American
Hawaiian Kalua Pork
The pit experience recreated at home — silky, smoky and ceremonially delicious.
Recipe by Cyman Huang
Cooked, styled and photographed in his kitchen.
In Hawaiian tradition, kalua pork is cooked in an imu — an underground oven lined with hot lava rocks and ti leaves — for 8–12 hours, producing pork of extraordinary tenderness with a subtle smokiness and deeply savory richness.
This oven method uses liquid smoke and banana leaves (or foil) to achieve a remarkably faithful approximation. Not as theatrical as the imu, but profoundly delicious and entirely achievable on a Sunday afternoon.
Watch it come together
Ingredients
- 5–6 lb bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
- 2 tbsp Hawaiian red alaea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1½ tbsp liquid smoke (hickory)
- Banana leaves or heavy-duty foil for wrapping
- Cooked white rice, for serving
- Cabbage, shredded, for the traditional side
Method
- 1
PREP: Pierce the pork all over with a fork or knife tip. Rub liquid smoke evenly over all surfaces, then rub salt generously on all sides. The simplicity is the point.
- 2
WRAP: Place a double layer of banana leaves (or heavy-duty foil) in a roasting pan or Dutch oven. Set the pork in the center and wrap tightly into a sealed package that traps steam.
- 3
SLOW ROAST: Cook in a 325°F oven for 6–8 hours until completely fall-apart tender and above 200°F internal. With a lidded Dutch oven you can drop to 275°F and extend to 8–10 hours for even more tenderness.
- 4
SHRED: Unwrap carefully and shred with two forks, pulling along the grain for long, silky pieces. Discard large fat pieces but keep the gelatinous rendered bits — they are the best parts.
- 5
SEASON WITH PAN JUICES: Pour the accumulated juices over the shredded pork and toss. Taste; it may need a little more salt.
- 6
SERVE with steamed white rice, sautéed cabbage with garlic and macaroni salad for a traditional plate lunch — or pile onto Hawaiian rolls.
Substitutions
- Chef's Tip: If you can find banana leaves at a Latin or Asian grocery store, use them. They add a subtle herbaceous fragrance that foil cannot replicate, and make for a dramatic presentation when you unwrap the pork at the table.
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