Cafe Rio’s Sweet Barbacoa Pork

prep time:

10 MINS

cook time:

6 HRS

total time:

6 HRS 10 MINS

INGREDIENTS

•  7-8 lbs. boneless pork butt or shoulder make a 3-4 lb pork roast if you are just doing your family
•  4 cups root beer
•  5 8oz cans tomato sauce
•  4 Tablespoons molasses or honey
•  3 teaspoons minced garlic
•  ½ teaspoon salt
•  2 - 3 cups brown sugar
•  pepper to taste
•  4 teaspoons cumin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Salt and pepper the pork and cook in crock pot 8 hours or overnight on low in a little water or 2 1/2 hours in Instant Pot. In the morning remove the roast from the crockpot and pull apart with fork, removing fat. Drain all the water in the crockpot. Don't overshred the pork or it will turn mushy. This part can be done well in advance.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot and add the shredded pork. Stir to combine. Cook another 3-4 hours in crockpot on low. Serve with a slotted spoon. Instant Pot - put in rest of ingredients and cook for 45 minutes.
3. Traditionally this meat is served over a salad or in a burrito.
4. To make a Cafe Rio salad layer: tortilla (I warm mine in aluminum pans like cafe rio in the oven with cheese), cheese, Cilantro Lime Rice , Black or Pinto Beans, Pork, chopped Romaine or green leaf lettuce, sprinkle tortilla strips on top, and grated Parmesan cheese
5. Serve with sides of: Pico de Gallo , Guacamole , fresh cilantro, fresh lime slices, drizzle with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing .

RECIPE NOTES

Recipe Note: The above sauce makes enough sauce for up to a 10 lb roast! So if you have a 3-4 lb pork roast, half the sauce.

This freezes well!

Source: a mix between Martha McMullin's and Sheri Denney's recipes.

Crepes

Ingredients:

2 C whole milk

3 eggs

5 Tbsp butter (melted)

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 C flour

For Dessert Crepes add:

2 Tbsp sugar

1. Put all ingredients in vitamix on medium speed, blend a couple of minutes until all smooth and no flour lumps.

2. Pour enough for 1/2 size of crepe you want onto hot buttered griddle. 

3. Immediately start spreading out the batter flatter and wider on griddle surface as wide and flat as you can go without ripping the cooking batter.

4. When edges of crepe start to dry out and batter has turned a darker color, slide thin spatula tip around edges loosening crepe from cooking surface and when loosened quickly slide the spatula all the way under the crepe and turn.

 Brown Sugar Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Melt Together in small bowl

1/4 cup sugar or brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for buttering pan

24 Frozen Rhodes rolls or comparable amount of your favorite bread/roll recipe

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heavily butter a bundt pan.  Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly around the bottom of the pan (optional).

Combine the cinnamon/sugar/butter mix in a small bowl and set aside.  Cut dough into 1" chunks.  Dredge both sides in cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Continue until all biscuits are coated.   Drop coated dough into the pan, trying to keep the layers even all the way around.  Don't worry about packing them in too tightly, they'll fill in the gaps as it bakes. Drizzle remaining cinnamon butter over dough. 

In a small saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium high heat.  Heat just until the edges of the sauce start to rapidly bubble and boil.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pour 1/2 of the mixture over the  the rolls as you are layering them. 

Bake about 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown.  Cool about five minutes in the pan, cover with a large plate and invert. Heat remaining sugar sauce and pour over cooked rolls.   Serve warm.

Ham Egg and Cheese Pull Apart Rolls

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

• 9 Frozen Rhodes Rolls or your favorite roll recipe 
• 4large eggs
• 3 T half and half
• 1/4 cup diced ham
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• chopped parsley or green onion optional

Instructions

Assembling Pull Aparts

1. Grease muffin tin with nonstick baking spray. 
2. If using Rhodes Frozen Rolls use this step I not skip to step 3. Set 9 balls of  roll dough on the muffin tin. Some muffin cups will have 2 rolls and some will have 1 roll. We're going to work that out in a minute. Let rolls sit in muffin tins for about 20 minutes, or until they are thawed enough to cut with scissors.
3. Cut rolls in quarters, placing 6 qaurters in each muffin cup.
4. Evenly divide diced ham and cheese and sprinkle over rolls in the muffin cups. Use your fingers to toss the rolls, ham, and cheese together a little bit. 
5. Whisk eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper in a large measuring cup. Pour egg mixture evenly in muffin cups. Be sure to not fill them over 3/4 full. You might have more egg mixture than will fit. If so, disgard extra egg mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and onion if desired.
6. Cover muffin tin with greased plastic wrap, set on a rimmed baking sheet just incase it overflows during the night. Refrigerate overnight if using frozen dough balls  or until rolls have doubled. With fresh dough can bake after filling muffin tins.

Baking Pull Aparts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set muffin tins on a baking sheet just in case they overflow. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.