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Pretty much every movie or TV sitcom that finds the characters in Hawaii will feature a luau. And, one of the staples of any luau is Kalua pig. The word Kalua actually means “to cook in an underground oven.” So, as the name implies, Kalua pig refers to pig that is cooked in an imu (a type of underground oven).
Being a South Floridian, I eat my fair share of pork. However, our choices are usually either a Cuban-style pork, or a traditional BBQ pulled pork. While I most certainly take no issue with either one, the prospect of Kalua pork intrigued me. Of course, replicating the wonder of Kalua pig would have been next to impossible. Thankfully, the Internet provided many recipe alternatives to digging a hole in the ground, of which used either an oven or a slow cooker. I decided to go with an oven roasted rendition, but try it out in my electric roaster. I figured that, when lined with banana leaves, it would simulate the effect of an imu better than the other two methods. And, because I can rarely leave a recipe well enough alone, I added some garlic, ginger, and soy sauce to my pork. I was made to understand that, in certain regions of Hawaii, these ingredients are perfectly acceptable.
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| Lined roaster |
First, I washed and cleaned the banana leaves (I didn’t bother looking for the ti leaves, since I had banana leaves in the freezer), then placed a layer of them down in the electric roaster to cover the entire interior.
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| Marinade! |
Then, I made the marinade. I mixed equal parts liquid smoke and soy sauce, then added garlic and ginger that I pulsed through my mini food processor. I let this mixture sit for 15-20 minutes.
Rinse your pork shoulder with cold water, then dry with paper towels. Make diagonal cuts across the surface of the pork, about 1 inch deep. My cuts may have been deeper than that. Who knows?
Pour the marinade mixture over the top of the pork. Make sure the garlic and ginger pieces get into the grooves that you made. Sprinkle it with pink Hawaiian sea salt, and massage it into the pork and grooves. After this, I put mine in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. I am not sure if this step is really necessary, but I just wanted the pork to start roasting at a specific time, so I put it away until the time came.
Place your marinated pork shoulder in the leaf-lined roaster.
Then, cover it with more leaves. Tuck the leaves in so that they are snug around the pork shoulder.
Now, fold read of the leaves over to create a nice little porky package, place the lid on your electric roaster, turn it to 250 degrees, and roast for about 8 hours. I set it up before bedtime, in order to awaken to a cooked pork shoulder.
When the time is up, you will be rewarded with tender, juicy meat that literally falls off the bone. I didn’t even need to shred with a fork or my hands. It just fell apart when I grabbed it with my tongs.
Once shredded, serve it however you wish! I ate it just like that! I’d also like to point out that I did not discard all of the pan drippings. I poured most of it back over the shredded pork to keep it moist.
Overall, I was pleased with my results. My friend, who went to college in Hawaii for some years, even told me that it tastes very close to how it tastes on the island. So, I’d say that is a SUCCESS! Definitely an awesome change of pace from the usual Cuban mojo pork.
Kalua Pork (adapted from Oven Kalua Pork)
Ingredients
- 8-9lb pork shoulder (or boston butt roast, if you prefer)
- 1-2 tbsp liquid smoke
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 1/2 tbsp Hawaiian pink salt
- Ti leaves or banana leaves
Directions
Line the inside of an electric roaster with leaves until the entire interior is covered. In a small bowl, combine liquid smoke, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes.
Wash and dry your pork shoulder. Make diagonal cuts across the surface, and then pour the marinade over the pork. Make sure that marinade gets in all of the grooves.
Place your pork shoulder in the roasting pan, then cover tightly with leaves. Fold the remaining leaves over the pork to form a tight seal.
Cover the roaster, then roast at 250 degrees for approximately 8 hours. You can test with a meat thermometer to make sure that the kalua pork is done.
April 17, 2017 at 12:49 pm
what can I use in place of banana leaves? I don’t have access to those.
April 17, 2017 at 10:01 pm
Hello Julie!
Do you have access to Ti leaves? I use banana leaves because they are easier to find than those, but the original recipe calls for Ti leaves (allegedly found at an Asian grocery store).
Otherwise, you can just omit the leaves. It will still be tasty, I’m sure. 🙂
May 5, 2017 at 12:26 am
How much would you increase the cooking time on a 12-13 lbs pork shoulder/butt?
May 5, 2017 at 8:42 am
Hello Samantha! I have done a 12lb shoulder in about 10 hours. I basically put it in the roaster before I leave for work and it’s around the time that I get home.
May 11, 2017 at 10:00 am
Hi I noticed by the photos you lined your roaster before lining with the banana leaves, can you tell me what you lined it with and is it necessary, thanks.
May 11, 2017 at 10:08 am
Hello Patricia.
The plastic thing you see underneath the banana leaves is an electric roaster liner and is not necessary. It was just there to make cleanup easier for me. 🙂
April 26, 2019 at 1:03 pm
I have to make pulled pork for a luau we are having at our church for approximately 50 people. How much pork and what kind would I need?
April 26, 2019 at 6:18 pm
Hi Bonnie.
I’m not a professional caterer, so I’m not sure how helpful I can be in this case. Most web sites I have seen recommend 1lb per person. So, for 50 people I would say that 50lbs is a good starting point. I have been able to fit 2 10lb pork shoulders in my roaster at once, but that is still only 20lbs, so you would have to start way ahead to cook that much.
June 21, 2019 at 11:13 am
Bonnie
How did the luau go? How much did you cook? Was it too much? I find people usually only eat a small amount of this or make it go farther by making sliders with Hawaiian rolls.
Well just curious…
September 9, 2019 at 8:16 pm
Have you tried this with a turkey? It would probably be around 12-14 lbs.
September 10, 2019 at 8:56 am
Hello Lori.
Never tried it with a turkey but that sounds great! Let us know how it turns out if you try it. I only ever make “Thanksgiving-style” roasted turkey with gravy in my roaster.
July 17, 2019 at 1:35 pm
Does it have to be a butt or shoulder? I have a 10 lbs whole pork loin.
July 17, 2019 at 1:40 pm
Hello Pamela.
You probably can, but it may not be as moist due to being a leaner cut of pork.
July 17, 2019 at 1:44 pm
Ok gonna try it! Any idea on length of time. Whole loin no bone. I don’t feel like butchering it. I have a large group coming Sat. Thought it would be a good use.
July 17, 2019 at 2:03 pm
I looked it up online, and it says 2.5hrs per pound! Goodness, that means your loin would be roasting for an entire day, which doesn’t sound quite right. Do you have a meat thermometer? The internal temperature of the pork should be at least 190 degrees if you want to shred it. I would say to plan for at least 8 hours.
What I like to do is set up my roaster before I go to bed, and when I wake up in the morning the pork should be done or almost done.
July 17, 2019 at 2:09 pm
I do have a thermometer. I looked it up too, said 12 hours. Yikes. I am tempted to season it and sous vide.
July 19, 2019 at 12:47 am
Help, I am cooking “two” 10-11 pound roasts in my electric roaster. How long do I cook them at 250? You told someone you once cooked 2 10 Lb roasts in your roaster. How long did you cook them at 250? These are bone in. I am supposed to cook them this Saturday. Help!
July 19, 2019 at 11:22 am
Hello Vanessa. For me, the amount of time didn’t change when I cooked 2 roasts vs 1 roast, but I strongly recommend tracking with a meat thermometer (must reach at least 190 degrees to be shredded) and plan for at least 8 hours. If you’re worried about it being cooked it time, maybe put the pork down before bed tonight and check it in the morning. You can always warm it up before serving.
July 26, 2020 at 2:23 pm
Cooked a 13lb roast overnight (11 hours) @250°. Wrapped roast in banana leaves, placed inside turkey roasting bag. Result: perfection! Will enjoy this served tonight with BBQ sauce on Hawaiian rolls.
August 4, 2020 at 1:31 pm
Taralyn,
Sounds delicious! Hope you enjoyed!