Kalua Pig in a Slow Cooker Recipe

This recipe was fantastic!! It was indistinguishable from the Kalua Pig my dad sends from Hawaii. I used Trader Joe's Black Hawaiian Sea Salt. I put a 3lb roast in the crock pot around 10:30PM, turned it over around 9AM, shredded the pork in the juices around 1PM, and had a delicious meal at 5PM. I put the reheated leftovers over cabbage stir fried with a little soy sauce and garlic powder...and rice. It was DELICIOUS!!!

Very good recipe! Couldn't tell much of a difference in the traditional "pig" and this recipe. Only thing I did differently was to slice open a banana (leave in the peel) and set it on top of the roast while it cooks to give it the taste of actually being wrapped in banana leaves prior to cooking it underground (make sure you remove the banana after the pig is fully cooked). Sounds weird, but this gives the pig a very SLIGHT sweet taste which the islands are famous for. After shredding the meat and removing the fat from the juice, I added 1 more tsp of liquid smoke and let the pig cook in it's juice for 1 hour more. Perfect pig!!! Served with the Hawaiian Cold Slaw from this site (which was a perfect complement to the meal) and Sweet Hawaiian bread rolls. If you close your eyes and listen you'd swear you could hear the waves on the beach, smell the lightly scented breeze in the palms, and feel the sand between your toes. This recipe is that good!! Thanks so much to Kikuchan for submitting it!!!

THIS WAS INCREDIBLE!!! If I could give 10 stars I would!! Thanks to margarita4, I found the sea salt(Ming Tsai brand blue ginger at Target.) At first I was looking for something in a papper package like most salts are in and for something white. But it's in a tiny glass jar and the salt is a pinky salmon color(4-oz. $3.99) I had a 7 lb. bone in pork butt. It barely fit in my crock pot, but I managed! I started it at midnight, flipped it over at 8:30 in morning and let it cook until 4:30. Added 2 tsp. additional liquid smoke. It was done before that, but I kept it going like recipe said and there was hardly any fat in this. Hard to believe only 3 ingredients could taste so good! My sister in law lived in Hawaii for 3 yrs. and said it was just like what they had there. I love pork and have had it many ways, this ranks right up there with pig roasts, it is my favorite so far. I had 8 guests and they were all ewing and awing over this. It was fabulous and will make this often. Thanks Kay for sharing this, I'm so grateful!

My pork was to die for delicious. We had around 30 people over and all they talked about was how good the meat tasted. I bought an 8.5 lb roast, so it wouldn't fit in my crock pot. I set the oven on 200 and let it cook in there for 20 hours. Then when I shredded it, I put the shredded meat in the crock pot, poured some of the juices on it and put the crock pot on warm. Thanks for the delicious recipe!

Having relocated from Hawaii to the mainland 6 yrs. ago, this is the same recipe we all use (even when in Hawaii, because who can afford to roast a whole pig?). Pork Butt works the best (because that is what we are used to and it can be found for .99 lb. Other ingredients to add: 1 Hawaiian chile pepper and for a change of flavor: Garlic and Bay leaves. Since it is impossible to find Hawaiian chili peppers, I use finely and SPARINGLY chopped habanero (about 4 small slices). It is pretty authentic. To those that say the roast is salty: is because the slow cooker intensifies the flavor, so it is best to add less at the beginning and add more later if needed. Just a good rub around the pork with Hawaiian Salt will do it. Happy Grinds! Aloha!

Wow! My family thought it tasted better than the real imu cooked pig we ate at a luau last week. I followed the recipe ingredients measurements on a 3lb boneless pork butt and cooked it for 10 hours. After shredding the meat, I put the meat back into the fat oil still in the crockpot, still on at low heat and added another half tablespoon of liquid smoke. I let it sit for about 15 minutes and it was soooo "ono" (mmmmgoood)! Mahalo!

This was my third try making this, the first two times it was just okay, and too salty for my taste. However, the first time I only cooked it on high for 6 hours or so, then shredded and served. The second time, I cooked it overnight, then shredded and served. Both times I used white Hawaiian sea salt, but the second time I added apple sider hoping it would give it a little extra something. I'm determined to get a good kalua recipe for a party I hope to have next month and all my searches kept coming back to this recipe so I had to give it another shot. This time, I followed some of the other reviewers tips and it was great! Here is what I did differently: I used a smaller (3 pound) bonless pork shoulder, 1.5 teasp MESQUITE liquid smoke, 1.5 teasp. RED hawaiian sea salt, and placed an unpeeled (but cracked open) banana on top of the roast in the crockpot. Cooked on low for 10 hours, then put the drippings in the freezer for an hour and then skimmed the fat off. Shredded the pork and placed it back in the crockpot with the defatted juices for about another 3 hours (remember I have a smaller roast) and it was so much better this time around! I think the shredding and putting it back to simmer makes a huge difference. This is now my party recipe! Thanks to all for sharing your tips, it's much appreciated! note: my husband has a sweet tooth and wanted me to try adding a little brown sugar at the end, so we'll try that as well, for a non authentic but sweeter variation. ;)

Can't believe the complaints this had no flavor, it's pork, salt & smoke, not supposed to have a bunch of different flavors. Does bacon have a lot of flavors? No & it's yummy! (Though this isn't supposed to be as salty as bacon). Also many saying it's way too salty, I suspect they didn't use the right kind of salt. I assume this was written for the big chunky Hawaiian sea salts, which where I shop is sold in a bag right next to canisters of super-fine Hawaiian sea salt (finer than table salt). If you use the latter it would certainly be way too salty. If I don't have the chunky salt I use half the amount of kosher salt & it's not too salty, you still get the yummy flavor of pork. This makes quite a lot of meat, & for us it's 3 whole meals...(day 1) Kalua pork, served with sticky rice & mac salad; (day 2) Pulled pork - add BBQ sauce & nuke, serve on buns; (day 3) Carnitas - crisp up the pork in a skillet with a squirt of juice from a plastic lime, sprinkle of cumin, & fresh cilantro if I have it, served with guacamole & salsa. Love it when leftovers can be made into meals that are so different they don't seem like leftovers, & all 3 of these meals are inexpensive, easy, & don't require hardly any hands-on time in the kitchen!

THIS WAS DELICIOUS. I MADE THIS THE FIRST TIME WITH SEA SALT AS I DID NOT HAVE THE HAWAIIAN SEA SALT. IT WAS SUPERB. I WANTED TO MAKE IT AGAIN SO I LOOKED FOR THE HAWAIIAN VERSION IN THE STORE AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THE PRICE OF $14.00! I WAS SO CURIOUS TO SEE IF THERE WAS SUCH A DIFFERENCE THAT I BOUGHT IT. SAVE YOUR MONEY, I COULD TELL NO DIFFERENCE! SERVED IT WITH YELLOW RICE WITH BLACK BEANS...SOOOO GOOD!

This is the real deal! I am from Hawaii and living in the mainland, so no imu roasts in the yard like we had growing up. Slow cooker is the next best thing. This is basically the same recipe I have been using to introduce the mainlanders to our way of eating. Sea salt is a must! If you use regular salt it will be way too salty. I have just 2 small recommendations. 1) Place the pork butt with the fat side up to start. 2) Mix the liquid smoke with 2 cups water and pour over the top before coating with the sea salt. With the water added, no need to turn the pork. Just let it cook on high for 8-10 hours and shred. Add the pork back to the liquid because it's loaded with flavor. ... To really go island style, chop up a head of cabbage and add to the shredded pork then cook until it softens. May need a little pepper and soy sauce as the cabbage sucks up the salt. Broke da mouth! (delicious)

I was stationed at Pearl Harbor and I ate like a local all the time

In a saucepan add some acv, red pepper and a little bit of ketchup. If you need measurement's just look up eastern North Carolina BBQ sauce.

This super easy recipe is one I come back to over and over again. I’ve used any type of pork roast and it turns out delicious! The leftover are great in other recipes like quesadillas and tacos. We love it!

I am so addicted to this recipe. I’ve been making one every weekend and having it with just a little bbq sauce for lunch/dinner throughout the week. Almost straight protein! I’m super picky about eating fat so I take plenty of time shredding and cleaning out the fat and then put it on the stove in a pot where I add back all of the broth that I strained and put in the fridge to separate while I defatted the roast. While in the pot simmering I’ll usually add a little pork fat from the broth, some more salt and lots more liquid smoke. If you like pulled pork, you’ll love this!

A keeper! Our pork was 7lbs. I was short on time so I cooked it for 5 hours on high and then 5 on low. I also added a banana on top like reviews mentioned. Serving with a Mac salad and rice! I can’t wait to try this with the full 16-20 hours on low! So so so good. Thank you!

I have made this dish 3 times and and today will be my 4th. unbelievable simple dish and has the taste of its original namesake.

I have made this several times for big parties and family gatherings and I never have leftovers. I recommend using Wright's Liquid Smoke. It makes the best pulled pork with a near authentic flavor.

This is so simple. And it’s a great base for many different uses. Great by it self. Or add bbq sauce after cooking. Or make numerous Mexican dishes. Only your imagination is the limit

Tasted even better than I thought.