Introduction:
I by force have had to be gluten free and dairy free (eggs ok), so I have had to modify recipes to accommodate this fact. You can always modify things back to the original recipes or use mine to the letter.
Today is all about Kalua Pork! It’s a Hawaiian favorite, and after a fun visit and engagement trip 2021, I’m in love!
Slow Cooker Kahlua Pork:
(GF/DF)
Ingredients-
-One Pork Shoulder or Butt
-Banana Leaf (easy to find at an Asian food store in Seattle). Freezes easy to use the rest later. Enough to wrap it for cooking!
-Hawaiian sea salt I use the red stuff-Alaea
-Liquid Smoke w/hickory or mesquite -2 Tablespoons- Note: set aside about half teaspoon so to finished product
-Garlic optional but tasty! I just put some pre-made from a jar minced.
-Soup Stock or Water I chose Chicken Stock for the flavor. A lot of cooks use this one because it is versatile and it doesn’t compete with your flavor, but adds a bit of some.
NOTE: I borrowed this Recipe from about 2 I discovered googling the recipes. Feel free to make it your own, but know when you are making a change it could shift the recipe. Don’t do it unless you are an advanced cook.
Steps:
1. Take the Pork (I often just take it from the freezer with roasts, fresh means you may need to follow another recipe) and sear the pork both sides. I used a cast iron flat, but there is no wrong way to do this! They recommend poking holes in the pork with a fork to soak in the goodness. Be careful so you don’t hurt yourself poking at frozen meat. I rinse with water first to soften a bit before starting and then poke. once you sear it decent on all sides to get it started, rub on that sea salt and cover the pork. Take about a Teaspoon and a half or whatever is needed to cover the pork with liquid smoke. Save a half a teaspoon for later to put in the finished product! I recommend about 2 Teaspoons for this recipe. It may seem like a lot, but honestly, burying the pig in the ground in Banana leaves makes it really smokey, but is too much work for the busy professional. This is a cheat to give it that authentic flavor!
2. Wrap in a banana leaves until it is wrapped good. You could use string or part of the leaf string, but I just wrap it good enough to have it covered to cook. If you want to be a purist, make sure it is a tight wrap, but it won’t kill it if it isn’t perfection.
3. Put the 2 cups of broth or water in. It is almost always recommended to have water in a crockpot to steam and prevent burning. Broth is the most popular. Chicken is almost always a winner for most dishes.
4. I like to crank the heat to jump start my crock pot. I noticed it takes forever to heat up. Once it is warm, I often dial it to low for the slow cooking, but if you notice it is taking forever, sometimes 2-5 hours on high will help the dish along quicker. I suppose it depends on how early you get up, whether you start it the night before, or whatever. It depends on your crockpot, Instapot, whatever you use. It is good to monitor this and adjust based on your cooking method. I would say a good 7-10 hours should get the job done. Some recipes say 16 hours. It depends on many factors, but the ideal is pulling apart on it’s own and moist. Don’t pop up the lid a bunch, or the heat will require to build back up again.
Note: Oven cooking is an option. The lady I learned a more traditional but modern Hawaiian method from uses the oven and fresh pork cut up. Totally up to you, but I am lazy.
Add ons: Macaroni Salad (Not for me, but popular for many), Cabbage cooked and sliced and fried in soy sauce, served with rice (I like nice brown rice and such. White is quite popular. I prefer non-sticky rice).
Easy to reheat, make a Hawaiian fried rice with Spam, can be frozen for later, but honestly eat it while it is fresh and make tacos and whatever like a boss!!
DID I MENTION IT IS GLUTEN AND DAIRY FREE AND QUITE DELICIOUS!!!!