Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy Pork – A Cafe Rio Copycat

Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Pork – Just like my favorite Mexican place. Use it for tacos, burritos, taco salad, or some insane nachos.

(ye olde picture… yikes-o-rama)

This is one of those meals I make any time I’m feeding a crowd. It’s delicious, flavorful, and filling. Plus, you can serve it family style and let everyone build their own burritos (or rice bowls).

While you can use any pork roast, I use pork loin since it’s leaner and there’s very little fat you’ll have to sort out when you shred it. As for the El Pato sauce, everyone always wants to know what it looks like. Well, thar she blows. I’ve found it at my local Kroger, at Sprouts, and even at Wal-mart or Target, so I think you should be able to find it somewhere.

Most stores carry it near the tomato sauce (occasionally it’s in the tex-mex section of the international foods). If you can’t find this brand, look for 2 small cans of Mexican-style tomato sauce (every decently-stocked grocery store I’ve ever shopped in at least carries Mexican-style tomato sauce, usually in a generic brand, which will work just fine).

Leftovers freeze beautifully, so feel free to make it ahead of time or to freeze half for leftovers another night. Leftover pork can be used for burritos, quesadillas, rice bowls, taco salad, or some pretty ultimate nachos.

p.s. Also, if you’re in the market for a slow cooker, I can’t recommend ours highly enough. It’s easy to program and has clips on the lid to prevent spills. Why that’s not a standard feature on all slow cookers is beyond me. It’s the best! 

Sweet and Spicy Pork (Cafe Rio Copycat)

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5 from 3 reviews

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Description

I highly recommend serving this sweet & spicy pork with a batch of green chile lime rice.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For pork:

• 1 (2.5-3lb) pork loin roast
• 1 can yellow El Pato sauce
• 1 can green El Pato sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce (I use no salt added)
• 1/2- 3/4c brown sugar (or more, if you want it less spicy)

Ideas for serving:

• tortillas*
• rice (I prefer green chile lime rice)
• black beans
• enchilada sauce*
• grated cheese*
• lettuce
• tomatoes

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Instructions

1. Put roast in a slow cooker with about 1c water. Cook on high 8-10 hours. Remove roast and shred with forks, removing any fat. Drain and quickly rinse crock pot (don’t worry about getting everything out, just a quick rinse to remove any extra fat hanging around). Return shredded pork to slow cooker with remaining ingredients. Stir to combine well and heat through till warm.

To serve:

1. In a flour tortilla, add a layer of rice, pork, and black beans. Roll up like a burrito, and spoon enchilada sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheddar (or other) cheese. Broil until cheese is melty. Serve with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes, if desired.

Notes

*For a gluten free version, use brown rice tortillas and be sure your enchilada sauce is gluten free (most green sauces are). For dairy free, just skip the cheese!