I’ve been craving Hawaiian food, so I decided to make slow cooker kalua pig for dinner this last weekend. My parents often stop by on Sundays for dinner and I have been making something special for dinner to serve them lately.
I found an authentic kalua pig recipe at Allrecipes.com and gave it a try. I had to adapt their recipe for the stores in our area rarely have a pork roast over 3 pounds. I sprinkled a 3 pound pork butt with Himalayan sea salt (I used the grinder that the rock Himalayan sea salt came in), and pepper. I seared the roast on all sides and placed into my slow cooker. I added 1 cup water, and 2 teaspoons hickory liquid smoked. I cooked the roast on LOW for 12 hours while my husband, daughter and I went fishing (didn’t catch a thing!).
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I made this Summer Garden Pasta Salad to go with the pork, you can find the recipe over at That’s My Home, were I guest posted. You can find Mary Ellen here at Facebook, Pinterest, and Google Plus.
- 3 lbs. Pork butt roast
- ¼ tsp. ground pink Himalayan sea salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 2 Tbsp. canola oil
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp. hickory smoke
- I start by rinsing the roast with water and patting dry with paper towels (why is pork so slimey!!).
- Sprinkle the roast with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet set to medium-high heat, heat up the oil, and sear the roast on all sides. Add to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Add the water, and hickory smoke.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 12 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Drain the juices from the slow cooker, reserving some if you want to serve the roast with them.
- Shred the pork in the slow cooker with 2 forks, discarding fat.
- Serve with rice and pasta salad. I like to serve this with sriracha hot sauce too.
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com
I am very curious — I have never used or even heard of Himalayan sea salt. Does it really make a difference in the flavor?
Absolutely! Especially with any kind of smoking or smoke flavoring. In fact for me it’s a must.
I’ve been trying the pink Himalayan salt and I also cook with grey sea salt.. My current favorite is Maldon sea salt flakes! I also use Morton’s coarse kosher salt and fine natural sea salt. I’ve noticed a big difference in how each type of sea salt flavors the food, especially meat. Some in the family think I don’t use nearly as much salt anymore…but I use just about the same amount. The taste is different. In any case, sea salt is better for you! De
I love the pink salt but I usually use it as a finishing salt. Looking forward to trying this.
This looks fabulous Sarah. I love trying different salts. I bet the house smelled amazing when you came in and that pasta salad looks perfect with it. Thanks for guest posting today for me!
Yummmm! This looks so easy to make and sounds delish! I’m all over this recipe! Thanks for sharing!!
Kalua pork is such a crowd pleaser! I usually use sea salt, but I do have Himalayan salt, so I’ll have to give that a try! The liquid smoke is so key for this dish. Looks fantastic, Sarah!
I’m very excited about seeing this! I’m wanting to do a crockpot pork for our open house next weekend but didn’t want to deal with the BBQ sauce. I’m going to try this recipe out! Looks delish!
My husband would love that pork! It looks good. And, I love that pasta dish. That looks super yum! Together, it’s a perfect meal! Yum!
I use apple juice in place of water and also add a small cup of applesauce, lots of sliced onions and some Worchestershire sauce. Before serving, I stir fry 1 whole shredded green cabbage, 2 onions and a can or two of pineapple chunks then add the cooked pork to it to make it go further. Sooo, Ono! I add bar b Q sauce to any leftover pork for shredded pork sandwiches.
p.s. Use the reserved liquid and fat from the pork to season the cabbage stir-fry to taste! Great dish for potlucks!
I make Kalua Pork at least several time a year, but with a few differences. For the liquid, I use Apple Cider, and liquid smoke to taste. My preference is Hawaiian Sea Salt, also “to taste”. I cover the pork butt with Luau leaves and it gives it that true Hawaiian flavor. I’ve not tried making it in the slow, cooker tho as I use my pressure cooker and cook it for 70 minutes. The port is tender and easily “torn apart” with a fork. It’s onolicious!