Kalua Pork

We had a good friend visit the Chateau Foodopolis this weekend from Washington State. So Sue ordered up a luau to celebrate Traci's stay and asked for Kalua Pork. The crew at the test kitchen went into overdrive. After all Kalua Pork is a mainstay at any luau worth it's salt.

No time to dig a hole in the backyard to bury a pig. So we came up with this version of that old classic. It's not bad. But absolutely nothing beats having this done the old school way on any of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands.

We took from a variety of recipes we found and mashed this one together.
We had no time to run out and get either Ti or Banana leaves to wrap our pig in a blanket. So this Italian cook had to improvise Hawaiian quick.

Here is the recipe.

KALUA PORK

1 - 4-5lb Pork shoulder Butt

3 - Ripe Bananas

1 - 12 ounce can of Guava juice

2Tbs - Liquid Smoke

Kosher salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

Optional

2 - Cloves Garlic crushed

1 - Knob of Ginger sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a dutch oven or roasting pan place the pork in the pan and on a rack. Rub the pork very liberally with the salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Pour the Guava juice into the bottom of the pan. Pour the liquid smoke over the pork. Then slice the banana from top to bottom and place them on and around the pork. I added some garlic and ginger as well. you don't have to add these.

Cover with Aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven. Half way through the cooking process mash the now cooked banana all over the pork and continue cooking.

Cook until pork reaches around 150 degrees internally. You want pork to be around 160 degrees. But remember that it will still cook internally when you take it out of the oven.

When done take out of the oven and pour off the pan drippings into a sauce pan. and cover the pork back up and let it rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes. In the meantime heat the pan drippings and reduce by half. add a pat of butter and water or chicken stock if desired.

Slice the pork and pour on da sauce bra. Dats what da Tiki God in da backyard say.

Aloha

Michael