Cafe Rio Shredded Sweet Pork

I got this recipe here from Favorite Family Recipes.  I have another Cafe Rio Sweet Pork recipe on the blog here.  The other recipe is super simple with only a few simple ingredients.  I wish I could tell you which I like better, but I really can't.  I think this recipe may be a little closer to the Cafe Rio original, but the other is SO simple and also SO delicious :) 

Whichever pork recipe you choose to try, you should definitely serve it with these black beans, and this dressing(we add the dressing, to a sweet pork salad or to a burrito...either way)....SO good!  I also have a recipe for rice that is like what they serve at Cafe Rio.  I thought I had posted it here already, but I guess not.  That will be coming soon:)

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Ingredients: 

2 pounds pork (I use pork tenderloin)

3 cans Coke (NOT diet)

1/4 c. brown sugar

dash garlic salt

1/4 c. water

1 can diced green chilies

3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce

1 c. brown sugar

Directions:   

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

NOTES:  

*I prefer to cook my pork on low until it shreds easily 6-8 hours.  Cooking the pork more slowly tends to work better for the tenderloin.  In the original recipe the blogger says that she uses boneless pork rib meat, I use the other because I can usually get it on sale for a good price.  If you use a tenderloin, it will become easy to shred, be patient.  I have tried to rush it before and it was tough to shred, still cooked through and yummy, but didn't look as good as when I wait for it to start falling apart:)

 **We don't really drink much soda at our house....so I just buy on 2-liter of coke and use that for the recipe...I think that is cheaper than buying individual cans of coke.  One can of coke is 12 ounces...so measure from your 2-liter accordingly.

Sweet Pork -- Cafe Rio Style

It has been SO long since I have posted. I ordered a new part for my oven and it is still NOT here!!

This will be a quick post!! I thought I'd mention for anyone that lives near or shops at Basha's grocery store, they have Pork Tenderloin on sale for $1.77 until Tuesday. My neighbor told me it was on sale, so I rushed over to get some to make Cafe Rio Sweet Pork.


My neighbor also gave me a new recipe for the Cafe Rio Tomatillo dressing! It is SO good. I will try to get a picture of that soon and post the recipe here today.

Shredded Pork Sandwiches

These were easy and yummy!! I was short on time and didn't get to make french bread, so I picked up a loaf between the two soccer practices. The pork was cooked in the crock pot and ready when we got home. Just had to throw it all together.

Shredded Pork Sandwiches

I'm not quite sure how to write this up. When I buy pork tenderloin, I usually cut it into 3 or 4 large pieces and then package them individually to freeze. I made this sandwich with one of those portions. My husband LOVES the hot cauliflower and the little hot yellow peppers that you buy in jars. I used some of the juice from the bottle to cook the pork in.

Directions: (sort of:)) Defrost pork. Salt and pepper pork and place in crock pot. Add juice from a jar of hot cauliflower or hot peppers. I add enough to come about 1/3 to 1/2 up the pork. Cook on low for 4-6 hours until the pork is cooked through. Shred pork in the crock pot. Slice a loaf of French bread in half(see pic above). I pull some of the bread out of the top and bottom of the bread to make room for the meat and toppings. My kids LOVE to snack on the yummy 'middle' bread while I finish the sandwiches. Butter both pieces of bread. Place them on a baking sheet in the oven under the broiler until they start to brown. Spread the pork on the bottom piece of the french bread, cover with shredded Monterrey jack cheese and place back under the broiler until the cheese melts. Add your favorite toppings and slice into individual servings. ENJOY!! --I hope this makes sense:)

Sweet Pork Quesadilla

What a great day!! ...until I got a huge rock chip in the windshield of the truck....oh well. My 2 month old slept for 9 1/2 hours last night, that's right 9 1/2 hours straight!! He slept from 8-5:30. Also...the other three boys slept all night without getting up to use the potty. I was afraid I would be washing the sheets of the 2 almost 3 year old this morning, but nope, no accidents:) I am a happy mommy today:)

Just thought I'd share another way that we like to use up our sweet pork, black beans and cilantro lime tomatillo ranch dressing! Basically the same ingredients as the salad, just a different look.

Sweet Pork Quesadilla

Directions: Place a burrito size flour tortilla on the griddle. Spread some cilantro lime tomatillo dressing on the tortilla, add sweet pork, black beans and cheese. Top with another tortilla cook for a couple of minutes on one side, flip and cook on the other side until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa and shredded lettuce.

My boys went fishing last night so it looks like we will be eating some delicious trout for dinner tonight!! Have a great day!

Sweet Pork Salad

Our family LOVES Cafe Rio or Costa Vida...whichever happens to be nearby. We always order the sweet pork burrito or salad. My mom sent me this recipe awhile ago and we think it is pretty close to Cafe Rio.


Sweet Pork Ingredients:

• Pork Loin
• 1 can El Pato Tomato Sauce(yellow can found in the Latino section)
• 4 cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups brown sugar

Directions: Cook pork loin in crock pot until it can be shredded. Drain all liquid out of crock pot. Put tomato sauce, pato sauce and brown sugar into crock pot. Add shredded pork. Heat and serve. I usually cut this recipe in half and it still makes a lot of pork...mmm...but it is SO good!!
To assemble the salad...I put a flour tortilla in a bowl, add lettuce, cilantro black beans, salsa, lime cilantro rice, pork, cheese, and cilantro lime tomatillo ranch dressing. I also added some crunchy tortilla strips. To make the tortilla strips I cut up some corn tortillas into strips, fry in a little canola oil, drain and then shake in a gallon size ziploc bag with garlic salt and cumin.
Tomorrow I will post the recipe for the Cafe Rio style black beans and my cilantro lime tomatillo ranch dressing.