Copycat Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

Living in Utah we have a restaurant called Cafe Rio, and if you have never eaten there, you are missing out.  They are a fresh mexican restaurant that serves heavenly food.  This is the sweet pork recipe that I have found that is the closest to the real thing.  This recipe is heaven!! The meat freezes well, and thaws out tasting exactly the same, so don't be worried if you want to cook up a huge pork roast, but don't have an army to feed it to.  It easily can make more of less.  Try it... you won't be sorry you did.

Ingredients:

2 -3 pound pork roast
3 cans Dr. Pepper (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can diced green chilies
3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce (add spicy is you want a little kick to it)
1 c. brown sugar

• Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about 1 1/2 cans of Dr. Pepper and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.
• Drain marinade. Place pork, 1/2 can of Dr. Pepper, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours, or on low for 8 hours, or until the pork falls apart and shred easily. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any remaining liquid left in the crockpot. Shred the pork.
• In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Dr. Peppe, green chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Dr. pepper till it reaches the consistency of a runny enchilada sauce.  It will thin out a little when it cooks. 
• Place the shredded pork and the sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. 
• Serve either with a salad, or wrapped in a tortilla with our copy cat Cafe Rio black bean and cilantro lime rice, or make it into a quesadilla.  Yummy!!

Pork Carnitas/Chile Verde

We had a last minute dinner with friends a few months ago on a Sunday.  We were trying to decide what to eat with the ingredients we had on hand.  My friend Connie raved about her recipe for pork Carnitas, and so we tried them out.  I will never be satisfied with another recipe for carnitas.  This recipe has ruined me for good.  It's so simple, yet amazing!!  I have since made these multiple times and can truthfully say these are a favorite!  Hope you enjoy them!

2lbs boneless pork shoulder or sirloin roast
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Freshly grond pepper
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion chopped or 1 tsp. onion powder
4 cloves of fresh garlic minced, or 1 tsp. garlic powder
1 4oz can diced green chiles
1 diced jalapeno (Optional)
1 orange cut in half


In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and olive oil.  rub liberally into roast.  Place roast in slow cooker.  Top with onion and garlic.  Add can of green chiles and jalapeno to the top of the roast.  Squeeze oranges over top of roast, then add both halves of the orange to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Shred the roast*, then add meat back into sauce.  Remove orange halves and once again squeeze the juice from the orange.  Discard the orange halves.  Serve with tortillas, rice, beans and your favorite fixins. I recommend queso fresco, fresh salsa, cilantro and some fresh lime juice

*If you like your carnitas dry you can fry the meat in a frying pan with oil after it's cooked and shredded and discard the sauce.  However I would tell you that the sauce is what makes these so amazing and it would be a sin to discard it!

Herb Rubbed Pork Roast

So, my mother in law introduced me to this amazing recipe.  We have had it at her home several times and we've made it at our house many, many, many times.  The original recipe came from Mary over at BarefeetIntheKitchen.  She uses the rub on a pork sirloin tip roast, which is amazing!  I have round that it is also wonderful on chicken, steak, beef roasts, shrimp, potatoes, and pretty much anything you would grill, or cook in your oven.  It's definitely a keeper! Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Herb Rubbed Pork Roast

1.5 - 2 lb sirloin tip pork roast
1 1/4 tablespoons smoked paprika1/2  teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt  (Less if you want it less Salty)
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

I like to brown my roasts before applying the rub.  Heat a large skillet with a small amount of olive oil on high heat, when pan is hot add roast and rotate roast until you get a nice browned crust evenly over entire roast.  Then remove from pan and allow to rest/cool slightly. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Add the olive oil and whisk or stir well to combine. Allow this mixture to rest for 15 minutes. It will become a bit thicker and turn into a paste-like consistency. (you can also do a dry rub and without adding the oil)

Line a small baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack over it.  Rub the spice mixture all over the roast, completely covering all sides with spices.

Roast 1 - 1.5 hours in the preheated oven in a roasting pan, or a large baking pan covered with tin foil. Remove from the oven when the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Let the roast rest 15 minutes before slicing. 

Be careful not to overcook the meat as it will become dry and less juicy. 

Sweet and Sour Pork

This is another great recipie we did growing up on Chinese night.

1 lb pork cubes

A-

1 tsp Cornstarch

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

B-

1 large Green pepper diced
1 medium yellow onion diced

2 sliced Carrotts

1 clove garlic

2 Tb oil

1 C. Chicken Broth

1/2 C. Sugar

1/3 C. Red Wine Vinegar

2 tsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. chopped Ginger

1 can Pineapple Chunks

C-

1/4 C. Cold water

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

D-

2 Eggs -beaten

2 Tbsp Flour

4 Tbsp Cornstarch

Combine pork with ingredients in group A and let it sit for 30 minutes or more to marinade. Then bread meat using ingredients in group D, doing an egg dip and then into the flour and cornstarch. Fry meat in a deep fryer or in a small amount of oil in a frying pan, then drain meat after frying. Stir fry the carrots, garlic and ginger until carrots are starting to get soft, add the rest of the ingredients in group B except green peppers and pineapple. Once combined add group C to veggies and boil mixture until thick and bubbly. Add green peppers and meat till warm. Add Pineapple just before serving. Serve over rice.

Ham Hock and Beans

This is a recipie my mom made when I was growing up. My hubby's grandmother used to make them for him too. They're something we enjoy occasionally as the weather starts to cool off.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 medium smoked ham hocks, about 4 ounces each
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 pound dried navy white beans
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 cups water
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  

Directions

In a medium pot with a lid, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, sear the ham hocks in batches, until brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the ham hock and set aside. Add the onions. Season with pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the beans and bay leaves. Season with pepper. Saute for 1 minute. Add the reserved ham hocks and water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone and the beans are creamy. Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Baked Ham with Apricot Glaze

There's nothing like a good moist ham for Easter dinner. Here's a wonderful glaze that's super easy and very delicious.

1 (4-pound) precooked, sliced ham
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Place ham in a roasting pan. In a small sauce pan combine brown sugar, apricot jam and Worcestershire sauce. Heat till warm and sugar is dissolved. Spoon half the sauce over the ham. Reserve the remaining for individual servings. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, just until warmed through. Overcooking will dry out the ham. Makes 12 servings.

Pork Tenderloin (Cafe-Rio Style)

3 pound Pork tenderloin roast
16 oz Salsa
1 Can of Coke or Dr. Pepper
2 Cups Brown Sugar
Water

Place roast in crockpot and add enough water to fill the crockpot 1/2 way up. Cook on high for 5 hours. Then Pour the liquid out and discard it. Cut up the roast into 3-4 pieces and place it back in the crockpot. Puree the salsa in a blender or food processor and transfer to a bowl. Add the coke and brown sugar and mix until sugar is disolved. Pour ove the roast and cook on high in crock pot for 3 more hours. Then shred meat with a fork. Serve with the extra sauce in the serving bowl to keep the meat moist.