A good rice bowl is hard to beat, and it's one of our favorite ways to stretch some meat. Make this copycat Cafe Rio sweet pork recipe for your next bowl or burrito. You can thank us later!
Ah, Cafe Rio. If you live in Utah, then you probably already know about this gem of a restaurant. While others are lucky enough to have it in their state as well, there are plenty who miss it on the daily. Why? Because their sweet pork is the bomb.com, that's why!
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Whether you've had it before or this is your first time to try it, you will not be sorry!! Make our favorite copycat Cafe Rio sweet pork recipe and watch the amazement on your family's faces while they gobble it up. It's great in a rice bowl, burrito, taco, salad, and even nachos.
The recipe makes enough so you can have it for a few meals during the week or freeze some for later. Regardless, your family will be singing your praises while they're eating it…and probably licking their plates clean!
ABOUT THE CAFE RIO SWEET PORK RECIPE
This recipe is pretty much the easiest one, ever! Grab your slow cooker, put a liner in it (the best way to make clean up easy), throw the ingredients in, and let your cooker do all the work. You really can't mess this up!
You can use whatever cut of pork you have, but the cheaper the meat, the better the carnitas it will make! We recommend a pork shoulder, butt, or roast. This copycat Cafe Rio sweet pork recipe freezes really well, so feel free to get a larger cut of meat and double or triple the recipe. As long as it fits in your slow cooker, you're good to go.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THE BEST PORK RICE BOWL
As we mentioned, you can easily add this delicious sweet pork to any Mexican-type dish. Our absolute favorite is a rice bowl since it helps stretch the meat a lot further. Try out some of these add-ins to go along with the best copycat Cafe Rio sweet pork recipe and see what your family likes best. Skip the store and use whatever you have in your kitchen. You really can't go wrong!
- Pork – As we said, you can really use any cut of pork. But the cheaper cuts with some fat on them make the most tender and juicy sweet pork that you could ask for.
- Rice – White or brown rice are obvious choices, as well as quinoa. If you really want it to taste like Cafe Rio, then whip up some cilantro lime rice. If you're completely out of rice or you have someone in your family who can't eat it, then turn it into a salad instead and put it over some lettuce!
- Veggies – Beans are always a good first choice! Black beans and pinto beans are our favorites to add to this yummy pork rice bowl. They'll help to give some added protein and stretch the meal further. You can also add in corn, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers.
- Additional Toppings – Here are a few other toppings that you can't go wrong with: cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa, avocado, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, lime, and jalapeños.
Starting to see just how easy this pork rice bowl is to put together? You won't be disappointed!
CAFE RIO SWEET PORK RECIPE
Alright, alright, enough talking already! Let's get to the world's best copycat pork. (Recipe adapted from Your Homebased Mom)
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe and Rice Bowl
Ingredients
FOR THE PORK
- 3 lbs boneless pork (shoulder, butt or roast)
- 12 oz Coke
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 10 oz enchilada sauce
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 4 oz diced green chilies
- ¾ cup brown sugar
RICE BOWL INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups white rice, cooked
- 1 can black beans, cooked and drained
- 1 can corn, cooked
- Diced tomatoes, to taste
- Shredded cheese, to taste
- Sliced avocado, to taste
- Cilantro, to taste
Instructions
FOR THE PORK
- Marinate pork for at least 2 hours (or preferably overnight for an even better flavor) in Coke and ¼ cup brown sugar.
- Put pork and marinade liquid into a lined slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Remove meat and shred. Discard the liquid from the slow cooker.
- Put meat back in the slow cooker and add enchilada sauce, garlic, green chilies, and ¾ cup brown sugar.
- Cook for 30-60 more minutes. Drain some excess liquid off before serving.
TO MAKE THE RICE BOWL
- Add rice, pork, beans, corn, tomatoes, cheese, avocado and cilantro to a bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
So. stinking. tasty. You won't be sorry that you tried this recipe out! When you do, let us know what your favorite way to eat it is – in a bowl, burrito, or some other creative way. Enjoy!
Let us know how much you love this copycat recipe in the comments!
Looking for more delicious shelf cooking recipes?
- Love this rice bowl idea? Try out our favorite fajita steak rice bowl!
- Want to try out a different way to eat your Cafe Rio sweet pork recipe? Try it out in a quesadilla like this one.
- Pasta!!! Pretty much everybody loves it, so start building your own using ingredients that you already have.
- Have some shredded chicken and sad veggies that you need to do something with? Make the world's best creamy chicken soup and be amazed.
Enjoy!
What could be substituted for the coke? Thanks!
I used root beer one time and it turned out great 😊
Awesome! Probably any dark soda would work here…thanks for letting us know!
SOOOOO yummy and easy to make! I had some random cans of Coke Zero, so I used that and it worked just fine. I paired it with the cilantro lime rice and it really tasted like I was at Cafe Rio. Highly recommend trying this recipe!
Yum, that sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed it.