{Copycat Recipe} Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa Salad

All over the Web these days you can find different recipes for Cafe Rio's Pork Barbacoa Salad. Today I've compiled my favorite recipes for each salad topper from this awesome dish. There really are a lot of good recipes out there for this salad so it was hard to narrow it down. Here are my faves!

Keep in mind you will want to use a slotted spoon for serving the beans and tongs for serving the pork. Both have a lot of liquid that they're stewing and getting all yummy in, but you won't want all that liquid on your salad.

Sweet Barbacoa Pork
Barbara Bakes: Adventures in the Kitchen

• 2 lb. boneless pork roast
• 1 can of Coke (make sure it's not diet)
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• dash of garlic powder
• 1/4 c. water

Directions

1. Mix together the coke, brown sugar, garlic powder, and water. Put the thawed roast in a ziploc bag and pour the prepared marinade over it. Put it in the fridge and allow it to marinate over night.
2. Pour the meat and marinade into a crockpot and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Then drain the liquid and shred the meat with two forks.
3. Put the pork back in the crockpot and pour the Barbacoa Enchilada Sauce over it. Cook on low for 2 hours to let those flavors get into the meat.

Barbacoa Enchilada Sauce
Barbara Bakes: Adventures in the Kitchen

• 1 c. Coke
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 c. red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 c. brown sugar

Blend everything together in a food processor or blender.


Cilantro Lime Rice
Favorite Family Recipes

• 1 c. uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1 tsp. butter or margarine
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice, plus 1 Tbsp.
  
• 1 can (15 oz.) chicken broth
• 1 c. water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

In a saucepan combine rice, butter or margarine, garlic, 1 tsp. lime juice, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine 1 Tbsp. lime juice, sugar, and cilantro. Pour over the hot rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.


Black Beans
Favorite Family Recipes

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 c. tomato juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.


Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing
Favorite Family Recipes

• 1 packet Traditional Hidden Valley Ranch Mix (NOT Buttermilk)
• 1 c. mayo
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 tomatillos, diced (remove the husk as well)
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 clove of garlic
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeno (or slices from a jar)

Mix all ingredients together in a blender.


Tortillas (ingredients for 20)
Spark Recipes

• 5 c. flour
• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 1/2-3/4 c. water

Combine all the dry ingredients then cut the shortening into that mixture. Add water and slowly mix until smooth. Roll into balls (about the size of Clementine oranges) and roll flat as thin as possible with a rolling pin. Put on a griddle set at 425 degrees. Each side only takes a few minutes to cook.

Other Ingredients for Your Salads (optional)

• grated Mexican blend cheese (or your favorite)
• tortilla chip strips (or crunched up regular tortilla chips)
• guacamole
• salsa
• sour cream