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Kalua Pork in a blue bowl
Hawaiian / Main Dish / Pork / Recipe's

Kalua Pork (Hawaiian Pulled Pork)

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Delicious, tender hawaiian pulled pork
shredded Kalua Pork in a blue bowl

Mom used to make some delicious Kalua Pork growing up.  She would rub the pork with rock salt and add some liquid smoke and cook on low all day. The smell coming from the oven was divine!

When it was done, falling off the bone, she would shred it and drizzle with soy sauce. I would steal bites while she was doing this. Kalua Pork is one of those things that you could just stand in the kitchen and pick with your fingers. I’m sure she had to slap my little hands away to get it to the table.

Once it got to the table she would serve it with steamed rice and salad or coleslaw. Yum!

Kalua Pork

In this recipe, I used along with the liquid smoke and wrapped the pork in Ti leaves before sealing it into a tight foil package.

The Ti leaves add a nice floral note to the pork. If you can’t find Ti leaves, banana leaves can be used. You can usually find them at your local Asian grocery.

Hawaiian Pork in a blue bowl

What is Kalua Pork?

Kalua means to cook in a vessel in the ground. Like the Kalua pig that you would see at a traditional Hawaiian Luau. On the mainland, here, we roast it in the oven for several hours until it becomes fall apart tender and juicy.

Simple seasoning of Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt and liquid smoke (mesquite) give it a distinct and amazingly delicious flavor.

Kalua Pork is traditionally served with bowls of rice, cooked cabbage and some fresh pineapple. I like to add a side of macaroni or potato salad too.

Here’s how it’s made

Instructions:

Lay out foil on counter. wash Ti leaves and pat dry. Cut out the hard stem and and discard then

lay leaves out on top of foil.

Rinse pork and pat dry. cut little slits in pork with knife. Rub pork with the salt all over and into the slits. Rub liquid smoke into pork. Place on top of Ti leaves fat side up. Wrap Ti leaves around pork. Hold leaves into place and wrap tightly with the foil.

Place in a roasting pan with the 1 cup water. Place in a 350 degree oven and cook for about 5 hours. Remove from oven and let stand for about 15 minutes. Open package and remove pork to a large platter. Shred pork with 2 forks. Pour juices from inside foil over pork for extra flavor and juiciness. Then drizzle with a bit of soy sauce. Yum!

Serve this yummy Kalua Pork with:

Wine and Drink pairings:

  • Sauvignon Blanc ( New Zealand)
  • Reisling
  • Sparkling wine
  • Rose’
  • Pinot Noir
  • Pina Colada
  • Mai Tai
shredded Kalua Pork in a blue bowl

Kalua Pork

Delicious, tender hawaiian pulled pork
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, hawaiian
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: Hawaiian pork roast, kalua pork, Pork
Servings: 8
Calories: 216kcal
Author: angela@mealstreetkitchen

Ingredients

  • 3 pound Pork shoulder blade roast bone-in about 3 lbs
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian Alaea salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 3 Ti leaves or banana leaves (optional)
  • 1 cup water
  • foil
  • Soy sauce

Instructions

Lay out foil on counter. wash Ti leaves and pat dry. Cut out the hard stem and and discard then

    lay leaves out on top of foil.

      Rinse pork and pat dry. cut little slits in pork with knife. Rub pork with the salt all over and into the slits. Rub liquid smoke into pork. Place on top of Ti leaves fat side up. Wrap Ti leaves around pork. Hold leaves into place and wrap tightly with the foil.

        Place in a roasting pan with the 1 cup water. Place in a 350 degree oven and cook for about 5 hours. Remove from oven and let stand for about 15 minutes. Open package and remove pork to a large platter. Shred pork with 2 forks. Pour juices from inside foil over pork for extra flavor and juiciness. Then drizzle with a bit of soy sauce. Yum!

          Nutrition

          Calories: 216kcal | Protein: 38g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 1403mg | Potassium: 643mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2mg
          Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

          4 Comments

          • google.com, pub-3828209489036007, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0
          • Ronit Penso Tasty Eats
            June 6, 2022 at 5:56 am

            This sounds amazing.
            I like using Hawaiian Alaea salt in marinades. It gives such lovely earthy flavor. 🙂

            Reply
            • angela@mealstreetkitchen
              June 6, 2022 at 7:24 am

              Thank you 😊. I haven’t used it in marinades. I will have to give that a try!

              Reply
          • Angela@mealstreetkitchen
            June 20, 2017 at 12:26 pm

            Thank you Brent. I hope you will give it a try.☺️

            Reply
          • Angela@mealstreetkitchen
            June 18, 2017 at 9:53 pm

            Thank you!☺️

            Reply
          5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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