Okay, I can't even pretend to call this Kalua Pork, it's just too far off the traditional recipe.
So going forward I'm just gonna call it Hawaiian Hog.
Kalua Pork
If you go to a luau in Hawaii you're going to see pork one of two ways, whole pig or pig parts wrapped in banana and/or Ti leaves and sometimes burlap and cooked in a covered rock lined pit with hardwood coals,
Kiawe is the commonly used wood, us mainland haoles know it as Mesquite.
Traditionally it is simply seasoned with Alaea salt, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in an earthen pit.
The pit may or may not be lined with rock, it is airtight or almost so and thus the smoke flavor is infused into the meat and it is pretty strong.
Digging a pit in the Wife's backyard poses a problem, so that leaves the oven, slow cooker or smoker.
In researching recipes I found many ways to marinate and spice it from half a dozen sources, including some folks I know who live in a Hawaii.
The most agreed upon traditional recipes all call for three primary ingredients, Alaea salt, liquid smoke and banana leaves.
Everything else is individual preference, marinating or not, fruit or veggies and other spices.
This is my second go at this recipe, first time I thought it lacked enough pineapple and ginger so this time added more.
I had two 4lb bone-in butts that I made a marinade for,
Marinade
5c Orange juice
2 20oz cans diced pineapple in pineapple juice
1c minced ginger
2T minced garlic
1/2c Soy sauce
1/2c Ponzu sauce
1/8c Fish sauce
1/8c liquid smoke
4T Alaea salt, Hawaiian red clay salt
Marinated overnight, remove from the marinade and lightly salted the pork.
Strain the fruit and veggies from the marinade and include them with the pork.
Then either wrap in multiple layers of banana leaves and truss, or line a slow cooker or dutch oven with layered banana leaves, wrap and cover.
Fire up the smoke with a 60/40 mix of mesquite and hickory.
This is one time where I want a heavier smoke, not thin blue smoke.
Because the meat is well protected by the leaves it can take the heavy smoke, it really needs it and the liquid smoke to get that intensely smokey flavor.
Example of wrapped and trussed.
In a dutch oven.
Here are pics from today's cook.
Marinade
Lining the Dutch Oven
Ready to Wrap
Done Cooking
Super Tender Hawaiian Hog
Dinner is Served
So going forward I'm just gonna call it Hawaiian Hog.
Kalua Pork
If you go to a luau in Hawaii you're going to see pork one of two ways, whole pig or pig parts wrapped in banana and/or Ti leaves and sometimes burlap and cooked in a covered rock lined pit with hardwood coals,
Kiawe is the commonly used wood, us mainland haoles know it as Mesquite.
Traditionally it is simply seasoned with Alaea salt, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in an earthen pit.
The pit may or may not be lined with rock, it is airtight or almost so and thus the smoke flavor is infused into the meat and it is pretty strong.
Digging a pit in the Wife's backyard poses a problem, so that leaves the oven, slow cooker or smoker.
In researching recipes I found many ways to marinate and spice it from half a dozen sources, including some folks I know who live in a Hawaii.
The most agreed upon traditional recipes all call for three primary ingredients, Alaea salt, liquid smoke and banana leaves.
Everything else is individual preference, marinating or not, fruit or veggies and other spices.
This is my second go at this recipe, first time I thought it lacked enough pineapple and ginger so this time added more.
I had two 4lb bone-in butts that I made a marinade for,
Marinade
5c Orange juice
2 20oz cans diced pineapple in pineapple juice
1c minced ginger
2T minced garlic
1/2c Soy sauce
1/2c Ponzu sauce
1/8c Fish sauce
1/8c liquid smoke
4T Alaea salt, Hawaiian red clay salt
Marinated overnight, remove from the marinade and lightly salted the pork.
Strain the fruit and veggies from the marinade and include them with the pork.
Then either wrap in multiple layers of banana leaves and truss, or line a slow cooker or dutch oven with layered banana leaves, wrap and cover.
Fire up the smoke with a 60/40 mix of mesquite and hickory.
This is one time where I want a heavier smoke, not thin blue smoke.
Because the meat is well protected by the leaves it can take the heavy smoke, it really needs it and the liquid smoke to get that intensely smokey flavor.
Example of wrapped and trussed.
In a dutch oven.
Here are pics from today's cook.
Marinade
Lining the Dutch Oven
Ready to Wrap
Done Cooking
Super Tender Hawaiian Hog
Dinner is Served