Sweet and spicy slow cooked barbacao pork sweetened with brown sugar, cola, chipotle chilies, green chilies, cumin and spices. Delicious over cilantro lime rice and black beans.
Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork
This was a recipe request to make over Cafe Rio’s sweet pork recipe, only problem is I’ve never eaten at Cafe Rio. After reading dozens of copycat recipes, I came up with my own lightened up version, which was a huge hit in my home. This had enough for several meals and made a burrito bowl out of the leftovers. I used cilantro lime rice, black beans, pico de gallo, lettuce, avocado and a little low fat cheese. But this was also great served over rice.
Since the marinade gets tossed after it cooks, I wasn’t sure how to calculate, so I counted half the sugar and cola from the marinade just to be sure. Adjust the heat to your liking. This is medium heat but if you like it hot, add more chilies, if you prefer it mild, use less. Enjoy! The crock pot is parked on my counter lately, it’s so helpful on the days I have to go in to work. What can beat coming home from work and smelling dinner just about ready!
Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 2.5 lbs pork loin roast, trimmed
- salt and pepper
- garlic powder
- 1 3/4 cups Cola soda, divided (Olipop, Poppi, and Slice Cola have less sugar)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, unpacked
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 ounce can sliced green chilies
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 whole chipotle chile in adobo sauce, from a can, or 1 tablespoon
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder, to taste
- kosher salt, and black pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, unpacked
Instructions
- Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place in the crock pot.
- Add 3/4 cup of cola and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Marinate refrigerated for a few hours or overnight turning meat at least once while marinating.
- Remove crock from refrigerator, add water, and cook on high for about 4 hours or low 8 hours (or until it shreds easily).
- Remove pork from crock pot and discard all the liquid left in the pot. Shred pork with two forks.
- In the crock pot, combine remaining 1 cup cola, green chilies, tomato sauce, chipotle chile, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder and remaining brown 1/3 cup brown sugar.
- Put shredded pork back in the crock pot and combine with sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, cover and cook on high 1-1/2 hours more.
