Steak and Blue Cheese Campfire Nachos

Taking gourmet camp cooking to a whole new level of deliciousness, these cast iron skillet nachos are loaded with steak, jalapeños, blue cheese, bacon, and a flavorful beer-cheese sauce.

Start with cooking some bacon in a cast iron skillet. Bacon is a great (and flavorful) way to grease the skillet. Once it’s nice a crispy, the bacon comes out, and cubed sirloin and sliced jalapeños go in. Knock that around with a bit of Cajun seasoning. Add in some shallots and garlic towards the end.

While that’s going you can add some cream cheese, shredded pepper jack, and shredded parmesan to a saucepan (bonus, if you happen to have it: add some cheddar in there as well!). Add a little bit of milk or half-and-half if you have it, and a splash of 10 Barrel Brewing’s Trail Beer. Simmer that all on low, stirring frequently until it’s a smooth sauce.

When the steak mixture is done, take it out of the skillet and place it into a bowl. Now is when you break out your nacho chips.

Create your chip base-layer in your skillet. Sprinkle the remaining pepper jack cheese over the chips, then layer on the steak mixture, then some blue cheese crumbles, and the chopped bacon. Drizzle your melted cheese sauce over everything and then cover with either a lid or aluminum foil. Heat everything on low until warmed through. When it’s ready, remove the lid and top with chopped green onions.

Ingredients

• 2 slices applewood bacon
• 3 oz sirloin steak, cubed
• 1 jalapeño, sliced
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 oz Nacho Chips
• Beer Cheese Sauce, recipe as follows
• ½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 green onions, sliced on the diagonal

Beer Cheese Sauce

• ½ cup pepper jack cheese, grated*
• ¼ cup cream cheese
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons half & half or milk
• 2 tablespoons Beer

Instructions

1. Place the bacon in a 10” skillet and cook over medium-low heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove, chop, and set aside.

2. Add the cubed sirloin, jalapeño slices, and cajun seasoning to the skillet. Sauté until sirloin begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes more. Place mix into a bowl and drain off any extra fat if needed.
3. In the meantime, add ½ cup pepper jack, cream cheese, parmesan, half & half, and the beer to a small pot and heat over medium low, stirring frequently, until a smooth sauce forms. Add additional half & half or beer if needed to thin.
4. Place the chips into the now-empty skillet. Top the chips with the steak & jalapeños, the pepper jack & blue cheeses, bacon, and the beer-cheese sauce. Cover with a lid or a sheet of foil, return the skillet to the stove over low heat until everything is heated through.
5. Garnish with the sliced green onions. Enjoy!