A traditional Hawaiian dish of slow-cooked pork, usually prepared in an underground oven known as an imu.
The traditional cooking method of Native Hawaiians, predating European contact by centuries — the imu is a pit lined with kiawe or kukui wood and volcanic stones heated until they glow, the pig wrapped in ti and banana leaves and buried under earth. Modern restaurant kalua often uses a smoker or oven with liquid smoke; purists call this kalua-style, not true kalua.
Pre-contact Native Hawaiian imu cooking — the pit is lined with kiawe wood and volcanic stones glowing red. The pig steam-smokes around 93°C for six-plus hours; no char on the outside is the tell of a real imu.
Shredded pork, glistening from its own rendered fat, with a faint smoke that's woody rather than sweet. Salt is the only seasoning — Hawaiian sea salt, coarse, rubbed in before cooking. Pulled from a whole pig roasted in an underground pit (an imu) for six to eight hours. Served plain or with rice and lomi salmon at a luau; leftovers go into cabbage stir-fry the next day.
Volcanic stones are the engine — they hold the heat for six-plus hours of slow steaming. Banana leaves contribute moisture; ti leaves add a faint vegetal note. The pig isn't really roasted — it's steamed-smoked at around 200°F (93°C), which is why the meat shreds without ever browning on the outside. No char is the tell of a real imu pig.
Variations
Imu-cooked (true kalua, only at large luaus); oven-and-liquid-smoke (the everyday restaurant version); Crock-Pot kalua (home cook standard, smoked salt + bacon); kalua turkey at Thanksgiving is the inevitable American crossover.
On the Palate
Where Kalua Pig sits in the Hawaiian flavor cloud
Ingredients
How it's made
4 steps · 35 min active + 4 hours waiting
- 15 min
Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Rub the pork shoulder generously with Hawaiian sea salt, ensuring even coverage. The salt should adhere to the meat, enhancing its flavor during the slow roast.
Watch outRub the salt on hard enough that it clings to the meat all over — this seasons deep during the long cook.
- 25 min
Place the pork on a bed of banana leaves in a roasting pan. Drizzle with liquid smoke, ensuring the aroma of the smoke permeates the meat. Wrap the leaves around the pork to create a snug parcel.
- 310 min
Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil, sealing tightly to trap steam. Roast in the oven for 4-5 hours, until the pork is tender and easily shredded with a fork. The kitchen should fill with a smoky, savory fragrance.
Watch outDone is when a fork meets no resistance and twists the meat apart; the kitchen should smell smoky and savory, but the surface stays pale, not browned.
- 415 min
Once cooked, remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Unwrap the banana leaves and shred the pork, mixing with its juices for added flavor.
Watch outShred while warm and toss the meat back through the collected juices so it doesn't dry out.
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