One of the things I miss the most from the many years we lived in Utah for college and law school is all the yummy food! I’ve already posted about our favorite Chicken Tikka Masala from Bombay House in Provo, the awesome Roasted Red Pepper Sauce from the BYU institution of Brick Oven, the Sweet & Sticky Hot Dog Sauce from J Dawgs, which started just south of BYU campus, and my Copycat Waffle Love Liège Waffles. But the other place we often wish we could eat at when we aren’t in Utah is Cafe Rio! We definitely love our Mexican food around here! After you try our Cafe Rio Sweet Pork, be sure to try some of our other popular Mexican recipes like Carne Asada or Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef. Or try Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken if you don’t have pork on hand! I have to admit that I’m not a huge salad person. I feel like I leave that disclaimer every time I post about a salad on the blog, but it’s my way of explaining that if I’m going to share a salad recipe it has to be legitimately good. Like packed with plenty of flavors and textures. It definitely doesn’t hurt if there are plenty of protein and carbs like in this Cafe Rio pork salad that is loaded with cilantro lime rice, seasoned black beans, guac, pico de gallo, cilantro lime ranch dressing, crunchy tortilla strips, cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and of course, plenty of juicy, tender sweet pork barbacoa! Oh, there’s some fresh, crunchy romaine lettuce in there too. It is a salad after all. Paul always orders a grilled steak burrito, enchilada style, when we go to Cafe Rio. But this slow roasted, saucy and sweet shredded pork is my longtime favorite, hands down. I like it in salad form best, followed by tacos, then in burritos. It’s a bit of work to make all of the components yourself at home, but this meal is perfect for doubling up and sharing with another family or making for special events like parties, reunions, or Sunday dinners.
Is it necessary to marinade the pork first?
I have always marinated my pork roast the night before, but you can definitely skip that step if you just forgot or don’t feel like it. It’s such a large roast that typically the amount of penetration to the meat is probably minimal. But from everything I’ve read, it’s how Cafe Rio and Costa Vida and the like prepare their pork before roasting it, so I do the same. The other reason I think it’s okay to skip it is that the meat typically cooks for a long time in the marinade and it’s own juices, which gives it plenty of time to absorb flavors. But the coca-cola marinade is intended to help tenderize the meat before cooking it low and slow for hours and it certainly doesn’t hurt anything, so if you have the time and remember to do it, I recommend not skipping the marinade.
What You’ll Need
It’s pretty impressive how just a few pantry ingredients and a couple of cans of soda, green chiles, and enchilada sauce can make such delectable, juicy meat!
Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt: These two big pork roasts are well-marbled with fat and make for juicy, wonderful shredded sweet pork. Look for packaging labeled “pork butt”, “Boston butt”, or “pork shoulder”. Also, note whether your pork is bone-in or boneless. Either work, but you will need to cut the meat off the bone is using the instant pot approach, and you will need a heavier roast to account for the bone if you are buying bone-in. I have heard that boneless pork ribs will work, although I haven’t tried that cut yet with this recipe. I do not recommend using pork loin, which is just too lean and comes out flavorless and dry. Coca-Cola: There are some people that say Cafe Rio marinates their meat in Dr. Pepper rather than Coca-Cola. I personally don’t think it makes that much of a difference either way, although I always use Coca-Cola. I don’t recommend using the diet version of either though. Go with original Coke or Dr. Pepper, whichever you choose. Brown Sugar: I mean, it’s sweet pork after all, so using brown sugar should come as no surprise, right? You can use light or dark brown sugar. Salt & Pepper: These two are absolutely necessary because nobody likes bland meat! Plus, the salt balances out the sweetness of the brown sugar and soda in the sauce. Spices: The heavy hitters are chili powder and garlic powder, which add excellent flavor and depth. Diced Green Chiles: I always use the mild kind of diced green chiles since they add flavor without adding heat. Red Enchilada Sauce: You can just use a can of enchilada sauce or make your own from scratch. I have used the enchilada sauce from this recipe and it is fantastic for this sweet pork, but the canned version from the store will work just fine and it’s what I use if I happen to have it on hand.
How to Make Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa
The approach will vary slightly whether you choose to make your shredded pork in the slow cooker or the instant pot. That’s because the meat seems to release so much more liquid in the instant pot that the sauce gets diluted by the time you are ready to serve it, so I have found it best to make the sauce and add it after the meat is cooked in that case and instead just use a spice rub for cooking the pork in the instant pot.
In the Slow Cooker
This is the way I have traditionally made our Cafe Rio Sweet Pork for years. If you are doing it for a break event where you are feeding lots of people, it’s really easy to borrow slow cookers from friends to make a lot!
In the Instant Pot
It took me years to jump on the pressure cooker bandwagon. I still don’t love it for everything, but there are a few recipes where I think it excels, and large roasts are one of them. The recipe is almost the same, with a couple notable exceptions.
Tips & Tricks
Don’t skip the natural release or the meat will not be nearly as tender or shred as easily. Be sure to buy the right cut of meat. A large, marbled pork roast like pork shoulder or pork butt is what you are looking for. If you buy bone-in and are cooking your meat using the Instant Pot method, you can ask the butcher to cut the meat off the bone for you, or you can do it yourself at home. Be careful shredding the hot meat! It should fall right apart and shred easily with forks or tongs so you aren’t burning your fingers. If it is not falling apart tender, you should pressure cook it for another 15 minutes or let it continue to cook in the slow cooker for another 1-2 hours, then try again. I even had a reader comment that she skipped cooking the meat altogether and just bought precooked and shredded pork from Costco, made the sauce, and heated them up together!
More Mexican Recipes
Cafe Rio Black Beans & Cilantro Lime Rice Fresh, Authentic Pico De Gallo Baja Fish Tacos Recipe Shredded Beef Chimichangas
Recipe and method adapted from Fav Family Recipes and A Bountiful Kitchen.
Frijoles Charros (Charro Beans)
Horchata Mexican Drink Recipe
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see. This post was originally published in February, 2017. The photos and content were updated in March, 2021.
More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • New Jersey • New York • Oregon • Puerto Rico • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Utah • Wisconsin
