Today we are going to talk about another one of my favorite island meals–Kalua pork. Kalua pork is an amazing, delicious, and easy dish to make. Kalua pork is a Hawaiian delicacy and is one of the oldest and most traditional dishes in Hawaii. At one point in Hawaiian history, commoners were only occasionally allowed to eat pig (aka pua’a)—it was a meal normally reserved for royal feasts. And women were strictly forbidden from eating pig under ancient Hawaiian law!
Kalua means “to cook in an underground oven”. Traditionally, the pork is cooked in an underground oven called an imu (pronounced “ee-moo”) and this method is still used in the islands today. They start by digging a hole in the ground and lighting a fire at the bottom. Then, they add porous lava rocks on top of the fire, allowing them to heat up for a couple hours. They then spread the hot rocks out, lay Banana and Ti leaves on top of the rocks, place the whole pig and any veggies on the leaves, cover it all with more leaves to retain the steam and heat, and cover it all up with dirt. A few hours later, they dig it up and have the moistest, most fall-off-the-bone meat you’ve ever had.
Now, as much as I would love to have an imu in my own backyard, I don’t think my family would approve. So, I compromise by using a dutch oven and cooking it low and slow! It may not be the traditional method, but using the following recipe results in a fabulously delicious meal.
First, soak the pork shoulder in pineapple juice overnight. In the morning, remove the pork shoulder from the pineapple juice, dry it off with a paper towel, and place it in your dutch oven or large casserole dish. In a small bowl, mix a tablespoon of liquid smoke with a tablespoon of coarse salt (I like to use pink or black rock salt from the islands to keep it as traditional as possible). Once the liquid smoke and salt is well mixed, pour it over the pork shoulder. To give the meat the Banana and Ti leaf flavors, really connecting with the traditional origins of the dish, cut a banana in half, length wise, and place it on top of the pork shoulder, followed by strips of pineapple skin. Next, cover and place in a 300-degree oven for 5-6 hours. Low and slow is the way to go with this dish. Once it’s done cooking, wave a fork over it to shred and serve with jasmine rice, blanched cabbage, and Hawaiian Mac salad https://thesylvaskitchen.com/hawaiian-mac-salad. This dish is perfect island comfort food. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family and I do. Enjoy!
