What is Kalua Pork?
Kalua Pig is popular Hawaiian dish served at luaus where a whole pig is smoked in a sand pit with sea salt, banana leaves and koa wood. This simple crock pot method mimics the smoked flavor of using natural liquid smoke and the results are an easy, mouth-watering, juicy pork recipe anyone can make at home.
What goes good with Kalua Pork?
Boiled cabbage and steamed rice would be the most traditional way to eat Kalua Pork, but we eat it it so many different ways. We love them in lettuce wraps with rice and hoisin sauce pictured above, over rice with hot sauce, as a great big salad (pictured below) and we even make pork tacos with corn tortillas and a simple slaw. For Keto and Whole30 diets, serve it over cauliflower rice, with cabbage or salad. Enjoy!
Some Notes
I used a lean boneless shoulder blade roast, trimmed of all fat and Hawaiian sea salt which I found at Trader Joe’s. A pork loin roast would also work, although it’s a bit leaner and therefore drier. This slow cooks in your crock pot for about 12 to 16 hours so I often start mine at night and let it cook all night long. And since so many are asking, although I have and love my Instant Pot, I still love my slow cooker! I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker (affil link). I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it’s done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This slow cooker is so great, I actually own several!
