Kalua Pig - Hawaiian Pulled Pork
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Finn
Serves: Serves 12
Ingredients
- 2.75 kg boneless pork butt
- 2 Tbsp Hawaiian alaea salt or Himalayan pink salt
- 2 Tbsp mesquite liquid smoke
- 500 g fresh taro leaves (or collard greens)*
- 500 g fresh or frozen banana or ti leaves**
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Using a sharp knife, poke your pork butt several times, making incisions roughly 2 inches deep. Spread salt and liquid smoke over the pork. Wrap pork in taro or collard greens leaves followed by the ti or banana leaves, securing the final 'package' with untreated kitchen twine and place in a large baking dish. Add one cup of water to the bottom of the baking dish and cover the entire thing with aluminium foil. Bake for 6 hours.
- Remove aluminium foil and cut twine. Remove ti/banana leaves. Scoop up the softened taro/collard greens and place in a separate dish for serving. Using two forks, pull the pork into tender threads.
- Serve the pork and greens alongside some jasmine rice or stuffed into some Hawaiian sweet rolls.
Notes
* Taro leaves, also sometimes sold under the name 'Luau Leaves' can be tricky to buy outside of tropical areas but can sometimes be found in specialty Asian grocery stores. If you can't find them, try experimenting with collard greens, swiss chard, or other sturdy greens.
** Banana leaves and ti leaves will likely live in the frozen foods section of your grocery store as well. If you can't find them, skip this step entirely- since we're covering our pork with aluminium foil to keep the moisture in, as opposed to burying it underground in a traditional beach oven 'imu.'
** Banana leaves and ti leaves will likely live in the frozen foods section of your grocery store as well. If you can't find them, skip this step entirely- since we're covering our pork with aluminium foil to keep the moisture in, as opposed to burying it underground in a traditional beach oven 'imu.'
Recipe by Port and Fin at https://portandfin.com/kalua-pig-hawaiian-pulled-pork/