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Are you a Cafe Rio fan but don’t love the price it costs to eat out? Ditch the takeout line and make our Cafe Rio Sweet Pork recipe for a restaurant-worthy wholesome meal right in your kitchen!
What You’ll Love About This Cafe Rio Pulled Pork Recipe
- Customizable: Like the original, your salad provides a canvas for personal preferences. Your family can tailor their salad with options like black beans, cilantro lime rice, sour cream, tortilla strips, and their choice of dressing. The result is smiling faces and full bellies.
- Budget-Friendly: Make this meal at home for a fraction of what it costs to eat at Cafe Rio.
- Easy Recipe: With only thirty minutes of prep time, you’ll set the slow cooker and walk away. You will return to delicious sweet pork that is mouthwatering and a thoroughly satisfying home-cooked meal.
Every bite of this Cafe Rio pulled pork celebrates layers of flavor and textures, duplicating your love of Cafe Rio without leaving your house. Our copycat recipe is the real deal and will become one of your go-to meals!
After one bite, you will think you are eating takeout. Your family will love dinner when this pulled pork is on the menu.
Making it yourself lets you and your family pile on your favorite toppings and save some cash. So skip eating out and gather your ingredients – your taste buds (and wallet) will thank you!
Sweet Pork Ingredients:
Here’s everything you need to make this stellar Cafe Rio copycat recipe.
- Boneless pork shoulder or butt roast – We prefer boneless pork shoulder, but you and use a pork butt roast, too.
- Olive oil – You’ll need this to sear the pork. Vegetable oil is also an option.
- Seasonings – You will need salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and black pepper.
- Dr. Pepper – The soda adds sweetness to the sauce and helps tenderize the meat. You can use Coke or root beer instead of Dr. Pepper.
- Red enchilada sauce – To get the authentic flavor of the pulled pork, you need to use enchilada sauce (store-bought or homemade).
- Green chilies – This doesn’t add heat, but rather another layer of flavor.
- Brown sugar – The sweet pork gets its name from the signature sweet taste that brown sugar and Dr. Pepper give it.
How To Make Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe:
***This is just a teaser! To see the complete ingredient list and step-by-step instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Combine the spices for the rub.
- Rub the seasoned pork with spices.
- Sear for 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Place pork in the slow cooker.
- Pour one cup each of Dr. Pepper and red enchilada sauce over the pork and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours.
- Shred pork on a cutting board and return the shredded meat to the crock pot.
- Blend the remaining Dr. Pepper, enchilada sauce, chilies, and brown sugar.
- Pour and mix the sauce into the shredded pork.
- Slow cook for 1-2 more hours, and then serve.
Top Tips & Tricks:
- Browning matters: Sear the pork on all sides before braising. This adds depth of flavor and caramelization.
- Low and slow wins: For fall-apart tenderness, cook the pork on low heat in a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or oven.
- Shredding technique: Use forks or meat claws to shred the pork while it’s hot for a light and fluffy texture.
Make It A Meal
To make a delicious meal, prepare our other Cafe Rio recipes, including black beans, guacamole, and cilantro-lime dressing, as well as cilantro lime rice, to turn this sweet pork recipe into a copycat Cafe Rio Salad! You can also serve it with pico de gallo or homemade salsa. Doesn’t that look good?!
Cafe Rio Pulled Pork
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Crockpot
- Small mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
PORK ROAST:
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt roast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bottle, 16.9 oz Dr. Pepper divided
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce
SAUCE:
- Dr Pepper, remaining
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce
- 1 can, 4oz green chilies, drained
- ½ cup brown sugar
SERVING OPTIONS: (all optional)
- Tortillas
- Salad
- Rice
- Black Beans
- Dressing
- Pico de Gallo
- Guacamole
Instructions
MAKE THE PORK :
- Combine seasonings in a small bowl.
- Rub pork with seasonings.
- Sear the pork in a frying pan for 1-2 minutes on both sides over medium-high heat.
- Place seared pork in a slow cooker.
- Add 1 cup Dr. Pepper and 1 cup enchilada sauce.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 200-205 degrees F.
- Remove the pork from the shred and return it to the slow cooker.
MAKE THE SAUCE:
- In a food processor or blender, combine the remaining Dr. Pepper, 1 cup enchilada sauce, green chilies, and brown sugar until well combined.
- Mix the sauce into the shredded pork.
- Continue cooking for 1-2 hours in the slow cooker. OR add the pork with sauce to a large-rimmed baking pan and cook in the oven at 350 degrees F for 60-90 minutes. Cooking in the oven will reduce the sauce.
SERVE:
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQs:
Is pulled pork just shredded pork?
Yes, these are essentially the same thing. Pulled pork is shredded after being slow-cooked to a fork-tender texture.
How many calories are in Cafe Rio sweet pork?
This sweet pork recipe has 297 calories per serving. For the total nutritional value, please scroll to the end of the recipe card.
Does Cafe Rio pulled pork have coke in it?
The Cafe Rio pulled pork recipe includes soda to help tenderize the meat. In our Cafe Rio sweet pork version, we use Dr. Pepper because we love the sweet flavor it adds to the meat during the slow cooking process.
More From The Cozy Fork:
This recipe is better than good. It is a culinary delight!