What do you do in Hawaii? You go to a luau.

What do they serve at a luau? Kalua pork.

Kalua (as not to be confused with Kahlua) is a traditional way of cooking pork in Hawaii. The word kalua actually translates to ‘to cook in an underground oven’. While they use something in Hawaii called an imu for this process, I don’t readily have one of those at my disposal… so I used the next best thing. My slow cooker!

I wanted a bit more substance to my sandwich so I added some aioli and slaw and turned it into more of a sandwich, but you can absolutely cook this pork and serve it any old way that you please.

I think next time I may try it over some brown rice!

I think most everyone went back for a second helping. Dangerous.

Needless to say, I’ll be making this again very soon for my mother’s annual ‘Luau Party’.

Healthified Crock Pot Kalua Pork
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 10 • Size: About 1/2 C. Meat • Calories: 195.5 • Fat: 9.6 g • Carb: 0.5 g • Fiber: 0.2 g • Protein: 27.7 g • Sugar: 0 g • Sodium: 1131.5 mg

Ingredients:
3 Lb. Boneless Pork Shoulder Roast (Pork Butt)
1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. Pepper
1 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke
1 Tbsp. Ginger Root, Grated
3 Garlic Cloves, Smashed

Directions:
Trim any fat visible from the roast. Rub the pork down with the salt and pepper.

Sear (or brown) the meat in a large skillet. Don’t cook it through entirely. Maybe just 5 or so minutes on all sides over medium to medium-high heat.

This helps to lock in the natural flavors of the pork.

Toss the pork and the remaining ingredients into a crock pot together, secure the lid, and cook for 10-12 hours. You could even set this to cook overnight for up to 16 hours so that it’s party-ready for the next day!

Once the meat is falling apart to the touch of a fork, remove the roast from the crock pot. Discard the juices (or reserve for another use) and shred the meat with two forks.