ISO Kahlua Pork Recipe - Advice

[josh_swinehart]

Hi everyone. There are an absolute ton of Hawaiian BBQ places in my area. 3+ in my town alone, including one in the Mall where I work. I really like their Kalua Pork but I am tired of spending food court prices for pulled pork, rice and macaroni salad. So, I ask you fine folks if you have any suggestions for a killer Kalua Pork. The recipes I have found online so far basically consist of:

Pork Butt
Water
Liquid Smoke
Salt

Sounds easy enough, some others call for garlic, soy sauce, and ginger. Same recipes have it roast in a pan, some wrap it in foil, some in leaves (ti, banana, etc.)

So, anyone have any excellent advice for me?

Oh, and can I make it my slow-cooker?

Thanks in advance,

-Josh hart

[kitchenelf]

I would use all the spices mentioned - or those you want to use anyway.

Set your oven to 225 degrees F. Set your pork directly on the rack fat cap up or remove cap. Place a pan underneath filled with apple juice. Cook until it reaches an internal temp of 200 degrees F. to 210 degrees F. But definitely NOT under 190 degrees F.

Depending on how big this hunk of meat is it can take anywhere from 12 hours to 20 hours.

If you have a smoker I prefer cooking that way.

AND, leave enough room in the pan for the pork to release some fat/grease.

[chefa1a]

To achieve a good pulled pork you need a moist cooking method

Chef Roy Yamaguchi recommends the banana leaf method

he said it rivals the French Confit method (cooking in its own fat)

If you dont have the leaves they sell plastic oven roasting bags in the supermarkets, then wrap in foil



Kalua Pork

Yield: 4-6 servings

Pork butt (boneless) 4 lbs
Liquid smoke seasoning 2 Tbsp
Salt, kosher, sea or Hawaiian 2 Tbsp
Ti leaves or banana leaves (opt.) ribs removed 1 or 2 each


METHOD


Basic Steps: Marinate → Wrap → Roast → Shred

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Cut slits about 1/2" deep all around the pork butt. Rub the salt and liquid smoke in all over the roast including into the slits.
2. Wrap the roast up in ti or banana leaves if you have them. Do this as if you were making a burrito with the roast as the filling and the leaves as the tortilla. Tie with string to hold the leaves tight and then wrap well again with aluminum foil.
3. Place in a roasting pan and put into the oven. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 275º, and roast another 4-6 hours.

[Recipe4Living]

Ingredients

5 lb. pork butt roast
1 Tbs. liquid smoke flavoring
2 1/2 Tbs. Hawaiian sea salt (or Kosher salt), divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rub liquid smoke and 1 1/2 Tbs. of the salt into the skin of the pork. Wrap well in foil, and seal completely. Place in a roasting pan. Bake in preheated oven until an internal temperature of 160 degrees is reached, about 5 hours. Remove from oven and let cool before shredding. Sprinkle the shredded meat with the remaining 1 Tbs. of salt.