Cafe Rio Recipes

Several of you asked for the recipes I used to make Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa Salads. So here they are. Cafe Rio is one of my favorite restaurants in Utah. I take no credit for these recipes--I stole them directly from other people's blogs! Enjoy!

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

5-6 lb. pork roast (I used a smaller roast and cut the following ingredients in half)

21 oz. Dr. Pepper (or Coke, do NOT use diet soda)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
7 oz. can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce ( I omitted this—too spicy for my liking)
6-ish oz. red taco sauce (I used mild)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I used black pepper)

Place roast in crock-pot, cover half-way with water and cook on low for 12 hours. (I started my Pork Adventure at midnight and everything worked out perfectly for Sunday dinner at 5:00 pm.) After 12 hours, drain pork.

Mix remaining ingredients until sugar dissolves. (I didn’t use the chipotle chilies, but if you do use them here are the directions from the blog I got this recipe from: “ I didn’t keep the actual chilies, I dumped the can into a bowl and added enough Dr. Pepper to get all the sauce off of the chilies, then I tossed them. I also rinsed out the can with Dr. Pepper for more adobo goodness. My version had a fairly good kick to it, but if you LOVE hotness, then blend everything + 2 or 3 chilies in the blender. (Also, the adobo sauce tends to stain plastic, using a glass or metal mixing bowl will make your clean-up of adobo sauce considerably less frustrating).)

Add Dr. Pepper mixture to the roast and cook on low an additional 4 hours.

Take out roast and shred, add back into sauce and cook for 2 more hours. At this point the meat was so tender it practically shredded itself.

Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

1 packet hidden valley ranch buttermilk dressing
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. mayo or sour cream (I used sour cream—very delish)
2-3 tomatillas (peel off outer leaf/shell)
1 tsp. crushed garlic
¾ bunch fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lime (about 2 tsp.)
salt & pepper

Toss everything in a blender or food processor and you’re good to go!

Lime Cilantro Rice

2 Tbsp. oil
4 c. long grain rice (6 c. water)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp. crushed garlic

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add rice, cilantro, and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and lime juice and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (about 20 minutes). You can also use a rice cooker if you have one. (I cut this recipe in half—there are only 4 of us)

Easy Pico- de -Gallo

3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch of cilantro, minced
1/2 sweet onion, minced
1 section of green pepper, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
about 1/3-1/2 cup white vinegar (use your best judgment)
salt and pepper

Mix it up really well and refrigerate. I put my pico in a Tupperware and shook it up really well right before serving to re-mix.

I put the following ingredients out on the bar and let people choose between a salad and a burrito:

• Tortilla – you can make your own, mine came from a package.
• Cheese –you can melt cheese onto your tortilla like they do at Café Rio
• Beans – black or pinto (mine came straight out of the can, warmed in the microwave with a little garlic powder and green Tabasco sauce).
• Rice
• Pork
• Lettuce – Shredded Romaine, you want small enough pieces to get a little of everything on your fork
• Pico de Gallo
• Tortilla Strips – slice a corn tortilla into strips, brush with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake on a foil-covered sheet for 15-20 minutes at 350-ish.
• Creamy Tomatillo Dressing