I love to cook.
Unfortunately, the elaborately planned, well-balanced meals I used to make for my husband before we had kids have made way to Mac and Cheese, carrot sticks, and a side of ranch (for extra calcium). And while I’m not a gourmet chef by any means (we can’t all be Kludgy Mom, for Pete’s sake), every once in a while, I’ll plan ahead and make something that I actually like.
Kalua Pig would be one of those dishes. In yesterday’s post, I mentioned making Kalua Pig, and a couple of people inquired about the recipe. So I thought I’d share.
There are actually a couple of ways you can get really good Kalua Pig. You can:
- Book a flight to Hawaii and go to an authentic luau.
- Dig a pit in your backyard, and throw in some lava rocks. Kill a pig and wrap in banana leaves. Roast slowly for 8-10 hours.
- Cheat and make it in the oven or crockpot.
Since banana leaves are hard to come by in these parts, I usually opt for #3. But, just so you know, there are other options as well.
Kalua Pig
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb pork butt
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 tblsp liquid smoke
- 2-3 tablespoons hawaiian salt (regular sea salt will work)
Directions: The night before the feast, rub pork with salt and place in crockpot. Add apple cider and liquid smoke. Turn crockpot on low and leave it to cook for 10-12 hours, flipping pork over halfway through. Take meat out of the crockpot and shred. Gorge yourself silly.
That’s it! It’s actually very, very easy to make, and it’s a dish my whole family loves (kids included).
One other caveat I will mention… around here we don’t call it Kalua Pig. Because when my kids think of the word “pig,” they think of this:
Funny thing is? When I change the name to Kalua Pork, they hastily gobble it up. Because, as I’ve learned, pig is not the same thing as pork… at least not to a toddler.
Oh, and now that I've seen that picture of Wiiiilbur I won't be able to eat this no matter how good the recipe looks. Darn blasted! Can you photoshop Wilbur's head onto a bar of chocolate and a caramel apple? Then maybe I'd have a psychological aversion to those as well and I could get over my addiction to sweets. Those 2 at least!
My husband grew up in Hawaii. He loves himself some Kalua pig too. Don't forget the mac salad, short ribs, and white rice. Maybe I'll make this for him. Maybe. =)
I haven't made this in ages, but I've never tried it with apple cider. Sounds awesome! I think I'll give that a try next week…Sunday maybe…so we can smell it all day… I'm so hungry!
Oooh, an overnight crock pot recipe! I need to try this!Can I make a request? It's something I've wanted for some time, but I understand if you prefer not to. But if you don't mind, I'd LOVE if you offered the email subscription!
OMG now I'm drooling! And that picture doesn't help at all I would still want a taste of that pork LOL
I think I want to make it just so I can say I bought pork butt!
It sounds awesome! I can almost taste it…but yeah, can't call it "pig" and look Babe in the eye ever again. I still remember when my daughter figured out that hamburgers came from cows…not from hams, whatever they were.
This is so on next weeks menu.
Oh yeah, that sounds pretty darn delicious! Makes me long for a Hawaiian vacation though too…
4-5 lbs of pork butt. I love it!! That sounds mighty yummy, actually. Thanks so much for sharing. I've been having the pork/pig issues at home too. It's also becoming a chicken/poultry issue too. Sigh.
i shared a recipe for kalua pig too! great minds =) we don’t use apple cider vinegar, though. maybe i’ll try that next time!