
-
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning
- 2 cups tomato, small dice
- 1/2 cup red onion, small dice
- 1/4 cup jalapeño, minced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
- 4 tbsp lime juice
-
Jacobsen Salt Co. Habanero Infused Salt
- 1 lb tortilla chips
- 3 cups “SMC” (Super Melty Cheese), divided
- 2 cups Black Bean Purée
- 2 cups chopped carne asada
- 2 cups sharp cheddar
- 2 cups Pico De Galo
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup pickled jalapeños
For the carne asada:
For the "SMC" (Super Melty Cheese): Yields 4 cups
Black Bean Purée: Yields 2 cups
For the pico de gallo:
Trash Can Nachos:
Directions
- lace your skirt steaks in an 8 quart Briner Bucket with one bottle Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles Fajita Bath and one bottle full (2 cups) of water. Stir. Submerge and lock plate in place to keep the meat submerged. Marinate for 30-60 minutes.
- To make the pico de gallo, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator.
- To make the black bean purée, combine all ingredients in the Vitamix blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to Lodge cast iron skillet and cook to desired consistency. Place a lid on the skillet and remove from the heat.
- To make the Super Melty Cheese, bring the half-and-half to a simmer in a Staub 4 Quart Dutch Oven. When the cream starts to simmer, add the cubed white Velveeta and stir until dissolved. When the Velveeta is melted, begin adding the shredded cheeses (white cheddar and smoked Gouda), one handful at a time, stirring constantly, adding the next addition of cheese only when the previous is fully melted. When all grated cheese is melted into the sauce, add the pickled jalapeño juice, Worcestershire and Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce. Keep the cheese warm over low heat.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 450ºF, set up for direct grilling (diffuser/diffuser door removed) with GrillGrates in place directly over the fire box.
- Remove the skirt steak from the marinade. Wipe off excess moisture from the surface with paper towels. Season the steaks with Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning and Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning.
- Grill the skirt steaks on the GrillGrates, leaving the door open (the steaks are thin and will cook quickly). When you have nice grill marks on the first side, flip and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 130ºF. Remove from the grill. Place the diffuser/diffuser door back in place, and be sure the second shelf is in place inside the grill. Turn the grill temperature down to 425ºF.
- Rest the steaks for a few minutes, then dice into small, 1/4” cubes. Toss the chopped steak in any juice that has collected on the cutting board.
- To warm the nachos, first place 1 lb of tortilla chips on a sheet pan. Spread 8 oz grated sharp cheddar over the chips. Spoon the black bean purée over the chips. Ladle about half of the Super Melty Cheese over the chips. Disperse the chopped skirt steak over the chips, as well.
- Place the sheet pan filled with nachos on the second shelf of the grill. Cook until the cheddar is melted, about 20 minutes.
- To assemble the Trash Can Nachos you will need a large can (about 100 oz). Remove the top and bottom of the can, creating a cylinder that is open on top and bottom.
- Place the can on a large plate or platter. Ladle enough cheese inside the can to cover the surface. Layer in the warm nachos using a spatula and gloved hands. After adding a layer of nachos, add a ladle of Super Melty Cheese, pico de Gallo and pickled jalapeños before adding another layer of chips. Repeat this process, pressing the nachos down in the can occasionally, until all the nachos are stacked in the can and the can is full. Top with sour cream.
- Slowly and carefully wiggle and remove the can, lifting it to reveal the tower of Trash Can Nachos.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why add the cheeses to the Super Melty Cheese sauce one handful at a time instead of all at once?
Waiting for each addition to fully melt before adding more keeps the sauce smooth throughout. Dumping all the shredded cheese in at once risks it clumping or the sauce breaking into a grainy texture.
Why blend the black beans into a purée instead of leaving them whole?
Blending them smooth in the Vitamix before cooking down gives a consistent, spreadable texture across the nachos, rather than whole beans that would sit unevenly on top of the chips.
Why pre-bake the nachos on a sheet pan before stacking them in the can?
Warming them through first means the cheddar is already melted and the bean purée is hot by the time they go into the can, so the final stacked assembly doesn't need any additional oven time to finish.
Why build the nachos inside an open-ended can instead of just piling them on a plate?
Stacking the layers inside the can compresses them into a tall, structural tower. Lifting the can away afterward reveals that shape, something a flat pile on a sheet pan or platter couldn't replicate.
What internal temperature should the skirt steak actually reach?
This recipe pulls it at 130°F, a solid medium-rare finish. As a whole-muscle cut of beef, this is safe and standard practice — there's no minimum cook temperature requirement the way there is for ground meat.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — the cheese sauce, bean purée, and pico de gallo all come together on the stovetop; a hot cast iron skillet or broiler can sear the skirt steak and melt the sheet-pan nachos in place of the grill.
Recipe Highlights
Staged cheese melting: Keeps the Super Melty Cheese smooth instead of grainy.
Blended black bean purée: Gives an even, spreadable layer instead of whole beans.
Pre-warmed nacho base: Melts the cheddar before final assembly.
Can-built tower: Creates the signature stacked shape once lifted away.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 10.65 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 776
- Carbs
- 58 grams
- Protein
- 51 grams
- Fat
- 38 grams
- Sodium
- 820 milligrams
