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This Cafe Rio Sweet Pork recipe tastes JUST like the original. It has been a fan-favorite on our site since 2007. When you make it you will see why!
Featured With This Recipe
Fun Fact: The first Cafe Rio opened in St. George, Utah in 1997 and I was there the first week it opened. It was an INSTANT hit because of the delicious food and had lines out the door every day for years. The first day I went, remember asking them what the best thing on the menu was and they said “the sweet pork, by far”. So I got the sweet pork burrito with black beans and the green enchilada sauce (yes, I still remember my first order like it was yesterday) and I was hooked. I had never tasted anything like it in my life and I didn’t venture away from that exact order for at least 10 years. When I moved away from Utah and didn’t have a Cafe Rio nearby I knew I needed to create a copycat so I could survive. So I did.
I got the recipe by simply going to Cafe Rio and asking them what was in the sweet pork. The workers told me all the ingredients and I went home and figured out the amounts to get it just right. It didn’t take long before I had it down and shared it here on Favorite Family Recipes. I originally shared this recipe back in 2007, and it has been the most popular Cafe Rio copycat recipe on the internet since, and for good reason. It tastes just like the original! The pork is tender and juicy, with the perfect amount of sweetness. You are going to love it!
How to Make Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
- First, marinate the pork in a marinade made from Coke and brown sugar. It will need to marinate for at least 4 hours, but it’s best overnight.
- Next, drain off the marinade and add the put pork, some more Coke, water, and garlic salt in a slow cooker on high for about 3-4 hours or on low for 8 hours. The meat should shred easily but not be dry.
- Remove the pork and shred it using 2 forks. Discard the remaining liquids.
- In a food processor or blender, blend ½ a can of Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce, and 1 cup brown sugar. If the mixture looks too thick, add more Coke little by little. Taste the sauce to check the sweetness, adding more brown sugar if necessary. Put shredded pork and sauce in a slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours. If you are in a hurry you can put it all in a deep walled skillet and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens.
Slow Cooker Satisfaction
I love making meals in the crock pot and this is no exception. The pork slow cooks all day, and then at dinnertime, you have an amazing dish to serve to your family. It also makes the house smell SO good! I always make a ton of this sweet pork so I can use it in multiple recipes throughout the week, I also find myself snacking on it straight out of the fridge. It’s that good!
The slow cooker makes this recipe so easy to make. If you are short on time, you can skip the marinating step. The pork cooks for a long time in the slow cooker which makes the meat tender and easy to shred.
Try it In the Instant Pot
Short on time? Throw all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Natural release for 20 minutes. If using pork ribs or pork chops, the time can be reduced to 40 minutes. For larger pork roasts you may need to add more time. The pork should shred easily after cooking. If the pork is still tough, place back in the Instant Pot for another 10-20 minutes depending how much more time you think it needs. After shredding, put the Instant Pot on the “sauté” setting and cook until the sauce thickens to your preference.
What Kind of Pork Is Best?
For this sweet pork recipe, it’s best to use boneless pork ribs, pork shoulder, pork roast, or pork butt. These cuts are well-marbled and tender, which makes them perfect for slow cooking and achieving that deliciously tender and flavorful result.
Ways to Use Sweet Pork
Sweet pork is my favorite meat at Cafe Rio. I love it! When prepared correctly, it practically melts in your mouth. With this recipe, you can now have the amazing taste of Cafe Rio Pork at home – all you need is a few simple ingredients and a crock pot. Once it’s shredded and ready to go, use it as a topping or filling in any of the following ways:
- Sweet Pork Salad
- Burritos
- Enchiladas
- Tacos
- Tostadas
- Quesadillas
More Copycat Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipes
Use this cafe rio pork recipe to re-create any of these cravable Cafe Rio menu items:
Reader Reviews
We have received many rave reviews on this sweet pork recipe. This pork is the real deal! We are thrilled that so many of you have enjoyed this recipe as much as we have.
“So I moved to Texas a little over a year ago and to my despair there isn’t a Cafe Rio for 500 miles. I love the pork Barbacoa burrito and have not been able to recreate it or find some thing close to it here in Texas until this recipe thank you for posting this. Every time I eat it, it’s like a warm homey feeling comes over me.” – Kamie
“I had my doubts because the ingredients seem so random, but we love this recipe and have done it with and without marinade several times. A++ both ways.” – Jessica
“THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY SPOT. ON. tastes amazing leftover too!!!!!” – Jared
“We love, love, love this recipe! We have made it for several years now and it surely is a treat! I love your blog and haven’t ever been disappointed! I make LOTS when I make it and freeze it…tastes just as good when thawed! Also the dressings freeze well too! Thanks for your time and talent!”– Misti
Read More: 33+ Easy Dinner Ideas
More Cafe Rio Recipes
A few more Cafe Rio / Costa Vida Recipes
- Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo)
- Cafe Rio’s Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
- Homemade Flour Tortillas
- Homemade Tortilla Strips
- The BEST Guacamole EVER
- Our Version of Cafe Rio’s Cilantro-Lime Rice and Black Beans
- Cafe Rio’s Cilantro Ranch Dressing
How to Make Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Copycat Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork (boneless ribs or pork roast will work great)
- 3 (12-ounce) cans Coca-Cola (not diet)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- dash garlic salt
- ¼ cup water
- 1 can diced green chilies
- 1 (10-ounce) red enchilada sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Put the pork in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag to marinate. Add about a can and a half of Coke and ¼ cup of brown sugar. Marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Drain the marinade and put pork, ½ can of Coke, water, and garlic salt in a slow cooker on high for about 3-4 hours or on low for 8 hours. (You want the meat to shred easily, but not be too dry.)
- Remove pork from the slow cooker and discard any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.
- In a food processor or blender, blend ½ a can of Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce, and 1 cup brown sugar. If the mixture looks too thick, add more Coke little by little. Put shredded pork and sauce in a slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours.
Notes
- Instant Pot Instructions: Throw all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high for 60 minutes. Natural release for 20 minutes. If using pork ribs or pork chops, the time can be reduced to 40 minutes. For larger pork roasts you may need to add more time. The pork should shred easily after cooking. If the pork is still tough, place it back in the Instant Pot for another 10-20 minutes depending on how much more time you think it needs. After shredding, put the Instant Pot on the “sauté” setting and cook until the sauce thickens to your preference.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
- Leftovers can also be frozen in freezer Ziplock bags for up to 5 months.
would this recipe be good on slidder buns for a picnic?
This pork is more for Mexican dishes like burritos and tacos, but I would recommend our Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork (https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/instant-pot-pulled-pork/) or our Kalua Pulled Pork (https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/kalua-pork-pulled-pork-sandwiches/) for sliders! Hope this helps!
Thank you for these great recipes!
Are the diced green chili cans the 4oz cans or the 7oz cans?
Thanks!
4 ounce!
I love this recipe, and I need to make it a few days in advance. Do I cook it and shred it and put it in the fridge or do I add the other ingredients before I put it in the fridge?
I would add the other ingredients before putting it in the fridge. The flavors will soak into the meat.
Thinking of making this for a big crowd and I’m wondering if I use 6 lbs of pork instead of the 2 listed would I also need to triple the other ingredients as well? I feel silly even asking but it’s just that would be an awful lot of brown sugar so I want to be sure. Thanks in advance!
Yes, you would need to triple the other ingredients for there to be enough sauce for the meat. If you don’t, it will dry out.
My wife loves when I make it since we don’t live close to Cafe Rio.
Anytime we entertain, we make this! You can make a ton & everyone loves it. Our favorite is in salad!
I crave this pork all the time! We love Cafe Rio, but this recipe brings into our home, which is even better!
We make this sweet pork at least once a month if not more. It is a meal that my entire family enjoys. So much flavor and so tender! We put it on salad or make a burrito with it. SO GOOD!
Hi! So excited to try this!! I got a slow cooker but its 4 qt – is it still possible? do I need to adjust recipe? Thanks!
As long as the meat fits in the bowl comfortably, it should be fine!
Can this be made large scale in a roaster?
We haven’t tried it that way before, but my guess is that it would work! Let us know how it goes if you do try it!
Has anyone tried this with diet coke even though it says not to in the recipe. Looking to try it for a more diabetic version using diet coke +lakanto sugar
I use Stevia rootbeer or cola and it works just fine. I think the aspartame causes issues with this recipe. I also just use Lakanto, swerve, or Boca Sweet. Its amazing every time!
I use Coke Zero and Lakanto Brown Sugar replacement and it’s still yummy, my family still loves it.
So here’s my problem and frustration I looked at the total cook time that it suggests and it says 8 hours and 15 minutes total so I figured out when I needed to start it and I read further and found out that it’s actually 10 hours so now what because I am having five in about 8 hours from now.
You should be able to get it done! You can cook the pork on high for 3-4 hours and then cook for two additional hours on low after you shred it. Hope this helps!
This recipe is so good!!! Its so worth making!!
Thanks for the great recipe! Just FYI, old El Paso red sauce showed up on my GF app as containing traces of gluten. Hatch’s organic red enchilada sauce is labeled GF. Should be an easy swap. Maybe you’re been made aware, but since the recipe isn’t updated I thought I’d point it out
Hello! For the diced green chiles, I am wondering, do you drain them first or just add them with all the juices? Thank you!
Add the whole can to the blender and blend it with all the juices. Thanks for asking!
This sounds delicious! Can shredded chicken be substituted for pork? I’m thinking it would be but…
Yes I think that would work!
So I moved to Texas a little over a year ago and to my dispear ther isn’t a Cafe Rio for 500 miles. I love the pork Barbacoa burrito and have not been able to recreate it or find some thing close to it here in Texas until this recipe thank you for posting this. Everytime I eat it it’s like a warm homey feeling comes over me.
Why can I not use diet? It’s all I have :/ I hope I didn’t ruin it
I think the sweetener in diet sodas–usually aspartame–isn’t heat-stable, meaning if you cook with it, the sweetener breaks down and isn’t sweet anymore. There are some diet sodas that have stevia or sucralose that might be heat-stable, since you can cook with both of those sweeteners, as well as monkfruit, erythritol, and some others. I used 3/4 c. sucralose (such as Splenda) and 1/4 c. dark brown sugar and 2 cans of regular (not diet) left-over root beer today (I usually only have diet soda too.) We’ll see how it turns out.
How did it turn out with the Splenda? I’m making it this weekend and considering making one or two crockpots with the original recipe and one with less calories (Splenda + some brown sugar as you’ve noted with either Coke Zero or Dr. Pepper Zero).
I love it! I’ve made it twice now and it is so close to the Cafe Rio Sweet Pork. I put it in the crock pot about midnight, then shred it in the morning and let it cook in the sauce, then I don’t have to rush if we have company!
Do you cook the pork for 8 hours on low PLUS an EXTRA 2 hours for the sauce or do you put the sauce in at the 6 hour mark with 2 hours left to cook?
You cook the pork for 8 hours on low, and then an extra 2 hours with the sauce. So 10 hours total. It is a long time, but totally worth the wait! The pork comes out so so tender and the flavor is amazing!
I find 1 HUGE issue with this recipe, it’s so damn good you can’t stop eating it.
I made the ribs part in the instapot for 30 minutes on high pressure shredded it and then slow cooked for the 2 hours also in the instapot.
Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you actually understand
what you’re talking about! Bookmarked. Kindly also visit my website =).
We will have a hyperlink trade agreement between us
have you cooked the pork roast in an insta-pot?
We haven’t yet! If you try it, let us know how it is!
Can I make this entire recipe a week ahead of time and then just reheat it. Or should I just do the initial 8 hour cook and wait to finish the 2 hour (after shred cook ) until right before I serve it?
I think it’s best to make it all at once and then heat up the amount you need as you go throughout the week. It keeps very well in an airtight container in the fridge.
I have for one hour on the stew setting or med-high pressure. It turns out amazing! Perfect especially bc the pressure helps infuse the flavor if you didn’t marinade prior.
Great option for cafe rio at home!
I had my doubts because the ingredients seem so random, but we love this recipe and have done it with and without marinade several times. A++ both ways.
So glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to give us a rating!