That’ll do, Pig

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:

1. Book a flight to Hawaii and go to an authentic luau.
2. 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.
3. 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.