Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe

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This Cafe Rio Sweet Pork recipe is a restaurant copycat that is even better homemade (not to mention cheaper). This succulent slow-cooked pork is perfectly sweet with a touch of spice and is delicious served in tacos, burritos, or a big salad!

This is one of my go-to meals when feeding a crowd or for busy weeks when I want lots of leftovers (that will definitely get eaten!). This meal is low stress since the pork can be made ahead of time and the sides/toppings for the pork can pretty much all be bought at the store!

See Note 1 for a smaller yield!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes

Servings -15 servings

Calories 474kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $20.83

Equipment

6 quart slow cooker (or larger if using a pork roast >9 pounds)

Ingredients

Pork Rub

7-8.5 pounds bone-in pork butt roast (pork shoulder butt blade roast) (Note 2)
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons ground chili powder
3 tablespoons each: paprika, cumin
1 tablespoon each: fine sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder
1-1/2 teaspoon pepper

Crockpot

2-1/2 cups Dr. Pepper, divided (do NOT use diet-- Note 3)
2 cups packed light brown sugar, separated (Note 4)
2 cans (10 oz. each) mild red enchilada sauce (Note 5)
2 cans (10 oz. each) green enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cans (4 oz. each) fire-roasted diced green chiles (Note 6)
Serving suggestions: Note 7

US - Metric

Instructions

SPICES: Mix all the spices together in a small bowl. Remove 1/4 cup of the spices and add to a large blender and set aside for now.
PREP PORK: Remove pork from the packaging and pat dry all over with paper towels. Place pork on a large plate or platter and take the remainder of the spices and rub evenly all over the meat.
CROCKPOT: To a 6-quart or larger crockpot add the following: 1-1/2 cups (350g) Dr. Pepper, 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar, 1 cup (240g) red enchilada sauce, and 2 cups (470g) green enchilada sauce. Stir together. Add 2 thinly sliced onions -- cover the bottom of the slow cooker with the onions and press them up around the sides of the crockpot. Add spice-rubbed pork to the center of the crockpot, making sure the fat cap is facing up.
COOK: Cover crockpot and cook on low for 7.5-9 hours or high for 6-7 hours or until pork shreds easily and is tender. I recommend using the low setting for the best results. (Fairly forgiving meat, but don't cook too long or it will taste dry.)
BLENDER SAUCE: Once the pork is in pan, finish the blender sauce: To the 1/4 cup seasonings, add 1 cup (230g) Dr. Pepper and 1 cup (200g) brown sugar. Add all the remaining enchilada sauce from the cans (a scant 1-1/2 cups red and scant 1/2 cup green). Add both cans of diced chiles (undrained) and 2 tbsp minced garlic. Blend and place in the fridge.
SHRED: Once pork is fork tender, remove with tongs to a large platter or bowl with sides. Pull out the bone and discard. Shred the meat, discarding all the fat as you shred (Note 8). If you'd like to save the onions, use a slotted spoon to pull them out and place in a separate bowl. (Otherwise, skip and discard onions).
Once the pan is empty of pork and onions, pull out 1 cup (140g) of the liquid left in the slow cooker and add to the blender with the other ingredients. Blend once more. Discard the rest of everything in the crockpot. Pour the contents of the blender into the crockpot. Return the shredded meat (and onions if using) and stir gently. Cover and cook on low until warmed through, about 20-30 minutes. Season to taste; I typically add another 1/2 up to 1 tsp salt. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Note 1: Smaller quantity of sweet pork: To make a smaller batch that feeds about 6-8 people, use a 3-4 pound pork shoulder picnic roast instead (bone-in if you can find one). Halve all the other ingredients exactly and follow the recipe using the halved quantities. Cook time will be about 1-1/2 hours shorter.

Note 2: Pork: Use bone-in if you can; the bone adds loads of flavor and once cooked, it pulls out easily. This type of pork has a fat cap, which is the white layer of fat on the top of the meat -- don't cut it off! Instead, put it facing upwards in the slow cooker. As the pork cooks, this fat will render and drip down making the pork more flavorful and tender. Also, once the pork is cooked, it pulls off easily and can be discarded.

Note 3: Dr. Pepper. We've tested this recipe with Coke, Root Beer, and Dr. Pepper and Dr. Pepper has remained the favorite. Make sure to use real Dr. Pepper--not diet! The sweetener in diet soda is not heat-stable so it will break down as it cooks and won't sweeten the pork as needed.

Note 4: Enchilada sauce: Enchilada sauce can vary greatly in heat from brand to brand. Personally, I love and recommend Old El Paso® mild red and green enchilada sauce. If you aren’t able to find this specific brand, I’d recommend tasting the enchilada sauce first and making sure it isn’t too spicy and that you enjoy the taste (it's a big part of the flavor in this recipe).

Note 5: Sugar: There is a wide range of how sweet (or not sweet) you may like your pork. Add slowly and to personal preference. You can always add more if desired!

Note 6: Fire-roasted diced green chiles: These chiles add layers of flavor without any additional work on your end! Pick mild for less heat, medium or hot for more heat!

Note 7: Serving suggestions: Be sure to check out the written blog post for our favorite way to use this meat. If nothing else, you've got to pair it with this Cafe Rio Dressing!

Note 8: This is a fatty cut of meat: You may be surprised just how much fat you'll need to pull off and discard as you shred the pork -- there is a lot. Allow ample time to shred the pork and pull off the fat; this is the most time-consuming aspect of the recipe. I like to pull apart the pork into large pieces, let it cool a bit, and then pull it apart/shred it into smaller pieces with my hands-- discarding all the fat as I shred.

Don't overwork the pork when shredding: There are few things worse than mushy meat after spending money and time on it! Don't use a food processor or stand mixers to shred the meat; that will disintegrate or make it mushy-- plus you'll be left with a lot of fat in the meat.

Nutrition