Description
This crockpot Cafe Rio sweet pork barbacoa recipe is a lifesaver for busy weeknights. I love a good “toss it all in the slow cooker and forget about it ‘til dinner time” meal, don’t you?
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 1/2 – 4 pound pork butt, shoulder, or picnic roast
- 4–5 tablespoons taco seasoning or 2 packets, divided
- 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cans diced green chiles
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 –2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
Instructions
- Rub the pork with half the taco seasoning. Place it in the crock of your slow cooker.
- Add the tomatoes, green chiles, and garlic.
- Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 6 hours. (It depends on your slow-cooker, but you can’t really overcook this; the pork should fall apart. Slow and low is better here.)
- When the pork is cooked and tender, shred with a fork and remove anything creepy (you know, what you wouldn’t want to eat).
- Add the other half of the taco seasoning and brown sugar. Taste it and add more of either if needed. It should be sweet and still taste “mexican-y.”
- If you have the time, let the pork cook on high heat with the lid off the slow-cooker for at least 30 minutes to reduce the liquid. If you don’t have time to do this, just serve with a slotted spoon. Add cilantro and green onions just before serving (if your kids don’t like green things in their meat, chop them very small, or keep them separate and add them separately to your taco).
Notes
- I have used many different cuts of pork when making this. I have even made this with pork chops when they were on sale. I haven’t found much difference between the cuts of meat or if they were bone-in or boneless; it is a very easy and forgiving way to cook meat. You are free to use what you have on hand or like.
- This recipe makes a large batch, which will serve a crowd. If we aren’t having people over, I normally freeze half the recipe for later.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: main dish
- Method: slow cooker
- Cuisine: American, tex-mex, Mexican