saucy tomatoes

Inspired by my recent trip to Hawaii, I just had to make some kalua pork.  It's a classic Hawaiian dish, and since I don't have a pig pit in the back yard, a slow cooker will do the trick just fine.  Add a nice crisp pickle and some Sriracha aioli and you can just imagine those island winds blowing through your hair.

This recipe will yeild an enormous amount of kalua pork.  Make some tacos, serve it with kimchi fried rice or just eat it straight up.

Kalua Pork Ingredients:

5-6 lbs pork butt

2 tbsp black Hawaiian lava salt

1 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke

slider buns

dill pickle slices

lots of time (16 - 20 hrs)

Sriracha Aioli Ingredients:

2 egg yolks

1 cup canola oil

2 tbsp Sriracha

juice from one lemon

pinch of salt

This recipe really couldn't be easier.  Take your pork butt, poke a bunch of holes in it with a knife and rub with the Hawaiian salt and liquid smoke.

The black Hawaiian salt is rich in trace minerals and has the stunning black color from purified volcanic charcoal.  It's really a lovely salt.

After you thoroughly rub your pork but with the the salt and liquid smoke, put it in a crock pot on low for 16-20 hrs.  It's a fantastic meal to start the night before you want to eat it.  Let it cook all through the night and all day at work and you'll have a great surprise when you get home from work the next day.

The picture below shows what 20 hrs of slow cooking will do to a pork butt!  it is so tender you could pull it apart with a spoon!  And, the black salt gives it a fantastic color.

The kalua pork should be finely pulled apart.  It's easy to pull apart by grabbing two forks and just getting to work.  Mix the meat up with all of the delicious simmering sauce and keep it on warm.

Now it's time for the aioli.  

Simply add your egg yolks, Sriracha, lemon juice and a pinch of salt to bowl of your food processor and blend until the eggs are slightly frothy, about 1 minute.  Once the eggs are beaten, slowly add your canola oil while the mixer is running.  Go slow on this one.

Get your pickles and buns ready to go and it's time to assemble your sliders!  I should mention here, you can also use a slice of pineapple if you have one.  Anything acidic or sweet will be a great contract to the salty smokiness of the kalua pork. Enjoy!