Kalua Pig & Cabbage
Sunday Ohana Suppers
Tear the hot pork shoulder from the steaming foil with two heavy forks—a real Hawaiian imu requires an underground pit, glowing lava rocks, and an entire pig, but for working grandmothers holding it down in Honolulu high-rises or Ohio suburbs, this dish relies on a brilliant, practical method: a tightly sealed foil pouch, a bottle of liquid smoke, and time. When rubbed directly into the meat with coarse red salt, the smoke yields the slow-rendered, earthy fat of a traditional pit roast, and the rough-chopped green cabbage isn't a garnish; it's a sponge, engineered to soak up all that rich, smoky fat. Hit the switch on the rice cooker before you start pulling the meat.
Before you start
Pat the pork butt completely dry with paper towels.
Using a sharp paring knife or a large fork, pierce the pork butt deeply all over.
This creates necessary channels for the salt and smoke to penetrate the meat.
Preheat your oven to 325°F.
Ingredients
- bone-in pork butt4 lb
- liquid smoke1 1/2 tbsp
- Hawaiian Alaea red sea salt1 1/2 tbsp
- water1 cup
- green cabbage1 large
Method
- 01
Thoroughly massage the liquid smoke and sea salt into the pierced pork.
Get the smoke and salt deep into the holes you punctured. This is your imu in a bottle; respect it.
- 02
Wrap the pork in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil, creating an absolutely airtight seal with zero gaps.
This is non-negotiable. You are building a pressurized steam chamber. Any leak will let the steam escape and result in dry, tragic meat.
- 03
Place the sealed bundle in a roasting pan or Dutch oven and pour the water into the bottom of the pan.
The water sits completely outside the foil pouch to prevent any escaping drippings from scorching on the bottom of the pan.
- 04
Roast undisturbed for 4 to 5 hours, then remove from the oven and let it rest sealed for 30 minutes.
The meat is ready when it yields entirely to a fork (around 200°F internally). Letting it rest in the sealed foil is crucial—open it immediately and the super-heated juices will violently evaporate, ruining your patience.
- 05
Carefully open the foil, shred the pork with two forks, and reserve the dark, smoky drippings.
Discard the bone and large chunks of unrendered fat. Pour the juices into a separator or skim the clear fat off the top, keeping the dark, liquid gold beneath.
- 06
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, steam the cabbage in one cup of the reserved pork drippings for five to seven minutes.
Cover the pot until the cabbage is wilted and saturated with that smoky fat, but still retains a slight bite. Do not cook it to mush.
- 07
Fold the shredded pork into the cabbage, toss gently to combine, and serve immediately.
Serve in a large, deep bowl. A massive scoop of hot, steamed short-grain white rice is mandatory to soak up the glorious juices pooling at the bottom.
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions.
If you cannot source red Alaea salt at an Asian market, use coarse Kosher salt. Do not use iodized table salt—the crystals are too small and will render the dish unpalatably metallic and salty.
The Instant Pot Method.
Cut the pork into 3 or 4 equal chunks. Pressure cook on High with the water, salt, and smoke for 90 minutes. You MUST use a 20-minute natural release, or the meat will seize. Wilt the cabbage in the residual hot juices afterward.
Banana Leaves.
If you can find frozen banana leaves at your local market, wrap the meat in a thawed, rinsed leaf before sealing it in the aluminum foil for an extra layer of authentic, earthy aroma.
From Cook Hawaiian in America.