This slow-roasted Kalua pork is made from juicy pork shoulder rubbed with sea salt and baked with seasonings until it’s fall-apart tender. Pile this flavorful pulled pork into sandwiches or over rice, topped with a fried egg.
Savory kalua pork, or Hawaiian pulled pork, is an island-style pork roast filled with smoky flavor and a hint of zesty garlic and ginger. You’re going to love it!
I could almost taste the island air when this slow-roasted kalua pork hit the table the other night. Authentic kalua pork is a pig cooked in a Hawaiian imu, a type of underground oven. For this homemade version, I rubbed juicy pork shoulder with sea salt and liquid smoke to mimic those traditional smoky flavors. After a couple of hours in a conventional oven, this Hawaiian pulled pork nearly shred itself. It was THAT tender!
Why I Love This Juicy Kalua Pork Recipe
- Slow-roasted. This pork gets the full “spa” package: a rub down with savory seasonings followed by a tight wrap in foil, then a long, low roast in a 325ºF oven. By the time it emerges, the kalua pork is loose and tender, perfect for shredding.
- Full of flavor. I love the combination of smoky, garlicky flavors with a little ginger in the mix. You don’t need any fancy ingredients to season this easy kalua pork, either. Everything is likely already in your kitchen!
- Versatile. Serve this kalua pork tucked into pulled pork sandwiches or luau-style with a fried egg, rice, and grilled pineapple. It also makes a great addition to rice bowls and poke bowls, or you can use it as a filling for lettuce wraps and pork tacos.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These are some notes on the ingredients needed for this kalua pork recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the printable recipe, and afterward, follow the step-by-step with photos.
- Olive Oil – Choose an unrefined olive oil or another oil with a high smoking point for searing.
- Pork – The best cuts for pulled pork recipes like kalua pork are slow-cooking cuts, like pork shoulder (like I use here) or pork butt. These cuts have a good amount of fat that renders while the pork cooks, making it flavorful and extra tender.
- Garlic and Ginger – Fresh garlic cloves, chopped into halves, and a fresh knob of ginger cut into sticks. You’ll tuck the herbs into holes in the pork so they infuse the meat with flavor while it cooks.
- Sea Salt – Keeping with the theme, I use Hawaiian sea salt (alaea salt), which is colored red by the Islands’ volcanic clay. Any mild sea salt works, though I don’t recommend table salt as the flavor is saltier and sharper.
- Liquid Smoke – Unfortunately, I don’t own an imu where this kalua pork can smoke for hours, so I use a “shortcut” in the form of liquid hickory smoke. If you don’t have liquid smoke, the next best alternative is to substitute 1½ teaspoons of smoked paprika instead.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t rush it. The secret to fall-apart tender kalua pork is to cook it over low heat for a long period. Don’t try to rush it by cranking the temperature.
- Check the pork for doneness. The baking times can vary depending on the sizes of your pork pieces and your oven. I recommend checking the pork after 3 hours and then baking it for longer as needed. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. It’s done when the internal temp reaches 165ºF.
- Save the cooking juices. Carefully unwrap and shred the pork after cooking, and let the leftover juices collect in the bowl or baking pan. You’ll stir them back into the pulled pork afterward.
- Slow Cooker option. Prepare the pork per the recipe, but cook it in your crock pot for 8 to 9 hours, or until it shreds easily.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store the leftover kalua pork in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I like to add kalua pork leftovers to a Hawaiian-style poke bowl, or I’ll bake the shredded pork into pulled pork mac and cheese!
- Reheat. Warm leftovers in the microwave, or you can cover the pork with foil and reheat it in the oven until it’s hot throughout.
- Freeze. Seal the cooled pulled pork inside a freezer bag and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw the pork in the fridge before reheating.
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Prep. Preheat your oven to 325ºF.
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Season the pork. Pierce the pork all over with a carving fork. Insert ginger and garlic into the holes you made with the fork. Rub the pork with Hawaiian salt and then with liquid smoke.
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Sear the pork. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork on all sides.
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Wrap the pork. Place the pork on a large piece of parchment paper and wrap it around. Then, wrap the meat with aluminum foil, sealing it tightly. Place the pork on a rimmed baking sheet.
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Bake. Bake the pork for 3-4 hours or until the inner temperature reaches 165ºF and the meat shreds easily.
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Shred the pork. Remove the pork from the oven. Carefully open the aluminum foil and parchment paper and collect all the cooking juices. Shred the pork with meat claws or two forks. Then add it to a large bowl or serve it on a baking tray. Drizzle and toss the pork with the cooking juices.
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Garnish and serve. Just before serving, garnish the pulled pork with chopped parsley.
- Hawaiian salt is a staple of Hawaiian cuisine. The red variety of this salt adds an earthy nuttiness due to its mineral content. Although this salt has a specific flavor and is a part of many Hawaiian dishes, you can use coarse salt or Fleur de sel if you do not have it. These will provide the needed crunch.
- Serve Kalua pork with cooked rice, fried eggs, or cooked cabbage. You can also use this pork for sandwiches, sliders, or tacos.
- The easiest way to shred a larger amount of meat is with meat claws.
Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 152mg | Sodium: 1048mg | Potassium: 788mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.05g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Kalua Pork (Hawaiian Pulled Pork)
Before you begin, cut the pork shoulder into three even-sized pieces. You’ll bake them together, but it cuts down on the cooking time. Then, follow these steps to prep, bake, and shred your kalua pulled pork:
- Season the pork. Start by cutting the pork into three pieces and piercing it all over using a carving fork or skewer. Next, tuck the ginger and garlic tightly into the holes. Afterward, use your hands to rub sea salt and liquid smoke evenly over the pork.
- Sear it. Now, sear the prepared pork in a large pan with olive oil over medium-high heat, just enough to brown it on all sides. Then, seal the pork tightly in foil, and place the wrapped pork pieces onto a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake. This pork should slow roast at 325ºF for 3-4 hours. Before you take it out, check that the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Shred the pork. Finally, unwrap the kalua pork (save those cooking juices!) and shred it using a pair of forks. You can do this in a bowl or on a rimmed baking tray, it’s up to you. After that, drizzle the pork with the cooking liquid and give it a sprinkle of fresh parsley for serving.
