Smoked Kalua Pork

Shredded kalua pork on a wood cutting board with pineapple chunks in the background.

4.89 from 9 votes

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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time12

Resting Time1

Total Time13 15

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Hawaiian

Keyword: Kalua Pork, Smoked Kalua Pork

Servings: people

Author: Susie Bulloch (heygrillhey.com)

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.

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