Even if you don’t have an imu, you can still make Hawaiian kalua pig at home from pork butt purchased at your local supermarket.
Pork butt or pork shoulder work great- they’re usually the cheapest cuts of pork roasts, but come out tasting the best after hours in the slow cooker.
Ingredients:
- 4-5 pound pork butt (can be bigger, just make sure it fits in your slow cooker)
- 2½ tablespoons Hawaiian salt (can substitute kosher salt)
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
- banana leaves (or substitute 4-5 whole, unpeeled bananas)
Preparation:
- Trim some of the excess fat from the roast (not all of it, or it’ll get too dry). If you want a ‘healthier’ meal (not recommended) you can remove a little more fat and replace with ½ to 1 cup apple cider (to prevent burning).
- Take a fork or a knife and stab the roast, like the shower scene from Psycho. (This allows the salt and liquid smoke to penetrate the meat.)
- Rub with salt and liquid smoke.
- Wrap the roast tightly with banana leaves (you can get this at most ethnic grocery stores) or in the absence of them you can place whole bananas on top of the meat.
Place the Roast in a slow cooker / crock pot for about 8 hours on the ‘low’ setting. I’ve gone anywhere from 6 hours to 12 hours- it depends on the size of the roast and the temperature of the slow cooker. Flip the meat upside down once during the middle of cooking (after 4-5 hours). A few hours after your whole house smells spectacular, it’ll be finished.
You can tell when it’s done when the meat falls apart to the touch… don’t be too afraid to over-cook the roast, just turn off the slow cooker before the liquid (meat drippings) turns dark from over-cooking.
When meat is done, remove the leaves, banana leaf (or bananas) and shred pork. Serve over rice, with some shoyu (sweetened soy sauce) and some chili water or hot sauce. To make homemade chili water, boil some hot peppers (red ones) in just enough water to keep the chilis covered in a pan, and add a dash of vinegar, salt and sugar. Once the peppers are very soft let the mixture cool and blend it up in a blender.
Dr. Matt