COPYCAT CAFE RIO SWEET PORK

It has been over 15 years now since our dad first made Cafe Rio pork for us. Having grown up overseas and outside of Utah, this was a specialty meal in our house. We couldn’t just drive over to the closest Cafe Rio; if we wanted it, we had to make it ourselves!

Two tips for the most authentic version of the recipe:

• Use Pepsi with real sugar and reduce it down to 2 cups
• Use rehydrated dried guajillo peppers instead of chili powder. You can find them in bags in the Mexican aisle of most grocery stores. To rehydrate them, simply add some warmed chicken broth and a pepper to your blender until it forms a paste.
• Taste your sauce and adjust as needed!
• Don’t let your pork get overcooked or dried out. Leaving it on the heat for too long in your sauce can cause it to dry out!

You can serve it as a salad on a bed of cilantro-lime rice, beans, and lettuce topped with fresh pico, guacamole, and homemade tomatillo ranch. It’s also delicious rolled up into a burrito with some melted cheese and your favorite enchilada sauce on top. Our family always ate them in warmed, buttered tortillas with a sprinkle of melted cheese and topped with homemade salsa, lettuce, and fresh guacamole.

Just choose your favorite style and run with it! No matter how you eat it, it’s going to taste incredible. Enough out of me! Let’s get to that recipe!

Ingredients

For the Pork:

• 4-5 lb Pork Rump Roast
• 1-2 quarts Chicken stock (enough to cover 3/4 of your pork)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled

For the Sauce:

• 2 liters Pepsi with real sugar, reduced down to 2 cups
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 2 T rehydrated dried guajillo peppers (blended with a little chicken stock) – can use regular chili powder instead, but it is most authentic with the guajillo peppers
• 1 T paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• salt, to taste
• 1-1.5 cups of chicken stock reserved from your pork

Directions:

1. Cook the pork in your mirepoix and chicken stock in your slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours, or until easily pierced with a fork.
2. Once cooked, shred your pork using two forks. Strain the liquid into a fat separator and throw out the solids, but save the broth.
3. In a large pot, combine your reduced Pepsi, garlic, sugars, spices, reserved chicken stock, and shredded pork. Let simmer for 1-2 hours, uncovered on low.
4. Taste your liquid and adjust sweetness. If it tastes too sweet, add more chicken stock and salt. If it needs to be sweeter, add more sugar.
5. Serve on warmed tortillas with fresh homemade pico, guacamole, some chopped lettuce, fresh lime, and homemade tomatillo ranch.

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