Kalua Pork Recipe: A Must-Try Delicious Hawaiian Specialty (2024)

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Last Updated on December 17, 2023

For all the pork lovers out there, you must try out this authentic Hawaiian kalua pig recipe. It’s easy, fast, and requires only three ingredients.

Kalua Pork Recipe: A Must-Try Delicious Hawaiian Specialty (1)

You will get juicy steaks that simply melt in your mouth. Combine that with cabbage, bacon, banana leaves, white rice, or other exotic little bits, and you’ll understand the beauty and flavor of this kalua pork recipe.

So, if you love authentic Hawaiian food but can’t find the time to go there now, learn how to cook kalua pork and bring a piece of Hawaii home with you.

Check out my instructions and tips, and go make yourself some shredded kalua pork.

The Origin of Kalua Pork

Kalua pig or pork is an authentic Hawaiian dish. Kalua means ‘to cook in an underground oven’. In an ‘imu,’ or an underground sand pit, a whole pig is smoked with sea salt, koa wood, and banana leaves or coconut palm fronds.

It’s the main centerpiece of a luau, which is a centuries-old Hawaiian traditional feast. It’s interesting to watch how a traditional Hawaiian kalua pig is made, so make sure you go to a luau next time you visit Hawaii!

The pork, sea salt, and wood smoke all contribute to the complex flavor of kalua pork.

Preparation Time

While this recipe is simple, it requires a good amount of time for the pork to be well-cooked and tasty.

The cooking time also depends on the size of the roast and the temperature. So, always make sure you keep an eye on the roast when the pork is close to being cooked.

Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:12 hours
Total Time:12 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

As said above, you only need three magical ingredients. You get tender, juicy, mouth-watering meat without the fuss of washing, chopping, and cutting all the veggies or fruit.

To make kalua pork, you’ll need the following:

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4-6 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt roast (‘Boston’ butt)
1 tablespoon mesquite or hickory-flavored liquid smoke or bacon
1 tablespoon red Hawaiian sea salt or pink Himalayan salt (alternative – regular sea salt)

As far as equipment is concerned, you need:

6-quart Crock pot Slow Cooker, or
6-quart Instant pot

How to Make Kalua Pork – A Step-By-Step Guide

Since most of us don’t have an underground oven, the next best option is a slow cooker or an instant pot, and if you don’t have either, opt for using the oven.

Although there’s nothing like a pig cooked in an imu, the crock pot mimics the smoked flavor quite well (with the help of the liquid smoke).

It’s a simplified cooking method that’s doable and more realistic than the traditional way of making kalua pork.

Here, I will cover three main ways of cooking kalua pork: first via slow cooker, then with instant pot, and in the end by using the oven method.

Slow Cooker Method

This method gives the most tender results (at least based on my experience). After your 12-hour cooking period, you will have tasty kalua pork on your plate!

Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Method

An instant pot is a great alternative to a slow cooker; hence, the instant pot method can be used to cook kalua pork.

It’s as simple as placing the pork into the pot and letting the appliance do its magic.

Also, if you’re in a rush it’s best to use an instant pot since the meat cooks faster.

Cut the pork shoulder or pork butt in half.
Set the pot to sauté, and add 1 tbsp of oil. Brown both sides of the pork for a few minutes.
Remove the pork shoulder from the pot, and transfer it to a plate. Turn off the pot from sauté setting.
Pierce the pork using the tips of your fork. Season it with sea salt.
Pour the mesquite flavor liquid smoke or hickory into the instant pot combined with around 120ml water. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom.
Place the pork into the pot, and add a bit more salt.
Set your instant pot to high pressure for 90 minutes.
Allow the pot to release naturally, and then open the lid to check for tenderness.
Remove the cooked pork and shred.
Let the shredded kalua pork rest in its juices to ensure it doesn’t dry out.

Oven Method

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The oven method is the traditional at-home version of the kalua pork. This never disappoints.

Although I do prefer the slow cooker method, I still occasionally make the kalua pork in an oven, since it adds

specific flavors to the shredded pork. With the liquid smoke and Hawaiian sea salt, it sometimes feels like I’m eating the original underground oven version of this specialty.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Place the kalua pig over a larger sheet of foil.
Pierce all over to ensure the flavors work their way through the entire roast.
Season the meat with liquid smoke and Hawaiian salt.
Warp it up with the foil and place the pork shoulder in a roasting pan.
Pour 1/4 water into the pan.
Roast for about 6 hours, until the pork becomes tender.

How to Store Kalua Pork

By any chance, if you end up with some leftovers, feel free to store kalua pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This can last for up to five days. Place all the leftover juices in there as well.

When it comes to freezing kalua pork, you can place it in a freezer bag with all the juices left, and let it rest in your freezer until you start craving some delicious pork.

As for defrosting, thaw kalua pork in the refrigerator, and reheat it by using the slow cooker, oven, or pan. However, I don’t recommend using the microwave.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 230kcal
Protein: 41g
Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monoinsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g
Sodium: 799mg
Cholesterol: 109mg
Potassium: 686mg
Calcium: 13mg
Iron: 2mg

Additional Tips and Tricks

I received many questions regarding sea salt, how to serve the pork, or if you should add cabbage or eat the pork as it is. Hence, I wanted to clarify all your uncertainties in order for you to have the best cooking experience possible.

Therefore, if you want to boost up your kalua recipe, make it slightly more different, or swap certain ingredients, check out my favorite tips and tricks. They might be able to meet your needs!

What Goes Well With Kalua Pork?

In terms of pairing kalua pork with other food items you can never go wrong with coupling your shredded pork with traditional ingredients used in a Hawaiian luau. These include:

white rice, coconut rice, or jasmine rice
macaroni salad
coleslaw
sauteed cabbage or even roasted cabbage
fresh pineapple juice

You can also make lettuce wraps with rice and your favorite sauce. Or, place the pork over rice combined with hot sauce and leaf lettuce to prepare a big salad.

Tips Regarding Salt

If you have trouble finding red Hawaiian salt, there are some substitutes that go well with this kalua pork recipe.

Kosher salt– this variant is saltier, so make sure you don’t get carried away when seasoning the pork shoulder or ‘Boston’ butt.
Smoked salt– a ‘smoky’ alternative to Hawaiian salt. However, make sure you use less liquid smoke since the salt will add an extra touch and smoky flavor to the pork.
Himalayan salt– it’s not as salty as the aforementioned ones, so you’ll need to add a bit more (or a lot more, depending on your preferences) when making kalua pork.

Note that table salt, in general, is saltier than red Hawaiian sea salt, so be careful when adding it to your dish.

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Recipe Notes

There are alternatives to the instructions above. Hence, if you want to make your kalua pork more exotic, or if you want to add more flavor to it, here’s what you can do.

Kalua Pork and Cabbage

You can cook kalua pork with 1-2 heads of green cabbage.

Wash and chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces
When the pork is done cooking, add the liquid from it to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and place the cabbage in it.
Sauté until soft.
Mix the pork and cabbage together, or serve the pork on top of the cabbage.
Add rice or mac salad, and your meal is complete.

Kalua Pork and Banana Leaves

For certain people, using a banana leaf is crucial when making Hawaiian pork. Any well-equipped Asian grocery store, international store, or Mexican grocery should have banana leaves in stock.

Place the banana leaf (or as many as needed) in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Place the pork on top of the leaves, add liquid smoke, and season with sea salt.
Wrap tightly with leaves, tucking the meat on all sides.
Cook the same way as stated in the above cooking instructions.
Place fresh banana leaves on the serving platter, and add pork on top.
Serve.

Aside from banana leaves, you can use Ti leaves as well, but they are a bit harder to find. Note that neither of them is edible!

Kalua Pork and Bacon

This is a great recipe for those who want a stronger meat flavor. Bacon will boost up the saltiness and increase the juiciness of your dish.

All you need is pork tenderloin, bacon, and black lava sea salt.

Set your slow cooker on low for 7 hours.
Place the bacon on the bottom of the pot.
Add the pork on top and season with black lava sea salt.

Feel free to add 2 cups of chopped cabbage to the slow cooker. Once that is cooked, place it on the serving platter together with the pork.

Combine the Kalua Pork With Different Dishes

The best part of the kalua pork is that it goes well with almost everything. It can meet the needs of even the pickiest guests (with vegans and vegetarians being an exception).

I’ve listed my top three ‘alternatives’, so make sure you try them all!

One way to use this delicious meal is to makepork tacos.Get some tortillas, mango salsa, and other ingredients of your choice, and voila—you have a perfect dinner your guests and family will surely enjoy.

You can also makea Hawaiian plate lunch, which includes shredded kalua pork, rice, Hawaiian mac salad, or even shrimp and kalbi ribs with many more goodies on the side.

There’s also one of my favorite dishes—pulled pork sandwiches. Yes, they are amazing! Toast the bread a bit to make it crispy, add barbeque sauce, and your salad of choice, and your meal is ready to be served!

Be free to experiment with the recipe, since this mouth-watering kalua pig can be used in numerous ways—salads, tacos, burritos, sandwiches, nachos, and more. It’s up to you to find your favorite alternative! Enjoy.

If you like this Crockpot Kalua Pork recipe, you’ll love:

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Chicken Tikka Masala

Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

Did you make and love this recipe? Give your review below and make sure you share your creations bytagging me on Instagram!

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes

Kalua pork—slow cooker, instant pot, or oven. Pick your style of cooking and make this delicious authentic Hawaiian dish with ease.

Ingredients

2 lbs Pork tenderloin
10 oz Bacon
1/2 teaspoon black lava sea salt