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    Home > Mexican Southwest Recipes > Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Tostada

    Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Tostada

    Published: Mar 16, 2014 · Modified: Aug 3, 2020 by Lea Ann Brown · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Tostadas

    This easy Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Tostada recipe is a keeper. A copy cat recipe from Cafe Rio is great for tacos, burritos and even a salad. Made with Coke.

    Sweet Pork Tostada

    Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa

    Cafe Rio opened up in the Streets at Southglenn last year and we’ve yet to pay them a visit. I don’t know much about this Mexican fast food chain, but I do know about their sweet pork barbacoa because everyone makes such a fuss over it. Cafe Rio serves it in and on burritos, enchiladas, tacos, tostadas and salads and we really must stop in to give it a try.

    When I found this copy cat recipe for Cafe Rio Sweet Pork  I knew it would on our table pronto. Even though I’ve never paid Cafe Rio a visit, I do know that I adore the Costa Vida Sweet Pork recipe, which from what I understand is made with Dr. Pepper instead of Coke.

    Rio Cafe Sweet Pork Tostada

    I went into this  recipe strictly for the sweet pork experience. Much to my surprise I ended up finding a wonderful salad dressing, Heather’s Creamy Tomatilla Dressing. It’s really incredible with flavor and a keeper for other Mexican themed salads.

    For Heather’s post, she had just received a mold to make corn tortillas salad bowl molds. She made a Mexican salad by placing a layer of refried beans, a healthy portion of the sweet pork, lettuce greens and then drizzled the whole thing with this tasty dressing.

    Cafe Rio Pork Tostada

    I didn’t have taco shell molds, so I made tostadas.

    So I made my own homemade tostada shells.  So easy, and baked not fried, so that means healthier.

    Easy way to make homemade tostada shells for homemade tostadas

    But don’t just sit there and look at it, bite into it quickly before all of those wonderful juices from the pork and the dressing break down that shell and it falls apart in your hand.

    Rio Cafe Sweet Pork Enchiladas

    There was plenty of liquid from the braised meat, so I used it to dip soft corn tortillas, rolled them up with some of the sweet shredded pork, added lots of shredded cheese and baked them into Sweet Pork Enchilada heaven. Don’t forget a drizzle of that creamy Tomatilla Dressing for a great Mexican Dish.

    This easy cafe rio sweet pork recipe is a keeper.

    Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe

    I hope you give this copycat Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

    And if you have a pork roast recipe using Coke, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

    More Mexican Pork Recipes

    • Beer Braised Pulled Pork Enchiladas A single bottle of beer turns these Beer Braised Pulled Pork Enchiladas Verde into a magical Mexican meal. The slow cooker insures a steamy blend of flavors.
    • Tomato Citrus Spiced Pulled Pork Tacos, Pork roast is slow roasted, shredded and then tossed in a flavorful the citrus spiked sauce. So good, all you need is a dollop of sour cream and a slice of avocado to make a great taco. 
    • Achiote Shredded Pork Tacos, Achiote turns this everyday pork roast into a fiesta. Try this Rick Bayless Slow Roasted Pulled Pork Tacos Recipe, it’s feeds a crowd, so great for your next party.

    And if you’re looking for more Mexican food recipes, don’t miss my Mexican Food Category, you’ll find tons of great ideas. Including the most popular on my site for Hatch Green Chili, Colorado Style.

    Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Tostada

    Sweet Pork Tostada

    This easy Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Tostada recipe is a keeper. A copy cat recipe from Cafe Rio is great for tacos, burritos and even a salad. Made with Coke.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Mexican
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 7 hours hours
    marinate time: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 9 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 199kcal
    Author: Lea Ann Brown

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds pork roast
    • 1 can cola NOT diet
    • 1/2 cup brown sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1 cup diced roasted and peeled Hatch Green Chile
    • 1 10 ounce can enchilada sauce
    • 1 15 1/2 ounce can refried beans heated
    • 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
    • Tomatoes fresh and chopped
    • 1 avocado sliced or diced
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Put the pork in a reclosable bag to marinate, pour in half of the can of cola and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Marinate for 2 hours.
    • Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of cola, water, Hatch chile, enchilada sauce and garlic salt in crock pot on low for about 7-8 hours.
    • Remove pork from crockpot and let cool until you can shred the meat.
    • To build your tostadas, smear the refried beans onto tostada shells. Top with a generous portion of the shredded sweet pork, add lettuce, tomatoes and avocado. Drizzle with Tomatillo dressing.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 458mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 273IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @lannisam or tag #CookingOnTheRanch!

    For the dressing:

    Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Tostada

    Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

    A tart and creamy dressing made with tomatillos.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salads, Salad Dressings and Vinaigrettes
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 215kcal
    Author: Lea Ann Brown

    Ingredients

    • 1 packet of ranch dressing
    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • 3 tomatillos husked and diced
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • juice from 1 lime
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well blended.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 82IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @lannisam or tag #CookingOnTheRanch!

    Rio Cafe Sweet Pork Tostada with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing…It’s what’s for Dinner.

    More Mexican Food Recipes

    • Pollo Asado on a red Le Creuset Platter.
      Easy Pollo Asado Recipe (Mexican Grilled Chicken)
    • Savory Mexican Cheesecake Appetizer on a blue Le Creuset platter.
      Mexican Cheesecake Appetizer
    • Mexican scrambled eggs with sliced avocado.
      Huevos a la Mexicana
    • Pollo en escabeche served over rice.
      Tangy Pollo en Escabeche

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vickie says

      April 02, 2014 at 3:43 pm

      Love this! What a beautiful dish and great pics!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        April 06, 2014 at 1:14 pm

        Thanks Vickie.

        Reply
    2. Andi @ The Weary Chef says

      March 31, 2014 at 7:41 am

      I love any kind of Mexican food, and tostadas are particularly fun. I love how easy this pork and dressing are! Gorgeous photos too. I love that you got two dishes out of your tasty pork!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        April 06, 2014 at 1:17 pm

        That was a big recipe and with the two of us, there was plenty of leftovers for trying new things. Thanks for stopping by Andi

        Reply
    3. Saundra @ Famished Fish says

      March 26, 2014 at 9:38 pm

      4 stars
      Lea Ann, your photos have me drooling! This meal sounds amazing! I am pinning this one. Thanks for sharing and choosing this exact recipe! I love your adaptations. 🙂

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        March 29, 2014 at 8:46 am

        Thanks Saundra. And for stopping by and the comment. Heading over to your place now.

        Reply
    4. Rocky Mountain Woman says

      March 24, 2014 at 2:11 pm

      I love their sweet pork. This one is going in the to try folder…

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        March 29, 2014 at 8:50 am

        I need to get over and give it a try.

        Reply
    5. Chris says

      March 23, 2014 at 8:53 am

      I really like that tomatillo dressing idea, I do one with ranch like that. In a pinch I think I could also use jarred salsa verde in the ranch, don’t you think?

      Love these options you gave. It reminds me of a food truck menu item, that rocks.

      Reply
    6. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

      March 22, 2014 at 5:50 am

      5 stars
      You certainly did that recipe proud. It looks superb and I’d stand outside in the cold for a plate like that.

      …or I could make it myself. I will!

      Reply
    7. Carol at Wild Goose Tea says

      March 19, 2014 at 8:37 pm

      I think pork is my favorite meat. I really don’t eat it that often. So when I see pictures like this with such a wonderful recipe, I am hooked. I have to agree with the comment in the main post, the dressing looks outstanding. Homemade dressing is so hands down better anyway. I would love tasting that dressing juxtaposition with the pork. Interesting combo.

      Reply
    8. John@Kitchen Riffs says

      March 19, 2014 at 1:06 pm

      What a great looking dish! I love anything Mexican, and this looks like a winner. So easy to make, too. Good stuff — thanks.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        March 19, 2014 at 3:47 pm

        Thanks John.

        Reply
    9. Coffee and Crumpets says

      March 19, 2014 at 11:03 am

      I don’t eat pork but these look awesome regardless! I can always sub chicken. Southglenn has had such an upgrade. I remember when I lived here in the 90’s it was a sorry looking area with that dreary mall. We don’t get there very often but happened to be in that area last week. There is great shawarma place called Shawarma Grill owned by a Lebanese family. The shawarmas are pretty dang good and the brothers are wonderful. We like to stop by when we’re in the area.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        March 19, 2014 at 3:46 pm

        Yes, chicken would work great in this. And I too remember those run down days of Southglenn. I love the mall now. I’ve seen Shawarma Grill and wondered about it. We’ll pay it a visit soon. Thanks for the recommendation.

        Reply
    10. Susan says

      March 19, 2014 at 7:52 am

      This looks delicious! After I copy the recipes I’m heading over to Heather’s site to have a look around.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        March 19, 2014 at 3:35 pm

        Thanks Susan.

        Reply
    11. Corina says

      March 19, 2014 at 12:43 am

      It looks really tasty. I love doing pork in the slow cooker and using cola is one of the things on my to-do list.

      Reply
    12. Shelley C says

      March 18, 2014 at 6:25 pm

      Ummm… yeah. I’m almost drooling here. Those look and sound absolutely freakin’ amazing. GREAT choice.

      Reply
    13. Gintare @Gourmantine says

      March 18, 2014 at 3:09 pm

      This reminds me I should cook more with pork. The dish looks so comforting and goos!

      Reply
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    I'm Lea Ann, Welcome to my Colorado kitchen. I'm a Culinary School Grad with a passion to inspire you to cook as often as you can. Here you'll find Wild West Colorado inspired recipes along some Southwestern and Mexican food favorites. I also share some special recipes from school along pro cooking tips. If you're an adventurous cook looking to spice up your meal plans, you'll find plenty of reliable, approachable, easy to follow recipes.

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