Slow Cooker Kalua Pig

Anyone who knows my husband and me knows that we love Hawaii. We've been there three times and we can't wait to go back! Too bad airfare is so ridiculously expensive! Besides the awesome sushi and fresh fish, my favorite food in Hawaii is kalua pig. In Hawaii, they cook a whole pig in an underground pit. Yeah...that's going to happen at my house. But I did find this awesome recipe for kalua pig in the slow cooker. I've been making this for a couple of years now, and it is hands down my favorite way to cook pork. It's easy, delicious, and freezes well.

The original recipe suggests cooking the roast for 16-20 hours. I could never make that time frame work, so I shoot for 12 hours. That seems to be completely sufficient, as after 12 hours the meat shreds itself when you stir it with a spoon. If you don't normally get up early, it's a little inconvenient to get up at 6:00 a.m. to put dinner in the slow cooker, but it is so worth it. The recipe does call for Hawaiian sea salt, which I have. The first time I ordered it off the internet from this website, and then recently I asked my aunt to bring me some when she went to Hawaii. I've never tried it with regular sea salt, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

This recipe makes a lot of meat, but don't worry. The leftovers are delicious. I like to mix up some of the meat with barbecue sauce and serve it on Hawaiian rolls. If you add it to another recipe like a soup or a casserole, just be wary of the salt you add with the other ingredients because the pork is pretty salty. I usually freeze our leftovers in 2-cup portions. 

Slow Cooker Kalua Pig

from allrecipes.com

1 (6-8 lb.) pork butt roast
1 1/2 Tbs. Hawaiian sea salt
1 Tbs. liquid smoke

Pierce pork roast all over with carving fork. Rub sea salt, then liquid smoke into roast. Place in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 12 hours. Shred and serve. We like it over medium grain or sushi rice. Great side dishes are Tropical Salad with Pineapple Vinaigrette and Bread Machine Hawaiian Bread.