Cafe Rio Copycat Sweet Pulled Pork

If you haven’t been to a Cafe Rio you are missing out, my friends.  For real.  It is a chain that is all over Utah and has started to spread throughout the western United States.  The first time that I went to a Cafe Rio I wasn’t all that impressed.  Sorry, but it’s true.  I thought it was good, but not worth the crazy wait.  And then I tried the sweet pulled pork, and everything changed.  Mmmm…..sweet pulled pork.

There are a million copycat recipes out there for Cafe Rio’s sweet pulled pork.  I am aware of that.  Some use Coke, some use enchilada sauce, some are quite elaborate.  But this one is my family’s version and I want to share it with you because it is the easiest one that I can imagine, which I why I use it.  I am  lazy like that.  I’m not gonna lie: it’s not as amazing as the real deal.  But neither are any of those other recipes.  I have tried many of them.  But it IS delicious and as close as I’m gonna get outside of the restaurant.

On Friday I shared our version of Cafe Rio’s Cilantro Lime Ranch Salad Dressing.  You can use this pork and that dressing to create a taco salad using tortillas, black beans, rice, lettuce, chips, and pico de gallo.  I like to order the salad in the restaurant, but at home I always go for a simple burrito with meat, lettuce, tomato, cilantro lime ranch dressing, and a bit of sour cream.  Really, the possibilities are endless.  Enjoy!

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Sweet Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup brown sugar

Instructions

1. Place the tenderloin in a crock pot.
2. Dump a cup of salsa and a cup of brown sugar on top of the meat.
3. Let it cook for 4-5 hours on high. You can cook it longer on low.
4. When about 1 hour remains, shred the pork with a fork--during the final hour, it will soak up all the juices.
5. Now eat up! Yum.

3.5.3226

If you enjoyed this recipe then you may also like:

Cilantro Lime Ranch Salad Dressing

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Mama’s Chicken Fajitas

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Sarah Westover McKenna

Sarah is the scattered creative mind behind Bombshell Bling. A former elementary school teacher and a current stay-at-home mom, she loves developing her creativity through her blog and her jewelry design business, Bombshell Bling Jewelry. Sarah is a lover of all things vintage, colorful, and BLING. She is also a sweets addict with a major obsession with s'mores.

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