Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Copycat Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is sweet pork made of? ›

There are a few sweet pork recipes out there but I've found the best one to be this near-perfect imitation of Cafe Rio's sweet pork. The key ingredients are (besides pork, of course) Coca-Cola, brown sugar, chilis, enchilada sauce, and spices. Accept no substitutions!

Cafe Rio Tacos, Sweet Pork Barbacoa (1 serving) contains 8g total carbs, 8g net carbs, 7g fat, 5g protein, and 120 calories.

Steve Stanley's signature recipe, Cafe Rio's Sweet Pork Barbacoa is a delicious fan favorite. It's such a popular item that others try to imitate, but who are we kidding.

If you're looking for the leanest option when it comes to pork, look for loins and chops.

A Chinese stir-fry dish made with juicy pieces of pork tenderloin, bell peppers, onion, and pineapple. Battered pork gets fried until crispy then tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce.

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa Quesadilla (1 serving) contains 89g total carbs, 87g net carbs, 50g fat, 66g protein, and 1096 calories.

Cafe Rio Sauces Dressings Creamy Tomatillo (1 serving) contains 13g total carbs, 12g net carbs, 7g fat, 2g protein, and 130 calories.

Cafe Rio, or Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, is an American fast casual restaurant chain based in Salt Lake City, with branches in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.

Barbacoa was originally cooked in a hole in the ground, lined with hot stones and covered with leaves. The meat was cooked slowly over the fire, and the resulting dish was tender, flavorful and succulent. Today, barbacoa is still popular in Mexico where it is often served as a street food.

Is barbacoa a horse meat? ›

It generally refers to slow-cooking meats or whole sheep, whole cows, whole beef heads, or whole goats in a hole dug in the ground, and covered with agave (maguey) leaves, although the interpretation is loose, and in the present day (and in some cases) may refer to meat steamed until tender.

The USDA recommends that pork is cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F (62.8°C) for food safety. But every griller worth their salt knows that cuts rich in collagen, like pork butt, need to be brought to much higher temperatures (195-205°F [91-96°C]) to properly break down the connective tissues.

Both come from the shoulder of the pig, but pork butt is higher on the foreleg, while pork shoulder is farther down. As relatively tough and fatty cuts, both benefit from long, slow cooking methods such as roasting, stewing, and braising. But the cuts are different enough that we generally prefer pork butt.

Cover tightly. Place the roast in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 200°F (95°C). Roast without opening the oven door for about 5 hours, until the meat is so tender that it pulls apart easily. If the meat does not pull apart easily, cover, and return to the oven and roast 30 minutes more.

Pork is classified a red meat because it contains more myoglobin than chicken or fish. When fresh pork is cooked, it becomes lighter in color, but it is still a red meat. Pork is classed as "livestock" along with veal, lamb, and beef. All livestock are considered red meat.

Center-Cut Loin Roast: This popular boneless roast is juicy, tender, and evenly shaped with somewhat less fat than the center-cut rib roast. We prefer the more flavorful boneless blade-end roast, but the two cuts can be used interchangeably. Make sure to buy a center-cut roast with a decent fat cap on top.

Char Siu Ingredients

Soy sauce, honey, ketchup, and brown sugar create the base of the luscious marinade, while hoisin sauce and red bean curd add depth. Juicy pork tenderloin is the main event of this 5-star recipe. Choose two 1 lb. tenderloins for best results, substituting pork loin or pork chops if necessary.

Boar taint is the offensive odor or taste that can be evident during the cooking or eating of pork or pork products derived from non-castrated male pigs once they reach puberty. Boar taint is found in around 20% of entire male finishing pigs.