Kalua Pork was one of the first Hawaiian dishes I became obsessed with and learned how to make after my first visit to Hawaii in 2008 during my honeymoon. This is the perfect party dish and/or meal prep dish for the family.
The word “kālua” means to cook in an underground oven in the Hawaiian language. Since we don’t have underground ovens, I used to make it a lot in a slow cooker and oven with the help of liquid smoke, but now I just smoke it in my smoker to get all the wood flavor infused during the low and slow cook.
After resting for at least half an hour, I shredded and mixed in plenty of shredded cabbage and let the cabbage soak up all the pork juices. Of course, I served it with rice and Mac salad!
Ingredients:
9-pound bone-in pork butt/pork shoulder
3 tablespoons Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt
Banana Leaves, defrosted and cleaned
1/2 Head of Cabbage, shredded
Steps:
Prep Pork – Pierce holes in the pork with a fork or knife. Season pork with Hawaiian sea salt. Refrigerate for a 3-4 hours, preferably over night.
Smoke Pork – Smoke the pork at 250 degrees. When the internal temperature reaches ~165 degrees, wrap the pork in banana leaves, wrap it in foil, and continue smoking until the internal temperature reaches ~210 degrees. Rest the Kalua pork for at least one hour.
Mix Kalua Pork – Cut banana leaf and shred pork a thong or fork. Add shredded cabbage and mix well. Serve with your favorite sides.
Tips:
- Expect this to be on the saltier side to account for mixing it with cabbage and eating it with steamed rice.
- If you do not have Hawaiian Sea Salt, use a coarse salt, like kosher or sea salt.
- If using an oven or slow cooker, use 4 tablespoons of Liquid Smoke.
No Limit Cooking 
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