Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Copycat Recipe is the best — sweet shredded pork made in the slow cooker, inspired by the popular Cafe Rio restaurant!
Try this pork in a salad or taco topped with my Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing, in Sweet Pork Enchiladas or Sweet Pork Enchilada Stack recipe!
Why This Recipe Works
It’s a wringer for Cafe Rio — If you haven’t eaten at Cafe Rio, you haven’t lived. That is my honest opinion (and it’s also my personal opinion that Costa Vida is not a suitable substitute, even in a pinch). The creator of true sweet pork is Cafe Rio, the end. And this sweet pork recipe? It’s dead-on. That is why this delicious recipe works, right there friends!
So delicious — It’s sweet but not too sweet. Tender, meaty, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth…need I go on?
Easy — Simple ingredients are all that’s needed for this Cafe Rio copycat dish. Plus, the instructions are super easy too. Marinade, slow cook, shred, pour a sauce over, devour.
Coca-Cola — What? Coke? Are you serious? Yes! I am very serious. This sweet pork would not work, at all, without the addition of Coca-Cola in all steps! It’s the secret, the trick, the magic. Trust me.
Ingredients
- Pork — I use the rib meat or a pork loin for this copycat recipe. It’s easiest to fit in the slow cooker and also shreds well.
- Coke — Yep, Coca-Cola classic is the secret ingredient here. Not diet, not zero, not store brand. Trust me! You want the OG Coke for this recipe, accept no substitutions.
- Brown sugar — Adding a little more sweet, use the brown sugar. It also adds a bit of a glaze/crunch/caramelization to the outside pieces of the pork.
- Water — Add a quarter cup of water to the slow cooker to help keep the pork tender and moist.
- Garlic salt, onion salt, chili powder — These three spices work their magic to flavor the pork. Any brand you like will work well in this dish.
- Diced green chiles — Purchase diced green chilis in a can at the grocery store. Open and pour in. Easy-peasy.
- Mild red enchilada sauce — Again, I just use a can of enchilada sauce but you could also opt to make your own if you like!
Here’s How You Make It
This Cafe Rio sweet pork copycat recipe requires three steps. Each step creates a sauce (for the marinade, into the slow cooker, and to pour on at the end). Each step is important and necessary to make this sweet pork the best you’ve ever had.
Step 1
- First, place the pork loin in an airtight bag. Add the Coke and brown sugar and seal the bag, placing in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight if desired. (photo 1)
Step 2
- When you’re ready to cook, take the pork out and put it in the crock of your slow cooker. Throw out the remaining marinade. (photo 2)
- Add to the slow cooker more Coke, the water, and spices. (photo 3)
- Add the lid and cook on high for 3 hours. (photo 4)
- Drain the slow cooker of all juices and shred the pork with two forks.
Step 3
- In a blender, mix together more Coke, brown sugar, and chili powder, plus the green chilis and the enchilada sauce. (photos 5-6)
- Pour this sauce into the slow cooker on top of the shredded pork. (photo 7-8)
- Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
- You’re done! Serve over rice, noodles, veggies, or just eat by the forkfull!
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Serve this sweet pork recipe over rice or noodles, in enchiladas or tacos, on a sandwich or in a wrap, in a salad, or on top of anything else you can imagine!
- This Cafe Rio sweet pork will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze for up to 6 months.
- For a low-carb option, you can serve this copycat sweet pork recipe over zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.
- If the pork isn’t shredding easily, it may not be cooked enough. Add it back to the slow cooker with another ¼ cup of water and check again in 30 minute intervals to see if it’s ready to shred.
There are a few sweet pork recipes out there but I’ve found the best one to be this near-perfect imitation of Cafe Rio’s sweet pork. The key ingredients are (besides pork, of course) Coca-Cola, brown sugar, chilis, enchilada sauce, and spices. Accept no substitutions!
Okay so if you’re as old as me or older, you may remember the TV campaign that said pork should be considered “the other white meat.” However, according to scientists, nutritionists, and others in the know, this is false. To be considered a “red” meat, the meat must contain a certain amount of myoglobins in the muscle. Myoglobins make raw meat look red. While fish and chicken have much lower levels of myoglobins, pork and beef are high in them.
So, just because you cook pork and it turns white doesn’t make it a white meat. The more you know!
No blender at home to make the sauce in Step 3? You can also use an immersion tool. Just add all your ingredients to a taller bowl and blend with the stick blender.
You can also add all the ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously.
More Mexican Recipes You’ll Love
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Best Easy Enchilada Sauce
- Easy Taco Casserole
- Best Easy Guacamole Recipe
- Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas
- Best Easy Mexican Rice
More Copycat Recipes
- Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
- Olive Garden Stuffed Chicken Marsala
- Panera Bread Cheddar Broccoli Soup
- Portillos Chopped Salad
- Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Olive Garden Salad and Dressing
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo of your CDLC creation – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork {copycat}
Ingredients
Step 1
- 2 pounds pork - (rib meat or loin)
- ¾ cup coke
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Step 2
- 1 cup coke
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Step 3
- ¾ cup coke
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
- 10 ounces mild red enchilada sauce
Instructions
- Step 1: Place pork in a zip lock bag. Add coke and brown sugar and seal bag. Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Step 2: Add pork to slow cooker and discard marinade. Add coke, water, garlic salt, onion salt, and chili powder. Cover and cook on high 3 hours. Drain the slow cooker and shred pork with two forks.
- Step 3: Blend coke, brown sugar, chili powder, green chills, and enchilada sauce together in blender. Pour sauce into slow cooker. Cook 30 minutes longer. Serve with rice if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Favorite Family Recipes.
How much does the Copycat cafe rio pork barbacoa make – how many will it serve?
thanks!
It easily serves 4-6 people 🙂
We love this recipe. How would you adapt it to an instant pot?
I made this tonight and its pretty spot on tO Cafe Rio. My wife said its even better! I only maRinated it for two hours, given more time the Meat may have been a touch sweeter, it waS very Good! We used lime cilantro rice, BlacK beans, four cheese mexican bleNd and a table spoon of ENCHILADA sauce before rolling the up. Once we had all if them ready, topped with green ENCHILADA sauce and more cheese and under the broiler they went.
They had a nice light golden color and served them up with Pico and sour cream. Great recipe!
I was drooling reading your description!! So. Dang. Good. Glad to hear you and your wife enjoyed this recipe so much, Rick!
This recipe sounds great…. BUT… I do NOT touch Coca Cola, it has High Fructose Corn Syrup in it!!!! Is there a more NATURAL way to make this?
You can sub for rootbeer but you may not want to use that either lol if not, you can use apple cider vinegar plus apple juice. Use 1/2 C of vinegar per 1 C of apple juice.
We are rating taste here. Its 5 stars, would give 10 if possible.
Use Mexican Coke, it has cane sugar.
Could this be cooked on low for about 8hrs ? I cook meals on low while at work so when I get home it’s ready to eat. The recipe sounds amazing.
I would say it would be done in 7 hours not 8.
I made this yesterday. It was amazing! Lots of steps and time consuming, but totally worth it. Next time I’ll double the recipe & freeze some. Don’t forget the dressing, it was So good. We had the pork with white corn tortilla’s last night & homemade pinto beans and had leftover pork in a salad today. Both were amazing! I have a feeling we’ll be fighting over the rest of the leftovers!