Tender, moist and smokey Kiawe-roasted Kalua Pig… Ono!
You can make Kalua Pig either the traditional way in an Imu (underground oven), or the easier faux method using liquid smoke in a conventional oven. Well leave the hard labor and the liquid smoke behind this time, as I’ll show you how to make Kalua Pig using Kiawe (mesquite) wood and a barbecue grill!
The natural smoked flavor from the Kiawe is unbeatable, and it’s relatively easy to do, only requiring a few simple steps, time and some TLC. If you like barbecuing (like me), this should be a fun and rewarding project!
What you will need for the fire:
- A large coal-burning barbecue grill that has a cover (in this case, I’m using the classic 22″ Weber Kettle Classic)
- Kiawe Wood Logs (if you don’t have this, use mesquite wood chips found at most grocery and hardware stores)
- Charcoal
- Disposable foil pan
- Lighter fluid
- Newspaper (to start burning coals)
What you will need for the pig:
- Pork butt (bone-in with plenty of fat is preferable for better flavor), in this demo, I’m using a 5 pound cut.
- Hawaiian rock salt
- Ti leaves (prepared by washing thoroughly and stems cut off), enough to completely wrap the pork butt(s). If you can’t get Ti leaves, use Banana leaves. You need this for proper flavor, so don’t omit it!
- 18″ width heavy-duty aluminum foil
First, prepare the pig…
Begin by laying a large sheet of foil on the work surface. Then layer the Ti Leaves (or Banana leaves) on the foil as shown above. Place the pork butt on the Ti Leaves, then sprinkle Hawaiian Salt on all surfaces of the Pork Butt. Enough just that it’s evenly, but not heavily covered (don’t over salt it!). If you want, you can lomi (massage) it in. Make sure the fat-side is up when wrapping it (as shown).
To wrap it all up, first gather up the Ti Leaves and wrap it over the pig, leaf by leaf, then hold them together with one hand, while with your other hand, bring up the foil to form a “packet”, which will look like this…
One thing critical in how you wrap it is that you provide a sealed “bottom” to retain all the flavorful juices from the pork. If there’s a leak on the bottom, the juices will drip off and your pig may turn out dry. So keep that in mind.
Finally, using a sharp knife, poke holes on the TOP SIDE of the packet to allow the smoke (flavoring!) in. Poke all the way through until it penetrates the meat. I’ve made 8 holes here.
Repeat this process for however many pork butts you plan on cooking. In this demonstration, I only made one. I’d say the 22″ Weber I used could fit about 4 total.
Put wrapped up pork butts in refrigerator and prepare the fire…
Before you begin, remember to WORK SAFELY. Just cook the pig. Not yourself or your house!
Build the fire by laying a (small) bed of 10 charcoal briquettes on one side of the bottom grate, with the Kiawe log sitting on top of it. Drizzle the coals and kiawe with enough lighter fluid for a light soak, then get the fire started with a crumpled newspaper on the side.
Here are several pieces of dried out Kiawe wood logs (hana hou photo added 3.13.07)…
The shorter dark ones on the left came from a more mature tree and are much more DENSE, hence they burn much longer. They’re a struggle to cut, even with a chainsaw; almost like cutting a metal pipe.
If you’re using Mesquite chips, use more coal (about 25 briquettes) and add the chips only when you’re ready to cook. Pre-soak the chips in water (for smoking).
When the lighter fluid has fully burned off, the coals are almost ashed over (white) and the Kiawe is burning consistently (usually takes about 30 minutes), it’s ready for the pig…
Place a foil pan filled with water next to the fire. This will create some steam in the chamber that will help keep the pig moist. Place the cooking grate on the grill then place the wrapped pig on it. In this case, the fire was REALLY HOT, so I kept the pig on the opposite end. This is INDIRECT cooking, where you’re only using the fire as heat source. DO NOT place the pig near the flame up area (shown on the left side).
If using Mesquite chips, this is the time to sprinkle them over the burning coals. It will immediately begin smoking.
Cover the grill.
Notice the billowing Kiawe smoke!
With the heat source on one side and the cover on, you’re basically turning your grill into an outdoor oven. Albeit, one with all that flavor-enhancing Kiawe smoke!
Set all the vents open, underneath and on the lid. Let the “Kalua’ing” begin! It takes about 6 hours for the pork to fully cook and reach fork-tender, fall-apart consistency. Because of this long duration, you’ll need to feed more Kiawe and Charcoal to the existing burning coals every hour or so. The charcoal briquettes can be slipped through the side opening of the grate, but you’ll need to remove the grate when adding the larger Kiawe log. You want to keep the heat inside the grill (not the meat) maintained between 250 to 325 degrees maximum. If in doubt, use a BBQ temperature gauge. I use the “hand-testing” technique, as I’ve done this many times already.
About 5 hours into the cooking time, it looks like this…
As you see, I’ve just fed more charcoal and a new chunk of Kiawe. The existing burning embers will eventually start to burn the new batch. The foil wrapper has taken on a bronzed color from the heat and billowing smoke created by the Kiawe wood (or Mesquite Chips if you use that). That new chunk of Kiawe will burn long enough for the final 2 hours of cooking it needs.
Remember to keep the grill COVERED throughout the cooking process (even though it’s tempting to look!). This is how you maintain and keep a stable cooking temperature. Only uncover it when you need to add more coal and/or Kiawe or Mesquite.
After approximately 7 hours, it should be done. Check it by opening the foil slightly and taking a fork to it, try to “pull” the pork. If it shreads easily, it’s done! Remove the pork butt(s) from the grill, bring into kitchen and prepare to shred the meat. Here it is just unwrapped. Yum!….
IMPORTANT! Before you open the foil, poke a whole on the bottom of the packet and drain the precious liquid into a clean transfer pan that you will use to shred the pig in. Then set the packet down, open the foil and Ti leaves and remove the cooked pork INTACT and place in transfer pan with cooking juices…
Discard foil and Ti leaves.
Using two forks, shred the Kalua Pig (that’s what it is now!) in the pan while it’s still hot. Taste test for saltiness. Adjust with more if necessary. After several times, you’ll get the hang of how much salt to use at the prep’ stage. Remember, you can always add, but you can’t subtract.
The finished result will look like this…
After shredding, that (originally) 5 lb. pork butt filled this entire 9″x11″x2″ deep pan… that’s alot of Kalua Pig!
That’s it. All pau cook. Now time to kaukau!
Notice how moist it looks. This is why you need to retain those cooking juices, so you can mix it with the Kalua Pig. Whinnahz.
This might be a good time to bust out that Squid Luau and Poi!…
If done properly, you can get “almost as good as the Imu” results in the oven thanks to the liquid smoke. Yet this barbecue grill method tastes that much closer to the Imu thanks to the natural smoke, without nearly as much work.
Hana hou photo added 3.13.07…
A full pan of about 13 lbs of Kalua Pig made from two very large pork butts. Next to it is a fresh bowl of 3 lbs. of Taro Brand Poi, which currently costs 11.99/bag at Costco. Ouch. The pork butt was on sale at Foodland for $1.49/lb. Cheap! Most of that pan will be bagged and frozen for a luau we’ll be throwing for a family visitor from the mainland a week from now.
Note that it took longer than 6 hours to cook those larger pork butts (about 8 lbs. each). Taking about 10 hours total and using more coals and Kiawe.
44 comments
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March 6, 2007 at 11:37 pm
alan
Nice! I’ve made crock-pot kalua pig more times than I can count, but never on the grill. Like you say, it’s one step closer to the imu. Next time, I’m trying this way.
March 7, 2007 at 1:32 am
Anuhea
Mmmm…looks soo good. Now that I know I don’t have to dig myself an imu and sweat over it all day, I’ll definately have to try this one!
March 7, 2007 at 3:49 am
LanaiLady
Your instructions were very clear and precise; it sounds so easy and looks so ono! Do you think a propane powered BBQ would work just as well? I would use the indirect heat method and mesquite chips. Mahalo!
March 7, 2007 at 6:15 am
pomai
LanaiLady,
Yes you certainly can, as long as you have a double burner gas grill. You will use only one of the burners as a heat source, which is also where you’ll be placing the wood chip foil packet.
Soak the mesquite chips in a bucket of water for at least 1 hour first. Then wrap a large handful of the chips in tinfoil and poke holes on top to allow the smoke to escape. Place it near the active burner where it will get enough heat to make the wood chips smoke. Put the wrapped pig on the cooking grate on other side with the inactive burner and close the cover. Make more mesquite chip foil packets so they’ll be ready to add when the current ones burn out.
This method is part-smoking, part-roasting and part steaming; similar to what an imu does. I would stop adding Mesquite after the 2nd half of the cooking time, as it might make the kalua pig taste over-smoked. Just keep the heat going from the gas burners for the last 3 or so hours.
Thanks for the nice comments folks!
March 7, 2007 at 10:40 am
Anonymous
My mother makes her kalua pig on the grill, too. It definately is delicious that way. Too bad I’m in an apartment complex and can’t grill. But I will be attempting crock pot kalua pig after seeing this, it has made me crave some!
March 9, 2007 at 8:20 am
Nate
Anybody try it in those stovetop smokers?
March 10, 2007 at 1:42 am
James Rubio
*mouth waters* Wow… Man, I wanted to try this with my weber, but I have the smaller version… and i dunno if everything can fit in it. Nothing beats real smoke.
I find it interesting how this technique is so similar to southern style bbq, but without the sauce and spices… might also try this with a beef brisket!
thanks
March 10, 2007 at 8:36 am
lindy
oooh that does look so ono!! ii love kalua pig! your photos and instructions are just wonderful !! i always look forward to your new entries.
March 13, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Chubbypanda
Thanks for the instructions, Pomai! You rock!
March 14, 2007 at 2:32 pm
veggielove
Wow… that looks incredible!
Why oh why was I vegetarian last time I went to Hawaii?
At least next time I’ll know (I don’t have a grill yet, and being a small-apartment dweller, probably wont anytime soon)
April 12, 2007 at 2:54 pm
JoAnn vs JoAnn » No Imu Kālua Pig
[...] Smoked Hawaiian-style pork on the grill Method adapted from Pomai’s The Tasty Island blog [...]
April 17, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Greg Kemp
You can get kiawe and guava wood chunks from hawaii through the internet.
Visit hawaiiguava.com for details.
Aloha,
Greg
June 1, 2007 at 5:23 am
Gwen
Can anyone tell me what I can use in place of ti leaves? Cannot find in California. Will ginger leaves work?
June 2, 2007 at 9:43 pm
pomai
Gwen,
I’ve heard mainland folks have had favorable flavor results using Banana leaves, although it gives off a slightly sweeter flavor. I’m sure banana leaves are available in California at the local farmer’s market, or wherever produce imported from Mexico are sold.
What’s insteresting is my Aunt who lives in Maryland says she has a Ti Leaf plant growing in her yard. I don’t believe it!
May 15, 2008 at 1:52 pm
The Founding Father
Great post, but LIGHTER FLUID!!! Dont go through all that work and kill it with even the slightest chance of lighter fluid ruining your fire and contaminating your pork. Use a weed burner or charcoal chimney to start the fire and you’ll be much better off!
http://themantuary.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/throwing-your-own-pig-roast/
June 16, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Joe
Decided to try this myself and it was ONO!!!
My friends loved it so much that they wanted me to make more for a surprise party she is throwing.
I used a gas smoker instead of a charcoal grill though. Used mequite chips instead of kiawe since I don’t have that around the Bay Area. I was able to find some Ti leaves where I usually get my groceries.
I didn’t rub too much salt on it but I added more after I shredded the pig.
I used kosher salt instead of hawaiian salt, any difference between the two? I also added some liquid smoke when I added the salt to add some more smoky flavor to it.
Thanks for the post, now I am looking forward to your future posts.
June 16, 2008 at 7:35 pm
pomai
Howzit Joe.
Glad to hear the recipe/method worked out for you!
Kosher salt is perfectly fine, which just has a slightly smaller grain texture to it.
Main thing is you had da’ Ti leaves! That’s a very important ingredient that separates Kalua Pig from just being “pulled pork”. It gives the meat that unique “Hawaiian” flavor.
I’ve read on the net about folks who use either Banana leaves or just tin foil, but I’m skeptical about that.
Let me know how your next batch turns out when/if you do that one for your friend’s surprise party.
Aloha,
Pomai
July 18, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Matt
This spring we went to Kauai and I loved the food, so I am hooked. I wanted to start cooking Hawaiian style dishes so I tried this for the 4th of July this year.
It turned out awesome, lots of compliments from the guests. I used a 9lb roast, which took about 7 hours to cook. I did it on my Weber Kettle using natural mesquite charcoal and soaked mesquite chips. I used a chimney starter to get my fire going.
I went to an Asian market and found frozen bananna leaves which I used instead of the ti leaves. I don’t have any Hawaiian salt, so I used kosher. I am going to buy the Hawaiian salt for next time.
The flavor was fantastic! Great for parties.
Thanks
July 20, 2008 at 9:28 am
pomai
Matt, that is awesome to hear! Even better that you went out of your way to seek out Banana leaves.
As far as buying Hawaiian Salt, I’d place more priority on getting Ti Leaves than Hawaiian Salt. The Kosher Salt is perfectly adequate. It’s the Ti Leaves that put the true “Kalua” in Kalua Pig, from a flavor point-of-view. I swear by that.
It sounds like you nailed the mesquite (a.k.a. Kiawe) smoking element of the process. A true pro!
July 22, 2008 at 4:10 am
Shawn
pomai
Thank you for posting such a great receipe and instruction!!!!! I have been doing research for a whil but have not seen anything like yours.
My daughter asked me for a Luau party for her 6th birthday. As a father I could not tell her no. I looked and looked and found your receipe. I am newer to this and thought I would try it before I served it. I tried it this weekend and it rocked. I followed this site the whole time. I cooked a bone-LESS, all I could get, 6 lbs pork butt for 7.5 hours in a vertical smoker with bannana leaves, kosher salt, and mesquite chips. The temp was between 200- 290 the whole time. It was great, although not perfect due to loosing juice. I want to make the real party the best ever. Could you answer a few things for me?
* How long would you smoke two 6 pound butts using the above stats?
* What should the temp of the pork butt be at the end?
* how much Salt???
*do you let the salt and pork sit overnight?
Sorry for the questions but there is no one else to help me make this party great.
July 22, 2008 at 4:45 am
pomai
Shawn,
First of all, you mentioned “loosing juice”, which is critical for the ideal flavor and texture of the finished Kalua Pig. If in doubt, place the two wrapped pork butts in a disposable pan while roasting to catch the drippings. Ideally, just make sure you wrap them properly with the aluminum foil to catch “the goodness”!
Now to answer your questions:
Q) How long would you smoke two 6 pound butts using the above stats?
A) As mentioned at the ending of this write-up, I had roasted 2 eight pound Pork Butts, and those two took 10 hours. I think you could reduce that time if you kept the heat on the higher side, like the 290 F. degree range. Then lower it towards the latter part of the cooking time.
Q) What should the temp of the pork butt be at the end?
A) To be honest, I don’t check the temperature of the meat itself, only monitoring the temperature of the Weber Grill’s roasting “chamber” while it was covered and cooking. If I were doing steak or Prime Rib, where medium-rare doneness was a requirement, of course I’d have a thermometer probe in the meat, not the cooking vessel.
With that, the cooking temperature in the chamber maintains a variable range between approx. 250-325 F. Towards the end of the 10-hour duration, I let the coals and Kiawe (Mesquite) completely burn off, then checked the meat for it to be “fork-tender, pulled-pork” done. <—-Only at that point will it be ready to serve. The only other variable I think you might have to consider and compensate by is the climate outside, wherever you live.
Q) how much Salt???
A) If you look at the photo I provided, you can see a sort of semi-liberal sprinkle. Kosher is a finer grain than Hawaiian Salt, yet perfectly fine. Think of how you would apply salt to table food, then kinda’ increase your “sprinkle rate” by about 50% more than that. The goal is to season the pork butt evenly enough to flavor its entire mass. If in doubt, go light, then you can easily compensate AFTER it’s done by taste-testing it. Add more salt while it’s still piping hot, just after you pulled it with the forks. You can’t go wrong that way. As you know with salt, you can always add, but you can’t subtract! Kalua Pig is not salty by any means. It should have balance.
Q) do you let the salt and pork sit overnight?
A) No. Not necessary. Even when a pig is “kalua’d” whole, the Hawaiian Salt is added just before it goes into the Imu. Same for this method.
Tip!…
Since you’re trying to recreate a Luau party for your daughter (very cool), based on your rather young guests, I’d recommend you complete the experience by looking online for recipes for:
• Chicken Long Rice
• Pipikaula (kinda’ like “Hawaiian style” Beef Jerky, but not as tough)
• Lomi Salmon (this is really good with the Kalua Pig!), besides, kids should learn to eat more fish. It’s healthy.. especially Salmon!
• Chicken Luau (this can be made using Spinach leaves). Everyone might be frightened by its appearance, but will revel in its flavor!
• Haupia dessert
The ingredients for these dishes should be readily available in your neck of the woods.
Most likely your 6 year old won’t like Poi, so don’t worry about that. And Laulau requires Ti leaves and Luau leaves, which are hard to get, sometimes even here in Hawaii! You might also want to consider making Poke (diced raw tuna with seasonings), which is easy and the grown-ups will (should) especially like it.
I’d also steam some sweet potatoes, whichever variety you can get. Not only does it provide the starch, it also compliments the savory flavors of the main entrees suggested above. Chances are, you’re gonna’ get that one person who will rave just about that. lol
Hope this helps. Keep us posted on the results!
Aloha,
Pomai
July 29, 2008 at 2:24 pm
4th of July in Oz « Desperately Seeking Crab
[...] Missouri brought homemade baked beans and I made kalua pork (Hawaiian-style pulled pork, recipe here), lomi lomi salmon (Hawaiian-style salsa), potato salad, clam dip and a large Red Velvet cake. [...]
August 22, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Joe
Pomai,
My man! Sorry it took a while for me to post the results of my friend’s surprise party.
Well I made 20lbs total, 2 10 pounders. Smoke a little bit over 8 hours considering that I am smoking more meat this time. The outer part of the meat started to turn hard so next time I will keep it at 7 hours and under 8 for bigger batches.
The meat turned out great and juicy and the best part of it, everybody loved it. Some thought it was catered and some made comments like it is better than L&L’s.
By the way, I am starting to grow my own Ti plant here in the Bay Area. Got some online and bought one at the Aloha festival.
Thanks. JOE
August 24, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Mark
I just tried this recipe yesterday on my gas BBQ and it turned out great. I did an 8.5lb butt for about 8hrs keeping temp between 300-325. The meat just fell away from the bone!
I live in Southern California and was able to get the Ti Leaves from a local florist.
Thanks Pomai for the clear instructions and photos. I will do this again for sure.
Mark
August 24, 2008 at 11:28 pm
pomai
Joe, wow, 20 lbs.! That’s a lotta’ pig! Interesting hearing how you folks can get Ti Leaves out there in Cali’. I figured the climate should be adequate to grow that plant there. It really makes all the difference in the world on the flavor of the Kalua Pig. As I said, without that, really all you’re making is pulled pork that could have just as well come out of Tennessee. The Ti leaves are what really imparts that “Hawaiian” flavor into the meat. When you wrap the pig in the Ti Leaves, no shame, use choke leaves. Mo’ flavah.
Mark, interesting also that you could get the Ti Leaves from a florist there. I hope they didn’t charge you an arm and leg for it. Florists are often expensive when buying “accessories” like that. Here on Oahu at some local supermarkets, they sell Ti leaves in bunches of 10 large leaves for about $2/bunch (20 cents/leaf). Glad to here you had success with this method as well. Yeah, you can do it at 300ºF, as that will speed up the cooking process. Still, at that temperature, I’d definitely make sure to keep a water pan in the cooking chamber to maintain moisture.
January 3, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Big Kahuna's BBQ & Catering
Eh, Brah! That’s not Kalua pig like in the imu. you need to smoke it for 4 hours first then rap it in ti leaf and foil, how eles good smoke get on pig! Eh? that’s like cooking in crock pot! Smoke it!
January 23, 2009 at 8:52 am
teddy
Haole cooking to the max!!!!!!!! slam to tradition.
February 21, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Vincent Jackson
This recipe is all encompassing and gives even the most amateur Grill-Man all the necessary tools to make the best “above the ground” Kalua Pig possible! I used this recipe to the “T”, with a few improvisations and it come out as good as any authentic Hawaiian Kalua I’ve had. I even won praise from my wife and mother-in-law both Native Hawaiians born and raised in Hilo, HA ! Not bad for an East Coast guy from Frederick, Maryland (far from the Big Island) that made his first attempt to smoke anything with this recipe. With a little expert tutelage from Derrik “GrillMaster” Ross and a few minor modifications, here is my perfect recipe for charcoal grilled Kalua Pig.
I used a Char-Broil Silver Smoker BBQ/Grill, Banana Leaf, and two banks of Kingsford Charcoal. I used mesquite chucks and Red Hawaiian sea salt. 9.35lb Boston Butt took 8.5hrs at a temp ranging from 250-325. Followed everything else as directed on this recipe, scrumptious results! Nuff said.
February 21, 2009 at 4:28 pm
pomai
Vincent, glad to hear it all worked out, even with the substitute banana leaves. Fantastic! Funny you post this now, as my girlfriend just picked up some Kalua Pig from Haili’s Hawaiian Foods in Ward Farmer’s Market in Honolulu last night. Excellent Kalua Pig!
The point with that said, is, I bet yours was just as great. Especially being naturally slow smoked, which makes all the difference.
With that, she made the ever-popular local favorite, Kalua Pig and Cabbage. Really easy to make. All you do is sautee the Kalua Pig with chopped cabbage (cut the cabbage in about 1″ to 2″ wide chopped strips). Just throw the kalua pig and cabbage all in one big sautee pan or wok and cook until the cabbage becomes soft and al dente, then finish to taste with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Easy! Serve with hot white rice. Vince, I guarantee you serve Kalua Pig and Cabbage (next) to your wife and mother-in-law without telling them before hand, you’ll be DA’ MAN!
February 22, 2009 at 10:47 am
Vincent Jackson
Cool thanks I will try that next time. I eventually plan on building a traditional imu pit in my backyard and cooking a whole pig but I’m sure I will have my challenges finding Ti leaves and river rock in Colorado Springs. But I’m determined to make it happen I will keep you posted on how that all turns out. I know it will at least a two day process but I plan on enlisting a few strong backs to get it done.
February 26, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Kalua Pig Roast « foodie collaborative
[...] Pig Roast Posted on February 26, 2009 by gina My brother just recommended this post to me which describes how to make a luau-style pork roast on the grill. He tried it and said it was [...]
April 12, 2009 at 5:19 am
Eric Philippart
Thanks for the great instructions. My question is that I have tried this twice and both times the Pork comes out way too tough. I can’t shred it. I use a thermometer to check the internal temp of 160, which is the proper temp for pork. Am I over cooking, under cooking, or cooking too fast?
Aloha – Eric
April 12, 2009 at 8:08 am
pomai
Eric Philippart, you must be UNDERCOOKING it. Just because the internal temperature of the pork is 160ºF, that doesn’t mean it’s done. It’s gotta’ go long enough to break down the proteins in the meat fiber. Don’t worry about it drying out. As long as it’s wrapped up, the moisture in the pork and the Ti leaves will keep it that way.
What temperature is the cooking chamber in your GRILL? It should be at least 250 degrees as stated in the instructions. At that minimum temperature, after 7 hours, the pork butt should already be tender enough to pull apart with a fork. If not, let it go longer until it is. It might take another hour or so. Add more Kiawe (mesquite) to make the fire hotter if you want to speed up the cooking time, but personally I’d keep it no more than 325 degrees in the grill’s cooking chamber.
If you take it out, unwrap it, and it’s still tough, just wrap it back up and put back and let it roast in the grill longer.
Don’t keep opening up the grill cover to peek, as you’ll lose precious heat doing that. Just let it go and monitor it with a thermometer.
Hope this helps on your next Kalua Pig Roasted in the Grill attempt.
May 1, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Eric Philippart
You were very right. I tried it again a second time and cooked it longer. It came out AWESOME!
Aloha – Eric
April 12, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Michael
Pomai, heard many hunters in the islands. Would like to learn how to hunt for wild pigs and other wild animals during hunting season. Up the mountain got 150 lb pigs for the hunting. Now not sure of fresh water shrimps but it somewhere on the other side of Oahu shore.
May 2, 2009 at 10:16 am
pomai
Eric, glad to hear it worked out for you this time. Do it a few more times and you’ll quickly get the hang of temperature and timing to get it where it’s perfectly ready to shred, flavorful (just the right amount of salt and smoke) and moist.
June 19, 2009 at 6:31 pm
BBGrill Covers
thanks for the info! the question is, do i feel brave enough…? lol. the pics really help to make me think i COULD just do this…hmmm…
June 20, 2009 at 4:47 pm
pomai
BBQGrill Covers, real easy to do. Don’t be discouraged. Just make sure you use either Banana or Ti Leaves to wrap the pork up. It’s a very important flavor component to making authentic-tasting Hawaiian Kalua Pig.
June 24, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Barbara Morris
Hi, We are going to have a Luau for my husbands B-day soon. We have looked @ a bunch of recipes for smoking/cooking a hog. We realy like the Kaula pig. My problem is that we are wanting to do a whole hog about 100#. Our cooker is a side box smoker that will except a full pig. But we are not sure if we can do a 100# pig at once Kaula style. Have you ever tryed this? Any Idea how long we should cook it for or any other idies or suggestions you could tell us I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks Barbra
June 24, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Shelly
Pomai, Barbara question sound like my friend when she use to own Lee Kai Market on Manakea St. Her mom could not roast a whole pig in roaster so they cut in half to roast. Since they have no man to help roast it due to father was in hospital at that time.
June 24, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Betty
I would measure the cooker first and tell butcher how long so he can get a right size pig or piglet.
June 24, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Kelike
Sound so interesting . I would get measurment and contact butcher to find out how many pounds for the pig and to know how many hours to cook it.
June 24, 2009 at 3:31 pm
BBGrill Covers
this was a great recipe. thanks for posting it!
June 25, 2009 at 11:56 am
Kimo
I heard Alan Wong is cooking at the White House for Obama Luau today. Wonder how many pigs he got going for it? Not sure some guests will like or eat poi. Be trying to get New Kahai but sure they think it too mass of job for them pity it chance for them to be famous.