Caribbean Sweet Pork Salad

One word describes this recipe:  WOW!  The most flavorful, delicious spread you could put on lies within this recipe.  Besides being super tasty, and I MEAN TASTY, this recipe is economical and feeds a crowd for cheap!  Great to make when having family over, a party, a picnic, or festive occasion of your choice.  Another great thing about this recipe is its flexibility for your guests--aka., they can have it as a salad, a burrito, or a combo of both, or all items separately.  As a calorie conscious gal myself, I like the option of "building my own" whatever, be it a salad, etc.  This recipe allows the eaters to put on as much or little of each of the items, including dressing, as they like.  Note that the pork by itself serves 12, but the other ingredients only serve about 6, so adjust the different parts (the pico, beans, etc.) accordingly.  I got this recipe from a friend of mine, Christine Deaton.  Thanks Christine!!

Caribbean Sweet Pork Salad
(Print this Recipe)

Serves: 6
Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 30 minutes (excluding Sweet Pork)

Ingredients:

1 head of romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces.
1 can black beans
2-4 cups cooked white rice
Shredded Cheddar Cheese for topping
6 tortillas
3 cups of Sweet Pork (see recipe below)
Cilantro Ranch Dressing (see recipe below)
Pico de gallo for topping (see recipe below)

Place a warm tortilla in a bowl or on a plate. Place approximately 1/3 cup of warmed white rice, 1/3 cup of warmed sweet pork, and 1/3 cup of warmed beans on the tortilla. Place lettuce over the rice, meat, and beans. Sprinkle with pico de gallo over the salad as desired. Drizzle with cilantro ranch dressing and sprinkle cheese as desired. Serve and enjoy.

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 package of Hidden Valley ® buttermilk ranch dressing. (prepare according to directions- you’ll need 1 cup buttermilk and 1 cup mayo to complete this)
3 Tbsp of salsa verde (found near the traditional salsa at store)
¼ bunch of cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup lime juice
1/8 tsp Tabasco Sauce (if desired)

Clean and rinse cilantro and remove large stems. Pour prepared ranch dressing in a blender, and add cilantro leaves, salsa verde, garlic, lime juice and Tabasco (if desired). Blend until cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until dressing has thickened.

Pico de Gallo

1 cup diced tomatoes (remove seeds)
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 Jalapeno diced (at least a Tablespoon, but more if you prefer)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 limes juiced (about 1/3 Cup of lime juice)
1 Tbsp cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and stir well. Refrigerate to keep chill.


Caribbean Sweet Pork

Serves: 12
Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 6-8 hours

Ingredients:
4 lb pork shoulder roast
1 Cup of Pace Picante sauce
2 Cups brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Remove pork roast from packaging, and wash. (Avoid cutting the roast to expedite cooking time)
In a separate bowl, mix picante sauce and brown sugar and wisk until sugar is mostly dissolved.
In a crock pot or slow cooker, place the roast in the cooker and cover the roast with the mixture of picante sauce and brown sugar.

Place on medium heat, cover and simmer. Check it every hour or so to rotate roast in the juices. The roast will eventually produce enough juices to make the right consistency, so do not add water or remove liquid.
Once the roast is fully cooked (approx. after 8 hours), use a fork to separate the meat into smaller segments. Cover and continue to keep warm.

If it appears to be too juicy, turn slow cooker down to its lowest setting, remove the cover and let it reduce as needed.  Any remaining meat from the meal can be refrigerated, frozen, or canned for future use.
(Or cook at 320 degrees in the oven.)