The Best Smoked Kalua Pork: Almost Island Style

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Hawaiian sea salt, smoked garlic, pork shoulder, and time. This makes the most amazing meal ever invented. While nothing beats the real thing, this simple and succulent pork is almost as good as a ticket back to the islands! I love the beauty of simplicity. Kalua pork is traditionally cooked in a pit filled with hard wood and extremely hot lava rocks. once the Imu (or earth oven) is ready, the pork is covered in ti leaves or banana leaves and left to cook for a loooong time. Time makes it tender and the steam and smoke gives true nuanced and complex flavor. Since most people don’t have access to a whole pig, lava rocks, and probably don’t want to dig a big hole in the backyard, I discovered using my smoker is a really easy alternative to the Imu! Give it a try! You will be rewarded with the best smoked kalua pork almost island style! Keep on reading for step by step instructions with pictures!

I grew up eating kalua pork. Problem is, we live in the pacific northwest and it’s REALLY hard to find banana leaves and the correct items you need to build an Imu! My family in Oahu also never cooked it in an Imu (cause it’s kinda hard to do that in the city 😀 ) Therefore, I grew up with the slow cooker version of kalua pork. Slow cooker kalua pork is also extremely tasty, and I’m sure I will post our family recipe on here someday. However, cooking pork butt in the slow cooker can sometimes be oily. It became my mission to figure out a way to make juicy tender kalua pork using banana leaves!

Banana Leaves??

My husband has discovered that ALOT of things can be ordered off the internet. One day he came home to Okinawan purple sweet potato slips in the mailbox. A few weeks later when he got off work before me I told him to check the mailbox because my banana leaves needed to go in the fridge! He didn’t think it was possible to find banana leaves in the mailbox…until he did!

If you live in a fairly rainy, cold climate like I do, sometimes it’s hard to find tropical fruits, veggies, and ingredients. On one of my dad’s trips back to Hawaii, I asked him to bring back a few banana leaves and maybe ti leaves for my kalua pork. Little did I know that he was going to bring me a suitcase full! I now have a huge stock of both banana and ti leaves for anytime I want to make kalua pork. But… if you don’t have access to a personal banana leaf dealer, this recipe is still easy to achieve!

If you are lucky, sometimes you can find banana leaves in Asian specialty stores or in Mexican specialty stores. Or, if you don’t live close to either, Amazon can come to the rescue once again (hence banana leaves in our mailbox). I was surprised that you could buy banana leaves off Amazon. They came in excellent condition, and any extras can easily be frozen. I should know! One whole shelf of my freezer is full of banana leaves now! To buy your own banana leaves, you can grab them here.

My Favorite Salt

My favorite salt I use whenever I make smoked kalua pork is called black lava salt! I love the color you get from it, and the taste is astounding. Any Hawaiian salt will work. A common type of salt used in kalua pork recipes is Hawaiian red alaea salt. If you don’t have Hawaiian salt, any coarse salt like Himalayan pink salt will work in a pinch.

I am not sponsored by them, but my absolutely favorite brand of Hawaiian salt is from a small family business in Kauai called Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts. The flavor combinations and quality of the sea salt is the best. You can easily order the salt online, so there’s no need for you to fly to Hawaii…unless you want to. 😀

Step By Step To Hawaii

Are you ready to go to a luau? First, we start the night before.

Step 1: Banana Leaves

Before we bring out the pork, lay out the banana leaves. I like to arrange one banana leaf vertically with a second leaf on top of it horizontally. Basically make cross! If your banana leaves are ripped, add a third leaf to make sure the pork will be completely covered.

Helpful tip: If your banana leaves are frozen, thaw them on your counter for 30 minutes. They thaw pretty quickly!

Step 2: Prepare the pork

Rub the pork shoulder thoroughly on both sides with salt. Leave the pork should fat side up. I like to keep the pork fat cap up because that allows the fat from the fat cap to seep into the pork making it extra juicy while cooking.

Step 3: Garlic

This is not traditional to kalua pork, but I love smoked garlic with this recipe! If you want to, peel around 8-10 cloves of garlic. Arrange half of the garlic on the banana leaves before adding your pork.

Step 4: Add the pork

Next, lay your pork shoulder on top of the banana leaves and garlic.

Step 5: Let’s wrap it up!

Arrange the rest of the garlic cloves on top of the pork shoulder. Gently fold the vertical banana leaf and tuck the sides under the pork. Lift the horizontal banana leaves and fold them over to completely encase the pork. You should treat it like you are wrapping a present for an excited kid. They can’t see inside of the wrapping paper until the right moment!

Grab your kitchen twine and carefully tie your package up to ensure the leaves don’t open up and expose your pork. I make sure the bow is on the top side of the pork butt so the fat cap is still facing up instead of upside down.

Step 6: Sleep!

Put your banana wrapped present in a 9×13 pan and let it sleep in the fridge overnight.

Step 7: Good Morning!

In the morning, prep your smoker. Preheat the electric smoker to 225 degrees. Soak your apple wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes. This is about enough time for you to preheat your smoker. Fill your water pan with some water. Steam is an important aspect of the kalua pig process. Add both to the smoker. While the smoker is coming to temp, bring your banana wrapped pork out of its nap and let it sit for about 30 minutes to avoid being stone cold.

Step 8: Cooking time!

Once your smoker is preheated, carefully place your pork inside. Sometimes I like to put a little disposable aluminum pan underneath the pork so the drippings don’t make a mess at the bottom of my smoker. Don’t forget to insert a good digital thermometer into your pork to monitor the cooking temperature. This is the one I have and it works great! ThermoPro Digital Food Thermometer.

Smoke the meat for at least 8-9 hours until an internal temperature of at least 190 degrees. Periodically check the water levels or if you need to add more wood chips.

You know it’s done when you stick the probe in and it feels like its sinking into room temperature butter!

Step 9: Let it Rest…Again

Remove the perfectly cooked kalua pork from the smoker and let it rest for about 30 minutes. This helps the juices settle and saturates back into the meat.

Helpful tip: This is a great time to finish prepping any last minute sides.

Step 10: LET’S EAT!

Cut the twine open, pull apart the banana leaves and behold! Look at the deliciousness!!!

Use a fork to shred the pork and then serve! You have a beautifully presented kalua pork that everyone can dive into!

Planning The Perfect Hawaiian Staycation

Traditional sides to eat with kalua pork is steamed cabbage, rice, and macs salad! It also tastes amazing with steamed purple sweet potatoes. I really enjoy making virgin pina coladas or guava floats! You can find my guava float recipe here!

This is my favorite hosting recipe for crowds. It serves many guests and is a huge showstopper on a small budget. I was able to grab an 8 pound pork shoulder for $15.50! It does require a little forethought, but it’s 100% worth it!

If you are interested in the perfect Hawaiian Staycation meal plan and recipes, subscribe to my email list! You will find lots of extra tips, tricks, freebies, and other fun things besides recipes in each email. Go to The Mini Chef Recipe Box Newsletter to sign up!

If you make this recipe, please snap a picture and share it on instagram using #theycallmeminichef.

Happy cooking!