Pork. As in slow-roasted, pulled pork. The deeply flavorful, slow-cooked, shredded pieces of heaven. Pulled pork is the carnivore’s version of candy. Smokey, savory, melt in your mouth texture that is so extremely versatile it is used in a wide variety of dishes. It should be no surprise that it has found a home on our menu.

In the United States, pulled pork is most commonly known for its southern variety. Shredded barbecued pork has become extremely popular all across the county. However, pulled pork has been used in Mexican cuisine for a long time. Carnitas, or “little meats,” actually originated in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Although the Mexican states of Jalisco, Queretaro, and Hildalgo will probably argue with you over that fact.

Typically served with cilantro, onion, cheese, lime, and pico de gallo, the carnitas meat has no specific recipe. However, one thing everyone agrees on is how good they are. But no one knows for certain how long they have been around, or who specifically invented it. No one minds though because they taste that good!

At Nacho Hippo, we use pulled pork in a few different dishes and maybe not what one would consider “traditional”, not that we have ever been accused of being traditional.

Believe it or not, we do have a traditional Carnitas dish on our menu. Crispy, slow-roasted pork, seasoned black beans, and yellow rice served with guacamole pico de gallo, cilantro, onion, pepper jack cheese, fresh lime, and your choice of either flour or corn tortillas. It is an extremely tasty plate that will leave you satisfied but always begging for more.

We made sure to include this delicious ingredient in more than just one dish though. For example, The Carolina Kid taco. We pile the shredded pork onto a griddled flour tortilla and then lawyer some slaw and sweet celery seed dressing. The combination gives your palate hints of smokey, savory, and sweet with some added crunch all wrapped in a smooth, yet sweet flour tortilla.

We also added it as an option for our Sloppy Burritos. Not too much different than our more traditional Carnitas, the Sloppy Burritos feature our slow-roasted pork with Monterey jack cheese, yellow rice, black beans, pico de gallo, and sour cream delivered to you already wrapped in a large burrito and covered in queso cheese. My mouth is watering just writing about it. You can also swap out the pork and Monterey jack for other items like chicken and Monterey jack, taco beef and cheddar, or seared veggies and queso fresco. You can even skip the burrito if you like.

You can also find pulled pork in our Chimi-Chimi-Bang-Bang. Essentially a deep-fried burrito, this chimichanga features our slow-roasted pork, blended cheeses, and salsa verde wrapped into a tortilla and then deep-fried until the outside gets just a little crispy. We add some shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream to the plate and then give you your choice of yellow rice or black beans. You could even switch it up and go with chicken, Monterey jack cheese, and our mango salsa, or choose beef, cheddar, and fire-roasted salsa. You will be happy regardless of how you choose to stuff it.

Don’t sleep on the Ring o’ Fire quesadilla. Slow roasted pork, pepper jack cheese, onions, peppers, and mango habanero sauce. You also always have the option to build your own nachos by adding our slow-roasted pork and any number of other items to a plate of fresh tortilla chips.

These menu items provide a variety of flavors all centered around one spectacular item. Slow-roasted pork will make you smile. These items will make you want to dance! We invite you to join us and try one of these items. We have two locations to serve you and we are always willing to pack it up for you to go. Check out www.nachohippo.com for our locations and contact information!