Recipe from George Kahumoku – Kalua Pig

To Start:

• Select the fattiest marbled 3-4 # pork shoulder you can find with a layer of skin & fat.
  Score the skin and place the skin side up in a pan or pot. 
• Wrap the entire pork with slices of preferably smoked Mesquite- or apple-wood-smoked bacon
• Wrap the bacon-wrapped pork shoulder in a layer of Ti-leaf if available, then banana leaf and/or corn husk if Ti-leaf and banana leaves are not available. 
• Place in a stove pot or aluminum foil pan (if baking). Fill a pan or pot with 1 inch of water.

For stovetop cooking: cover the pot with the wrapped pork shoulder in a pot.

Cook on high heat until boiling. Then reduce heat & turn a low, simmering the pork shoulder for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

If baking, cover the aluminum pan with aluminum foil.
Place in oven & turn on—heat up to 500 degrees for 10 minutes until totally heated & simmering. 
Then turn the oven down to 275-300 degrees and bake for 1-1/2-2 hours 

Test for done-ness by poking with a fork. Meat should fall off the bone whether cooking or baking.

When baking, there will be a crispy skin layer on the top. Peel off this layer and set it aside for those who love pork skin. Break crispy skin into bite-sized pieces & lightly salt to taste. 

• Boil 1/4-1/2 cup water.
• Shred the pork and fat in the leaves or corn husks, being careful not to mix the leaves with the pork meat fat. 
• Add about 1/4 tablespoon or more of Hawaiian rock or Alae red rock salt or kosher rock salt to taste to the shredded pork! Add the steaming hot 1/4-1/2 cup to the mixture, adding just enough moisture to create a juicy shredded mixture. 
• Cover the steaming hot mixture and set it aside.

Beforehand:

• Cut 1/2 - 1 # of any kind of cabbage (head, napa cabbage, bok choy, etc.) into 3/4-inch-thick by 2 long pieces. 
• Slice 1/2 of a raw onion. 1/16-1/8 thin 
• Fold in raw cabbage and sliced onions into the hot-steam-shredded mixture, add more salt and pepper, shoyu, oyster or wheat free Tamari sauce if gluten free to taste 

Cover and let rest for 3-5 minutes until the cabbage and onions are 1/2 cooked and still crunchy. 

Serve hot over steamed rice, with cooked taro, sweet potato, or breadfruit or poi

With a side dish of poke fish and/or lomi salmon!

Bon Appetit!

Note: You can also crock-pot, instant-pot, or pressure-cook this recipe. Adjust cooking times to the manufacturer's directions