SLOW COOKER KALUA PORK

Hi there! It’s Kristin back again from Yellow Bliss Road. We just got back from an AMAZING Hawaiian vacation so I’m sharing an awesome Hawaiian inspired recipe with you today.

If you’ve ever visited the Hawaiian islands, you’ve probably tried Kalua Pig (Pork). It’s on almost every menu. At counter service restaurants and food trucks you can get Kalua Pork as part of the “Two Scoop Plate Lunch” with a scoop each of rice and Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.

But what exactly is it? At luaus and family gatherings in Hawaii, it’s quite popular to roast an entire pig in the ground. Yes, you read that right. An entire pig. A hole is dug and the pig is rubbed all over with Hawaiian Sea Salt, placed in the hole and covered with leaves or branches, like banana leaves that are lit on fire and then covered with dirt. The pig cooks in the ground for most of the day – at least 8 hours.

Of course you probably aren’t going to dig a hole in your own backyard to roast your own pig. All you need is a slow cooker, some Hawaiian Sea Salt (or kosher salt if that’s what you’ve got) and some Liquid Smoke. I use bone-in pork shoulder because I think you get even more flavor with the bone, but you could just as easily use boneless. The shoulder is a fatty meat, which adds to the flavor, but I think you could even use a pork loin. In the slow cooker, it’s going to get tender and juicy no matter what cut you use.

Just rub salt and Liquid Smoke all over the meat. Then cover it and cook on low for 12 hours. Period. The end. That’s really all there is to it! Kalua Pork is excellent on it’s own, but we also like to stuff it inside a Hawaiian Roll or in a taco. Enjoy!

SLOW COOKER KALUA PORK

 

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

9 hours

Total time

9 hours 5 mins

 

Serves: 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 7 pound bone-in pork butt/shoulder
• 1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place pork roast fat side up in your slow cooker. Rub all over with Liquid Smoke and salt. Cook on low for 9-10 hours (I like to let mine cook overnight). Shred meat in the slow cooker and serve hot.