Cafe Rio - Sweet Pork Salad

Not only did I forget to take a picture of the yummy spread of food we had on Sunday, but I then, forgot again to take a picture of it on Monday when I ate it for leftovers! I'm such a visual person, a recipe is just not the same without a picture. So, here we have left-overs on the next day, half-eaten salad! At least you get the full effect of the many layers!

Cafe Rio is a very popular fresh mex restaurant in Utah. People who move away from here, seem to really miss their Sweet Pork Salad. I would too. However, I'll never live away from here, I'm here Forever... But that's another story. So many people have tried to duplicate the recipes and I have tried quite a few of their duplicated recipes! These are the ones I like the best and have adjusted to my liking.

Slow Cooked Sweet Pork

3 1/2 - 4 lb Pork Roast

2 T. Brown Sugar

1 1/4 tsp. Red Cayenne Pepper

2 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Salt

1 can (or so) Coke (Dr Pepper can be used too. I like the coke better. oh, and NO DIET)

1 1/4 c. Chicken Broth

2 cloves Garlic, Minced

2 or 3 chopped Onions (I used 1 large onion this time)

1 c. Brown Sugar

The How To: The night before or early that morning, mix together brown sugar, cayenne, cumin, and salt. Rub on roast(s) and put in crock pot on LOW all night.

The next morning, add coke, broth, garlic, and onions. Keep on LOW until read to serve. About an hour before serving, shred roast and add 1 cup brown sugar. At this point I taste the meat and sauce to see if it has enough sweet/kick. I like it sweet, but it needs flavor too. I often sprinkle in some more cayenne pepper and/or garlic salt.

 Lime-Cilantro Rice

2 T. Oil

4 c. Long Grain Rice (w/ 6 cups water)

1 bunch Cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of 2 limes

2 tsp. crushed Garlic

Heat oil in a large pot or skillet. Add rice, cilantro, and garlic. Saute for a few mintues, stirring frequently so the rice doesn't burn. Add the water and lime juice and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer until all the water is gone and rice is soft, about 20 minutes. You can do this in a rice cooker also, I think it's a little slower though.

Creamy Tomatilla Salad Dressing

(this is a must with the salad!)

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk dressing mix

1 c. Buttermilk

1 c. Mayo (or sour crewam)

2-3 tomatillas (peel off outer leaf/shell)

1/2-3/4 bunch fresh Cilantro

1 tsp. crushed Garlic

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want it, I start with 1/2 tsp.)

juice from 1 lime

salt and pepper

Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend it up! Refrigerate.

To assemble the salads, I like to buy round tins (like they use at Cafe Rio), this is also easier for clean up! A major component of this meal is also the tortillas. My costco here sells uncooked tortillas. Flip em a few times in an UNGREASED pan and they are perfect and make this dish oh so much better! SO, start with a tortilla on the bottom, then add rice, meat, beans (I do black), and then shredded lettuce and toppings. This time around we had tomatos, avocados, cheese, salsa, etc. Then the dressing. TaDa!!! SO fresh and yummy!! You can of course do burritos or fajitas with this meat, it all tastes great!