This Cafe Rio Sweet Pork recipe is a better (and cheaper) homemade version of the restaurant classic! The slow-cooked pork is sweet with a hint of spice, perfect for tacos, burritos, or a big salad!
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe
If you’re from Utah (or have visited), you know the hype around Cafe Rio. It’s incredible, and my kids say it’s the best restaurant ever. So of course I had to recreate it!
Though Cafe Rio has never officially released its recipe, the ingredients have been shared enough over the years that I’ve nailed the proportions with lots of testing.
This version tastes just as good—and side by side, I’m confident you couldn’t tell the difference!
Ingredients In Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe
- Spices: With 7-9 lbs of pork, the spices are essential for depth and balance, preventing it from being overly sweet.
- Dr. Pepper®: After testing with various sodas, Dr. Pepper remains the top choice, Coke® second. Avoid diet.
- Light brown sugar: Add gradually to adjust sweetness to your taste.
- Enchilada sauce: The heat level varies by brand. I recommend Old El Paso® mild red and green enchilada sauce.
- Fire-roasted diced green chiles: These add great flavor without extra effort.
Let’s Chat Pork
I’ve tried various pork cuts and weights in the slow cooker, but for this recipe, I recommend a 7-9-pound bone-in pork shoulder or butt blade roast.
A few notes on the pork:
- Choose bone-in: The bone adds flavor and helps the meat pull apart easily, keeping it juicy.
- Fat cap: Leave the fat layer on top; it adds flavor and tenderness. Remove it after cooking.
- Cook on low: Slow cooking on low ensures the best texture.
- Shredding tips: Use two forks or your hands (once cooled) to shred.
- Fatty cut: Expect to remove a lot of fat while shredding, so allow enough time.
How To Serve Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
This recipe is delicious on its own but is perfect in meals like salads, burritos, tacos, tostadas, nachos, enchiladas, or quesadillas.
- Salad: In true Cafe Rio fashion layer tortilla with lettuce, black or pinto beans, cilantro-lime rice, pork, and toppings of your choice with Cafe Rio dressing.
- Burrito: Layer the sweet pork into a tortilla with rice and beans.
- Tacos: Layer flour or corn tortillas with some lettuce, rice, beans, and sweet pork.
- Nachos: Layer the meat on top of this nachos recipe.
Variations
How To Make A Smaller Batch
To make a smaller batch of Cafe Rio Sweet Pork that feeds about 6-8 people, use a 3-4 lbs pork shoulder picnic roast instead (bone-in if you can find one).
Halve all the other ingredients and follow the recipe as directed, using halved quantities.
Cook time will be about 1 to 1-1/2 hours shorter (on low).
Storage
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Leftovers
- Make ahead: Shred pork, discard fat, and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Blend sauce, then warm it in a slow cooker. Add pork, stir, and heat on low.
- Leftovers: Microwave individual portions or heat in a slow cooker on low for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
- Freezing: Cool the pork, transfer to airtight bags or containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and warm in the slow cooker.
More Crockpot Recipes:
- Spaghetti Bolognese with loads of hidden veggies
- Meatball Sliders with ultra-tender meatballs
- Crockpot Roast with potatoes and carrots
- Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork with the best homemade BBQ sauce
- Chicken Corn Chowder with black beans and Mexican-inspired spices
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe
This Cafe Rio Sweet Pork copycat Crock-Pot recipe is sweet, spicy, and totally delicious.
Equipment
- Crock-Pot 6-quart
Ingredients
Pork Rub
- 7–8.5 pounds pork shoulder butt roast bone-in, see note 2
- 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons ground chili powder
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 3 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoon pepper
Crock-Pot
- 2-1/2 cups Dr. Pepper not diet, divided, see note 3
- 2 cups light brown sugar lightly packed, divided, see note 4
- 2 (10-ounce) cans mild red enchilada sauce see note 5
- 2 (10-ounce) cans green enchilada sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 (4-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced green chiles
Instructions
- Mix all the spices together in a small bowl. Remove 1/4 cup of the spices and set aside.
- Remove pork from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Place pork on a large plate or platter and rub the remainder of the spices evenly over the meat.
- In a 6-quart Crock-Pot, add 1-1/2 cups Dr. Pepper, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup red enchilada sauce, and 2 cups green enchilada sauce. Stir. Layer sliced onions along the bottom and sides of the Crock-Pot. Place spice-rubbed pork in the center with the fat cap up.
- Cover Crock-Pot and cook on low for 7.5–9 hours, or high for 6–7 hours, until pork is tender and shreds easily. Low setting is recommended for best results; avoid overcooking to prevent dryness.
- Add the remaining 1/4 cup spice mix, 1 cup Dr. Pepper, 1 cup brown sugar, all remaining enchilada sauce, both cans of diced chiles, undrained, and 2 tablespoons minced garlic to a blender. Blend thoroughly and refrigerate.
- Once the pork is tender, use tongs to transfer it to a large platter. Discard the bone and shred the meat, removing any fat. Optionally, use a slotted spoon to save the onions in a separate bowl. Remove 1 cup of liquid from the slow cooker and add it to a blender. Discard the remaining contents of the crockpot. Pour the blended mixture back into the crockpot, add the shredded meat and onions if desired, and stir gently.
- Cover and cook on low until warmed through, about 20–30 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: To make a smaller batch that feeds about 7 people, use a 3–4-pound pork shoulder picnic roast instead, bone-in if you can find one. Halve all the other ingredients. Cook time will be about 1-1/2 hours shorter.
Note 2: Use bone-in, if possible, as it adds great flavor and pulls out easily after cooking. Keep the fat cap—the white layer on top—facing up in the slow cooker. This way, as the pork cooks, the fat will render and enhance the flavor and tenderness. Once cooked, it can be easily discarded.
Note 3: I’ve tested this recipe with Coke and Root Beer, but Dr. Pepper is the favorite. Be sure to use regular Dr. Pepper, not diet, as the sweetener in diet soda isn’t heat-stable and won’t sweeten the pork properly while cooking.
Note 4: Add sugar gradually to suit your taste. You can always add more if needed!
Note 5: Enchilada sauce can vary significantly from brand to brand. I personally love and recommend Old El Paso® mild red and green enchilada sauce. If you can’t find this brand, be sure to taste the sauce first to ensure it’s not too spicy and that you enjoy the flavor, as it plays a big role in this recipe.
Note 6: You might be surprised by the amount of fat you’ll need to remove while shredding the pork—there’s quite a bit. Set aside ample time for this. I like to tear the pork into large pieces, let it cool slightly, and then shred it into smaller pieces by hand, discarding the fat as I go. Avoid overworking the pork when shredding. Using a food processor or stand mixer will leave you with mushy and fatty meat.
Storage: For leftovers, microwave individual portions of pork or warm all the leftover pork and sauce in a Crock-Pot on low for 1 hour. To freeze, fully cool the pork, then transfer it to airtight bags or containers, label them, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the slow cooker until warmed through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 35.6g | Protein: 51.4g | Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 151.7mg | Sodium: 503.9mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 32.8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve been using a “cafe rio copycat” recipe for years that really isn’t that amazing and I’m SO ready for something different! I’m going to try yours this week, knowing you it will be just perfect!
You are so sweet! I seriously hope you love this 🙂
My husband LOVES pulled pork!!
We loveeeee tacos with pulled pork at our house! These look fantastic!