This easy recipe is cooked right on the Traeger and uses a beef chuck roast seasoned with a spicy rub that gets smoked, braised, shredded, and then piled on top of a pile of chips with all the fixings for my Smoked Shredded Beef Nachos.

Smoked Shredded Beef Nachos Recipe

Nachos are one of the best bar foods around, especially when they do them “right” and make flat, layered nachos, instead of a giant tall heaping pile where the majority of the chips don’t even get a shred of cheese on them. Don’t do that.

I like to make them for dinner because it is really easy for each person to customize their own final product. We have a couple of kids who hate cilantro, some who wouldn’t dream of touching sour cream, some who want JUST meat and cheese, and so on. It can make dinner, complicated, to say the least.

Not with nachos! If you want to get really wild, you can even let them build their own.

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Smoked Beef Nachos shopping list

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Shredded Beef

beef chuck roast
Chipotle Garlic Rub*
beer
hatch chilies
El Pato Jalapeno salsa

Nacho goodness

tortilla chips
shredded cheese
black olives *optional
jalapenos *optional
sour cream
salsa
guacamole
cilantro

See our Leftover Roast Beef recipes here!

How to make epic shredded beef nachos

This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

Smoke it

3-4 hours in your smoker will do. I like to run it around 200° for this portion.

Time to braise

Beef roasts take a long time to get tender and shreddable, so you’re in for the long haul here. How long depends on your beef, the weather, if Mercury is in retrograde, and mostly how many times you open your grill.
You can do this in a Dutch oven on your grill or for a slightly less smokey, wood-fired flavor in the end result, in a slow cooker, Instant Pot, oven, or even on your stovetop, pot-roast style.

Shred

Once the roast hits 204-ish and is fork-tender and shreddable, break out your meat claws and get to pulling. Get rid of any fatty or unappetizing bits while you go.

Load up the nachos

Chips, cheese, meat, cheese, more chips, more cheese, more meat, more more cheese. You get the idea. Then pop it in the oven or back on the grill at 350° to get melty.

Garnish and serve

We like sour cream, salsa, and guacamole, but let people go nuts and break out the extras if that’s what they are into.

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What else should you serve with nachos?

These nachos are kind of a meal in and of themselves, but if you are wanting to put out a full spread we’ve got great options here for you!

Smoked Salsa Verde would be a good start. Pour some of this all over your nachos for a kick!

Blackstone Mexican-Style Corn (off the cob) is like Elote, casserole-style.

Smoked Shredded Beef Nachos FAQ

What’s the best way to store leftovers?

Only put together enough nachos that you can eat in one sitting. Nachos don’t really keep well in their final form. However, the shredded beef roast keeps great if you keep it separated.

How should you reheat leftovers?

In the oven is the best spot for this! Just top your nachos with the leftover beef, cover with cheese, and throw in the oven or the grill until the meat is hot and the cheese is melty.

Can you substitute another cut of beef?

Sure! Any beef roast that would shred well would work here. My favorite is definitely chuck, but you could also get away with putting some leftover chopped brisket or steak on this in a heartbeat.

More recipes using chuck roasts

Chuck roasts are probably my favorite cut of beef, if even just for the versatility. You can make SO many things! Below are just some of the shredded beef recipes on the site, but don’t stop there. Chuck roast is also wonderful for Traeger Pot Roast, Poor Man’s Burnt Ends, Chuck Roast Stroganoff, Beef Birria Tacos, Mississippi Pot Roast, Smoked and Pulled Barbecue Beef, and so much more.

Tequila Lime Smoked Shredded Beef Tacos — **Traeger Shredded Beef French Dip**

Yield: 12 servings

Smoked Shredded Beef Nachos

Name: Smoked Shredded Beef Nachos
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Traeger
Ingredients: 3 pounds beef chuck roast; 4 tablespoons Chipotle Garlic Rub*; 1 bottle beer; 16 ounces jarred hatch chilies; 1 - 7.75 ounce can El Pato Jalapeno salsa; 1 large bag tortilla chips (we like Juanitas); 6 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend, Colby Jack); 1 cup black olives; 2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced (optional); sour cream; salsa; guacamole; cilantro

Tender shredded smoked beef is heaped on top of tortilla chips and loaded with every topping you could possibly want. This all gets finished off in the pellet grill, for the best plate of nachos, maybe ever.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

Shredded Beef

3 pounds beef chuck roast
4 tablespoons Chipotle Garlic Rub*
1 bottle beer
16 ounces jarred hatch chilies
1 - 7.75 ounce can El Pato Jalapeno salsa

Nacho goodness

1 large bag tortilla chips (we like Juanitas)
6 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend, Colby Jack)
1 cup black olives
2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced (optional)
sour cream
salsa
guacamole
cilantro

Instructions

Cover the roast with the rub, and place on your pellet grill or smoker at 200°.
Smoke the roast for 3-4 hours.
Place the roast into a Dutch Oven and pour in the beer, chilies, and Jalapeno salsa. Braise for 3-4 hours, or until the roast is fork-tender and shreddable. You can do this on your grill, in your oven, or on the stovetop. If you have an Instant Pot, you could also utilize that as well. As long as the roast can braise for 3-4 hours, it doesn't particularly matter what the heat source is.
Shred your roast and discard any unappetizing bits.
Take a large sheet pan and line it with non-stick foil. Put a thin layer of chips down and top with a bunch of cheese. Follow with some shredded beef and any extras you want. Top with another layer or two of chips, copious amounts of cheese, and more smoked shredded beef.
Bake, uncovered, in a 350° pellet grill, smoker, or oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted, bubbly, and the whole thing is heated through.

Notes

* If you don't have Chipotle Garlic rub, order some, but if you want to make this now anyway you can sub in a mix of garlic powder, salt, chipotle powder, pepper, celery salt, and brown sugar. You can also use any other of your favorite Mexican-style rubs.

Smoked Shredded Beef Nachos