Cafe Rio Pork

(Here are 3 different recipes for "Cafe Rio Pork". Each is just a little different, but I put them together to make it easy to compare and adjust)


 from Tara F. (Roastmypig.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:

• 5-6 lb. Pork Roast (I've used 4 lbs too)
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 20 oz. bottle coke (I use caffeine free and we still like it)
• 12 oz. Red Taco Sauce

1. Place roast in crockpot and cover half way up with water. Cook roast in crockpot on low for 12 hours or overnight.
2. Drain liquid.
3. Add remaining ingredients to roast and cook for an additional 4 hours.
4. Take out roast and shred. Put back in sauce and cook for an additional 2 hours (Or until it tastes good!).

A few notes: Use a dark cut of pork, like a shoulder, butt, or picnic roast. Bone and skin are fine if you remove them after the first 12 hours in the crock pot - just note that there will be less meat in the total weight. These cuts of meat are typically cheaper than the white cuts (loin) as well. I've also substituted salsa for the taco sauce for a spicier version.


Cafe Rio Pork (#2)
from Ball family cookbook p. 209

Ingredients:
1 pork roast or pork loin
1 1/2 cans coca-cola classic
1 C sugar
1 (7oz) can Chipotle Chiles in Adobo sauce
1 tsp. dry ground mustard (heaping tsp)
1 tsp cumin (heaping tsp)
1 tsp garlic, minced

Remove the chiles from the can of adobo sauce. (If you leave some of in it it is much hotter). Add all ingredients except pork in a blender. Rinse can of adobo sauce with coca-cola to get all sauce out. Blend until well mixed.

Place pork in crock pot and pour sauce over it. If you use more pork, double the sauce recipe). Cook on low for 7-9 hours or until the pork pulls apart with a fork.


Cafe Rio Pork #3
from Favorite Family Recipes

Ingredients:
 2 pounds pork (we use boneless pork rib meat)
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 (I use Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness but any will work)
1 c. brown sugar

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 crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

Cafe Rio Pork #4
from Lizzy Writes 
Just made this one (2/2013) and enjoyed it. Think it is more like the original than with the salsa but both are good.  Looks pretty similiar to recipe from Ball cookbook. Definitely didn't put any chilies from the Adobo sauce in. Used caffeine free Coke instead of Dr. Pepper as couldn't find any caffeine free Dr. Pepper (does that exist?). I did cook it overnight in water the night before to make it super soft.

5 - 6 pounds pork tenderloin (or roast)
21 ounces Dr. Pepper (do NOT use diet or generic)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cloves garlic
1 (7 ounce) can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
6 ounces medium red taco sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place pork in the crock pot and make sauce.

Here's the trick with the sauce: Remove chipotle chilies from the can and put in the measuring cup that you'll measure your Dr. Pepper with. Pour Dr. Pepper over them and remove the chilies (and throw away) just to get the sauce off and then continue pouring Dr. Pepper into the measuring cup until you reach the full 21 ounces. You'll also need to rinse out the chipotle can with the Dr. Pepper to get all the adobo sauce out. Do NOT use the chipotle peppers (I did this and it was killer hot). You can add 1 or 2 for a kick if you want.

Blend all ingredients together in either a blender or with an immersion blender until combined and pour over the pork. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours until the pork is easily shreddable. If you've never had a Cafe Rio Pork Salad, what you'll want to do to make this is take a flour tortilla and melt some cheese on it. From there, here's the layers: