This Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe, copycat recipe, is spicy and just the right amount of sweet. If you love Cafe Rio sweet pork, or Costa Vida Pork, you'll love this sweet pork recipe. It has all the flavors and sweetness you love and is perfect for burritos, tacos, or salads.
Jump to:
Sweet Pulled Pork Recipe Slow Cooker
This slow cooker recipe is one of the easiest. It's made in a crockpot/slow cooker and has simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. It has the sweetness you love without using soda as a base ingredient. You simply add the ingredients, blend it up, and the pork roast will do its thang!
What is the best pork roast for Sweet Pork?
When you're trying to decide what pork roast is going to be best for sweet pork, think lean. I like using a pork tenderloin roast when making sweet pork.
I can usually find it at Costco and it's a pretty inexpensive cut of meat. The tenderloin is perfect for slow roasting. It's lean but has a lot of flavors. The slow roasting process is perfect for pork tenderloin.
You can use a pork shoulder if you need to. Trim off any excess fat before cooking and be sure to cook it low and slow to get that perfectly shreddable sweet pork we all love. If your pork doesn't shred easily, cook it longer. This is particularly important with a pork shoulder roast.
What to Make with this Sweet Pork Recipe
- Burritos- On a large tortilla, add some cilantro-lime rice, black beans, cheese, and sweet pork. Roll it up and smoother with some salsa Verde and shredded cheese, pop it in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese and you've got a smothered burrito.
- Tacos- Toast up a couple of corn tortillas, add some sweet pork, lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, and salsa.
- Quesadilla- Spread a thin layer of sweet pork on a tortilla, add cheese and fold in half. In a saucepan, add a little butter and saute the quesadilla until it is golden on both sides. Dip in some sales ranch for a fun dip.
- Sweet Pork Salad- On a bed of romaine lettuce, add the sweet pork, shredded cheese, fresh salsa, tortilla chips, and salsa ranch. Easy dinner idea!
- Sweet Pork Nachos- On a bed of tortilla chips, add a thin layer of sweet pork and then shredded cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Drizzle with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
Tips for making Shredded Sweet Pork Recipe:
- I like to blend the salsa and spices so my kids don't see any "chunks"
- If you lift the lid during the last hour of cooking, the liquid inside evaporates a little and makes the flavoring a little stronger.
- I like to cook my pork on the deck outside so I don't have to smell it all day. Then my house only smells like cooked meat at dinnertime instead of all day.
- If there's too much liquid after you have shredded the pork, you can boil it in a saucepan and evaporate some of the liquid and then pour it back onto the pork.
- This shredded pork freezes great. It's one of my favorite freezer meals. An airtight covered container works great. Just add the shredded pork and a little of the liquid so the meat doesn't dry out.
Best Cafe Rio Sweet Pork {Copy Cat Recipes}
Lime Rice- a fun twist on a rice recipe. It's cooked in chicken stock and has a fresh lime flavor. (Especially perfect to serve with Costa Vida Sweet Pork Recipe)
Salsa Ranch Dressing- This is the perfect drizzle on top of salads, burritos, and a yummy dip for sweet pork quesadillas. It's a creamy ranch dressing that everyone loves!
Homemade Fresh Salsa- This easy homemade salsa recipe is restaurant quality. It is quick, easy, and delicious at any time of year.
Sweet Pork
Ingredients
- 4-6 pounds Pork Roast Pork tenderloin is best
- 1 Cup Salsa
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 4oz can Green Chillies
- 3 Tablespoons Garlic, Minced
- 1 Tablespoons Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
Instructions
- In a blender, add the salsa, brown sugar, green chilies, and spices. Blend until smooth.
- In a slow cooker, add the pork. Pour the salsa mixture onto the pork and set to high for 5 hours or low for 10 hours. You will know when the pork is done when it shreds easily with two forks. (Some slow cookers run really warm and some cooler, It's best to give yourself ample time to make sure the roast is cooked thoroughly. You can always keep it warm if needed)
- When the pork is done cooking, lift it out of the slow cooker with a couple of forks. Scrap off any large chunks of fat and discard. Shred the meat with the forks and add back into the slow cooker with all the juices. Let the shredded pork absorb all the juices. You can take some of the juice out if there is too much but you want a little standing juice to keep the meat moist.
- Use in taco bowls, tacos, burritoes, quesadillas, or enchaladas.
- You can also freeze this pork and use at a later date. It thaws well and tastes great when it's re-heated.
Nutrition
Looking for some other great slow cooker recipes?
- Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Roast
- Tortellini Pasta Bake
- Slow Cooker Ham and Cheese Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Mississippi Pot Roast- Slow Cooker
- Crockpot Ranch Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Roast
- Easy Mississippi Pork Roast
- Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs
- Kalua Pork
- More Slow Cooker Recipes
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!
This sweet pork recipe is spicy and just the right amount of sweet. If you love sweet pork, Cafe Rio, or Costa Vida Pork, you'll love this sweet pork recipe. It has all the flavors and sweetness you love without Dr. Pepper.
Leave a Reply