Smothered Sweet Pork Burritos
Author: Anna
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
For Burritos:
- 2½ pounds pork roast like pork shoulder or butt roast
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp. oil
- 1-2 tsp. liquid smoke
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 (15 oz. each) cans green enchilada sauce
- ½ tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- Dash of hot sauce (optional)
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 8 oz. Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (or a combination), grated
- 6-8 whole wheat or white flour tortillas, burrito-sized
For Cilantro Lime Rice:
- ½ Tbsp. butter
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ tsp. salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
- 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
- ¼ tsp. cumin
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat pockets from the pork roast (it's ok to leave a bit here and there just trim the large pieces off). Cut the pork into 2-3 large pieces. Season each piece on all sides with salt and pepper.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until rippling and hot. Add all the pieces of pork and brown on each side, 2-3 minutes total. Transfer the pork to the insert of a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
- Add the liquid smoke and ½ cup water. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours.
- While the pork is cooking, prepare the rice. In a skillet or medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the rice. Stir, letting the rice and butter cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (broth, salt, pepper, lime juice and zest, cilantro and cumin) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15-16 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. This can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to assemble the burritos.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred into bite-sized pieces (discarding the bone, if needed, or any large pieces of fat). In a large bowl, toss the shredded pork with the brown sugar, ½ cup of the green sauce, chili powder, salt, and pepper (add more salt and pepper to taste if needed). Add the hot sauce, if using.
- Stir in the beans, rice, and cilantro to the pork mixture.
- Lightly grease a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread about ½ - ¾ cup of the green sauce on the bottom.
- Warm the tortillas lightly in a skillet or in the microwave. Scoop about ½ cup of the meat mixture into each tortilla and sprinkle with a bit of cheese (you'll want to leave some cheese for the top of all the burritos before they bake). Roll up burrito style (folding the ends in and rolling).
- Place the burritos seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the burritos and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350⁰ for 15-20 minutes until heated through and the top is bubbly and slightly golden. Serve immediately.
Notes
Pork: You'll get more flavor if you use a pork roast that has a bone in. It can easily be removed once the pork is done cooking; however, this could also be made with boneless pork loin or a leaner cut of pork. Just keep in mind that it might not be quite as tender as a roast that has darker meat also.
Enchilada Sauce: Not all brands are created equal. I love the Herdez brand of green salsa or enchilada sauce (which I use interchangeably) so make sure you find a brand that tastes good (with a heat level you prefer).
Enchilada Sauce: Not all brands are created equal. I love the Herdez brand of green salsa or enchilada sauce (which I use interchangeably) so make sure you find a brand that tastes good (with a heat level you prefer).