Shredded Beef Shredded Beef Salad Costa Vida

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Cafe Rio (or Costa Vida) Sweet Pork is super flavorful and easy to make at dwelling house in either the slow cooker or instant pot. It's perfect for eating out at home and recreating our favorite pork salads, burritos, tacos, and quesadillas since we don't live anywhere nearly a Cafe Rio or Costa Vida anymore!

We definitely love our Mexican food around here! After you endeavor our Cafe Rio Sugariness Pork, be sure to endeavour some of our other pop Mexican recipes like Carne Asada or Tiresome Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef.

One of the things I miss the most from the many years we lived in Utah for college and law school is all the yummy food!

I've already posted virtually our favorite Chicken Tikka Masala from Bombay House in Provo, the crawly Roasted Red Pepper Sauce from the BYU institution of Brick Oven, the Sweetness & Sticky Hot Dog Sauce from J Dawgs, which started merely south of BYU campus, and my Copycat Waffle Love Liège Waffles. But the other place we often wish we could swallow at when we aren't in Utah is Buffet Rio!

I have to acknowledge that I'm not a huge salad person. I feel like I get out that disclaimer every time I post about a salad on the blog, but it's my fashion of explaining that if I'm going to share a salad recipe information technology has to be legitimately expert. Like packed with enough of flavors and textures.

It definitely doesn't injure if there are plenty of protein and carbs like in this Cafe Rio pork salad that is loaded with cilantro lime rice, seasoned blackness beans, guac, pico de gallo, cilantro lime ranch dressing, crunchy tortilla strips, cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and of form, enough of juicy, tender sweet pork barbacoa! Oh, there'southward some fresh, crunchy romaine lettuce in at that place too. It is a salad subsequently all.

Paul always orders a grilled steak burrito, enchilada style, when we become to Cafe Rio. Only this tedious roasted, saucy and sweet shredded pork is my longtime favorite, hands downward. I like information technology in salad grade best, followed by tacos, and then in burritos.

It's a bit of work to make all of the components yourself at home, just this repast is perfect for doubling upwardly and sharing with another family or making for special events similar parties, reunions, or Dominicus dinners.

Is it necessary to marinade the pork first?

I have always marinated my pork roast the nighttime before, but you can definitely skip that step if you simply forgot or don't feel like information technology. It's such a large roast that typically the amount of penetration to the meat is probably minimal. Merely from everything I've read, information technology's how Cafe Rio and Costa Vida and the like prepare their pork before roasting it, then I do the same. The other reason I think it's okay to skip information technology is that the meat typically cooks for a long time in the marinade and it'due south ain juices, which gives it plenty of fourth dimension to absorb flavors.

But the coca-cola marinade is intended to assistance tenderize the meat before cooking it low and slow for hours and information technology certainly doesn't hurt anything, then if you have the time and remember to do it, I recommend not skipping the marinade.

What You'll Need

It'southward pretty impressive how merely a few pantry ingredients and a couple of cans of soda, green chiles, and enchilada sauce can brand such delectable, juicy meat!

• Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt: These two big pork roasts are well-marbled with fatty and brand for juicy, wonderful shredded sweetness pork. Expect for packaging labeled "pork butt", "Boston barrel", or "pork shoulder". Too, note whether your pork is bone-in or boneless. Either work, merely you volition need to cutting the meat off the bone is using the instant pot approach, and you will need a heavier roast to business relationship for the bone if you are buying bone-in. I have heard that boneless pork ribs volition work, although I haven't tried that cut yet with this recipe. I do not recommend using pork loin, which is simply too lean and comes out flavorless and dry out.
• Coca-Cola: There are some people that say Buffet Rio marinates their meat in Dr. Pepper rather than Coca-Cola. I personally don't call up it makes that much of a difference either mode, although I always employ Coca-Cola. I don't recommend using the nutrition version of either though. Become with original Coke or Dr. Pepper, whichever you choose.
• Dark-brown Sugar: I mean, it'southward sweet pork after all, and then using brown carbohydrate should come equally no surprise, right? You can apply lite or dark brown sugar.
• Salt & Pepper: These two are absolutely necessary because nobody likes bland meat! Plus, the salt balances out the sweetness of the chocolate-brown saccharide and soda in the sauce.
• Spices: The heavy hitters are chili pulverization and garlic pulverisation, which add fantabulous flavor and depth.
• Diced Green Chiles: I always use the balmy kind of diced greenish chiles since they add flavor without adding rut.
• Reddish Enchilada Sauce: You lot tin just employ a tin of enchilada sauce or brand your own from scratch. I have used the enchilada sauce from this recipe and it is fantastic for this sweet pork, but the canned version from the store volition work just fine and it'southward what I employ if I happen to have it on hand.

How to Brand Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa

The approach will vary slightly whether you choose to make your shredded pork in the boring cooker or the instant pot. That's because the meat seems to release so much more liquid in the instant pot that the sauce gets diluted past the time you are ready to serve it, so I have institute it best to make the sauce and add it later on the meat is cooked in that case and instead just use a spice rub for cooking the pork in the instant pot.

In the Slow Cooker

This is the way I have traditionally made our Cafe Rio Sweet Pork for years. If you are doing it for a break effect where you are feeding lots of people, it's really like shooting fish in a barrel to infringe ho-hum cookers from friends to make a lot!

1. Marinate overnight: In a large, heavy duty Ziploc bag, combine the pork butt or pork shoulder with 1 tin of Coke and ¼ cup of chocolate-brown sugar. Seal completely and squish the soda and sugar all around the meat. Allow it marinate in the refrigerator anywhere from ii hours to overnight.
2. Cook low and deadening: The next day, transfer the meat and marinade to a crock pot. Add water and sprinkle table salt, garlic powder, pepper and chili powder over the pork roast. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on Depression or three to 4 hours on HIGH, until the pork is autumn autonomously tender and shreds easily with a fork or meat claws. Transfer the meat to a big dish and shred, discarding the cooking liquid and whatever pieces of fat from the meat.
3. Make the sauce: Blend one tin of Coke with the remaining brown sugar, diced green chilies, and red enchilada sauce in a blender until smooth.
4. Combine meat and sauce: Return the shredded pork to the crock pot, along with the sauce mixture. Cover and heat until warmed all the mode through and the meat has captivated the sauce, well-nigh ane to 2 hours on Low estrus. Taste and arrange salt, if needed.

In the Instant Pot

Information technology took me years to leap on the force per unit area cooker bandwagon. I still don't beloved it for everything, but there are a few recipes where I call up it excels, and big roasts are one of them. The recipe is almost the aforementioned, with a couple notable exceptions.

1. Flavour the meat: Y'all can go ahead and marinate the pork, if you feel like it, or just cutting the roast into big chunks. Season them with a blend of spices, which will infuse flavor while the meat pressure cooks in the instant pot. You are welcome to add a little oil to the bottom of your Instant Pot and sear the meat in batches using the saute part, but I actually don't retrieve it adds a lot so I always skip that stride.

2. Cook on High pressure level for 50 minutes followed past a natural release: Add the meat to the Instant Pot along with ane ½ cups of water or ane can of regular Coke and place the lid on, making sure the pressure release valve is fix to seal. Select the "pressure level" part on your Instant Pot and melt on high pressure level for 50 minutes. When the timer goes off, don't do anything! Let it slowly release (also known as a "natural release") for 45 minutes before setting the pressure release valve to vent any leftover force per unit area and removing the hat.

3. Make the sauce: Alloy ane can of Coke with the remaining brown sugar, diced dark-green chilies, and red enchilada sauce in a blender until smooth.
4. Shred the meat and combine with the sauce: Remove the fall-apart tender meat from the Instant Pot and shred with forks or meat claws. Discard the cooking liquid, then add the shredded meat back to the Instant Pot, along with the sauce mixture. Use the saute role to rut until warmed all the mode through and the meat has absorbed the sauce, about fifteen to twenty minutes. Taste and suit common salt, if needed.

Tips & Tricks

• Don't skip the natural release or the meat volition not be nearly every bit tender or shred as easily.
• Be sure to buy the right cut of meat. A large, marbled pork roast similar pork shoulder or pork butt is what you are looking for. If you purchase bone-in and are cooking your meat using the Instant Pot method, you can ask the butcher to cutting the meat off the os for you lot, or you can do it yourself at home.
• Be careful shredding the hot meat! It should fall right autonomously and shred easily with forks or tongs and so you aren't burning your fingers. If it is not falling apart tender, you lot should pressure cook it for another xv minutes or let it continue to melt in the slow cooker for another 1-2 hours, then endeavour again.
• I even had a reader annotate that she skipped cooking the meat altogether and simply bought precooked and shredded pork from Costco, made the sauce, and heated them up together!

Frequently Asked Questions

Tin you freeze leftovers?

You sure can! If you take leftover shredded pork, merely pack it up in freezer safe containers or numberless and it will freeze for two-iii months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave the next mean solar day.

How long do leftovers keep in the fridge?

I like to brand a batch of sweetness pork and enjoy information technology all calendar week long since it will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator. I make burrito bowls for lunch with information technology, sprinkle it on chips with cheese and toppings for nachos, utilise it for enchiladas or burritos, etc.

More than Mexican Recipes for Mexican Food Lovers

• Cafe Rio Black Beans & Cilantro Lime Rice
• Crispy Mexican Wearisome Cooker Pork Carnitas with Escabeche
• Shredded Beef Chimichangas
• Accurate Carne Asada Recipe
• Homemade Mexican Rice (aka Spanish Rice)
• Horchata Mexican Drinkable Recipe (+ VIDEO)
• The Best Guacamole Recipe Ever
• Fresh, Authentic Pico De Gallo
• Easy Mexican Restaurant-Manner Salsa
• Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
• Baja Fish Tacos Recipe

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Meat

• ▢ 3-5 pounds pork shoulder barrel roast
• ▢ i tin Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper not diet, divided
• ▢ ¼ cup brown saccharide
• ▢ ¼ loving cup water
• ▢ one teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic pulverization
• ▢ ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

Sauce

• ▢ 1 can Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper not diet
• ▢ ten ounces red enchilada sauce
• ▢ 4 ounces diced green chiles
• ▢ ¾ loving cup chocolate-brown sugar

Rub (for Instant Pot approach)

• ▢ 1 Tablespoon chili pulverization
• ▢ one teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic pulverization
• ▢ ane teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground blackness pepper

Dull Cooker

• In a large, heavy duty Ziploc bag, combine the pork roast with i can of Coke and ¼ cup of the brown sugar. Seal tightly and marinade in the refrigerator anywhere from two hours to overnight. (UPDATE: I normally skip this stride and go direct to cooking the meat these days. It seems not to make a substantial deviation and the recipe is easier without marinading, simply the pick is upwardly to you!)

• Once the pork roast has had a run a risk to marinate for at least two hours, transfer the pork, along with the marinade, to a crock pot. Add the water and sprinkle the salt, garlic powder, pepper and chili pulverization over the pork roast. Encompass and cook for 3 to 4 hours on high (or six to viii hours on low), until the pork is tender enough to be hands shredded with a fork.

• While the pork cooks, combine the remaining can of Coke and the remaining ¾ cup of dark-brown saccharide in a blender, along with the can of diced light-green chilies and ruddy enchilada sauce. Blend until smooth, and then fix aside.

• Remove the pork from the crock pot and discard the cooking liquid. Shred the pork, removing any fat, and render it to the crock pot, along with the enchilada sauce mixture. Embrace and cook for 1 to 2 hours on depression, then check seasoning to run into if more salt is needed. Serve in salads, burritos or tacos!

Instant Pot

• You tin can skip marinating ingredients and instead just combine the rub ingredients in a basin. Cut the pork roast into big pieces and sprinkle with the spices, rubbing information technology all over the meat.

• Add the meat to the pressure cooker along with 1 tin can of the Coca-Cola (or Dr. Pepper) and ¼ cup of dark-brown carbohydrate. Lock the lid in identify and plow the valve to seal. Select "pressure cook" and cook for 50 minutes at loftier pressure. When washed, let the pressure cooker practice a slow natural release for 45 minutes (do non bear upon the release valve). After 45 minutes, release any extra pressure and remove the meat. Discard all simply about ½ loving cup of the cooking liquid.

• Shred the meat, discarding any pieces of fatty and render to the Instant Pot.

• In a blender, combine the remaining can of soda, cherry-red enchilada sauce, diced green chiles, and brown carbohydrate. Blend until smooth, and so pour over the shredded pork, tossing to coat. Set the Instant Pot to "saute" and cook for xv minutes until heated all the way through.

• Freezing: This pork freezes actually well. Just transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge, and so reheat in the microwave, tedious cooker, or oven until hot all the way through.

Calories: 317 kcal | Carbohydrates: 41 one thousand | Protein: 21 k | Fat: eight g | Saturated Fat: three g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g | Cholesterol: seventy mg | Sodium: 1055 mg | Potassium: 451 mg | Fiber: one 1000 | Saccharide: 37 g | Vitamin A: 662 IU | Vitamin C: 6 mg | Calcium: 55 mg | Iron: 2 mg

Recipe and method adapted from Fav Family Recipes and A Bountiful Kitchen.

This mail service was originally published in February, 2017. The photos and content were updated in March, 2021.

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