Recipe · Indirect · Easy
Smoked Loaded Nachos on the Kamado
The ultimate sharing starter: layers of tortilla chips, melted cheese, beans and jalapeños in a cast-iron pan, kissed by 10-12 minutes of gentle olive-wood smoke and topped with fresh pico de gallo.
Quick answer
Layer the nachos in a cast-iron skillet and cook them on the kamado over indirect heat at 180-190 °C with one chunk of olive wood for a gentle smoke. In 10-12 minutes the cheese melts and the chips soak up that live-fire aroma. Crown with fresh pico de gallo and serve straight away to share.
One big step at a time, screen kept on and built-in timers.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Servings
- 6 servings
- Temperature
- 185 °C
What time do you want to eat?
Pick a time and we'll tell you when to start.
12:48
Start the prep
13:08
Light the kamado
13:38
Onto the kamado
14:00
Serve
Estimate: it includes lighting and settling the kamado plus a margin for large cuts. If the recipe asks you to marinate or salt ahead, add that time.
Fire setupIndirect
- Dome
- 185 °C
- Deflector
- Yes
- Wood
- 1 olive wood chunk
- Setup
- Deflector and cast-iron skillet
Temperature curve
0:50 h from lighting
Kamado dome
| # | From | Phase | Dome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:00 | Light the charcoalDeflector in, 180-190 °C | 20 → 185 °C |
| 2 | 0:30 | StabiliseOlive wood chunk once the embers are clean | 185 °C |
| 3 | 0:35 | Put the food inSkillet with the layers inside, lid closed | 185 → 165 °C |
| 4 | 0:37 | Cook10-12 min until the cheese bubbles | 165 → 185 °C |
| 5 | 0:47 | Take outCold pico de gallo on top, off the heat | 185 °C |
| 6 | 0:50 | Serve | off |
0:00 is the moment you light the charcoal. Internal temperatures are the ones the recipe gives; without a probe, go by the times. Turn these times into clock times with the planner
For this recipe
Ingredients
- corn tortilla chips300 g
- grated melting cheese (cheddar and Monterey Jack mix)250 g
- refried black beans200 g
- pickled jalapeño slices60 g
- ripe tomatoes (for the pico de gallo)2
- red onion1
- fresh coriander1 handful
- lime (juice and wedges)1
Allergens
- Milk
Store-bought tortilla chips and refried beans may contain gluten or other allergens: check the label.
Based on the recipe's ingredients. Always check the label of every product you buy.
The gear for this recipe
Big Green Egg LargeThe Big Green Egg Large is the reference format for this starter: its thick ceramic holds a steady indirect 180-190 °C with the lid down, exactly what the cheese needs to melt evenly without scorching. Its grate diameter comfortably takes a 30-35 cm cast-iron skillet for six, and the dome spreads the wrap-around heat that golds the top layer while a single wood chunk perfumes the chips.
Smokey Olive Wood Olive Wood Chunks 1.5 kgFor this dish we want a gentle smoke, not an hours-long cure, and olive-wood chunks give exactly that aromatic, faintly sweet background that suits cheese and beans without turning bitter. A single chunk on clean coals is enough to perfume the chips over the 10-12 minute cook; olive is also a deeply Mediterranean wood, in keeping with the recipe's Spanish editorial character and far kinder than mesquite or hickory for a melted-cheese starter.
Carboext 100% Holm Oak Lump Charcoal, 15 kg Sack
Petromax FP35 Cast Iron Fire Skillet 35 cm with HandlesThis 35 cm handled cast-iron skillet is the perfect vessel for loaded nachos: its mass stores heat and spreads cooking evenly, so the centre cheese never stays raw while the edges gold. The two handles let you lift it in and out of the kamado with gloves without disturbing the layers, and being table-ready it keeps the cheese molten and hot as the pan goes round six guests.
Method
- 01
Set up indirect
Light the kamado, fit the deflector for indirect cooking and settle the temperature at 180-190 °C. Once the coals are clean, add one chunk of olive wood to make a gentle, aromatic smoke.
- 02
Make the pico de gallo
Finely dice the tomato, half the red onion and some coriander. Mix with the juice of half a lime and a pinch of salt. Chill it aside: it goes on top at the end, never over the fire, for freshness and contrast.
- 03
Build the layers
In a cast-iron skillet, spread a layer of tortilla chips, dot with spoonfuls of beans, scatter cheese and some jalapeños. Repeat for two or three layers, finishing with a generous cap of cheese on top to seal it all.
- 04
Smoke with the lid
Set the skillet on the kamado, close the lid and cook indirect for 10-12 minutes. The cheese should bubble and melt completely and the edges turn lightly golden. The olive smoke perfumes the chips without softening them.
- 05
Top off the heat
Take the skillet off the kamado. Spoon the cold pico de gallo over the top, scatter more coriander and, if you like, some avocado slices or a drizzle of sour cream. Wet toppings always go on off the heat so the base stays crisp.
- 06
Serve to share
Bring the skillet straight to the table, with lime wedges alongside to squeeze to taste. Serve at once, while the cheese is still molten and hot. This is hands-on food: dig in, pull and enjoy the cheese stretch.
About this recipe
Loaded nachos are stadium food and sofa food, but on the kamado they become something else: a table starter you eat with your hands that smells of live fire. The trick isn't the volume of cheese, it's building the layers properly and letting a gentle olive-wood smoke perfume the tortilla chips without going soggy. In 10-12 minutes over indirect heat the cheese melts, the beans warm through and the whole thing takes on a smoky depth no kitchen oven will give you.
In 30 seconds
Cast-iron pan, kamado indirect at 180-190 °C with one chunk of olive wood for a mild smoke. Layer tortilla chips, cheese, beans and jalapeños, 10-12 minutes lid down until the cheese bubbles. Off the heat, crown with pico de gallo, coriander and lime. To share, right away.
The classic mistake is dumping all the cheese on top: the chips at the bottom stay bare while the top ones go soggy. Spread it across two or three layers, alternating chips, cheese and beans, so every handful comes away with a thread of melted cheese. Wet toppings — pico de gallo, sour cream, avocado — always go on at the very end, off the heat, so they don't cook or soften the crisp base.
This is not a brisket: we're not after hours of smoke. A single chunk of olive wood (or apple) on the coals is enough to lend an aromatic background in a little over ten minutes. Indirect cooking with a deflector keeps the cheese fat from scorching and spreads the heat dome-style, melting evenly without charring the edges of the chips.
The joy of the dish is serving it in the cast-iron pan itself, which keeps the cheese molten and hot as it goes round the table. A handled cast-iron skillet of 30-35 cm is the ideal format for six people picking at once. Have your cold toppings ready before you lift the lid: nachos wait for no one.
Will it fit your kamado?
Small
33-40 cm · Joe Jr, MiniMax
Tight
The 35 cm skillet with handles probably won't fit; with a 25-30 cm one, fewer layers or two batches.
Medium
46-51 cm · Classic, Large
Fits
The 35 cm skillet fits over the deflector with all six servings.
Large
56-61 cm · Big Joe, XL
Fits
Fits comfortably; probably two skillets fit for large groups.
What to serve with it
Sides
- Guacamole with lime
- Elote-style grilled corn
- Wine
- Navarra rosé or Verdejo white from Rueda
- Beer
- Light lager with lime, or an IPA
- Alcohol-free
- Iced hibiscus water or limeade
Leftovers and storage
- In the fridge
- Best fresh. Leftovers: refrigerate within 2 h, airtight, without the pico de gallo; 2-3 days.
- Freezing
- They do not freeze well: the chips go soft and the cheese splits.
- Reheating
- Kamado or oven at 180 °C for 5-6 min in the pan, without the pico de gallo, until the cheese bubbles.
- Using them up
- Chilaquiles: simmer the chips briefly in tomato sauce and top with cheese.
Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. When in doubt, throw it out.
Leftover embers
You still have embers: what to do with the leftover heat
For 12 min at 185 °C in a classic kamado you load about 800 g of charcoal and burn 300 g: when you serve, about 520 g of live embers remain. Before you shut the vents, that is still enough for:
Without touching the vents
185 °Cdessert while you eat
1 h 50 minof embers
- Kamado-roasted figs with goat cheese and honey7 min · 200 °C
- Brioche Burger Buns on the Kamado18 min · 190 °C
- Kamado-Roasted Squash with Honey and Pimentón de la Vera45 min · 200 °C
No recipe needed
- Yesterday's bread with oil and garlic, on the grate (10 min)
- Corn cobs in their husks (30 min)
- Whole apples with a slit in the skin (45 min)
Closing the vents almost fully and waiting for it to drop
100-130 °Ca short smoke
3 h 25 minof embers
- Hot-Smoked Whole Mackerel on the Kamado45 min · 120 °C
No recipe needed
- Coarse salt on a tray, with a wood chunk: smoked salt for months (1-2 h)
- Almonds or walnuts on a rack (45 min)
- Whole heads of garlic, for spreading (1 h)
Opening the vents almost fully
210-270 °Cgrilled vegetables
45 minof embers
- Charcoal-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Panceta on the Kamado, Seared on Cast Iron25 min · 230 °C
- Grilled peaches with honey and vanilla ice cream on the kamado8 min · 210 °C
- Grilled provolone on the kamado with tomato, oregano and olive oil, in a cast-iron skillet12 min · 230 °C
No recipe needed
- Strips of courgette and aubergine, char-marked (5 min)
- Pita or naan from shop dough, on the grate (3 min each)
- Halved tomatoes, cut side down, for a sauce (10 min)
Before opening the lid, crack it open for a few seconds first; if you raise the heat, stir the ash so the coals can breathe. And if you are not going to use them: once the food is out, close the bottom and top vents. The charcoal that does not burn (about 520 g) can be used next time. Different size of kamado? Work out your load for 1 h of fire, lighting included.
Editor's tips
- Use thick, sturdy tortilla chips, not thin cheap-bag ones: they hold the weight of cheese and beans without crumbling under the smoke.
- Grate the cheese yourself from a block. Pre-grated cheese carries anti-caking agents that melt worse and leave a floury texture.
- One wood chunk is enough. Too much smoke turns the cheese bitter; here we want an aromatic background, not an intense multi-hour smoke.
Gear for this recipe
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Big Green Egg Large
The Big Green Egg Large is the reference format for this starter: its thick ceramic holds a steady indirect 180-190 °C with the lid down, exactly what the cheese needs to melt evenly without scorching. Its grate diameter comfortably takes a 30-35 cm cast-iron skillet for six, and the dome spreads the wrap-around heat that golds the top layer while a single wood chunk perfumes the chips.
€2,099
Smokey Olive Wood Olive Wood Chunks 1.5 kg
For this dish we want a gentle smoke, not an hours-long cure, and olive-wood chunks give exactly that aromatic, faintly sweet background that suits cheese and beans without turning bitter. A single chunk on clean coals is enough to perfume the chips over the 10-12 minute cook; olive is also a deeply Mediterranean wood, in keeping with the recipe's Spanish editorial character and far kinder than mesquite or hickory for a melted-cheese starter.
€18
Carboext 100% Holm Oak Lump Charcoal, 15 kg Sack
€38
Petromax FP35 Cast Iron Fire Skillet 35 cm with Handles
This 35 cm handled cast-iron skillet is the perfect vessel for loaded nachos: its mass stores heat and spreads cooking evenly, so the centre cheese never stays raw while the edges gold. The two handles let you lift it in and out of the kamado with gloves without disturbing the layers, and being table-ready it keeps the cheese molten and hot as the pan goes round six guests.
€70
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FAQ
What temperature for smoked nachos on a kamado?
Indirect, 180-190 °C with the deflector in place. At that heat the cheese melts evenly in 10-12 minutes without scorching the chip edges.
Which wood is best for smoking nachos?
Mild woods like olive or apple. They give an aromatic, sweet smoke that suits cheese and beans, without the bitterness mesquite or hickory would bring.
How do I keep nachos from going soggy?
Layer the cheese and beans in stages, not all on top, and add the pico de gallo and sour cream only at the end, off the heat. That keeps the base crisp.
Do I need a cast-iron pan or can I use something else?
Cast iron is ideal: it spreads the heat, takes the smoke and keeps the cheese molten at the table. A steel tray or a stone work too, but lose heat faster.
How many people do these nachos serve?
A 30-35 cm pan with these quantities serves six as a sharing starter. As a main, count on three or four people.
What do I do with the embers left after making Smoked Loaded Nachos on the Kamado?
After 12 min at 185 °C in a classic kamado about 520 g of live embers remain: 1 h 50 min more at 185 °C without touching the vents, 3 h 25 min at 100-130 °C closing the vents or 45 min at 210-270 °C opening the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.
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- Recommended kamado
Big Green Egg Large
The Big Green Egg Large is the reference format for this starter: its thick ceramic holds a steady indirect 180-190 °C with the lid down, exactly what the cheese needs to melt evenly without scorching. Its grate diameter comfortably takes a 30-35 cm cast-iron skillet for six, and the dome spreads the wrap-around heat that golds the top layer while a single wood chunk perfumes the chips.
- Editorial guide
How to light a kamado: the step-by-step method
No petrol, no weird tablets and no 45-minute waits. The cone method, airflow control and the mistakes that prevent 80% of the frustration.
- Glossary term
Heat deflector
Ceramic plate placed between the coals and the grate to turn direct fire into indirect cooking.
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