Best-Ever Kalua Pork (My Hawaiian Family's Recipe!)

A treasured family recipe – the Best-Ever Kalua Pig! Succulent, fall-apart tender pulled pork shoulder infused with rich earthy and smoky flavor, kalua pork is pure Hawaiian goodness, perfect for traditional kalua pork and cabbage, pulled pork sandwiches and sliders, tacos, nachos, and more. Oven, slow cooker and electric pressure cooker instructions provided.

Recipe by Jess Larson on December 9, 2020

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT3H

Total time: PT3H30M

Rating

5 stars ( reviews)

Keywords

kalua pork, kalua pig, oven braised pork, slow cooker pork, electric pressure cooker pork, comfort food recipes

Ingredients

2 ½-3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3-4 large pieces
8-10 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large banana leaf, thawed if frozen and cut into 3 smaller pieces (see Recipe Notes)
2 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt (see Recipe Notes)
1 ½ tablespoons liquid smoke, divided
2 cups water or chicken stock

Cuisine

Hawaiian

Steps

to 325 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven.
Using a sharp paring knife, carefully cut a few deep slits into each piece of pork shoulder, then insert sliced garlic into each pocket.
Add the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium-high heat (I use a 5-qt Dutch oven). Once the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully add in the prepared pork. Work in batches, as necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pot (which prevents browning). Cook for 4-5 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Transfer the browned pork to a plate, remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool.
Place the seared pork in the center of one of the pieces of banana leaf. Season with the Hawaiian sea salt and 1 tablespoon of the liquid smoke, using your hands to rub the salt and liquid smoke all over the surface of the pork. Arranged the seasoned pork in a small pile at the center of the banana leaf, folding the corners and edges of the banana leaf into the center to encase the pork. Carefully flip and set the wrapped pork seam side down on the second section of banana leaf. Repeat folding with the remaining pieces of banana leaf. Note: The banana leaf may split a little bit as you work, which is okay. Just work quickly and do your best to completely encase the pork in the banana leaf.
Carefully set the banana leaf-wrapped pork seam side down in the pot used to sear the pork. Pour the water or chicken stock around the sides of the banana leaf-wrapped pork. Cover the pot and transfer the pot to the oven. Cook for 2 ½ – 3 hours, until the kalua pork is fall-apart tender.
Carefully transfer the pork to a plate or cutting board. Use tongs or 2 forks to shred the pork into bite-sized pieces. Once shredded, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Season with the remaining ½ tablespoon liquid smoke and a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid in the pot as desired, stirring to combine. At this point, you can enjoy your Hawaiian kalua pulled pork immediately or cool and store for later use (see Recipe Notes for storage and freezing directions).
KALUA PORK AND CABBAGE: My favorite way to enjoy this kalua pig is a pretty classic preparation of Kalua Pork and Cabbage. When I cook kalua pig and cabbage, I mostly eyeball things, but here's the gist of how it's done (the below steps yields 1 generous portion, multiply as desired for more servings!)
- Add a couple of teaspoons of neutral cooking oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot & shimmering, add in roughly ½ cup of kalua pulled pork and a couple of handfuls of finely shredded cabbage. Stir to combine.
- Once the pork is hot and the cabbage begins to wilt, pour in a few teaspoons of shoyu (or soy sauce/tamari/coconut aminos). Stir to combine and continue to cook 1-2 minutes more.
- Serving: Kalua pig and cabbage begs to be served over a pile of rice! If you want to take your meal to the next level, drizzle with spicy mayo and serve alongside Hawaiian mac salad. Enjoy!

Nutitrion

Calories: 246 calories
Carbohydrates: 2.5 g
Protein: 28 g
Fat: 13.1 g
Saturated Fat: 3.9 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 92.6 mg
Sodium: 1606.5 mg
Sugar: 0.8 g

Reviews

Sheri on 2025-08-02 (5 stars):
After having a hard time finding Hawaiian sea salt and banana leaves the day of (buy on Amazon or ahead of time)...this was soooo easy, super flavorful and delicious! I will definitely be making this again. I made 12 lbs in 3 large Dutch ovens and braised in the same oven for 3 hrs and 20 min. I found a small can of pineapple juice in the pantry and added it to the chicken broth. It was so yummy!
Laura A on 2025-09-21 (5 stars):
This was awesome. Tried both slow cooker and instant pot version, instant pot had the edge since it was so much faster and you can sear in same container. Tried garlic and no garlic, both were delicious. Ultimately preferred no garlic version, cabbage and shoyu preparation over coconut rice. Amazing. Also Costco pork shoulder makes four full batches FYI 😂 Thank you!
teddy on 2025-11-27 (5 stars):
I started cooking it on the smoker without the liquid smoke, and it's fantastic.
Herbert H. Seidl on 2026-01-29 (5 stars):
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
Bob on 2026-04-21 (5 stars):
This is a great recipe! We made it outdoors in my Camp Dutch Oven and it was excellent! We did the fried cabbage & onions and served it over a bed off rice. A few splashes of Kikkomans and Bachans BBQ sauce sent it over the top!