Oven Kalua Pork
This is by far one of the easiest roasted pork recipes you’ll ever find. Using only two ingredients and a couple of hours in the oven, you’re left with the most tender and delicious shredded pork, you’ve ever had. This is the perfect example of less is more. We all know seasonings, when used correctly, enhance the flavor of meat. However, when you strip the layers of all that and go back to the basics, there is real beauty in keeping things simple and letting the meat show you what it can be without all the extra flare.
I wasn’t familiar with kalua pork. I had never even heard of it prior to attempting to make it. I don’t have a background in any type of Hawaiian food either. My closest connection to Hawaii is my boyfriend. Like me, his dad was in the military and for a short period of time, he and his family lived there.
Now that you have somewhat of my background, or lack thereof, for this dish, I’m sure you’re wondering how I even got to this point. Short answer, I’m a curious cook who loves to research different methods to prepare things.
My boyfriend’s dad had given us a pork butt some months ago and it had been sitting in the freezer ever since. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it, but I was tired of it taking up space. We have a really small refrigerator and this eight pound hunk of meat was using up valuable space. So, one day, on a random Tuesday, I took it out to thaw. Because of its size, it would be a while before the pork was fully thawed which gave me ample time to research. I could have made carnitas, but after perfecting my at home carnitas recipe, I was ready to try something new. That lead me down a rabbit hole of all things pork. I wanted something like a roasted pork, but I wasn’t finding anything that intrigued me. Then, I googled Hawaiian pork.
At that time, I was thinking Hawaiian pork would be something with a barbecue-ish pineapple glaze, but lo and behold, Kalua pork kept appearing. So, the curious George in me got to digging. Kaula pork is traditionally prepared using the entire pig. The pig is seasoned with Hawaiian sea salt, wrapped in banana leaves and placed in a large pit in the ground where it is slow cooked over lava rocks. Of course, I didn’t have lava rocks and I wasn’t going to dig holes in my backyard for this, but knew I had access to some other key elements for this dish, and that the roasting in the oven would probably give me result I was looking for. So, to the store I went to gather the remaining ingredients.
After this first attempt, my boyfriend gave me one of the biggest compliments. He told me it reminded him of the Kalua pork they served in school when he lived in Hawaii. This was HUGE. For me, someone who has never been to Hawaii and not familiar with the cultures food, to be able to bring him back to his childhood, really touched me. And, before I go on a tangent about the power of food, just know that this is one of the reasons why I fall deeper in love with food everyday. The life long memories that are attached to food is what I strive to provide to people.
A few notes on this recipe -
The 3 main elements to this dish besides the pork itself is the use of red or pink salt, liquid smoke and a banana leaf.
If you can find it, use alaea “Hawaiian red” sea salt. Because, I couldn’t find this, I went with the next best option, Himalayan pink salt.
Liquid smoke provides the smoked element that would come from the pig being slow cooked over the lava rocks, when made the traditional way. You can also obtain this smokey element, if you cook this in a smoker. However, to make this approachable for everyone, this recipe uses the oven, so liquid smoke is necessary for that smoked taste. Sheesh! How many times was I going to say smoke in that point.
For me, the banana leaf is necessary. The banana leaf retains the moisture levels during the entire cooking process better than using foil alone. It also adds a nice aromatic flavor to the pork. However, because banana leaves may not readily available, this dish can be prepared without it.
One final note and we can get to it. This is a time intensive recipe, taking 6 hours to complete, but majority of that time is hands off cooking. Once it’s in the oven, you can go about your day doing whatever else. The hardest part is the waiting but aren’t the best things are worth waiting for?
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Ingredients:
6-8 lb bone-in pork butt
2-3 tbsp Himalayan pink salt
1 tbsp mesquite liquid smoke
1 banana leaf*
Tools:
knife or fork
roasting pan
foil
*optional
How to Prepare:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
Using a knife or fork, pierce the entire surface of the pork butt.
Season the pork on all sides with the salt and liquid smoke.
Cut the banana leaf in half crosswise and form a “X” with the two halves. Wrap the pork in the banana leaf and securely wrap in foil.
Roast in the oven for 3 hours. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 310 degrees and continue to roast for 2 hours. Reduce the oven once again to 275 degrees for the final hour.
Remove from oven and unwrap the pork from the the foil and banana leaf. Remove and discard the bone, then shred the meat using a fork. Serve with hot white rice, or as a pulled pork sandwiches.
