Smothered Sweet Pork Burritos

I loved these Sweet Pork Burritos.  They were so good and flavorful.  The filling made twice more than I expected; I was able to make a whole pan of burritos and then an equal amount I froze individually for lunches to take to work.  Also, I was able to make the rice in my mini rice-cooker.  I loved this recipe, but my kids were weird and weren't too excited about them.  Their loss.  I'll still make these again because my husband I loved them so much.  You can make the filling ahead and keep it for a few days in the fridge.  You can also assemble the burritos ahead of time and bake when needed.

Smothered Sweet Pork Burritos
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
This made 16 burritos for me

2 1/2 pounds pork roast like pork shoulder or butt roast
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
2 (15-ounce each) cans green enchilada sauce (my cans were smaller, also, can sub canned/jarred green salsa)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Dash of hot sauce (optional)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
8 ounces Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (or a combination), grated
6-8 whole wheat or white flour tortillas, burrito-sized (I needed 16 for this amount of filling)

FOR CILANTRO LIME RICE:
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
juice and zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cumin

1.  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. (I made these before work one morning with no extra time to sear... and they were still so good.)

2.  Add the liquid smoke and 1/2 cup water. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours.

3.  While the pork is cooking, prepare the rice. (I used my small rice cooker- worked perfectly!  Just dump in all ingredients except cilantro-stir in the cilantro after rice is done cooking if you do this.)  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.

4.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred into bite-sized pieces (discarding the bone, if these is one, or any large pieces of fat). In a large bowl, toss the shredded pork with the brown sugar, 1/2 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.

5.  Stir in the beans, rice and cilantro to the pork mixture.

6.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the green sauce on the bottom.  Warm the tortillas lightly in a skillet or in the microwave. Scoop about 1/2 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).

7.  Place the burritos seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the burritos and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until heated through and the top is bubbly and slightly golden. Serve immediately.

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