Sweet Pork Barbacoa Yet Another Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes

CAFE RIO SWEET PORK

Steps:

• In a large, heavy duty Ziploc bag, combine the pork roast with one can of Coke and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Seal tightly and marinade in the refrigerator anywhere from 2 hours to overnight. (UPDATE: I usually skip this step and go straight to cooking the meat these days. It seems not to make a substantial difference and the recipe is easier without marinading, but the choice is up to you!)
• Once the pork roast has had a chance to marinate for at least 2 hours, transfer the pork, along with the marinade, to a crock pot. Add the water and sprinkle the salt, garlic powder, pepper and chili powder over the pork roast. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 hours on high (or 6 to 8 hours on low), until the pork is tender enough to be easily shredded with a fork.
• While the pork cooks, combine the remaining can of Coke and the remaining 3/4 cup of brown sugar in a blender, along with the can of diced green chilies and red enchilada sauce. Blend until smooth, then set aside.
• Remove the pork from the crock pot and discard the cooking liquid. Shred the pork, removing any fat, and return it to the crock pot, along with the enchilada sauce mixture. Cover and cook for 1 to 2 hours on low, then check seasoning to see if more salt is needed. Serve in salads, burritos or tacos!
• You can skip marinating ingredients and instead just combine the rub ingredients in a bowl. Cut the pork roast into large pieces and sprinkle with the spices, rubbing it all over the meat.
• Add the meat to the pressure cooker along with 1 can of the Coca-Cola (or Dr. Pepper) and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to seal. Select "pressure cook" and cook for 50 minutes at high pressure. When done, let the pressure cooker do a slow natural release for 45 minutes (do not touch the release valve). After 45 minutes, release any extra pressure and remove the meat. Discard all but about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Shred the meat, discarding any pieces of fat and return to the Instant Pot.
• In a blender, combine the remaining can of soda, red enchilada sauce, diced green chiles, and brown sugar. Blend until smooth, then pour over the shredded pork, tossing to coat. Set the Instant Pot to "saute" and cook for 15 minutes until heated all the way through.

SWEET PORK BARBACOA (YET ANOTHER CAFE RIO COPYCAT)

Steps:

• Spray crock pot with Pam and place pork roast inside. Mix remaining ingredients until sugar has dissolved. Pour over roast and cook on low until pork can be shredded with a fork (8-10 hours). The finished meat/liquid mixture can be frozen for later use.
• My favorite way to put this meal together is as follows: make a bed of delicious cilantro lime rice (#310516) on a plate. Top with a scoop of black beans and a scoop of sweet pork. Cover with romaine lettuce and drizzle with equal parts Ranch dressing and salsa verde on top.

SWEET PULLED PORK BARBACOA

Steps:

• Place pork shoulder fat-side-up in a slow cooker. Cover with soda, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Cover and cook on Low until pork is tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork, 8 to 10 hours.
• Remove any bones and solid hunks of fat from pork and discard. Shred with 2 forks; stir pork into its juices. Add brown sugar, green chiles, salsa verde, and habanero pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
• Cover and cook on Low until flavors are absorbed, about 1 hour.