Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork {Copycat}
Sweet, saucy pork that pulls apart with a fork has an easy appeal, especially when every shred catches a little of the chile sauce. It has the brown sugar sweetness of the Cafe Rio favorite, with a mild red enchilada sauce tying it together.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 200 min
- Total
- 220 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 9 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Pork
- Cuisine
- American · Mexican
- Cooking method
- Slow cooker
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: over 60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Allow for marinating
Chill the pork in its cola and brown sugar marinade for at least an hour or overnight before cooking.
2. Discard the marinade
Transfer the pork to the slow cooker and discard the marinade before adding the fresh cooking ingredients.
3. Shred before saucing
Drain the slow cooker and shred the cooked pork with two forks before pouring in the blended sauce.
Get to know the ingredients
Pork
Rib meat or loin is specified here; shred it after the initial slow cooking stage so it catches the sauce.
Cola
The cola is divided among the marinade, cooking liquid and final sauce, so keep those portions separate.
Enchilada sauce
Use mild red enchilada sauce in the final blended mixture with the green chiles and sweet ingredients.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for Cafe Rio Sweet Pork {Copycat}
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Finish in the sauce
Cook the shredded pork in the blended sauce for thirty more minutes, then serve with rice if you like.
A little more help as you go
Blend the final mixture
Blend the sauce ingredients together before adding them to the pork so the green chiles mix throughout.
Choose how to serve it
The saucy pork also works in tacos, enchiladas or a wrap, as suggested in the serving notes.
A few questions you might have
Can the pork marinate overnight?
Yes. Seal it in a bag with the cola and brown sugar, then chill for an hour or overnight.
Do I cook the pork in its marinade?
Discard the marinade and add fresh cola, water and seasonings to the slow cooker with the pork.
When do I shred the pork?
After three hours on high, drain the slow cooker and pull the pork apart using two forks.
When is the sauce added?
Blend the final sauce separately, pour it over the shredded pork and cook for another thirty minutes.
What can I serve the pork in?
Try it in enchiladas, tacos, sandwiches, wraps or salads, or serve it over rice.
Any more cooking tips?
Serving suggestions: over rice, in enchiladas, tacos, on a sandwich or in a wrap, in a salad, and anything else you can imagine!
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: lecremedelacrumb.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.