Kalua Pig

Koloa Fish Market serves their kalua pig
plate with steamed rice, long rice, ahi poki
and lomi lomi salmon sides.

Kalua pig is easily one the most popular Hawaiian meals. This shredded pork shoulder can be found on nearly any menu and featured Islands wide at luaus, though it is most commonly found as a lunch plate alongside a scoop  of white rice and some mac salad. Traditionally kalua pig is cooked in an underground pit, called an imu, with koa wood, hot rocks and banana leaves. These are all elements which contribute to the unique smoked smell and flavor. If you're not up to digging a large hole in your backyard, Kalua pig can easily be made in a slow cooker or, if you're in Hawaii, purchased in a tub from Costco! That's right, the locals all agree that Keoki's Kalua Pig is the go-to brand for authentic, tasty pig.

• Slow Cooked Kalua Pig
• Ingredients:
• Serves 12
• 1 (6 pound) pork butt roast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring
• 
  
• -Pierce pork all over with a carving fork. Rub salt then liquid smoke over meat. Place roast in a slow cooker.
• -Cover, and cook on Low for 16 to 20 hours, turning once during cooking time.
• -Remove meat from slow cooker, and shred, adding drippings as needed to moisten.

On our last visit to Costco we had a pretty sweet $5 off coupon for a large tub of the good stuff. I'd only ever had a couple bites of pig off my boyfriend's lunch plates before, so I was definitely eager to cook with the wonderfully smoky meat!
From the first time I tasted kalua pig, I knew that it could easily be the main ingredient in a mean burrito. I didn't want to totally Mexican-ize it, though, so I decided to keep my Kaluarrito Hawaiian by incorporating all of the classic lunch plate items. Into a burrito size spinach tortilla I rolled up kalua pig cooked with cabbage, white rice, simple mac salad, chopped green cabbage, avocado and some picante salsa. As expected, the combo was fantastic! The mac salad was an unexpected texture in the burrito which absolutely added some fun to the meal. Remember to steam your tortillas before wrapping up a monster burrito- it'll give you a much more pliable tortilla!  
Steam your tortilla by placing your large flour tortilla on a microwave safe plate.

     -Spray with butter or a little water

     -Cover plate tightly with plastic wrap

     -Microwave 30 seconds

For more burrito building tips and basics, click here!

Simple Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

This is a super basic recipe and I will be exploring mac salad far more extensively in the future, so stay tuned!!

Ingredients:

Serves 4-6

3 cups large macaroni
1/4 cup grated carrot
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk (may require less, only use to moisten)
salt & pepper

a dash of sugar

-Slightly overcook macaroni until "fat." This helps the pasta soak up the sauce.
-Add grated carrots, mayonnaise, and milk till well coated.
-Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Add more mayonnaise if you prefer a wetter salad.
-Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least one hour.
-When ready to serve, add more mayonnaise if needed.

Keoki's tub 'o pig has something like 16 servings in it. We barely made a dent in it for our two burritos and therefore had a bit left over in the fridge when breakfast inspiration struck for a Kalua Breakfast Pigwich. 

In a skillet I cooked up 2 thick slices of bacon, then used the hot bacon grease to heat and crisp up our leftover pig. I also heated an English muffin in the pan, then set all the meat in the warm oven while I whipped up a single scrambled egg. 

On each half of the English muffin I spread a thin layer of mayo, then a slice of muenster cheese, the egg, bacon and kalua pig. While there is no denying the decadent deliciousness of the pigwich, I will say that it is not for the faint of heart. 

This was one rich, greasy piggy... and I'll definitely be making it again! 

Kalua Pig is a pretty inescapable dish around these parts and the boyfriend has mentioned that he "could eat himself to death" on it. Well, we'll try to avoid any untimely death served with rice and mac salad, but I do look forward to much more experimentation coming out of my still brimming tub of Keoki's!