Slow Cooker Café Rio Copycat Pulled Pork

I love going to Café Rio with my family. The food is tasty and the atmosphere is fun, and it’s definitely a restaurant that we visit regularly. Whenever I go, I always order their sweet pork Barbacoa burritos or enchiladas.

But eating out can get expensive, and I have a bit of a tight budget to follow.

So this week I’m sharing my Slow Cooker Café Rio Copycat Pulled Pork. Of course, it’s not a perfect match, but I did my best to match the spicy sweet flavors. I love pairing the pulled pork with a mountain of guacamole, rice, beans, and tomatoes. And when I make this tasty recipe at home, I can do it for a fraction of the price of takeout.

Slow Cooker Café Rio Copycat Pulled Pork is an energy saver in our house. Just dump the pork in the Crock-Pot* along with a few other ingredients and then let the cooker work its magic. No need to slave over the stove or overheat your house in the summer with a hot oven.

Better still, the recipe is flexible for younger family members. If your kids don’t like spicy, you can opt for milder green chilies and green enchilada sauce. If your spouse prefers hotter cuisine, you can choose a scorching hot red enchilada sauce.

Feel free to pair it with my favorite black beans and yellow rice if you want to add a bit more bulk without adding much to the total cost.

Slow Cooker Café Rio Copycat Pulled Pork

This sweet pulled pork recipe serves as an excellent base for burritos, quesadillas, and enchiladas. Just pop the pork in the slow cooker and you'll have a delicious meal in time for dinner.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 8 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 15 4-ounce servings

Calories 155 kcal

Ingredients

1360 Grams Boneless Pork (3 Lbs.)
340 Grams Coke (12-Ounce Can)
213 Grams Brown Sugar, Divided (1/4 Cup and 3/4 Cup)
283 Grams Enchilada Sauce (10-Ounce Can)
14 Grams Garlic, Minced (2 Cloves)
113 Grams Diced Green Chilies (4-Ounce Can)

Instructions

Marinade pork overnight (or at least 2 hours) in the can of coke combined with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar.
Pour pork and the marinade into the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.
Remove meat and shred. Discard the marinade.
Return pork to the slow cooker and add enchilada sauce, garlic, diced green chilies, and the rest of the brown sugar (3/4 cup).
Cook for another 30 to 60 minutes.
Serve on a burrito with black beans, pinto beans, cilantro lime rice, cheese, lettuce, Pico de gallo, guacamole, or all your favorite burrito fixings.

Notes

Feel free to adjust your level of spice to your preference. In my house, we prefer milder green enchilada sauce. If you want to take the spice up a notch or two, make sure to choose a hotter red enchilada sauce.

Keyword Slow Cooker Chicken, Slow Cooker Pork, Slow Cooker Sweet Pork, Sweet Pork

Did You Try It?

Just about every family I know has some variation of pulled pork, but this Slow Cooker Café Rio Copycat Pulled Pork is my personal favorite, and we tend to make it every month. If you have suggestions for improving my slow cooker sweet pork, feel free to leave them in the comments below. I love tweaking recipes until they’re absolutely perfect, and your feedback and help me do that.

If you tried my recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a star review so other people can enjoy my pulled pork, too.

*As an Amazon Associate, I do earn a small commission for qualified purchases. I am not paid for my opinions, however, so I only recommend products I use and enjoy.