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Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe (Slow Cooker)

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8 hrs 10 mins
26 Comments
4.50 from 2 votes
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Enjoy a simple sweet pork sauce recipe when you make this amazing Cafe Rio sweet pork recipe. It is a super delicious pork salad to have this summer for a fresh and sweet lunch or dinner!
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe (Slow Cooker)

Cafe Rio has amazing recipes and this Cafe Rio sweet pork recipe is a perfect summer recipe. It is a nice change from your traditional salad recipe, and has the best flavor profiles. 

Close up of Cafe Rio Sweet Pork in a bowl

Cafe Rio sweet pork recipe from Six Sisters is a recipe that you will enjoy and make again and again. What I love about salads is that you can build them how you like them and leave out what you don’t.

But, I might be biased, but I love to make it into a salad. This Cafe Rio sweet pork salad to make at home is what makes it so good with all those cilantro, black bean, and salsa fixings. Even my kids and spouse love the taste, so that is saying something.

If you love this Cafe Rio recipe then you will want to try our copycat Cafe Rio steak marinade recipe, Cafe Rio steak salad recipe, and Cafe Rio slow cooker chicken and cilantro rice for more great copycat recipes to try.  

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork in a bowl surrounded by toppings

Ingredients You Need to For Our Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe:

  • Pork roast
  • Chunky salsa
  • Dr. Pepper soda
  • Brown sugar

How To Make Our Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe:

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork in a tortilla

When you are ready to prepare the sweet pork for this Cafe Rio copycat recipe, get out your slow cooker and fill it half of the way with water. 

Then place the pork in the slow cooker and turn it on high and let the meat cook for 4 hour. 

Now, mix together the chucky salsa, Dr. Pepper, and brown sugar unil it is well combined to prepare the sauce for the pork. 

When the pork is done cooking, drain the water from the slow cooker and cut the pork into thirds. 

Once you have the pork cut, pour the Dr. Pepper sauce over top of the pork and turn the slow cooker back on low and let it cook for 4 hours. 

When the pork is done cooking, drain the liquid form the slow cooker (be sure to save a little) and shred the pork using a fork or a hand mixer on low. 

Then add a little bit of the saved liquid back into the pork and mix it together to keep it really moist. 

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork topped with salad

Now serve it on tacos, burritos, or as a salad!

To Make Sweet Pork Recipe Costa Vida You Will Need:

  1. Slow cooker (THIS is a great one.)
  2. Knife
  3. Hand mixer
  4. Small bowl
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What Kind of Pork for Cafe Rio Sweet Pork?

The cut of meat is super important to a recipe. Some recipes you will want lean meat, others you will look for a more fatty piece of meat. 

Cafe Rio uses a bone-in pork shoulder/butt with nice fat marbling through-out. When you make this with a pork loin or roast, the cut of meat is too lean and won’t be as tender or moist when you shred it.

The Spruce Eats give you a complete guide to pork cuts! So if you want to learn even more about it for this recipe or future recipes, give it a look.

Plan for Your Favorite Toppings

Grab your favorite salad toppings to make a salad that fits your taste buds.

A few toppings we like to use are:

  • Pico de gallo
  • Guacamole
  • Cilantro
  • Lime/ lime juice
  • Black beans
  • Queso
  • Corn salsa
  • Chopped lettuce

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The Best Side to Serve with Cafe Rio Sweet Pork:

  1. Fully Loaded Guacamole Recipe
  2. Easy Guacamole Recipe
  3. Pineapple Mango Salsa Recipe
  4. Easy Mexican Salsa Rice (Quick Spanish Rice) Recipe
  5. Easy Blender Salsa Recipe
Serves: 6

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes
Enjoy a simple sweet pork sauce recipe when you make this amazing Cafe Rio sweet pork recipe.
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 8 hrs
Total Time 8 hrs 10 mins
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs pork roast
  • 16 ounces chunky salsa
  • 12 ounces Dr. Pepper soda pop
  • 1 cup brown sugar

Instructions

  • Put pork in crockpot and fill halfway with water. 
  • Cook 4 hours on high. 
  • Drain water, cut pork in thirds, mix together sauce and pour on top. 
  • Cook 4 more hours on low. 
  • Drain liquid and shred pork. 
  • Save a little liquid and mix it in with the pork so it is really moist. Serve over salads, in burritos, or tacos!

Notes

We love to make salads with this pork like the ones you can buy at Cafe Rio Sweet Pork.
To turn this into a Freezer Meal:
Add all ingredients to a gallon-sized freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal bag closed. Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last 60-90 days.
When ready to use, spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and dump ingredients from bag into slow cooker. Place the lid on top and cook for 8-10 hours on low heat (you can cook it for 5-6 hours on high heat, but it will not be as tender as cooking it low and slow).
Remove roast from slow cooker and shred roast using 2 forks. Follow the rest of the instructions as written.

Nutrition

Calories: 486 kcal · Carbohydrates: 48 g · Protein: 52 g · Fat: 9 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Cholesterol: 143 mg · Sodium: 665 mg · Potassium: 1112 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 45 g · Vitamin A: 363 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 64 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker
  • Knife
  • Hand mixer
  • small bowl

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork in a salad

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Published: June 22, 2022Updated: November 10, 2022

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Questions & Reviews

  1. esahm says:
    This recipe sounds really interesting! Thinking of giving it a try when my husband gets back from his business trip. I came to check out your site after you found mine through the blog hop. I love your concept! It really makes me want to make my sisters a part of my own blog. I'm now a GFC and Facebook follower.

    http://www.educationofastayathomemom.com
  2. Zitting Zoo says:
    does it have to be dr. pepper? or could i use diet coke?
  3. Camille says:
    @Zitting Zoo- I have tried this recipe with Coke (and it's still so good), but I have heard that Diet Coke doesn't taste as good . . . something about the "diet" ingredients not producing the same yummy flavor (I think that the sugar plays a big role in why this is so good!). But, you never know! If you try it, let us know!
  4. Julie says:
    This was a hit! Served it with lime-cilantro rice. Very yummy! Thank you for sharing
  5. fran heckert says:
    Hi Im wondering do I use a pork roast or tenderloin? Thanks
  6. Camille says:
    I prefer to use a pork roast. It seems to do better in this recipe!
  7. alexxkw says:
    Does the sauce include the salsa? Or does that go on the side...
  8. Camille says:
    It includes the salsa! You can put additional salsa on top or I like to use fresh pico de gallo or fresh tomatoes. :)
  9. Jacki says:
    Do you have a recipe for the Cafe Rio salad dressing? We moved from Utah to NC and miss Cafe Rio so much!
  10. Six Sisters says:
    We found a recipe on another blog for you -
    http://cookandcraftmecrazy.blogspot.com/2013/02/copy-cat-cafe-rio-salad-dressing.html
    We are big Cafe Rio lovers! Have a great day! -The Six Sisters
  11. Kari says:
    These are my absolute favorite thing to eat! Just curious, which brand of salsa do you use?
  12. Lenna says:
    Could you tell me approximately how many adults does this recipe serve?
  13. Cyd says:
    It really depends on how much meat they put on their tortilla or salad. It could easily feed 10 people. Possibly more.
  14. Yari says:
    Can you use non-spiraled ham that you make in the crockpot to make this?
  15. Cyd says:
    We use a pork roast for this recipe. I don't think it would taste very good with ham.
  16. Doris says:
    When I first made this recipe, it included the recipes for the pico de gallo, the cilanthro rice and the bean recipe. Are these recipes still available?
  17. Cyd says:
    This link includes all of those recipes. https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/cafe-rio-steak-salad/
  18. Kim says:
    Can you substitute pork for chicken? And if so, how long would you cook the chicken for?
  19. Cyd Adamson says:
    You can easily sub chicken for the pork. Chicken won't cook quite as long. I'm thinking maybe 4-6 hours total on low. Just be sure it's cooked all the way through. And you don't want it to be dry.
  20. Monika says:
    My daughter said this was the best dinner ever. Our whole family loved this, another great recipe from six sisters!
  21. Kaze bee says:
    Is there a specific salsa you like to use for this recipe?
  22. Momma Cyd says:
    We use all kinds of salsa, Herdez, Pace, or even store brands work great.
  23. Katharine says:
    So good! I bought dressing from Cafe Rio and made a cilantro lime rice recipe from Minute Rice (using Jasmine rice) to save me time. One of my kids made a burrito with it while the rest of us made salads. I will definitely be making this again!

    5 stars

  24. Momma Cyd says:
    So glad you liked it! It's one of our favorites!
  25. Sarah says:
    Excited to try this. When do you remove all the fat. membranes, and gross stuff. Now I am hoping Cafe Rio cleans the meat before serving. Thanks 6 Sisters - your recipes are always great.

    4 stars

  26. Momma Cyd says:
    You can remove any fat when you are shredding it after cooking time is done.
Momma Cyd
About The Author:

Momma Cyd

Cyd is the mom of the six sisters and joined the team early on to help out. She shares the best of the best recipes from her kitchen, as well as responds to all the questions and comments on every post.
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