Smoked Kalua Pork
On May 12, 2020 (Updated December 05, 2024)
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Smoked Kalua Pork is my BBQ take on a traditional Hawaiian recipe. The hardwood smoke mimics the flavors from an underground pit and the tenderness and moisture are off the charts! This recipe is perfect for your next backyard luau.
What is Kalua Pork?
Kalua pork is a traditional Hawaiian dish of slow pit-roasted pork. Typically, it is a whole hog that is salted with pink Hawaiian sea salt, wrapped in banana leaves, and cooked in a charcoal pit dug into the ground. The pig is cooked until it is fall-apart tender and just melts in your mouth. Since there isn’t much seasoning other than salt, you can really taste the flavors of the smoldering charcoal and the richness of the pork itself.
Kalua Pork in the Smoker
Since I haven’t gotten around to digging a pig pit in my backyard (yet), and I don’t have easy access to banana trees for leaves, I had to come up with my own backyard BBQ interpretation of this tasty pork dish. My version of kalua pork still uses a lot of classic elements to keep the flavor on point, but makes it more approachable for the home BBQ enthusiast.
Ingredients for Kalua Pork
Since this recipe only has 2 ingredients and a few additional tools/products, it is important to get the good stuff. Some things can be ordered online, but I’m providing substitutes in the list below to help you get as close as you can with what you have.
I use a well marbled, bone-in pork shoulder to get beautiful shreds of smoky pulled pork. For wood, I smoked this with mesquite because it is a super strong wood flavor that most closely mimics the traditional Kiawe wood used in Hawaii (and is easily accessible for most of the continental US). Since I couldn’t find banana leaves
- Pork Shoulder: Look for a bone-in shoulder with plenty of fat marbling and a nice reddish/dark pink color.
- Hawaiian Pink Salt: This salt provides a very unique salt flavor. I was able to order it online. One package has lasted me through about 8 pork shoulders. Ordinary sea salt can be a substitution, but won’t deliver quite the same flavor. Please note, Hawaiian pink salt is not the same thing as pink curing salt or Himalayan pink salt. Do not confuse these salts.
- Banana Leaves: I couldn’t get a hold of banana leaves in stores near me and none online would ship on time. If you can find banana leaves, use them during the wrapping portion of the recipe below and secure with butcher’s twine. The closest substitute I could find was using some pink butcher paper. It provided the breathability of the banana leaves while still keeping in all of the moisture.
- Mesquite wood: In Hawaii, kiawe wood is used for kalua pork. The closest flavor match I could find with affordability and availability in mind in the continental US in mesquite wood. It has a nice, bold, strong smoky flavor.
How to Make Kalua Pork
Creating a smoked kalua pork variation required a little creativity. Since the pork shoulder wasn’t buried in a pit with hot coals, I needed to find a way to still get all the tasty pit-roasted flavor on my backyard smoker. Here’s how I did it.
- Fire up the smoker. Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F with a strong hardwood like mesquite (or Hawaiian kiawe wood if you have access to it).
- Prep the pork. Remove the pork shoulder from the packaging and wipe down with a paper towel to remove any bone fragments or other processing remnants. Season the pork on all sides with the sea salt.
- Smoke! Place the pork on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for 3 hours.
- Wrap the pork. Remove the pork shoulder from the smoker and wrap tightly in the banana leaves, securing with butcher’s twine. If you don’t have access to banana leaves, I used pink butcher’s paper to mimic the effect of the banana leaves on the smoker.
- Continue smoking. Return the pork shoulder to the smoker, close the lid, and continue smoking for an additional 5-7 hours, or until the internal temperature of the pork reads at least 200 degrees F.
- Rest, shred, and serve. Remove the pork from the smoker and allow to rest for 1 hour before shredding and serving. I like to serve mine with teriyaki BBQ sauce on Hawaiian sweet rolls with grilled pineapple.
More Smoked Pork Recipes
We love pulled pork in all of its many glorious variations. If you’re also a pulled pork lover, you may enjoy these other smoked pork recipes we have on the site:
Smoked Pork Carnitas
Cherry Cola Smoked Pork Butt
Simple Smoked Pulled Pork
Smoked Kalua Pork Recipe
Smoked Kalua Pork
Ingredients
- 1 8-10 pound bone in pork shoulder
- 2 Tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt
- Banana Leaves (or pink butcher paper)
Instructions
- Fire up the smoker. Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F with a strong hardwood like mesquite (or Hawaiian kiawe wood if you have access to it).
- Prep the pork. Remove the pork shoulder from the packaging and wipe down with a paper towel to remove any bone fragments or other processing remnants. Season the pork on all sides with the sea salt.
- Smoke! Place the pork on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for 3 hours.
- Wrap the pork. Remove the pork shoulder from the smoker and wrap tightly in the banana leaves, securing with butcher's twine. If you don't have access to banana leaves, I used pink butcher's paper to mimic the effect of the banana leaves on the smoker.
- Continue smoking. Return the pork shoulder to the smoker, close the lid, and continue smoking for an additional 5-7 hours, or until the internal temperature of the pork reads at least 200 degrees F.
- Rest, shred, and serve. Remove the pork from the smoker and allow to rest for 1 hour before shredding and serving. I like to serve mine with teriyaki BBQ sauce on Hawaiian sweet rolls.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I used A LOT more salt than just 2 tablespoons. Typically during comps we rub the entire outside with rub so I just copied that with my pork shoulder. I made this on my own in the past by rubbing it down with the salt, wrapping in banana leaves but then wrapping that in foil. It cut down the time (in case you’re in a hurry) and I opened it up at the end to let smoke in. There was tons of juice in the foil so I poured that into my glass baking pan, put the shoulder in and shredded it there.
This time I left it on the smoker at your recommended 275 (typically higher than low and slow but only a little so I’m giving it a try) and we headed out. First I sprinkled the shoulder down with Hula Hula sauce bought at our local asian market (kind of like a mild teriyaki sauce) and rubbed it down with Alaea salt (found online on the big seller that starts with an A and has a similarly named river in South America). We were gone for 5 hours before I could get back and pull it. But it had started to form a nice crust on the outside anyway! Wrapped in banana leaves, tied with twine (didn’t have butcher string but it’s outside of the leaves anyway) and then loosely tented with foil to trap in the juice. Also I started late so this may speed up the cooking process. 50/50 mix of oak and mesquite because I had oak pellets in half of the hopper and I didn’t want to dig them out (yes I’m being laze but it was already 98 degrees outside and only 10 am!). Back on for at least 4 hours before I check it. Might be ready because of the higher than usual temp and the foil. Typically a smoked 8 – 10 lb pork shoulder runs 16 hours at 225 F so I start it the night before and let it go all night while I sleep.
Followed some of the tips from reviewers and I did find banana leaves, this pork came out amazing.. served it with coconut rice, Hawaiian macaroni salad , cucumber salad and pineapple.. it’s a keeper for sure..
Use 50/50 mesquite & fruit wood or apple. Kiawe wood is sweeter so
If you want the more aloha flavor.
(Even though kalua pig never gets the yummy bark since wrapped whole time)
Thank you as always for your amazing recipes and insight!! <3
Great tips on wood choice! Thanks!
I’m making this tomorrow but wasn’t able to get my hands on pink butcher paper or banana leaves today. Am I okay to wrap it in foil instead? (I’ll order some of your butcher paper so I’m prepared for next time).
Foil will work fine!
Made this because my sis in law has a ton of allergies and can’t have any kind of red pepper among other things. So good. Best one yet in my opinion. Variations I used was spritzing with a pineapple Juice/spiced rum combo. But the simpleness of just the Hawaiian sea salt is AMAZING! I served small flour tortilla shells in addition to the sweet rolls and the pineapple. Both were excellent.
Wow! Great recipe. Made it for a family gathering and it was a hit. For my taste, I used quite a bit more salt and smoked for 4 hours before the banana wrap but I’m sure it would be good exactly as written. Thanks, will use this again and again.
Try looking at Latin or asian markets. I bought banana leaves at rancho market in SLC
If you use Mesquite do you use liquid smoke as well. Referring to Hawaiian Kahlua Pig.
Do you inject the shoulder before hand for the Kayla roast
I use to live in Hawaii. Make Kahlua pork a couple times a year. I recommend however to kick it up a notch. Use 2 tablespoons chopped (jarred is fine) garlic and an equal mount of chopped ginger (I use the stuff prepared in the tube). Rub all over the pork, then add the salt.
You can use powdered ginger and garlic instead but then you only need about 1/2 as much.
Also I used about twice the amount of salt you do in the recipe.
I like the idea of the ginger and garlic, I may have to try that again the next time I make the pork. For mine I started with sprinkling it with Hula Hula sauce also. I may do an injection next time and the garlic and ginger rub on the outside then sprinkled down with the Alaea salt!